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02/19/2022 11:00 PMFor the first time in school history, the East Haven wrestling team hosted the Class M State Championship when the meet took place last weekend. When the event came to a close, the Yellowjackets had two top-six finishers and came in 16th place out 26 squads by scoring 61 points at East Haven High School on Feb. 18-19.
“We knew we were a relatively young team. We knew we would be at a slight disadvantage. The idea was to go out there and wrestle to the best of our ability,” Head Coach Mark Tolla said. “At this point in their development, we’re confident that they can. Many of them had an opportunity to do some meaningful wrestling on Saturday.”
Sophomore Jack Batista-Fletcher entered the Class M State Championship as the No. 2 seed in the 106-pound division and finished in third place. Batista-Fletcher had a bye through the first round before winning his quarterfinal matchup via a 14-3 majority decision.
While he lost in the championship semifinals, Batista-Fletcher had a second opportunity in the consolation bracket. The sophomore won his semifinal match via pinfall and then won the third-place bout by pinning Ben Fournier from RHAM at the 4:17 mark.
“Jack had an outstanding tournament. It was what we expected going in,” said Tolla. “In my mind, Jack was in the top two for this tournament. He had a great semifinal match. He wrestled to the best of his ability. He came back down 4-1 in the consolation finals to pin his opponent. He had a fantastic day. We’re very happy with his outcome.”
Senior captain Jake Ortiz was the No. 11 seed in the 145-pound weight class at states. Ortiz had a bye through the first round and won his second-round matchup on an 8-5 decision before losing in the quarterfinals. He then won his first two consolation matches via pin to make the semis of the bracket, where he took a loss.
Ortiz then sat out the fifth-place match as he’s been battling a shoulder injury, and Coach Tolla wanted him to be fresh for the upcoming State Open. Ortiz wound up finishing in sixth place for the 145-pound division.
“Jake wrestled extremely well. He was tough and gritty,” Tolla said. “He really showed the urgency of a senior to qualify for the State Open in his final opportunity. He gritted out a couple of hard-fought wins.”
Senior captain Dylan Tavares had a bye through the first round of the 152-pound tournament and won his second-round contest on a pinfall. After losing in the quarterfinals, Tavares won his first consolation matchup via an 11-2 majority decision and then took a loss in the next round.
Freshman Joe Allen won his first match on a pin in the 182-weight class. Allen lost in the second round, but then came back to pin his opponent in his first consolation bout. Allen’s run ended following a loss in his next matchup.
Junior Elijiah Trufan had a bye through the first round of the 132-pound bracket before losing in the second round. Trufan won his first consolation matchup via pinfall and then lost in the next round.
Fellow junior Marcello Torres also had a bye through the first round while grappling in the 113-pound weight class. Torres lost his next match to go the consolation bracket, where he won his first bout by pin and then took a defeat in his next contest.
Junior captain Jason Toth won his first-round 170-pound matchup on a pinfall. Toth went on to lose in the second round and then took a loss in his first consolation bout.
Junior Noah Franchi claimed a pinfall victory in the first round of the 160-pound division. He went on to lose his second-round match and then took a defeat in his consolation opener.
Senior captain Frank Papa competed in the 126-pound weight class for East Haven at states. The other athletes who wrestled for the Yellowjackets were seniors Isaac Florentino (120), Kevin Phan (138), Zayuri Castaneda (220), and Mike Pagan (195), along with freshman Zander Molster (285).
Throughout the season, East Haven has dealt with injuries that have prevented the team from competing at full strength. The Class M State Championship marked the first opportunity where every member of the starting lineup had a chance to wrestle for the Easties. Regardless of where anyone placed, Coach Tolla said that the Yellowjackets have grown tremendously throughout the year and demonstrated that they have a bright future ahead of them with their performance at states.
“It was fantastic. We were finally whole,” said Tolla. “Since our more experienced guys were out [earlier in the year], we were at a slight disadvantage in the seeding. We got caught a bit behind the 8-ball. But we practiced really well leading up to the tournament. I definitely saw progress by the end of the season. We were much more competitive in our matches. I feel good where we are moving forward.”
East Haven is sending a few athletes to compete at the State Open Championship this weekend. Batista- Fletcher and Ortiz are among the athletes who will represent the Yellowjackets at the State Open.
After finishing first in the 235-pound division in 2020, Castaneda will be going for another title at this year’s Girls’ Wrestling Invitational as part of the State Open meet. Joining Castaneda in the bracket will be freshman Alyson Alberino and junior Sophia Milano, who are competing in the 113-pound weight class, along with freshman Gonul Celik, who will be wrestling at 126.
While most athletes on the team have wrestled their last bouts of the season, the Yellowjackets aren’t ready to quit. Coach Tolla said that several wrestlers have asked to continue practicing with the athletes who are competing in the State Open. After seeing his squad show constant progress throughout the season, Tolla feels that the Easties have momentum in their favor and are aiming to come back even stronger next year.
“We have a lot of positive energy in our room. Even though the mandatory requirement of our team is to practice through the Class M weekend, a good portion of our team has asked to practice with the Open kids,” Tolla said. “The kids are excited. They see we’re progressing and they don’t want to stop. We had to be resilient and persevere. Now they’re starting to see what happens when you build some continuity.”
The East Haven wrestling team features senior captains Jake Ortiz, Frank Papa, and Dylan Tavares; seniors Zayuri Castaneda, Isaac Florentino, Mike Pagan, and Kevin Phan; junior captain Jason Toth; juniors Noah Franchi, Jeremiah Kane, Harris Malik, Sophia Milano, Dylan Snyder, Marcello Torres, and Elijah Trufan; sophomores Jack Batista-Fletcher, Christian Carabantes, Tin Trinh, Jacob Ushchak, and Nick Vance; and freshmen Joshua Albee, Alyson Alberino, Joe Allen, Felipe Castaneda, Gonul Celik, Alex Dombrowski, Chase Horton, Aidan Loehman and Zander Molster. Head coach Mark Tolla is joined by Assistant Coach Lou Rivellini