2009 Class S championships
At Uncasville
Team results: 1. Killingly 186, 2. Somers 174, 3. Gilbert 167, 4. Derby 153, 5. Nonnewaug 147, 6. Thomaston 146, 7. St. Bernard 141, 8. Housatonic 122, 9. Griswold 115½, 10. Canton 107½, 11. Immaculate 92, 12. Haddam-Killingworth 88, 13. Terryville 83½, 14. East Catholic 71, 15. Holy Cross 70, 16. Old Saybrook/Westbrook 69, 17. Stafford 42, 18. Portland and Northwestern 34, 20. Hartford Classical 33½, 21. St. Paul 29, 22. Suffield 28, 23. Morgan 25, 24. O’Brien Tech 24, 25. Lyman Memorial 23, 26. Ansonia 22, 27. East Windsor 20, 28. Oxford 18, 29. Rocky Hill 16, 30. Windham Tech and Weston 13, 32. Ellington 10½, 33. University, Old Lyme and East Granby 0
Individual results
103 -- Championship: Alan Sanford, Thomaston pin Matt Poppa, Derby, 1:58; Third place: Ron Allen, Griswold dec. Matt White, Canton, 5-4; Fifth place: Josh Hoxie, Gilbert, pin Austin Jordano, Immaculate, 3:20
112 -- Championship: Tyler Foley, Thomaston pin Anthony Delprete, Derby, 5:31; Third place: Austin Hodges, Nonnewaug pin Thomas Lombardi, Killingly, 2:08; Fifth place: Andrew Suh, St. Bernard dec. Will Kelsey, Northwestern, 12-0
119 -- Championship: Tyler Tilbe, Nonnewaug dec. Daniel Piscottano, Somers, 8-6; Third place: Scott Gonzalez., East Catholic pin Allen Yang, Stafford, 4:25; Fifth place: Vin Delprete, Derby dec. Steve Carpenter, Canton, 2-0
125 -- Championship: Brandon Thuotte, Killingly tech fall Richard Wood, 16-1, 4:39; Third place: Dom Ghi, Housatonic dec. Jake Alderman, Lyman Memorial, 9-7 OT; Fifth place: Tyler O’Connor, Derby dec. Dennis Christie, Immaculate, 5-3
130 -- Championship: Gavin Buckley, Immaculate pin Tony Decato, Gilbert, 3:11; Third place: Tylor Herrick, Killingly win by default over Mark Gonzalez, East Catholic; Fifth place: Joseph Falco, Griswold dec. Joe Titus, 10-1
135 -- Championship: Michael Daly, St. Bernard dec. Troy Zachary, Somers, 3-1; Third place: Brandon Walsh, Griswold dec. Eddie Loomis, Killingly, 3-2; Fifth place: Linbert Cousley, Derby dec. Dalton Ahern, Old Saybrook, 12-7
140 -- Championship: Zachary Cooke, Killingly dec. Eric Parsons, Gilbert, 4-2; Third place: Brandon Leach, Canton dec. Frank Navarro, Old Saybrook, 4-2; Fifth place: David Chokas, Somers, pin Matt Janiga, Ellington, 0:31
145 -- Championship: Fran Gelada, Thomaston dec. Steve Wingard, Housatonic, 8-7; Third place: Justin Grabarz, Derby dec. Matt Caulfield, Holy Cross, 3-1; Fifth place: Wayne Falco, Griswold dec. David Skau, Old Saybrook, 14-8
152 -- Championship: Robert Garlick, Somers dec. Nick O’Connor, Ansonia, 2-0, OT; Third place: Nicl Roccapriore, Terryville dec. Trevor Manuel, Old Saybrook, 12-4; Fifth place: Eric Sakowski, East Catholic pin Guy Hall, Haddam-Killingworth, 2:25
160 -- Championship: Samuel Schwartz, Housatonic dec. Mike Zabala, Hartford Classical, 7-4; Third place: Chris Bachand, St. Paul dec. Rich Jones, Canton, 6-5; Fifth place: Colin Beloin, Killingly dec. William Boots, Griswold, 7-3
171 -- Championship: Tim Vollaro, Somers dec. Brad Visconti, Housatonic, 14-5; Third place: Tore Lovetre, Gilbert pin Nate Haller, Canton, 0:41; Fifth place: John Draper, Terryville dec. Mark Dilley, Thomaston, 12-0
