Murillo named state winner of Schultz Award
Fairfield High's Lee Mannion (145 pounds) was named wrestler of the year at the Connecticut High School Wrestling Coaches Association's annual All-State banquet. Mannion went 43-0 in Connecticut, winning his first State Open championship and earning his second straight Class LL championship. Click here for the All-State and Academic All-State rosters.
Bridgeport Central coach Ted Oczkowski was named state coach of the year after leading the Hilltoppers to a 32-1 record and fourth in Class LL. Danbury's Gary Tilbe was named assistant coach of the year, Ledyard's Mike Quibble received the special recognition award for his work as chairman of USA Wrestling in the state while Gerry deSimas, Jr., freelance writer and editor of Connecticut Wrestling Online was named sportswriter of the year.
Scoring error costs RHAM share of Open title
A scoring error at the State Open cost RHAM two points and possible share of the State Open championship with Danbury. Unfortunately for RHAM, the error wasn't caught until the Tuesday after the meet. National Federation guidelines call for scoring errors to be corrected within 48 hours of the event. Danbury nipped RHAM, 94-92 to win the Open championship.
Danbury received pins from Dennis Stone and Anthony Hayes in the finals to slip past upstart RHAM, 94-92, and win its second straight State Open championship in the closest finish in state history. Platt's Luis Murillo earned outstanding wrestler honors
BRISTOL, R.I., March 3 -- Jason Pagan (145 pounds) earned the first New England championship at NFA since 1994 with a 3-0 win over Brendan Mance of Mt. Anthony, Vt., in the finals of the New England Championships Saturday night. Connecticut had six wrestlers in the finals but only came home with one title. Five state wrestlers finished third. For tournament results, click on this link. Danbury was the top state school in 7th place. Mt. Anthony, Vt. won the team title.
Wright stripped of title,
MAU placed on probation
Mt. Anthony wrestler Ron Wright (160 pounds) who used an illegal chokehold has been stripped of his 2002 Vermont state championship and the Mt. Anthony wrestling program has been placed on probation for one year in a decision by the Vermont Principals Association. Wright was disqualified and thrown out of the New England Tournament for his illegal front headlock against John Goss of St. John's-Shrewsbury that forced Goss to pass out. The 20 team points that Wright had earned were taken away from Mt. Anthony.
State college wrestling
Four state wrestlers earn
All-America honors
EVANSTON, Ill., May 5 -- Sacred Heart's Anthony Reynolds (Berlin) and Jason Cucolo (Darien) earned All-American status at the 2002 University Freestyle National Championships on May 5 while Southington's Patrick McCaffrey, Bethel's Doug Milburn earned All-American honors at the FILA Cadet Freestyle Nationals. Finishing among the top eight in a weight class earns All-America honors.
Wrestling Greco-Roman, Cucolo was 7th at 60 kilograms while Reynolds was third at 96 kg. McCaffrey was sixth at 42 kg in the Greco-Roman division while Milburn was fifth at 63 kg. Click here for more results from The Mat.
Former Berlin High star Anthony Reynolds (197 pounds) of Sacred Heart University won his opening round match in the 2002 NCAA Division I wrestling championships but lost in the second round to 5th-seeded Scott Barker of Missouri State. For more information, click on the link.
Spring tournaments
Pennsylvania won the tournament by 13 points over Virginia. Vermont was the top New England school in 13th place. Massachusetts was 22nd with 90 points while Connecticut was 22nd with 55 points. New Hampshire was 23rd with 54½ points. Other state winners included Barrett St. George, who finished fourth at 95 pounds in the elementary division (grades 4-6) and Manchester's Maurice Scott, who was fifth in the college division at 149 pounds.
State goes 0-5 in duals
NORFOLK, Va., May 27, 2002 -- Connecticut went 0-5 in the National High School Coaches Association (NHSCA) wrestling duals tournament in Norfolk, Va. in late May. Connecticut had only nine wrestlers competing and only six wrestled in more than three matches. Ryan Murphy (130), Jeremy Matag (125), Kyle Trotta (152) and Southington's Bill St. Pierre (135) earned wins for Connecticut.
State high school coaches
Bridgeport Central coach Ted Orzkowski, who was named state coach of the year Sunday, wrote a note thanking many people including his coaching staff, his high school coach and his family.
Parente resigns as coach at Bristol Central
Bristol Central High wrestling coach Pat Parente has resigned as coach of the Rams after the season. Parente has been with the program for over 20 years. He will continue to direct the CIAC state wrestling tournaments and the Bristol Central Invitational.
Jadach nominated
Derby wrestling coach Walt Jadach is one of 17 state coaches to be nominated by the Connecticut High School Coaches Association for 2002-03 national coach of the year honors. The winners will be announced at the National High School Coaches Association convention in Tulsa, Oklahoma.
Prep school results
NORTHAMPTON, Mass., March 3 --- While none of the three wrestlers that Loomis Chaffee had in the championship matches earned New England titles, Loomis won the New England Prep School championship with an 12-point win over host Northfield-Mt. Hermon Saturday.
Pomfret School's Joshua Wildes (112) finished fourth in the 2002 National Prep School Tournament. Matt Piselli from Hamden Hall took 8th at 140 pounds. Click on the link for 2002 tournament results.
The Norwich Bulletin's state wrestling coaches poll.
Final, Feb. 18, 2002
No. Team Rec. Pts. LW
1. Danbury (11) 20-1 220 1
2. Fairfield High 22-4 169 7
3. Southington 32-1 167 2
4. Derby 23-0-1 163 3
5. Fitch 20-5-1 135 5
6. Bridgprt Cen. 32-1 117 4
6. RHAM 24-2-1 117 10
8. Killingly 18-2-1 105 6
9. Berlin 18-5 84 9
10. NFA 20-5 61 8
Also receiving votes: Windham High (22-8) 23; Glastonbury (25-4) and Waterford (20-9) 7.
OTHER NEWS
Guzzio named to All-ACC squad
COLLEGE PARK, Md., Sept. 2002 -- Jim Guzzio, who wrestled at Hand-Madison, has been named to the ACC (Atlantic Coast Conference) 50th anniversary wresting team. Guzzio wrestled at 134 pounds for the University of Maryland, where he was an All-American, ACC wrestler of the year and the Maryland male athlete of the year in 1997. His career record in college was 122-40. A former assistant coach at North Carolina-Greensboro, he is now a futures and options analyst for a Charlotte, N.C. bank.
Quibble steps down
LEDYARD, Sept. 10 -- Mike Quibble has stepped down as chairman of USA Wrestling in Connecticut. Read here for more information on Quibble's departure.
State gets new editor for Wrestling USA
HARTFORD, Sept. 2002 -- Bryan McCarty, coach at Platt High in Meriden since 1991-92, has been named as the new Connecticut editor of Wrestling USA. His job will include submitting articles on wrestling news in the state, recommending All-American and Academic All-American candidates to the magazine. "My main goal is to increase Connecticut's exposure on the national level," he said. Teams can mail information to McCarty at Platt High, 220 Coe Avenue, Meriden, Conn., 06450.
