Gouveia Second; Newtown Grapplers Place 17th In State Championships

By Andy Hutchison

TRUMBULL — John Gouveia got all the way to the finals of the 130-pound weight division at the Class LL state wrestling championships, helping Newtown High School place 17th among 27 competing schools at Trumbull High on February 20 and 21.

The Nighthawks earned 46 points. Perennial powerhouse Danbury scored 252.5 points to claim the title.

Gouveia, the No. 1 seed, came close to winning his second high school championship. A champion as a sophomore, Gouveia’s senior year run in Class LL finally ended in 9-5 decision to South Windsor’s Eliot Lopez (the second seed) after a bye and three wins. The Newtown senior pinned East Hartford’s Sal Pugliares (No. 16) in 3:47, earned a 10-2 decision over Norwich Free Academy’s Christian Hammon (No. 9) and earned a 5-3 decision over Xavier’s Tyler Cunningham (No. 5).

Gouveia is the school’s all-time winningest grappler with more than 150 wins.

“All four seasons it’s been worth it — it’s been fun,” said Gouveia, sporting black dyed hair for the state championships occasion.

The senior standout will compete in the State Open this week. As his high school career comes to an end, his wrestling career, NHS Coach Alan Potter believes, will not.

“He’s excelled at the sport and has a phenomenal chance to continue wrestling in college,” Potter said.

Although it is not yet known where Gouveia will be heading next fall, one thing is for sure in Potter’s eyes: “He can wrestle at any level in college because of his trainability — and he’s coachable.”

Newtown’s Ian McEvoy (119-pound weight class) has been battling tendonitis in his right arm throughout the season and had to overcome a combination of his opponent and a pain to win his first match of the state event.

“Sometimes I don’t even notice it, but when I notice it you can tell the difference,” he said.

Competing in the state tourney means facing the toughest competition the Hawks saw all season long, the wresters and coaches said. This is especially so in the case of the Class LL meet, which boasts the largest schools, McEvoy believes.

“These are the biggest schools in the state, which usually means the best competition — it’s a big step up,” McEvoy said.

“Absolutely,” Potter agreed, adding that the bar is even raised quite high from the South-West Conference Championships. “The competition is way higher than the SWCs — especially this year.”

Potter said the overall level of wrestling in the SWC, keeping on a cyclical cycle, was down this year in comparison to recent seasons. Newtown faced tremendous rebuilding with a dozen mainstays in the lineup having graduated a year ago. In addition to the newcomers who gained valuable varsity experience as freshmen and sophomores was senior first-year grappler David Bray. Bray, a 285-pound weight class competitor, brought size and athleticism to the mats, having been a football player at NHS. He learned a lot about wrestling firsthand.

“It’s a tough sport. It’s a lot more tiring than football — a whole different thing. There’s a lot more technique involved. You can’t just muscle everyone,” said Bray, who won a pair of matches in the LLs.