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03/04/2022 11:00 PMGirls’ Wrestling
The East Haven wrestling team saw four athletes to compete in the Girls’ Wrestling Invitational that was held as part of the State Open Championship at Floyd Little Athletic Center on Feb. 26 and 27. Senior Zayuri Castaneda took third place in the 235-pound division for the Yellowjackets, who also saw junior Sofia Milano and freshmen Alyson Alberino and Gonul Celik wrestle at the invitational.
Castaneda entered the 235-pound bracket as the defending champion from the 2020 season and wound up earning another medal with her third-place finish. Castaneda had a bye through the quarterfinals and then lost a 4-0 decision in the semifinals, but bounced back by earning a pinfall victory in just 20 seconds in the consolation semis. Then in the third-place bout, Castaneda pinned Sarah Silva of Danbury in 55 seconds to finish in third overall. With her performance, Castaneda scored 21 points for the Easties that put them in 20th place in the team standings.
Celik earned two victories in the 126-pound division for East Haven. Celik won her first-round match via pinfall at the 1:14 mark and then lost her quarterfinal match on a pin. Celik went to the consolation bracket and won her first match on a pinfall in 30 seconds before losing a 4-0 decision in her next matchup.
Alberino competed in the 113-pound division at the invitational. Alberino lost her first-round match on a pin and then took a pinfall loss in her consolation match.
Milano also wrestled in the 113-pound weight class for East Haven. Milano lost her first-round contest via pin and then lost in a pinfall in her consolation opener.
Boys’ Wrestling
The East Haven wrestling squad saw two grapplers hit the mat to participate in the State Open Championship at Floyd Little Athletic Center on Feb. 26 and 27. Senior captain Jake Ortiz and sophomore Jack Batista-Fletcher represented the Yellowjackets at the State Open.
Batista-Fletcher competed in the 106-pound division for East Haven. The sophomore lost his first-round match and then came back to win a 9-0 majority decision in his consolation opener. Batista-Fletcher went on to take a pinfall loss in his next contest.
Ortiz wrestled in the 145-pound division at the State Open. Ortiz lost his first-round match on a pin and then took a defeat via pinfall in his first consolation bout.
East Haven scored 2 points as a team and finished in 78th place in the State Open standings.
Cheerleading
The East Haven cheerleading team competed in the Class L State Championship that was held at Floyd Little Athletic Center on March 5. The Yellowjackets finished in fourth place by scoring 161.00 points at the Class L state meet. Shelton finished in first place with a score of 182.90 points.
Prior to states, the Yellowjackets had previously competed in the SCC Championship at East Haven High School on Feb. 5. East Haven took second place with 82.95 points scored at SCCs.
The East Haven competition cheerleading team features senior captains Antonia Torello and Kaitlyn Kapinos; juniors Taya Ragaini, Adriana Esposito, Sofia Milano, Madison DiNuzzo, and Libbey Nastri; sophomores Emma Pascale and Sarah Zambrano; and freshmen Hannah Sawicki and Kolbey Nastri. The other members of East Haven cheer squad are senior captain Vanessa Sigular; juniors Callie Capotorto, and Ella Severino; sophomores Kayla DeJesus, Jayla Albarran, Alexandra Lesco, Beauney Mera, and Donna Garcia; and freshman Marlana Dias.
Boys’ Basketball
The East Haven boys’ basketball team will enter phase two of the postseason when the Yellowjackets compete in the Division III State Tournament this week.
East Haven (11-10) is the No. 20 seed in the Division III state tourney and played at No. 13 Guilford in the first round on March 8 (after press time). If the Yellowjackets win, they will play at No. 4 seed Kennedy for a second-round game on Thursday, March 10 at 6:30 p.m. The quarterfinals are on Monday, March 14; the semifinals are on Wednesday, March 16; and the Division III state final will be held at Mohegan Sun Arena on either Saturday, March 19 or Sunday, March 20.
Boys’ Ice Hockey
The East Haven co-op boys’ ice hockey team took defeats in last two games of the regular season to finish with a record of 10-9-1. The Yellowjackets took an overtime loss against Watertown-Pomperaug (W-P) and then dropped a contest to Westhill-Stamford to close out the regular season. The team is competing in the Division II State Tournament this week.
On Feb. 28, the East Haven co-op squad faced W-P on the road and took a 4-3 overtime defeat at the Taft School. Following a scoreless first period, W-P netted three goals during the second period to take a 3-0 lead into the third. East Haven responded by scoring three goals in the final stanza to send the game to overtime.
Senior captain Parker Sprankle of Old Lyme put the Yellowjackets on the board by scoring from East Haven freshman Gennaro Pompano just nine seconds into the third period. East Hampton senior Josh Berg made it 3-2 by scoring from Old Lyme sophomore Griffin McGlinchey midway through the frame. Then with just 18 seconds on the clock, Berg tied the game by scoring from Pompano and East Haven junior Alan Schroeter to send the game to overtime in a 3-3 deadlock.
W-P scored the game-winning goal 2:42 into the OT period to get the 4-3 victory. Senior captain goalie Ethan Roach of East Haven made 27 saves in net for the Yellowjackets.
The next day, the Yellowjackets hosted W-S for their regular-season finale and lost the game by a 5-1 score at Northford Ice Pavilion. W-S scored two goals in the opening period for a 2-0 lead through one. East Haven sophomore John D’Albero scored on assists from McGlinchey and sophomore Michael Savo of East Haven to cut the deficit to 2-1 at the 1:13 mark of the second.
W-P scored two goals during the second period and added one more in the third on its way to the 5-1 win. Roach stopped 23 shots in goal for East Haven.
East Haven is the No. 12 seed in the Division II State Tournament and opened the draw by facing No. 5 Farmington Valley for a first-round game at Avon Old Farms on March 7 (after press time). With a win, the Yellowjackets would play the winner of No. 4 Sheehan and No. 13 East Catholic in the quarterfinals on Friday, March 11. The semifinals are on Tuesday, March 15, and the Division II state final will be held at People’s United Center at Quinnipiac University on Monday, March 21 at 6:30 p.m.