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02/09/2019 11:00 PMThe Guilford wrestling team worked hard all year long in an effort to peak in the postseason this winter. The Indians’ mission paid dividends when they opened the postseason by turning in a quality performance at the Southern Connecticut Conference Championship last week.
Guilford finished in fourth place as a team and saw four wrestlers advance to the finals of their respective weight classes at the SCC Championship, which took place at Jonathan Law High School on Feb. 9. Xavier took the title by scoring 199.5 points, while Foran placed second with 138.5 points.
Head Coach Craig Vedrani wasn’t quite sure what to except with three of his starters sidelined at the SCC meet. However, the Indians pulled through as a group and delivered an excellent effort to finish in the top of the pack.
“We knew we were going to have to wrestle well to finish in the top four heading into the tournament with three of our starters out with injury in George Sanderlin, Ian Rose, and Mark Chapman,” said Vedrani. “I’m proud of our guys’ efforts. A fourth-place finish with this competitive field of teams was a solid showing.”
In the 106-pound division, Guilford freshman Drew Koval advanced to the championship match, where he was pinned at the 1:12 mark by Michael Rapuano of Xavier. To make the championship bout, Koval earned a first-round bye, defeated Sam Stein of Hand by a 10-1 score in the quarterfinals, and then won a 10-3 decision over Dominic Milano of East Haven in the semis.
“Drew Koval had to beat a tough opponent again from East Haven in the semifinals. It was the same guy he beat in a hard-fought battle just a couple days ago,” Coach Vedrani said. “The semifinal match was a tight one, and Drew had to dig deep to get the job done. I was very proud of his efforts. He ran into a tough opponent from Xavier with a lot more experience in the finals.”
Freshman Ed Barlage reached the final of the 113-pound bracket, dropping a 19-4 decision against East Haven’s Victor Garcia. Barlage had bye through the first round, posted a 5-0 shutout over Shelton’s Garrett Ziperstein in the quarterfinals, and then bested Colin Lora of Xavier by a 5-1 score in the semifinals.
“Ed Barlage also had a tough semifinal match. Earlier in the year Ed had beat him 4-3, so we knew it was going to be a close one,” Vedrani said. “Ed battled and wrestled a very smart match to propel himself into the finals, where he then ran into Victor Garcia, who is a very good senior with only one loss on the season.”
Senior captain Keldon LaRose advanced to the title bout in the 132 bracket, losing a 7-4 decision to Louis Bradley of Morgan. To make the final, LaRose pinned Brian Beirne from Hand at the 1:00 mark in the quarterfinal round, before winning a 13-2 decision versus East Haven’s Alec DiVito in the semifinals.
“Keldon was a little disappointed with the loss, as he was looking to capture his second SCC title,” said Vedrani. “But he will bounce back next week in the [Class M State Championship].”
Senior captain Vin Mascola advanced to the final of 145-pound division and lost a 13-2 decision against James Lunt of Xavier. Mascola defeated Morgan’s Frank Jara-Torres on a pin just 21 seconds into their quarterfinal bout. He cemented his spot in the final by pinning Aisaiah Rodriguez of Law at the 3:54 mark.
“Vinnie went after [Lunt] and wrestled tough, but was unable to get it done,” Coach Vedrani said. “Vinnie has been wrestling well, and I look forward to seeing compete for a Class M title next weekend.”
All four of Guilford’s finalists earned All-SCC honors for their performances in the Conference Championship. Elsewhere at the meet, sophomore Kyle Putnam reached the quarterfinals for the 120-pound division, while fellow sophomores Aiden Ghiroli and Vincent Masotti did the same at 160 and 285, respectively. Junior Anthony Bombgardner advanced to the semifinals of the 126-pound weight class, and freshman Brent Strand made the semis in the 152 division.
Other wrestlers who competed for Guilford at the SCC Championship included freshman Chris Murphy in the 138-pound weight class, along with sophomore Henry Russell (170), sophomore Ryan Serpis (182), and sophomore Zach Halas (195).
Coach Vedrani knew there would be some questions marks with so many underclassmen on this team this season. He feels that traversing through the competitive waters of the SCC has only accelerated the maturation process for the Indians.
“Our young team has really grown throughout the season. Ten of our 14 starters are freshmen and sophomores, so we knew there was going to be some growing pains, but they have taken on the challenge and then some,” said Vedrani. “We have wrestled many of the best teams in the state throughout the season, and I feel our guys are battle-tested for states. With our great senior leadership and many of our young guys stepping up, we have put together a solid season.”
The Indians now get to ready to compete at the Class M State Championship, which they are hosting at Guilford High School on Friday, Feb. 15 and Saturday, Feb. 16.
“States is going to be very competitive. It is a very deep tournament with many solid teams, but no one team that is expected to win. Whoever shows up and wrestles best will win, so it should be a fun one,” Coach Vedrani said. “Our team is focused, and it’s time to chase our goals, which is the most exciting time of the year.”
Prior to SCCs, Guilford swept a meet on Feb. 2 by earning wins versus Glastonbury (37-30), Berlin (61-15), and Platt (45-32). Then on Feb. 6, the Indians took a 40-31 defeat versus East Haven to finish the regular season with a record of 19-9. Guilford received victories from Koval (106, pin at 5:54), Bombgardner (126, pin at 0:03), LaRose (132, pin at 1:04), Mascola (145, pin at 1:04), Robert Masotti (152, by 11-3 decision), and Strand (160, by 10-4 decision).