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By KEN LIPSHEZ Connecticut Wrestling Online SIMSBURY, Jan. 28, 2002 -- When five quality wrestling teams converge and engage in 10 quality dual meets over the course of one afternoon, so many of the individual bouts come and go without getting due acclaim. Close, hard-fought matches involving second-ranked Southington, No. 9 Berlin, No. 11 New Milford and two unranked but rugged, winning teams in New Fairfield and Simsbury made Saturday at Simsbury High a wrestling fan's delight. Since so many sensational bouts were relegated to just one line of type in the summaries of the meet, here's a closer look at some of the better confrontations with particular stress on Berlin-Southington II. James Battista (Southington) vs. Jim Punkunus (Berlin), 171 pounds When the teams met at the Powers Duals on Jan. 12, Punkunus won by forfeit at 171 and Battista was bumped to 189 where he lost a 12-1 decision to John Riedel. There would be no bumping the second time. Punkunus, the defending Class L champion, notched an early takedown. Battista, his battle-scarred face a visible badge of his dedication, scored a reversal, turned Punkunus and gained three back points. Punkunus escaped, scored a takedown and a three-point nearfall of his own. Punkunus led, 8-5, after one period. Battista deferred his second-period choice and Punkunus chose to go down. Battista turned him again. His tight headlock inadvertently slipped across Punkunus' windpipe and the Berlin captain passed out for a brief moment. Undaunted after a brief recovery period, Punkunus reversed him and garnered three more back points. Battista escaped to cut Punkunus' lead to 13-9. But Battista engaged his headlock again and pinned Punkunus at 5:20, ending a classic bout that exhibited both wrestlers' mettle and Punkunus' courage. "Battista hit the same move three times. It wasn't a fluke," Berlin coach Jim Day said. "If there's any cosmic justice, the way it turned out was fair." Bill Aust (Berlin) vs. Andy Liseo (Southington), 145 pounds Aust, the time-tested senior who began the season at 152, had his hands full with a freshman who is going to be some kind of wrestler as he matures. Aust, a returning state placewinner with a 26-3 record, recorded a first-period takedown and turned Liseo for a 4-0 lead. From there, the only scoring was a penalty point assessed against Aust for using a full nelson and an escape on each side. Liseo, now 13-5, pinned J.D. Sauer of New Milford and Paul Roszko of New Fairfield in his other bouts Saturday. Aust went 4-0, including a 5-3 decision over New Milford's Jesse McKay, who was second in Class L to Berlin's John Szymanski at 135 last year. Mat Florian (Southington) vs. Justin Giarnella (Berlin), 152 pounds Similar situation, different team, with Florian the veteran and Giarnella the rapidly improving sophomore. Florian, 27-3, scored takedowns in the first and second periods. Giarnella's two escapes kept it close. Florian, whose only loss on the day was to McKay, reversed Giarnella (21-8) to start the third. Giarnella, on the road to becoming another great Berlin wrestler, made it close with a takedown. Florian escaped. With time running out, Giarnella went to a high-risk maneuver that the seasoned Florian countered to emerge with a 9-5 decision. Jon Vose (Southington) vs. Andy Reindl (Berlin), 215 pounds Vose, a junior who is perhaps the area's most improved wrestler, ended the day at 29-1. His lone defeat came at Reindl's hands two weeks prior in a 6-4 decision that went to a sudden-victory overtime period. Reindl, a senior whose 22-8 record shows that he too has also come a long way, fell behind 2-0 after a scoreless first period. Vose responded to the challenge by finishing the bout with three takedowns, while Reindl garnered his five points on four escapes and a penalty point. To be continued at the State Open? Perhaps. Bill St. Pierre (Southington) vs. Derek Aivano (Berlin), 135 pounds The first time they met, it decided the championship match of the Powers Duals. St. Pierre (26-2) won that one, 