189 -- Championship: Lucas Bowman, St. Bernard pin Ross Lopardo, Gilbert, 1:03; Third place: George Planeta, Portland dec. Ben Schwartz, Housatonic, 12-4; Fifth place: Christian Nelson, Thomaston pin William Baklik, Haddam Killingowrth, 4:21
215 -- Championship: Kyle Bucciarelli, Nonnewaug dec. Andrew Whitehead, Killingly, 10-6; Third place: Ken Vollaro, Somers pin Thomas McEvoy, O’Brien Tech, 2:57, Fifth place: Andrew Morrone, Holy Cross pin Jesse Gilbert, Derby, 2:29
285 -- Championship: Marshall Deane, Gilbert dec. Nicholas Nikolov, Somers, 11-6; Third place: Ronnie Walter, Nonnewaug pin Michael Tucker, St. Bernard, 2:07; Fifth place: Andrew Brooks, Morgan pin Stephen Polumbo, Haddam-Killingworth, 1:52
Outstanding wrestler: Brandon Thuotte, Killingly (125); Fast Fall: Andrew Morrone, Holy Cross (215) 4 pins in 5:35
2009 NCCC Tournament
At Canton
Team results --1. Avon 232, 2. Somers 155, 3. Canton 133, 4. Stafford 75.5, 5. Enfield 72, 6. East Windsor 43, 7. Suffield 39, 8. Ellington 18, 9. East Granby 3
Individual results
103: Final -- Matt White, Canton dec. Jason Lybeck, Avon, 9-3; Third: Tim Olshafski, Enfield pin Mike Sawtelle, Enfield, 0:18
112: Final -- Conor Douglass, Avon dec. Roshawn Rehman, Stafford, 10-0: Third: Kevin Bentz, Suffield pin Brian Fitzpatrick, Canton, 2:15
119: Final -- Dan Piscottano, Somers dec. Steven Carpenter, Canton, 8-5; Third: Herbie Browne, Avon dec. Allen Yang, Stafford, 4-0
125: Final -- Joe Tripodi, Avon pin Benjamin Lombardo, Granby, 5:22; Third: Matt Grisevich, Canton dec. Evan Frassinelli, Stafford, 10-4
130: Final -- Joe Titus, East Windsor dec. Zach Lisk, Enfield, 10-0; Third: Bobby Davies, Avon pin Peter LeDuc, Canton, 0:31
135: Final -- Troy Zachary, Somers pin Brandon Lancaster, Enfield, 3:25; Third: Zach Mills, Granby pin Ryan Raider, Enfield, 13-2
140: Final – Matt Silver, Avon dec. Dave Chokas, Somers, 4-2; Third: Matt Janiga, Ellington pin Ryan Peterson, Enfield, 2:19
145: Final – Erik Lybeck, Avon dec. Joseph Rivera, Granby, 10-2; Third: Cody Koehler, East Windsor pin Brandon Leach, Canton, 0:28
152: Final – Robert Garlick, Somers pin Trevor Corallo, Granby, 4:19; Third: Jon Ponziani, Avon pin Keith Hill, East Windsor, 1:12
160: Final – Rich Jones, Canton dec. Mike Hogan, Avon, 10-4; Third: Tucker Fontanella, Stafford pin Costas Casilakis, Granby, 1:43
171: Final – Tim Vollaro, Somers dec. Kyle Sheridan, Suffield, 16-5; Third: David Wyrick, Avon pin Jon Landry, Enfield, 0:39
189: Final – Brian Haynes, Avon pin Nate Haller, Canton, 3:16; Third: Nick Bastarache, Somers pin David St. Onge, Avon, 1:23
215: Final -- Sonny Portelance, Avon dec. Ken Vollaro, Somers, 6-3; Third: Sean Delany, Canton pin Dennis Martel, Stafford, 3:35
285: Final – Nick Nikolov, Somers dec. D.L. McDonald, 4-2; Third: Garth Gilligan, Stafford pin Cole Murphy, Canton, 1:00
Outstanding wrestler: Matt Silver, Avon (140); Fast fall: Nick Bastarache, Somers 3 pins in 3:30; Best new wrestler: Ken Vollaro. Somers (215); Coach of the Year: Bill Phelps, Canton; Assistant Coach of the Year: Ed deSimas, Canton
Former CHS
wrestler dies
in accident
MONSON, Mass., Sept. 7 – Former Canton High wrestler Joe Keifer died on Monday, Sept. 7 after he lost control of his motorcycle in an early-morning accident in Monson, Mass. Keifer, 45, was driving a 2000 Kawasaki Vulcan 750. He was wearing a helmet.
