This is the third and final piece in a series of articles highlighting Newtown Youth Wrestling Association.

Newtown wrestling is back in full swing for the first time in a couple of years, after the 2020-21 high school campaign was canceled because of coronavirus protocol. The Newtown Youth Wrestling Association (NYWA) and high school programs look to continue to add to their postseason hardware collections this winter.

The success Newtown High School wrestlers earn can be attributed, in part, to the NYWA not only because the young grapplers learn skills on the mats as elementary and middle school athletes, but also because of the coaching connection between the NYWA and high school.

“The youth program and high school teams have worked together for more than 15 years to help our elementary and middle school wrestlers prepare for high school level competition. Our board and coaching staffs have worked hard to keep the programs aligned, including sharing of coaching resources and training curriculums. It is very common for our high school wrestlers to come to youth practice or NHS alumni to pop in during the holidays to work with our current wrestlers. We are a family both on and off the mat,” said Tom Maurath, president of newly-formed Newtown High School Wrestling Booster Club.

Maurath was part of the youth program for eight years as a coach and served as treasurer for two years and president for two and a half years.

“Having a clear path to matriculate our wrestlers from kindergarten through 12th grade is what truly sets our program apart. Nearly 70% of this year’s high school team came from Newtown’s youth wrestling program, which is a clear indication that the youth program is the main feeder program for the high school,” Maurath said. “With nearly 100 youth wrestlers in the program, the NYWA is becoming a major feeder program for the NHS program. Specifically, this year, the NYWA will be matriculating seven accomplished wrestlers to the NHS Program: Kenna Gioffre, Thomas Morgan, Brendan McAnaspie, Jakob Wenis, Andrew Cory, Charlie Dunn, and Marc Maurath.”

Marc Maurath is Tom Maurath’s son, as is Fritz Maurath, who wrestles at Johns Hopkins University, having put together a successful career at Newtown High after coming up through the NYWA. Joe Accousti, another NYWA and NHS wrestling standout, is competing in college, wrestling for D-I Sacred Heart University.

“Our goal in the youth program and high school team is to prepare our wrestlers to compete at the college level,” Maurath said.

The high school season kicked off this month and is celebrating 50 years since its inception; the NYWA has helped prepare rising wrestlers since it was founded in 2005.

“The continuity of our program can be seen through the list of former NHS wrestlers that are now youth coaches, including: Cory Fisher, Anthony Falbo, Greg LaRussa, James Monroe, Joe Zeller, Mike Long, Tom Long, Alex Stavola, and Sam Wiener. These young men are now giving back to Newtown’s youth to help them get ready for NHS wrestling,” Maurath said.

“We have a fantastic group of professional and volunteer coaches that support our program. Curtis Urbina leads our program as head coach ... leading a dedicated group of ten pro coaches and 14 certified volunteer coaches. One of the special parts of our program is that seven of our professional coaching staff are former NYWA and NHS Wrestlers — Cory Fisher, James Monroe, Matt Gonzalez, Anthony Falbo, Joe Zeller, Mike Long, Tom Long, and Alex Stavola,” Maurath said. “These coaches have come back to the program they started in as student-athletes to give back and to help build the next generation of Newtown wrestlers.”

Fisher takes over head coaching duties at NHS this year, and will be assisted by Stavola and Monroe. Fisher said he and Urbina will continue to run the youth program with the assistance of Tom Long. Fisher will continue to help coach youth wrestlers as time permits during the season and make appearances at some of the local tournaments. Fisher graduated from NHS in 2012 and since then has spent one season as a high school assistant and eight seasons with the NYWA.

“As far as the connection between the NYWA and the high school team, both programs are working together to help make one big program and a continuous flow of wrestlers transitioning to high school from the NYWA. The coaches at the NYWA are very committed to coaching the athletes and preparing them for the next level,” said Fisher, adding that the programs will be supporting each other at multiple events this winter. “Also, the coaching staff across both programs have been working together in the off-season to develop practice plans so athletes are learning the same techniques and principals through their entire wrestling career.

Newtown High is traditionally one of the top programs in the South-West Conference, winning the title or finishing runner-up in eight of the last ten conference tournaments. Youth wrestlers will compete in dual meets and tournaments throughout the state and New England; the more experienced wrestlers participate in regional and national competitions, and NYWA has piled up championships throughout the years.

A big event for the NYWA is its Nighthawk Classic, held on December 19. It drew more than 400 wrestlers from six states.

“With the Newtown Youth Wrestling program recently named as one of the top 100 largest programs in the country by USA Wrestling, this investment not only celebrates our past, but also prepares us for the future,” Maurath said.

Sports Editor Andy Hutchison can be reached at andyh@thebee.com.