This is a printer-friendly version of an article from Zip06.com.
02/16/2019 11:00 PMTwo weeks ago, the Branford wrestling team made history by winning its first division title while tying the school record for wins in a season, after which the Hornets crowned a champion on their way to a sixth-place finish at the Southern Connecticut Conference Championship. Head Coach Jesse Hurlburt’s squad kept its momentum going last week, when Branford came in ninth place in the Class M State Championship, marking the first time the Hornets cracked the top 10 at states since 2014 and third time they’ve done so in program history.
Three wrestlers earned medals for Branford by virtue of placing in top six of their respective weight classes at the Class M State Championship, which was held at Guilford High School on Feb. 15 and 16. Sophomore Justin Osler finished second in the 182-pound weight class, junior captain Cody McHenry took third place in the 195-pound weight class, and fellow junior captain Minsok Lee turned in a third-place performance in the 220-pound division. Osler, McHenry, and Lee have each earned the right to wrestle at the State Open Championship at Floyd Little Athletic Center on Friday, Feb. 22 and Saturday, Feb. 23.
All totaled, Branford scored 102 points to finish in ninth place out of 31 teams at the Class M meet. Killingly won the championship by scoring 202.5 points, and Foran finished second with 161 points.
One week after claiming the SCC crown in 182-pound weight class, Osler advanced all the way to the final at the Class M State Championship. Osler received a bye through the first round and then pinned Spenser Tote of Bunnell in just 19 seconds in their quarterfinal bout. He followed that up by pinning Austin Pompa of Masuk at the 1:24 mark in the semifinal round. Then in the final, Osler lost an 8-4 decision against Carson LiCastri from Barlow. Osler became the first sophomore in Branford wrestling history to reach a state final and earned also medalist honors for the second straight season after having placed fifth in the 182 division last year.
McHenry was coming off a runner-up performance in the SCC Championship when he stepped on the mat at states. The junior won four bouts to earn a third-place finish in the 195-pound bracket. McHenry had a bye through the opening round and then pinned Matthew Oliver from Bacon Academy at the 1:35 mark in his first matchup. In the quarterfinals, McHenry prevailed by pinfall over Weston’s Joseph McGuire in 4:42. In a rematch of the SCC final, McHenry lost a 12-4 decision to Nolan Bannon of Foran in the semifinal round at states, sending him the consolation rounds. McHenry went straight to the consolation semis, where he defeated Andrew Allen of Ledyard via forfeit at the 1:59 mark. McHenry finished in third place overall for the tournament by winning a 15-3 majority decision versus Andy Flores of Platt in the consolation final. McHenry now has 93 career victories as a member of the Branford wrestling team. He also medaled at states last season with a fifth-place finish in the 170-pound division.
Fresh off a runner-up performance at SCCs, Lee won four matches on his way to taking third place in the 220-pound weight class at states. Lee had a first-round bye and then pinned Ben Bai of Barlow at the 3:17 mark. Lee won an 11-2 decision against Ledyard’s Timothy Dorr in the quarterfinals to advance to semis, where he lost to Max Schelin from Berlin by an 8-1 score. In the consolation semis, Lee picked up a pinfall victory versus Brookfield’s Adam Frame in 1:43. Lee then solidified his third-place finish by claiming a 4-1 decision victory over Billy Ives from Foran in the consolation final. This marks the first time that Lee earned a medal at the state meet.
Freshman Patrick Zdunek put forth a solid showing for the Hornets in his first state competition, posting a pair of victories in the 113-pound division. Zdunek received a bye through the first round and then took a loss by pin in his first match. In the consolation rounds, Zduenk won a 12-4 decision against Christianna Morley of Berlin and then defeated Xavier Reid of Harding on an 8-7 decision. In his next bout, Zdunek lost a 7-5 decision to Tanish Joshi from Foran.
Fellow freshman Jace Korab notched a couple of victories in the 126-pound weight class at the state meet. Korab pinned Barlow’s Gabriel Parrales at the 3:40 mark in his opening bout and later won a 9-4 decision over Jacob Foster from Ledyard in the consolation bracket.
In the 126-pound division, sophomore Luke Volpe claimed a 10-0 win versus Waterford’s Joseph Morgan in his first match. Later in the tournament, Volpe defeated Mike Amorando of Bunnell by forfeit in the consolation rounds.
After finishing third in the SCC Championship, sophomore AJ Robinson won two bouts in the 152-pound weight class at the state meet. Robinson started off by pinning Rockville’s Joshua Gearin in just 29 seconds. Later on, he defeated Lucas Vieira from Bethel on a pin at the 4:40 mark in the consolation bracket.
Branford saw a few other wrestlers earn one win apiece at states. Senior captain Brendan Shamas won a 9-2 decision over Tyler Barber from Berlin in the 132-pound division, sophomore Peyton Tracy won by pin against Zach Larson of Rockville at 4:22 in the 138-pound division, and fellow sophomore Spencer Lyon won a 14-13 decision versus Damen Burger of Bacon Academy in the consolation rounds.
Freshman Aidan Shamas (106), junior Austin Bui (145), sophomore Anthony LaFogg (160), and freshman Joe Fanelli (285) also wrestled for Branford at the Class M State Championship.
From the Sidelines
The Branford wrestling team’s roster is comprised of senior captain Brendan Shamas; junior captains Minsok Lee and Cody McHenry; fellow juniors Austin Bui and Elliot Ventre; sophomores Markus Indeck, Anthony LaFogg, Spencer Lyon, Justin Osler, AJ Robinson, Peyton Tracy, and Luke Volpe; and freshmen Inderpreet Behal, Josh Berdon, Joe Fanelli, Jace Korab, Nate Mathis, Mike Nelson, Aidan Shamas, Dylan Torre, and Patrick Zdunek.
Jesse Hurlburt and fellow program alum Dan DiBisceglie are co-head coaches for the Hornets.
Branford finished with a record of 19-10 during the regular season, tying the program record for victories in a campaign. The Hornets also went undefeated in their SCC Division B meets to win their first division title in program history.