Keifer wrestled four years for Canton and was a tri-captain on the 1982 Warrior squad. He graduated from Canton in 1982. He was a lumber technician by trade and was owner of Keifer Atlantic. He leaves behind four children. His hobbies included coaching youth soccer and basketball, riding his motorcycle, traveling and he was a big fan of the Red Sox and the Patriots. Services will be Saturday, Sept. 13 from 2-5 p.m. at Beers & Story Funeral Home in Palmer Mass.
Leach picks up a win at State Open
NEW HAVEN, Feb. 28 – Senior Brandon Leach (140) was the only Canton wrestler to pick up a win at the State Open. Leach pinned Mausk’s Ryan Kuska, who finished fourth in Class LL, in 3:00 in the first round of the consolation round before he was eliminated in a 13-0 loss to Pomperaug’s Reese Denu. Leach (1-2) lost to Westhill’s Z. Napalitano in the first round, 15-2.
At 171, Nate Haller went 0-2, getting pinned by Class L champion Sean O’Connell of Farmington in 58 seconds and losing to Xavier’s Dan Thompson by pin in 2:32. Rich Jones (160) didn’t wrestle due to the flu and Matt White (103) was overweight.
Canton returns to top 10 in Class S
UNCASVILLE, Feb. 21 -- It’s been a while since the Canton High wrestling team was among the top 10 teams in the Class S tournament. In an 11-year stretch from 1992 to 2002, the Warriors finished in the top 10 nine times. With four medalists, the Warriors finished 10th in the CIAC Class S wrestling tournament on Saturday.
Senior Brandon Leach finished third at 140 pounds while freshman Matt White (103), junior Rich Jones (160) and Haller (171) each finished fourth. All four qualified to compete at this week’s State Open championships. Junior Steve Carpenter finished sixth at 125.
Leach (38-11) is ending his scholastic career on a high note, prevailing in several close matches. “He wrestled like a senior with enthusiasm and class,” Canton coach Bill Phelps said. “He knew what he wanted to do and how to get it.”
Leach earned a close 4-3 victory over Terryville’s Nick Roy in his first bout before getting pinned by Somers’ David Chokas in the quarterfinals. In the consolation round, Leach won four straight matches to finish third, including a 4-2 decision over Old Saybrook’s Frank Navarro. Three of Leach’s four consolation bracket wins were by just two points.
At 171, Haller had a pair of pins before losing to defending State Open champion Tim Vollaro, 14-3, in the semifinals. He beat Thomaston’s Mark Dilley in the consolation semifinals, 15-8 but was pinned by Gilbert’s Tore Lovetre to finish fourth.
White advanced to the semifinals before dropping a 15-5 decision to eventual champion Alan Sanford of Thomaston. A pin put White in the consolation final but Griswold’s Ron Allen built a 5-2 lead and hung on for the win. A White reversal with 45 seconds left cut the lead to one but White couldn’t turn Allen for another point.
At 160, Jones made some mistakes that eventual champion Sam Schwartz of Housatonic took advantage of in a 15-5 semifinal loss. After winning by technical fall in the consolation semifinal, Jones dropped a 6-5 decision to St. Paul’s Chris Bachand to finish fourth. Jones trailed 6-2 after two periods. He escaped early in the third period to cut the lead to three but Bachand was able to hold Jones at bay for most of the period, giving up a two-point takedown in the final five seconds.