13-6, by breaking a 6-6 tie with a third-period surge. St. Pierre scored a late first-period takedown. He escaped to start the second but Aivano (21-8) took him down to close the gap to 3-2. St. Pierre's reversal and a two-point nearfall gave him what proved to be a secure 7-2 lead after two periods. St. Pierre took him down again in the third and won the bout, 9-3. Chris Santerre (Berlin) vs. Ian Kessler (New Fairfield), 112 pounds Brandon Taricani (Southington) vs. Kessler, 112 pounds Kessler won the 103-pound championship in Class M and at the State Open last year. He went on to finish fourth in New England. Kessler led Santerre, an unpredictable sophomore, by 10 points in the second period when Santerre caught him at 3:36. An hour or so later, Taricani, whom Day referred to as "the real deal," turned Kessler and stuck him in 1:39. Kessler's long ride back to New Fairfield must have been a soul-searching, gut-wrenching voyage. Taricani, who pinned Santerre in 2:12, is now 15-7 after going 3-1 on the day. He lost a 9-2 decision to Dylan Tuz of New Milford who was second in Class L and sixth at the Open at 103 last year. Nick Catalano (Berlin) vs. Dan Schloss (Simsbury), 130 pounds Catalano vs. Jaysen Paphong (Southington), 130 pounds Here's another story of a Berlin underclassman serving notice of what the future may hold. Catalano, a freshman, went 3-0 against Saturday's rugged field. He scored the lone takedown to beat Schloss, 2-0, and edged Paphong, a senior who began his scholastic career at New Britain, by 6-5. ONE LAST LOOK: Southington's two victories over Berlin elicited major mutual respect as the teams head their separate ways toward the postseason. "It's always tough to beat a team a second time, especially a team you have a rivalry with like Berlin," Southington coach Pete Sepko said. The grueling day took its toll on the lineups of all the teams. "It was a long hard day," Sepko said. "Everybody's beaten up." Southington's sensational sophomore Chris Lee sported a black, puffy eye. Heavyweight Zach Saucier took on his final opponent from Simsbury with his left shoulder wrapped in bandages. The Blue Knights have a soft CCC South match Wednesday against outmanned Bulkeley before welcoming highly regarded Norwich Free Academy to their lair on Saturday. |
Too many great matches to ignore in Southington-Berlin II |
SCORES Southington 40, New Milford 21 Southington 41, Berlin 24 Southington 51, New Fairfield 29 Southington 60, Simsbury 19 Berlin 49, New Fairfield 20 Berlin 47, Simsbury 18 Berlin 36, New Milford 27 New Milford 42, New Fairfield 32 New Milford 62, Simsbury 15 Simsbury 47, New Fairfield 26 BOXSCORES Southington 41, Berlin 24 At Southington 103: Fontaine (S) won by forfeit; 112: Taricani (S) pin Chris Santerre, 2:12; 119: B.J. Madey (B) pin Simpson, 3:32; 125: R. Lee (S) dec. Jim Solek, 10-0; 130: Nick Catalano (B) dec. Paphong, 6-5; 135 -- St. Pierre (S) dec. Derek Aivano, 9-3; 140: C. Lee (S) pin Carl Ciarcia, 3:41; 145: Billy Aust (B) dec. A. Liseo, 5-2; 152: Florian (S) dec. Justin Giarnella, 9-5; 160: L. Liseo (S) dec. A.J. Smith, 11-0; 171: Battista (S) pin Punkunus, 5:20; 189: John Riedel (B) pin D'Angelo, 5:31; 215: Vose (S) dec. Andy Reindl, 6-5; 275: John Russo (B) won by forfeit. Records: Southington 26-1. Southington 40, N. Milford 21 At Southington 103: Jeff Fontaine (S) dec. Joe Scott, 11-4; 112: Dylan Tuz (NM) dec. Brandon Taricani, 9-2; 119: Nick Marinakis (NM) pin Eric Simpson, 2:44; 125: Ryan Lee (S) dec. Josh Lee, 10-0; 130: Jaysen Paphong (S) tech fall Mike Senello, 18-3; 135: Bill St. Pierre (S) pin Mike Stackpole, 4:22; 140: Chris Lee (S) dec. Sean Caselli, 12-2; 145: Jesse McKay (NM) dec. Mat Florian, 6-4; 152: Andy Liseo (S) pin J.D. Sauer, 2:42; 160: Larry Liseo (S) pin Gabe Knight, 2:56; 171: Tim Rourke (NM) dec. James Battista, 4-3; 189: Chris D'Angelo (S) dec. Cody Tuz, 3-1; 215: Jon Vose (S) dec. Amir Kearney, 7-6; 275: Frank Ciatto (NM) pin Zach Saucier, 2:55. Southington 51, N. Fairfield 29 At Southington 103: Fontaine (S) pin John Jagemann, 1:04; 112: Taricani (S) pin Ian