Class M championships
At Guilford
Team results -- 1. Foran-Milford 209½; 2. Ledyard 206; 3. New Fairfield 198½; 4. Ellis Tech 164½; 5. Guilford 147½; 6. Lyman Memorial/Windham Tech 127½; 7. New London 108; 8. Waterford 96½; 9. Berlin 95; 10. Branford 91; 11. Avon 85½; 12. East Haven 77½; 13. Bethel 72; 14. Stratford 70; 15. Jonathan Law 52; 16. St. Bernard/Norwich Tech 47; 17. Tolland 43; 18. Weston 40½; 19. Fermi 33; 20. East Lyme 32; 21. Woodstock Academy 31; 22. Suffield/W.Locks/E.Granby 30; 23. Bacon Academy 24½; 24. Wolcott Tech 21; 25. SMSA/Univ/Classical 19; 26. Bunnell 13; 27. Rockville 6
Individual results
106
Final: Sean Johnson, (Ellis Tech) dec. Logan Smith, (Waterford), 12-2; 3. Bo Nguyen, (Ledyard) dec. Daniel Veleas, (Berlin), 13-4; 5. Victor Garcia, (East Haven) dec. Nicholas Tartsinis, (Bacon Academy), 9-8
113
Final: Gino Esposito, (Foran) dec. Nick Arborio, (Berlin), 2-0; 3. Noah Pantani, (Branford) win by forfeit over Everett Minevich, (East Lyme); 5. Antonio Lieto, (East Haven) dec. Austin Robertson, (Ledyard), 6-3
120
Final: Alec Opsal, (New Fairfield) pin Alex Starr, (Lyman Memorial/Windham Tech), 2:34; 3. Willie Gambardella, (Branford) dec. Anthony Tripodi, (Avon), 5-0; 5. Anthony Devanny, (Ellis Tech) dec. William Mauro, (Foran), 13-3
126
Final: Baltazar Gonzalez, (Ellis Tech) dec. Andrew Ignoto, (Guilford), 12-6; 3. Roger Moyer, (Lyman Memorial/Windham Tech) dec. Ryan Farrell, (Avon), 4-2; 5. Nick DeMorro, (East Haven) dec. Braden Reilly, (New Fairfield), 12-2
132
Final: Alejandro Paulino, (New London) dec. Ryan Luth, (Foran), 3-1; 3. Ryan Angers, (Tolland) dec. Colin Rook, (Guilford), 7-5; 5. Robert Ruiz, (Bethel) pin Josh Veleas, (Berlin), 4:42
138
Final: Avery Shay, (New Fairfield) dec. Matthew Dowler, (St. Bernard/Norwich Tech), 11-2; 3. Jubilee Witte, (Foran) dec. Michael Devanny, (Ellis Tech), 3-2; 5. David Gill, (East Lyme) win by forfeit over Shane Fors, (Ledyard)
145; Final: Michael Ross, (Foran) TF Mike Angers, (Tolland), 15-0; 3. Cole Blair, (Ellis Tech) dec. Will McCallister, (Stratford), 8-4; 5. McKayd LaRose, (Guilford) dec. Chase LaRusso, (Fermi), 4-3
152
Final: Samuel Lindblom, (Waterford) dec. Andrew Tischer, (Guilford), 9-5; 3. Jacob Commander, (New London) medical default over Anton Dzeidzic, (Wolcott Tech); 5. Jacob Millbach, (Ledyard) pin Dan Gioia, (New Fairfield), 2:32
160
Final: Andrew D'Amico, (New Fairfield) dec. Noah Hubler, (Foran), 5-3; 3. Jack St.Onge, (Avon) dec. Oscar Carmona, (Guilford), 7-3; 5. Collin Crader, (Ledyard) dec. Max Khoshabo, (Bethel), 5-2
170
Final: Tyler Burlinson, (New Fairfield) pin Qasim Khan, (Foran), 0:21; 3. Curtis Patsiga, (Ledyard) dec. Aj Moscato, (Guilford), 7-5; 5. Antonio Marino, (Berlin) dec. Edwin Ruiz Sandoval, (Woodstock Academy), 5-4
182
Final: Mitchell LaFlam, (Lyman Memorial/Windham Tech) dec. Justin Keating, (Waterford), 5-0; 3. Dakota Grover, (Ledyard) dec. William Magrino, (New Fairfield), 5-4; 5. Jorge Hidalgo, (New London) pin Vin Biscoglio, (Berlin), 4:03
195
Final: Daniel Contino, (Ledyard) pin Josh Lachs, (Weston), 3:36; 3. David Verizzi, (Lyman Memorial/Windham Tech) pin Tim Seksinski, (East Haven), 1:51; 5. Justin Garden, (New Fairfield) medical default over Jackson Seward, (Branford)
220
