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02/07/2021 11:00 PMThe six seniors on the East Haven wrestling squad displayed great growth on the mat while bonding as teammates throughout the past few seasons. Although the Connecticut Interscholastic Athletic Conference (CIAC) has determined that wrestling teams won’t compete this winter, the Yellowjackets’ coaching staff believes that the members of the senior class were all poised for breakout years and have the potential to compete at higher levels.
“Our team has improved season after season continuously. We haven’t really taken a step back. I think this season would have been no different than that,” Assistant Coach Lou Rivellini said. “All of these guys really were expected to have huge seasons. I’m hoping these kids will have some opportunities in the future.”
Last year, East Haven posted a regular-season record of 18-6, after which they finished second at the SCC Championship and fifth at the Class M State Championship. Even though there is no season this year, the Easties’ wrestlers are still getting together regularly for socially distanced practices, in addition to maintaining contact through Zoom. Rivellini and Head Coach Mark Tolla wanted to make sure that their athletes stayed together as a team and continued improving their grappling skills.
East Haven’s senior class includes Matt DiVito, Danny Clough, Gunner Horton, Tyler Kruse, Dominic Milano, and Richard Pethick. Tolla and Rivellini were waiting to name the team’s captains when the 2021 season was canceled. With DiVito having served as a captain in his junior year, he would have retained that role as a senior.
Coach Rivellini remembers watching DiVito compete at the middle school level and realizing that the Yellowjackets had a special wrestler coming into the program. DiVito took first place in the 126-pound weight class as a junior last year. With his brothers Alec and Tanner both winning state championships that season, Matt was hoping to join their ranks as a senior.
Matt DiVito came into his senior year with more than 100 career victories for East Haven. Coach Rivellini felt that DiVito had a chance to get close to 150 total wins and also qualify for the State Open this year. While DiVito won’t have that opportunity, Rivellini said that he’s one of the best wrestlers to ever compete for the Easties.
“We don’t have any State Open champions yet, but I think Matt would have been one of the first guys to really have a chance to win the Open. He is far and away one of the best wrestlers we have ever had in our program,” said Rivellini. “He’s a great leader. We’re really going to miss him.”
Clough has been competing for East Haven since his freshman year. On numerous occasions, the Yellowjackets would be in a match that came down to Clough’s bout and, oftentimes, he would come up clutch for the squad. Clough, who wrestles in the 170-pound weight class, battled through a knee injury during his sophomore season, but came back strong as a junior. Rivellini said that Clough has been a great wrestler and an even better kid throughout his tenure with the program.
Horton is another wrestler who has spent the past four years with the Easties. Although he weighs around 210 pounds, Horton would typically be tasked with facing wrestlers about 50 to 60 pounds heavier than him. Rather than back down, Horton always rose to the challenge while showing guts and plenty of passion for the sport of wrestling. Horton placed second in the 220-pound division at last year’s SCC meet, and Coach Rivellini expected him to compete for the title this winter.
Milano won the SCC title in the 106-pound weight class last season. Rivellini not only described Milano as one of the best wrestlers on this year’s team, but added that the senior has always been one of East Haven’s hardest workers. With that type of work ethic, Coach Rivellini felt that Milano had a chance to compete for a Class M state title or potentially a State Open crown had the season been held. Rivellini said that Milano proved an excellent leader for the Yellowjackets.
Kruse was a football player before joining the wrestling team last year. Coach Rivellini said that Kruse made great improvements and started to show his potential in the 285-pound weight class during his junior season. By the end of the year, Kruse was putting together strong bouts against athletes who would go on to win SCC and state titles. While Kruse only had one season under his belt, Rivellini said that he came a long way in a short span.
Pethick wasn’t able to wrestle much in his junior season due to a back injury, but was always there for the Yellowjackets and provided plenty of encouragement for his teammates. Coach Rivellini credited Pethick for keeping the Yellowjackets’ spirits up and doing whatever he could to help the team succeed. Rivellini said that Pethick was constantly working hard and willing to help out during any tough times.
While this year’s seniors will be unable to compete, Coach Rivellini doesn’t feel that the season is completely lost for East Haven. Rivellini believes that the athletes in the senior class are learning how to handle difficult situations, and he’s hopeful that their time away from the sport will only make them want to wrestle that much more in the future.
“It’s unfortunate. Somewhere down the line, something bad is going to happen. These guys are learning a lesson on how to make the best out of a bad situation,” Rivellini said. “These guys love wrestling and they miss it, but this season is only going to make them want to do it more. Maybe it will give them inspiration to do amateur wrestling or wrestle in college. It made the guys realize how much they miss something and what they can do to simulate the experience.”