Kessler, 1:39; 119: Bobby James (NF) pin Simpson, :50; 125: R. Lee (S) pin Andy Kelly, :50; 130: Kevin Gaughan (NF) won by forfeit; 135: Mike Azzarito (NF) dec. Paphong, 16-1; 140: C. Lee (S) dec. Kyle Poellot, 12-3; 145: Florian (S) dec. John Mastracchio, 9-5; 152: A. Liseo (S) pin Paul Roszko, 3:50; 160: L. Liseo (S) pin Johnny Samaha, :15; 171: Battista (S) pin Ryan Quinn, 5:48; 189: Mike Walsh (NF) won by forfeit; 215: Vose (S) pin Jamie Hines, 1:15; 275: Ray Dommermuth (NF) won by forfeit. Southington 60, Simsbury 19 At Southington 103: Fontaine (Sou) pin Brian Scully, 3:36; 112: Taricani (Sou) won by forfeit; 119: Jason Cairelli (Sim) dec. Paul Sasso, 9-7 OT; 125: Simpson (Sou) pin Dan St. Denis, 1:07; 130: Paphong (Sou) pin Mark Greene, 4:12; 135: Jon McDonald (Sim) won by forfeit; 140: Sam Meehan (Sim) dec. Jeremy Seeger, 14-2; 145: Florian (Sou) pin Chris Keller, 1:59; 152: A. Liseo (Sou) won by forfeit; 160: L. Liseo (Sou) won by forfeit; 171: Corey Everette (Sim) won by forfeit; 189: D'Angelo (Sou) pin Tom Curran, 1:40; 215: Vose (Sou) pin Willy Kryjak, :12; 275: Saucier (Sou) pin Justin Pawlik, :23. Berlin 49, New Fairfield 20 At Southington 103: Jagemann (NF) pin Cliff Richards, :41; 112: Santerre (B) pin Kessler, 3:36; 119: Madey (B) pin James; 125: Solek (B) dec. James Ktorides, 6-2; 130: Gaughan (NF) pin Matt Ponte, 3:32; 135: Aivano (B) pin Azzarito, :48; 140: Poellot (NF) dec. Ciarcia, 7-0; 145: Aust (B) dec. Mastracchio, 10-1; 152: Giarnella (B) pin Roszko, 1:18; 160: Smith (B) dec. Samaha, 6-1; 171: Punkunus (B) pin Quinn, :58; 189: Walsh (NF) tech fall Riedel, 20-14; 215: Reindl (B) dec. Jamie Hines, 5-0; 275: Russo (B) pin Dommermuth, 1:53. Records: New Fairfield 10-6-1. Berlin 47, Simsbury 18 At Southington 103: Scully (S) won by forfeit; 112: Santerre (B) won by forfeit; 119: Madey (B) dec. Cairelli, 8-2; 125: Matt Ruderman (S) pin Ponte, :50; 130: Catalano (B) dec. Dan Schloss, 2-0; 135: Aivano (B) dec. Scott Starr, 13-4; 140: Ciarcia (B) dec. Meehan, 11-9 OT; 145: Aust (B) dec. Tyler Forner, 6-1; 152: Giarnella (B) won by forfeit; 160: Steve Hoffsis (S) pin Chuck Desrosher, 1:13; 171: Punkunus (B) dec. Everette, 6-1; 189: Riedel (B) pin Curran, 1:44; 215: Reindl (B) dec. Curtis Martin, 11-0; 275: Russo (B) pin Pawlik, 1:33. Records: Simsbury 10-9. Berlin 36, New Milford 27 At Southington 103: Scott (NM) won by forfeit; 112: D. Tuz (NM) pin Santerre, 3:58; 119: Madey (B) pin Marinakis, 5:19; 125: J. Lee (NM) dec. Solek, 6-4; 130: Catalano (B) dec. Senello, 19-6; 135: Aivano (B) pin Stackpole, :55; 140: Caselli (NM) dec. Ciarcia, 9-7; 145: Aust (B) dec. McKay, 5-3; 152: Giarnella (B) dec. Sauer, 15-5; 160: Knight (NM) pin Smith, :49; 171: Punkunus (B) won by forfeit; 189: Riedel (B) dec. C. Tuz, 11-5; 215: Kearney (NM) dec. Reindl, 10-9; 275: Russo )B) dec. Ciatto, 16-5. Records: Berlin 14-4, New Milford 20-3. N. Milford 42, New Fairfield 32 103 pounds: Joe Scott (NM) pin Jagemann 1:27; 112: Ian Kessler (NF) dec. Dylan Tuz 10-5; 119: Bobby James (NF) pin Nick Malinakis 4:54; 125: Josh Lee (NM) pin Ktorides 2:22; 130: Kevin Gaughan (NF) tech fall Tom Leonard 18-3; 135: Mike Azzarito (NF) dec. Mike Stackpole 7-2; 140: Kyle Poellot (NF) dec. Sean Caselli 6-0; 145: Jessie McKais (NM) pin Mastracchio 3:10; 152: J.D. Sauer (NM) pin Roszko 0:52; 160: Gabe Knight (NM) pin Samaha 0:47; 171: Tim Roulke (NM) pin Quinn 1:39; 189: Mike Walsh (NF) by forfeit; 215: Amir Kealney (NM) pin Hines 5:11; 275: Ray Dommermuth (NF) pin Frank Ciatto. Simsbury 47, New Fairfield 26 103 pounds Scully (S) pin Jagemann 2:57; 112: Ian Kessler (NF) by forfeit; 119: Carielli (S) pin James 0:58; 125: Riderman (S) pin Ktorides 2:22; 130: Kevin Gaughan (NF) tech fall Greene 17-2; 135: McDonald (S) dec. Azzarito 10-1; 140: Kyle Poellot (NF) dec. Star 8-2; 145: Meehan (S) dec. Mastracchio 12-1; 152: Farnar (S) pin Roszko 0:49; 160: Hoffsis (S) pin Samaha 0:22; 171: Everette (S) pin Quinn 3:56; 189: Mike Walsh (NF) pin Curran 1:23; 215: Martin (S) dec. Hines 5-1; 275: Ray Dommermuth (NF) pin Pawlik 3:26. RECORDS: Southington 26-1, New Milford 20-3, Berlin 14-4, New Fairfield 10-6-1, Simsbury 10- |
