By Kim J. Harmon

MILFORD –Steve Selezan has had one of the greatest individual seasons in the history of the Newtown High School wrestling program, but – to him – his 37-3 personal record and South-West Conference championship nevertheless will still feel a little empty without a coveted CIAC Class L title to complete the package.

Just one week after completing his 1999-2000 devastation of the SWC with his first individual championship, Selezan reached the semi-finals of the 152-pound weight division at the CIAC Class L wrestling tournament this past weekend at Jonathan Law High School in Milford . . . only to be turned away by Chris Santacroce of Ledyard.

“Steve wrestled in a stacked weight class,” explained coach Alan Potter. “There were a lot of tough kids who have been there before. He won two outstanding matches on Saturday and it was clear he was among the elite in the state, but (against Santacroce) he got caught in a tight move and found himself on his back for the first time all year.”

Selezan’s loss, though, may have had a lot to do with a concussive hit to the head he suffered during the match with Santacroce. As the two wrestlers tumbled off the mat, Selezan struck his head on a chair.

A day later, it was discovered he had suffered a concussion.

Santacroce ended up losing in the 152-pound final to Wes Connell of Simsbury, but Ledyard nevertheless captured the CIAC Class L team championship with 189 points – 42 better than Fermi. Newtown finished 18th overall with 56 points.

Selezan was the class of the SWC, scarcely challenged until Franco Jean of Stratford gave him a decent battle in the conference finals on February 19 at Newtown High School. But Selezan put Jean into a precarious position with a tough arm move and forced the Stratford coach to throw in the towel for fear of an injury to Jean.

It was Selezan’s first title. As a sophomore in the 140-pound division, he put together a solid record of 30-5 and finished second in the SWC (losing to Jim Bottigliero of Jonathan Law in the finals). Soon after that impressive finish in what was, basically, his first year on the mat Steve went back to work (wrestling in the Mid-Atlantic Tournament, for one thing, and wrestling with the Cadet National Team, for two) to prepare for his junior season.

He took one huge step.

Now there is one more to go.

Coach Potter said, “When you prepare the whole year like he prepared, coming so close and losing at that last step, it is a very difficult – but important – lesson to learn. I feel that Steve will come back and will have a determination and conviction that he won’t be stopped.”

With a 67-8 personal record in just two years, Steve Selezan not only has become an elite wrestler in the state of Connecticut – a guy that others in his class will watch out for – but he also sets himself up to become only the third wrestler in the history of the program to win 100 matches in a career.

Fourth, though, if his friend Nick Feola (78-21) beats him there.

“I’m not one to make predictions,” said coach Potter, “but I’ve no doubt that Steve has the capability to come back as a senior and accomplish all this goals.”

With the success of Feola (130-pound champion) and Steve Selezan (sixth-place, 152 pounds), the Nighthawks were also riding the shoulders of Matt Sullivan (112 pounds) and Dan Maley (125 pounds). Sullivan and Maley both performed well, according to coach Potter, and both came within one match of placing.

The Nighthawks finished the dual meet season at 8-9, 6-3 in the SWC and followed that up with a sixth-place finish at the conference tournament.