Newtown Wrestling Tops Masuk, Earns Second Seed In SWCs
Newtown Wrestling Tops Masuk, Earns Second Seed In SWCs
By Andy Hutchison
A year ago, Masuk High Schoolâs wrestlers spoiled Newtown Highâs Senior Night celebration with a one-point win on the Nighthawksâ home mats. This year, the Hawks returned the favor. They went to Monroe on February 8 and came from behind to top the host Panthers, on their Senior Night, 40-31.
The win was big on two accounts. Not only did the Hawks avenge last yearâs nail-biting defeat but, in doing so, they locked up the No. 2 seed in the South-West Conference heading into the February 11â12 SWC Championships in Brookfield. Both schools came into the match with 9-2 conference records behind dominant New Milford.
Newtown trailed with five weight classes to go, and reeled off four unanswered wins to seal the victory. In the 160-pound weight division, Will Northrop pinned Zack Pirulli in 1:12, at 171, Cory Fisher pinned Matt Fayne in 3:13, and at 189, Aaron Nezvesky got redemption against Kyle Hoskins, whom he lost to in a crucial match last year, to pin his opponent late in overtime, in total time of 6:57. At 215, Andrew Fischer earned a major decision, 17-9, over Patrick Gravel to give Newtown the win. Fischer weighs in at 185 pounds and gave up about 20 pounds to his opponent, Newtown Coach Alan Potter said, making the win all the more impressive.
âIâm ecstatic. We went into the season believing that, with the team we had and with the talent we had, that if we improved on that, we could go into the SWCs in second place,â Potter said.
The Hawks were without three starters all nursing injuries â Matt Swigart, Ian McEvoy, and Pat Zingaro â as they try to get back to full strength in time for the postseason.
âWe showed that we had the depth to win on the road against the now-third-place team â and thatâs just huge,â said Potter, adding that itâs a testament to the hard work of his grapplers and assistant coaches Dan McIlrath and Chris Synes.
Other Newtown winners in the Masuk match were: 112: Nick Crudo, major decision over Mike Burgos, 14-2; 119: Nick Fadus, pinned Doug Katz, 1:09; 125: Sam Wiener, major decision Derik Waite, 11-2; 145: Joe Pieretti, major decision over Louie Jaaquim, 13-2.
Potter is confident his team can hang onto the No. 2 spot in the conference at the SWC meet. New Milford, which along with FCIAC team Danbury, considered one of the top two teams in the state, the coach said, beat Newtown 54-18 on February 3, and is always the team to beat in the SWC. The Nighthawks are aiming to upset New Milford but, âIn reality, weâre wrestling for second place,â Potter said.
Newtown, following the loss to New Milford, won three matches and lost one at the John Chaco Classic Dual Meet Tournament at Staples High School in Westport on February 5. NHS defeated Fairfield Prep, Staples, and Bridgeport Central, and fell to Westhill of Stamford in the tourney.
Newtown winning results from this past weekâs matches, leading up to the Masuk clash, are as follows:
New Milford 54, NHS 18
160: Will Northrop pin Evan Renner :32
189: Aaron Nezvesky pin Jesse Kimberly 5:02
NHS 57, Fairfield Prep 15
215: Andrew Fischer won by forfeit
285: Mac Morlock won by forfeit
112: Nick Crudo pin Ryan Zeptner 1:26
125: Sam Wiener decision Tom Voyoear 11-8
130: Matt Swigart pin David Maloof 5:13
135: Ian McEvoy pin AJ Cupatelli :12
140: Patrick Zingaro pin Jack Darais 2:44
145: Joe Pieretti decision Joey Roberts 1-0
160: Will Northrop decision Connor Ward 13-8
171: Cory Fisher pin Shane Dempsey 5:29
189: Aaron Nezvesky pin Nick Crowell :55
NHS 58, Staples 22
103: Jon Schwartz won by forfeit
112: Nick Crudo major decision Alex Kogstad 13-0
125: Sam Wiener pin Jeramy Sherman 1:25
135: Ian McEvoy pin Brad Menchaca 1:08
140: Patrick Zingaro pin Andrew Washington 3:07
145: Joe Pieretti pin Mike Sila 1:04
160: Will Northrop pin Stephan Patterson 2:28
171: Cory Fisher won by forfeit
189: Aaron Nezvesky pin Mikey Washington 4:54
285: Mac Morlock pin Henry Betar :24
NHS 59, Bridgeport 24
112: Nick Crudo won by forfeit
130: Matt Swigart by forfeit
135: Ian McEvoy pin Gram Vaughn :56
140: Patrick Zingaro pin James Carol 1:17
145: Joe Pieretti tech Noah Moore 19-4
160: Will Northrop pin Jose Nieves :36
171: Cory Fisher pin Ariam Rivera 3:31
189: Aaron Nezvesky won by forfeit
215: Andrew Fischer won by forfeit
285: Mac Morlock pin Daniel Drapper :37
Westhill 37, NHS 36
140: Ian McEvoy pin Kevin Thomas 4:37
145: Patrick Zingaro pin Kevin Gomez 1:52
160: Ralph Strocchia decision Stano Casol 7-6
171: Cory Fisher pin Chris Ruiz 1:15
189: Aaron Nezvesky pin Rob Delacruz 1:29
215: Andrew Fischer won by forfeit
112: Nick Crudo decision Marlanel Robinson 6-4