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01/05/2019 11:00 PMWrestling
The East Haven wrestling team competed at the Danbury Tournament on Dec. 29 and finished in sixth place out of 16 schools by scoring 90.5 points. A few days after the tournament, the Yellowjackets blanked Cheshire 78-0 on Jan. 2, before winning three out of their four matches in the round-robin meet at the East Haven Duals on Jan. 5. With these results, the Yellowjackets improved to 9-4 this season.
At the Danbury Tournament, senior Josh Rao (195) and Victor Garcia (113) claimed gold in their respective weight classes for East Haven. Rao won two matches via pin, before winning a 7-3 decision in the final against Montez Osbey of Hand. Garcia won a pair of decisions to reach the final, where he defeated Hand’s Liam Knight via pin at 3:45. Other top placers at the tournament for the Easties included juniors Alec DiVito (126) and Vincenzo Bunce (182), who both placed fourth in their weight classes.
On Jan. 2, the Yellowjackets visited Cheshire and won every bout to defeat the Rams 78-0. Winning via pin for the Yellowjackets were: freshman Dylan Tavares in the 120-pound weight class at the 3:48 mark; along with junior Hugo Ortiz (138, 0:24), senior Albert Doheny (145, 2:45), senior Danny Jarrin (160, 4:57), junior Jessie Borchert (170, 1:07), and senior Armando Castaneda (285, 2:14). Winning by decision were sophomore Matt DiVito (126, 17-1), Alec DiVito (132, 16-0), and junior Fabricio Bugatti (152, 7-1). Sophomore Dominic Milano (106), Garcia (113), Bunce (182), Rao (195), and sophomore Gunner Horton (220) claimed forfeit victories for East Haven.
Then on Jan. 5, the Yellowjackets hosted the East Haven Duals. The Easties earned victories over Stratford (70-3), Platt (43-33), and Waterford (40-30) on the day. They also lost to Foran by a 42-33 score. Jarrin (160 and 170) had the best showing for East Haven by going 4-0, winning three matches on pins and the fourth on a decision. Rao (195) earned pinfall victories in his two bouts. Milano (106), Garcia (113), Alec DiVito (126), and Ortiz (138) each went 3-1, winning all their matches by pin. Matt DiVito (120), Bugatti (145 and 152), Borchert (160), and Bunce (182) all won a pair of matches for East Haven.
Girls’ Basketball
The Yellowjackets suited up for their first game of 2019 by squaring off with Mercy in a clash of Southern Connecticut Conference powers last week. East Haven, which was the Class M state champion a year ago; went up against the Tigers, who won the Class LL state title last season. The game turned out to be thriller with a dramatic finish as senior Makenzie Helms nailed a 3-pointer with 1.4 seconds left to give East Haven a 54-52 victory at Mercy on Jan. 4. Helms finished the game with 27 points to lead the Yellowjackets, who improved to 4-2 with the victory.
Boys’ Basketball
East Haven took recent two defeats, including a loss in its SCC Oronoque Division opener, to move to 3-2 overall on the season.
On Jan. 2, East Haven dropped a 68-56 home decision versus Sheehan for the team’s first loss of the year. Senior Nate Furino posted a double-double with 22 points and 13 rebounds for the Yellowjackets.
Two days later, East Haven traveled to Shelton for its first divisional matchup of the season. Shelton came away with an 87-61 victory on Jan. 4. The Yellowjackets fell behind early and faced a 44-34 deficit at halftime. Shelton pulled away from East Haven during the second half to come away with the victory. Senior guard Hunter Santana scored 17 points for East Haven. Nate Furino finished with 10 points and three assists, while sophomore guard Alias Ford added nine points.