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01/19/2019 11:00 PMThe Morgan wrestling team features a host of underclassmen who are taking it to the mat day-in and day-out this winter. It’s often challenging for youth-laden teams to make headway, especially in a physical sport like wrestling, but first-year Head Coach Darren Hicks is more focused on helping his athletes grow as grapplers, instead of worrying about the Huskies’ record at this juncture.
On Jan. 19, Morgan finished in 10th place among 17 teams by scoring 55 points at the Griswold Invitational. Coach Hicks felt encouraged by the performance of his inexperienced squad at the meet.
“I think we did quite well. We’re a very young team. We’ve got 20 kids, and 15 of them are freshmen or sophomores. We took 10th out of 17 teams, and I’m really happy with that,” said Hicks, whose club has a record of 5-11. “We normally go up against a lot of Class L and Class LL schools. There were more Class S schools than we usually see, but we were missing some kids between injuries and illness. Considering that, we did well.”
The Huskies’ best performance in Griswold came from sophomore Louis Bradley, who earned first place in the 132-pound division. Bradley’s path to victory included a win by pin over Cy Champagne of Montville at the 1:54 mark, a 5-2 decision versus Aaron Lundsten of Barrington, Rhode Island; and a win via pin against Dominic Renfree of Norwich Free Academy at 1:41 in the championship bout.
Coach Hicks knows that Morgan has something special in Bradley. Hicks said that Bradley is already a formidable foe who poses problems for his opponents.
“Louis has been wrestling since he was six or seven years old. He knows what he’s doing out there, and it shows,” said Hicks. “He’s one of the better kids in the state in his weight class for sure.”
Senior captain Kyle Neumann also had a solid showing that saw him net three wins on the day. Neumann defeated Vincenzo Bunce of East Haven by pin at the 2:45 mark and then lost a 6-2 decision to Ioanni Cobena of Montville. In the consolation bracket, Neumann won a 4-1 decision over Jon deGale of Griswold and claimed a win by pin versus Andre Goulet of Somers at 3:44. Ultimately, Neumann lost to Eric Plainbull of Norwich Free Academy by a 9-4 decision in the semifinals to finish in fifth place.
Neumann is leading the Huskies alongside fellow senior captains Anthony Cimino and Frank Jara-Torres this season. Cimino wrestles in 138-pound division, while Jara-Torres competes at 152. Coach Hicks said his three captains are all huge assets for Morgan, given their experience and leadership abilities.
“All three of them are four-year wrestlers, and they are amazingly helpful,” Hicks said. “With such a young group of kids, all three of them are invaluable in the practice rooms and at the meets. They’re right there at the end of the mats, supporting all these kids.”
Another up-and-comer who earned a top spot at the Griswold Tournament was freshman Jordan Armstrong, who claimed fourth place in the 195-pound weight class. After moving into the consolation bracket with a pinfall loss at 1:27 against Johnny Falco of Griswold, Armstrong scored a win by pin at the 1:57 mark versus Yadelli Malave of Norwich Free Academy. Armstrong reached the third-place bout via forfeit and then lost to Falco at the 1:42 mark of their rematch.
Armstrong’s fourth-place finish served as a great example of Morgan’s strength as a unit. The Huskies may be young, but they have plenty of athletes with skill to spare.
“I’d say for a young team, we’re a technically good team,” said Coach Hicks. “The wins that our young kids are getting, they are hitting their moves and executing them well. We’re ahead of other kids the same age, and those are the matches that we’re winning.”
Additionally at the Griswold Tournament, sophomore David Fortuna grabbed a win by pin at 3:02 against Nathan Bedingfield of Montville in the 152 division, after which he lost to David Towers of Suffield Academy by pin at 3:37. In the consolation rounds, Fortuna won by pin against Neil Shady of Suffield Academy at the 3:57 mark, then lost to Andrew Beaucar of Bristol Central at 1:46 in the quarterfinals. In the 106-pound weight class, freshman Adam McEnaney pinned Chris Desisto of Barrington, Rhode Island at the 56-second mark, then was pinned in 1:57 by Aiden Christie of Griswold. McEnaney later lost to Taylor McCormick of Somers by a 5-2 decision in the consolation quarterfinals.
Fellow freshman Kevin Hicks lost by pin against Jake Aldi of Bristol Central at the 46-second mark in the 116 division. After that, Hicks defeated Nathan Videira of St. Joseph by a 3-2 decision, then lost by pinfall against Savannah Vanese of Norwich Free Academy in the consolation semis. In the 120-pound bracket, sophomore Evan Baptista lost to Connor DeVega of Norwich Free Academy by pin at 0:19. In the consolations, Baptista won an 8-6 decision over Travis Mullen of Griswold and then lost by pin at 1:16 against Xzias Bellamy of St. Bernard-Norwich Tech.
Overall, Coach Hicks wants to see his Huskies post a successful record, but he realizes that may take some time. Still, when Morgan’s wrestlers can grab a victory here and there, Hicks knows that gives them a boost of confidence and keeps them coming back to the mat.
“To be honest, as a team, I really didn’t think of a goal for us in terms of placement. To me, the goal was to keep all these kids. Wrestling is a tough sport, and you lose a lot of kids at the beginning. We haven’t. We strive for the victories, but it’s better to keep it fun and make it so the kids want to learn,” Hicks said. “All of our freshmen and sophomores have won at least one match. For me, that’s fantastic when they come off the mat with a smile on the face. The biggest thing is seeing these kids enjoy it. The victories will come over time.”