Teams challenged by competition By KEN LIPSHEZ Connecticut Wrestling Online SIMSBURY, Jan. 27, 2002 --- The competition throughout the five-team get-together at Simsbury High School Saturday was stiff. How stiff was it? Three of the teams have been no worse than honorable mention in the weekly state coaches' poll most of the season. No fewer than 14 State Open qualifiers from last season competed. The State Open 103-pound champion from last season Ian Kessler of New Fairfield was pinned twice. Still not convinced? New Milford, a squad that came in having won 18 of its 19 matches, could do no better than break even. By the time the mats were removed, Southington reinforced its claim as the second-best team in Connecticut behind everybody's No. 1 Danbury. The Blue Knights, with Chris Lee, Jon Vose, Jeff Fontaine and Larry Liseo going unbeaten, were convincing in sweeping all four of their matches. Southington, which improved its dual-meet mark to 26-1, dropped New Milford (40-21), New Fairfield (51-29), Simsbury (60-19) and Berlin (41-24). Berlin, which came into the day ranked ninth in the state, won its other three matches with New Fairfield (49-20), Simsbury (47-18) and New Milford (36-27). Bill Aust, John Russo, B.J. Madey and emerging freshman Nick Catalano made it through without a loss. New Milford (20-3) defeated Simsbury and New Fairfield. The Trojans (10-9) escaped the discomfort the going winless in their own gym by hanging the 0-4 mark on New Fairfield (10-6-1). Local eyes were focused on the rematch between neighboring Berlin and Southington. The Knights escaped with a 36-32 win over the Redcoats two weeks ago at the Art Powers Duals when the battle went down to the final bout between 135-pounders Bill St. Pierre of Southington and Berlin's Derek Aivano. The cushion was a little more comfortable Saturday. Aust (145), Russo (275), Madey (119), Catalano (130) and John Riedel (189) were victorious against their Southington foes. The Knights received victories from St. Pierre (135), Chris Lee (140), Mat Florian (152), Liseo (160), James Battista (171), Vose (215), Fontaine (103), Brandon Taricani (112) and Ryan Lee (125). "We were a little more intense than they were," Southington coach Pete Sepko said. "The win at 171 for Battista (who pinned Jim Punkunus) was a big momentum swing and really put us in the driver's seat." Berlin coach Jim Day echoed Sepko's assessment. "Their intensity level exceeded ours," Day said. "(Sepko) did a better job than me because their kids were better than they were two weeks ago and we were not. That's my responsibility. Battista, 25-6 on the year, trailed Punkunus 8-5 going into the third period. With Punkunus opting for the down position, Battista used a headlock to throw his foe. On the verge of being pinned, Punkunus' body went limp. The bout was stopped as coaches and trainers stormed the mat. Punkunus courageously finished the bout but was pinned at 5:20. "It's such a hard move and I had so much adrenaline going," Battista said. "All of a sudden, he went limp. He's an awesome wrestler. I didn't think he'd continue. It takes a lot of guts and a lot of heart." Vose, now 29-1, avenged his only setback of the season by edging Andy Reindl, 6-5. Reindl won a 6-4 decision in overtime two weeks ago. Vose also won a hard-fought bout against Amir Kearney of New Milford, 7-6, but had two first-period pins. One came in 12 seconds. Russo, Berlin's smallish heavyweight, continued his drive toward the postseason by beating bigger opponents. His toughest competition came from New Milford's Frank Ciatto, a bout he won 16-5. "I'm the only heavyweight in the state who can shoot," said Russo, who is 23-2. "I can't handle the upper-body stuff so I go after the legs, and they can't handle that. I'm a lot faster than other heavyweights and I don't like tying up." Liseo, who won four times without being seriously challenged, moved his season record to 26-1. Fontaine is now 29-1 after winning twice by fall, once by decision and once by forfeit. Tough |
