The Newtown Youth Wrestling Association had quite a showing at the State Championships in February. The U10, U12, and Middle School divisions competed at Hillhouse High in New Haven on February 25. The U6 and U8 co-ed championships were held at Southington High School on February 11.

A trio of champions was crowned on February 25 following a handful of winners in the earlier competition. Between the two competitions, Newtown had several place winners.

“Proud doesn’t even begin to describe the feeling when witnessing the heart, dedication, and sheer skill of our young wrestlers at the state championships. Their passion, dedication, and relentless drive on the mat made us all proud. Congratulations to these rising stars for their outstanding performances and for inspiring us with their remarkable display of skill and sportsmanship,” Head Coach Curtis Urbina said.

In the 10U, 12U, and Middle School event, Newtown had 27 placers, up a half-dozen from last year’s record of 21. As a team Newtown had the most placers ahead of Fisheye and Southside, each with 23. Newtown doubled its number of finalists from the previous year with eight grapplers reaching the pinnacle round.

State Champions: Camron Veneziano, Noah Blair, and Tristan Rosenschein.

Runners-up: Allen Gaudenzi, Ben Weintraub, Mathew Iacuone, Matthew Gaudenzi, and Owen Blair.

Third place: Drake Oatis, Eli Houston, Jake Kennedy, Keegan Rosenschein, Maddox Wilson, and Vinny Franzago.

Fourth place: Ben Atkas, Charlie Langenus, Chase Ibbitson, Joey Skura, Ryder Symes, Silas Houston, and Wyatt Fournier.

Fifth place: Cole Salce, Daniel Candullo, and Jared Freeman.

Sixth place: Blake Deloge, Micah Houston, and Jake Fattibene.

In the 6U and 8U co-ed event, Newtown had a trio of 6U/8U champs and two girls’ champions.

State Champions: Evan Emard, Gunner Fournier, and Tyler San Souci.

Runner-up: Michael Laake.

Third place: Colton Girgenti, Declan Cavanagh, Jaxon Leng, and Lucas Nunes.

Fourth place: Alexander Carrozza, Christian Olteanu, Lincoln Giannetta, and Quinn Hogan.

Girls’ placement:

State Champions: Maci Fournier and Emily Greene.

Runners-up: Isla Kiney, Jane Anderson, and Angelise Hernandez.

Third place: Reilly Kling.

Fourth place: Blake Cash and Ridley Lovett.

“I am so proud of our wrestlers. Each of them fought hard; even those that did not place did not go down easily. If we continue to trust hard work we will continue to break the graph and exceed expectations. Let’s see what we can top ourselves again in Fitchburg [Mass.] at Youth New Englands,” said Newtown Youth Wrestling Association President Nick Veneziano, referring to the New England Championships scheduled for mid March.

"The coaches and I are incredibly proud of our guys to show up and put in the effort to achieve the high goals we set and maintain the standard that is Newtown youth wrestling. We have had a big emphasis on improvement throughout the season with a focus on the postseason and our group of incredible wrestlers believed in themselves and our program," Travel Coach Mike Long added. "We would challenge our wrestlers everyday with hard and intense practice, with the belief that we were the hardest-working team around. We want to keep moving in the right direction and are looking forward to a competitive New England Championship."

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