Final: Daric Johnson, (Ledyard) dec. Nicholas Cote, (Bethel), 9-5; 3. Renelson Michel, (New London) pin Hamit Nasufi, (Stratford), 2:12; 5. Gavin Thuotte, (Ellis Tech) pin Kevin Brocksom, (Jonathan Law), 1:00
285; Final: Luke Edmondson, (Foran) pin Shawn Hundley, (Ledyard), 1:57; 3. Jake Richters, (Fermi) dec. Sergio Ferreira, (Stratford), 4-1; 5. Pedro Galarza, (Lyman Memorial/Windham Tech) pin George Howard, (New Fairfield), 1:41
Outstanding wrestler: Alejandro Paulino, (New London)
Foran wins first state title with pin
in final match
GUILFORD – After nearly 450 matches in the Class M tournament, it came down to the final match of the tournament to see who would win the state championship.
Ledyard, the four-time defending Class M champion, had won two matches in a row and Daric Johnson’s 9-5 win over Bethel’s Nicholas Cote at 220 pounds gave the Colonials a 2½ point lead over Foran-Milford, a team looking to win its first-ever wrestling state title.
On the mat stood Foran’s Luke Edmondson and Ledyard’s Shawn Hundley in the 285 pound final. The winner would give his team the state title. Edmondson pinned Hundley in 1:57 to lift the Lions to a 1½ victory over Ledyard, 209½ to 206 in the closest Class M tournament since Windham beat Montville by 1½ points 10 years ago in 2006.
Foran, which won a state record 35 dual meets this winter, had eight medalists including three individual state champions and three wrestlers that finished second. Ledyard had 10 medalists but just three wrestlers in the finals. Two prevailed.
New Fairfield, which finished third with 198½ points, had four individual champions while Ellis Tech had the best-ever finish for a technical school in a CIAC wrestling tournament by finishing four with 164½ points. Ellis Tech had two individual champions.
It was Edmondson’s third straight Class M championship. He was one of four wrestlers in the tournament to win a third state title. Waterford’s Sam Lindblom (152), New Fairfield’s Andrew D’Amico (160) and Ledyard’s Daric Johnson (220) each picked up a third state crown.
Foran juniors Gino Esposito (113) and Michael Ross (145) won titles for the Lions, while sophomore Ryan Luth (132), senior Noah Hubler (160) and sophomore Qasim Khan (170) each finished second.
As a team, the Lions won 30 matches and needed every single one of them.
Three wrestlers – Elijah Moretti (126), Colby Stuart (182) and Nicholas Zavaglia (195) won just one match in the tournament but they won by pin to pick up extra pin points for Foran. Thirteen of Foran’s 14 varsity wrestlers won at least one match.
Foran had finished second at the Class M meet for two of the previous three seasons, losing by 10 to Ledyard a year ago and losing by 99½ to the Colonels in 2013.
Ledyard was hoping to win five straight state championships for the first time. Daniel Contino (195) and Daric Johnson (220) won in the finals to give Ledyard an opportunity. But Edmondson pinned Ledyard’s Shawn Hundley to give Foran the title.
Curtia Patsiga (170), Dakota Grover (182) and Bo Nguyen (106) each finished third for Ledyard.
New Fairfield was led by Alec Opsal (120), Avery Shay (138), Andrew D’Amico (160) and Tyler Burlinson (170) with state titles.
Ellis Tech was led by Sean Johnson (106) and Baltazar Gonzalez (126) with Class M titles. They were the first two state titles in school history.
