Newtown High School’s wrestling team competed in two tournaments during the weekend of December 16.

The Nighthawks placed second behind Fairfield Warde in the Guilford Invitational, beating Xavier of Middletown for the runner-up spot with 169 points to Xavier’s 163.5. Xavier is the top-ranked team in the state.

Finishing in first place were Jon DaSilva (heavyweight) and Jake Maddox (157 pound division). In second was Charlie Dunn (220). In third Grayson Renkert (138) and Tommy Milligan (106). In fifth Thomas Morgan (215). Placing sixth were Dante Ames (126) and Ty Jorgenson (120).

Newtown sent four wrestlers to compete in the 31st Annual Beast of the East Tournament in Newark, Del. This is one of the largest and most competitive events in the country with 160-plus teams and over 1,100 wrestlers from 20 states. Xavier had the most points for a Connecticut team with 47.5 points to finish 39th, with Newtown finishing 87th with 20.5 points and Danbury finishing 98th with 16.5 points. Kenna Gioffre (120), Antonio Arguello (144), Marc Maurath (157) all went 2-2. Fisher Stites (165) went 1-2.

Following Wednesday’s match with Bunnell of Stratford the Nighthawks travel to the George Bossi Holiday Tournament. This event is hosted at the Tsongas Center in Lowell, Mass. Last year, Newtown placed 12th out of 87 teams across New England. This year, the team is bringing more fire power and is ready to wrestle the best from Massachusetts, Rhode Island, Maine, Connecticut, New Hampshire, and Vermont.