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02/16/2019 11:00 PMThe East Haven wrestling team continued its stellar 2018-’19 campaign by finishing in eighth place among a 31-team field at the Class M State Championship last weekend. The Yellowjackets saw five competitors earn medals with their performances in the Class M meet, which was held at Guilford High School on Feb. 15 and 16.
Senior captain Josh Rao claimed second place in the 195-pound weight class for the Yellowjackets, while junior Alec DiVito earned runner-up honors in the 132-pound division. Senior Victor Garcia took third place in the 113-pound division, senior captain Armando Castaneda recorded a fifth-place performance in the 285-pound weight class, and senior Danny Jarrin finished sixth in the 160 division to round out the Easties’ medalists. Rao, DiVito, and Garcia have each earned the right to wrestle at the State Open Championship that will take place at Floyd Little Athletic Center on Friday, Feb. 22 and Saturday, Feb. 23.
Overall, the Yellowjackets totaled 121 points to finish in eighth place at the Class M State Championship. Killingly won the title by scoring 202.5 points, and Foran finished second with 161 points.
Rao was the top seed in the 195-pound bracket and earned a bye through the first round. He then pinned Erik Areklett of Joel Barlow in just 22 seconds in his first bout. Rao followed that up by winning a 14-6 major decision against Colton Deleo of Masuk in the quarterfinal round. In the semis, Rao took on Andy Flores of Platt and won via pinfall at the 2:25 mark to reach the final. Rao went up against Nolan Bannon of Foran in the title match and lost a 7-2 decision. This marks the second consecutive year in which Rao reached the state final and earned medalist honors following his second-place finish in the 195-pound division last year.
One week after finishing fourth at the SCC Championship, Alec DiVito advanced all the way to the 132-pound final in the state meet. DiVito had a bye through the opening round and won a 10-2 major decision against Shane Franson of Lebanon in his first matchup. After that, he won a 20-6 major decision over Justin Meador of Avon in the quarterfinals and then edged out Trevor Johnson of Killingly by a 6-5 score in their semifinal bout. In the final, DiVito lost a 12-4 decision against Eamon Toland Matos from Bethel. Last year, DiVito medaled in the 126-pound division by taking fourth place.
Garcia was coming off a first-place performance at SCCs when he stepped into the squared circle at states. The senior won four bouts to earn a third-place finish in the 113-pound bracket. Garcia had a bye through the opening round and then pinned Kaden Gucwa from Ellis Tech at the 3:27 mark in his first matchup. In the quarterfinals, Garcia prevailed by a 20-3 technical fall over Weston’s Jack Tunney at the 3:27 mark. In the semis, Garcia lost a 10-0 major decision against eventual Class M champion Mike Charron of Killingly, sending him to the consolation rounds. Garcia went straight to the consolation semis, where he defeated Charlie Prather of Barlow via a 6-0 decision. Garcia finished in third place overall for the tournament by winning a 9-7 decision versus Zachary Johns of Suffield-Windsor Locks in the consolation final.
Castaneda put forth a quality effort to earn a fifth-place nod in the 285-pound division. After receiving a first-round bye, Castaneda pinned Evan Highley of East Lyme at the 3:41 mark to advance to the quarterfinals. Castaneda lost a 1-0 decision versus Rene Bernier of Killingly to go to the consolation bracket, where he earned a pair of victories to reach the fifth-place matchup. Castaneda started with a pin at the 1:22 mark against Bacon Academy’s Ethan Puetzer and then beat Foran’s Philip Boyles by a 5-4 decision. He lost a 5-1 decision against Roark Ryan of St. Bernard-Norwich Tech, putting him in the fifth-place bout. In his final matchup, Castaneda pinned Anthony Martinez of Barlow in 1:35 to earn his medal with a fifth-place performance.
Jarrin notched a sixth-place finish for East Haven in the 160-pound weight class. Following a bye, Jarrin earned a victory by pin at the 3:47 mark against Ryan Wesson of Ellis Tech to advance to the quarterfinals, where he lost a 9-1 major decision to Avon’s Jack Colman. In the consolation bracket, Jarrin won a 9-5 decision over Caden Foote of Ledyard and defeated Killingly’s Jon Creswell via a 7-6 decision. Jarrin then lost a 4-1 decision to Frankie McNeary of Barlow in the consolation semis, before taking a 3-2 loss against Masuk’s Zachary Minch in the fifth-place bout.
Sophomore Dominic Milano turned in a solid showing by posting a pair of victories in the 106-pound division. Milano received a bye through the first round and won a 14-2 major decision versus Owen Burton of Bacon Academy in his first bout. He then took a loss by pin in his quarterfinal match. In the consolation rounds, Milano prevailed by pin against Berlin’s Noah Cintron in just 27 seconds, after which he lost a 12-1 major decision against Jake DeFonce of Abbott Tech. Milano had finished in third place at the SCC meet.
After taking first place at the SCC Championship, sophomore Matt DiVito posted a couple of victories in the 120-pound weight class at the state meet. DiVito won a 6-3 decision against East Lyme’s David Stankoski in his opening bout and later gained a 10-0 major decision win over Kyle Putnam of Guilford in the consolation bracket.
In the 126-pound division, junior Hugo Ortiz claimed a victory by pin in 42 seconds against Rockville’s Michael Perez in his first match. Later in the tournament, Ortiz defeated Logan Starr of St. Bernard-Norwich Tech by pin at 4:45 in the consolation rounds.
East Haven saw a few other wrestlers earn one win apiece at states. After finishing second in the SCC Championship, junior Tanner DiVito won one bout in the 138-pound weight class for East Haven. DiVito lost his opening match and then earned an 11-3 major decision victory against James Balogh of Lyman Memorial-Windham Tech in the consolation round.
Sophomore Eric Araujo won by technical fall at the 4:00 mark of his opening bout against Branford’s Austin Bui in the 145-pound weight class.
Senior Nick Harrold (152), junior Jesse Borchert (170), junior Vincenzo Bunce (182), and sophomore Gunner Horton (220) also wrestled for East Haven at the Class M State Championship.
• The East Haven wrestling team’s postseason roster is comprised of senior captains Josh Rao and Armando Castaneda; fellow seniors John Consiglio, Albert Doheny, Victor Garcia, Nick Harrold, and Danny Jarrin; juniors Jesse Borchert, Fabricio Bugatti, Vincenzo Bunce, Alec DiVito, Tanner DiVito, Michelle Jarrin, Jeremy Maldonado, Calvin Nelson, Hugo Ortiz, and Victoria Wallace; sophomores Eric Araujo, Alyssa Buckley, Matt DiVito, Teal Graziano, Gunner Horton, Tyler Kruse, Dominic Milano, and Patrick Pethick; and freshmen Zayura Castaneda, Jake Ortiz, Mike Pagan, Frank Papa, Dylan Tavarez, and Angelina Vincenti.
• Mark Tolla is in his first season as head coach of the Yellowjackets. Tolla’s assistant coach is Lou Rivellini, who was previously the team’s head coach.
• East Haven finished with a record of 20-5 record during the regular season, marking the most wins for the program since 2000.