Falbo Crowned As Newtown Youth Wrestlers Excel In Championships

The Newtown Youth Wrestling Association (NYWA) sent a record nine qualifiers to New England Youth Wrestling Championships this past weekend in Lowell, Massachusetts. Only the top four wrestlers from each New England state in each weigh bracket are invited to participate.

While a testament to skill and hard work just qualifying for the tournament, six of the nine participants finished in the top six in their weight brackets and found themselves on the awards podium at days end. Among them was Anthony Falbo, who went undefeated and was named the New England champion at 108 pounds.

In the Novice division (fifth and sixth grades) all five of the Reed Intermediate School wrestlers came home with hardware, including Falbo. Fellow sixth-grader Edward Lovely (92 pounds) finished second in New England, losing only to Connecticut wrestler Sean Penny in a tough rematch of the state finals.

Also adding to the day’s successes were fifth-grader Michael Garner (fourth place, 88 pounds), and sixth-graders Joe Accousti (fourth place, 97 pounds) and Dylan Bartlett (sixth place, 92 pounds).

In the Middle School division, the group of four Newtown eighth-graders was paced by Ed Lajoie (152 pounds), who went 3-2 with two pins.  He assured himself of a fifth-place medal after posting a close 9-7 decision over David O’Brien of Massachusetts. Also wrestling hard for the NYWA squad were Matthew Gonzalez (120 pounds) and Forest Speed (144 pounds), both of whom went 2-2, and James Leuci (136 pounds), who ended the day 3-2.

New England Youth Championship participants from the Newtown Youth Wrestling Association are, from left, front: Anthony Falbo (New England champion), Edward Lovely (second place), Michael Garner (fourth place), and Dylan Bartlett (sixth place); back: Forest Speed, Ed Lajoie (fifth place), and Matt Gonzalez.  Not pictured: Joe Accousti (fourth place) and James Leuci.