Carpenter lost several close matches. He dropped a 5-3 match to Nonnewaug’s Tyler Tilbe in the semifinals, a 8-7 loss to Stafford’s Allen Yang in the consolation semifinals and a 2-0 loss to Derby’s Vincent Delprete to finish sixth.
White, Jones win NCCC crowns
CANTON, Feb. 14 – Despite missing four starters, the Warriors (20-11, 6-1 NCCC) crowned two league champions and placed four wrestlers in the finals of the 2009 NCCC Tournament Saturday in Canton. With nine wrestlers in the finals and seven champions, Avon ran away with the title with 232 points followed by Somers (155) and Canton (133). The Warriors finished second overall in the league.
Freshman Matt White (103) and junior Rich Jones (140) won NCCC titles. White won with a 9-3 decision over Avon’s Jason Lybeck while Jones, who battled a tooth infection all week, earned a bit of revenge with a 10-4 win over Avon’s Mike Hogan. Earlier in the year, Hogan beat Jones, 13-8.
Steven Carpenter (119) and Nate Haller (189) finishing second. Matt Grisevich (125) and Sean Delany (215) each finished third while Brian Fitzpatruck (112), Peter LeDuc (130), Brandon Leach (145), Cole Murphy (285) each finished fourth.
Carpenter trailed by six points after two periods but couldn’t make it up in a 8-5 loss to Somers’ Dan Piscottano. Haller took a chance and moved up to 189 pounds. Despite giving up 23 pounds, he had two pins before getting beat in the finals by Avon’s Brian Haynes in 3:16.
Leach also took a chance by moving up to 145 to try and score more points for the squad. Canton was missing four starters. Nate Getler (135) hurt his knee last week, Greg Cole (171) broke a finger on Friday in practice, Anthony Santago (140) has injured ribs and Nate Scull (152) is still feeling the effects of being slammed to the mat in early January.
Head coach Bill Phelps was named coach of the year for the first time in balloting by league coaches while assistant coach Ed deSimas was named NCCC assistant coach of the year for the third time in the last five years.
Crucial wins give Canton 1-point win over Somers
CANTON, Feb. 5 – Nate Haller (189) and Rich Jones (160) had two key pins, Matt Grisevich (130) had a crucial major decision and Brandon Leach (140) lost by just a decision as the Warriors came away with a big 40-39 win over a hard-nosed Somers squad Thursday. The win lifts Canton (16-9, 5-1 NCCC) in a second place tie in the NCCC with Somers (19-6, 5-1).
Haller and Jones each won by pin and Grisevich not only won by he won by nine points to pick up a crucial extra point. Leach had a tough bout at 140 pounds but he stayed off his back and gave up only three points instead of six for getting pinned. Steve Carpenter moved up a weight class had a key pin at 125 pounds as well. Haller was 22 pounds lighter than his opponent but ended up with the pin.
“The kids came up big tonight,” Canton assistant coach Ed deSimas said. The only low note for the Warriors was the knee injury to Nate Getler (29-2) at 135 pounds. He was hurt during the match and went to the hospital after the match for treatment.
It’s the first time that Canton has won at least five matches in the league since 2002.
Canton beats Windham for first time, takes 5th
VERNON, Jan. 31 – In a challenging tournament, the Warriors (15-9, 4-1 NCCC) wrestled well and finished fifth at the John Williams Duals in Rockville.
Canton came close to beating Rockville but fell, 42-37. Plainville dominated the Warriors in a 55-21 defeat before Canton rallied to beat undermanned Morgan-Clinton, 62-18.
In the fifth place bout, Canton beat Windham High for the first time ever with a 43-42 decision on criteria. The two teams actually tied at 42-42 but Canton earned the tiebreaker point and the victory for having more near fall points.
On Thursday, Canton snapped a five-match losing streak against Granby with a 48-33 victory. It was the first win over the Bears since 2002.
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