From 130-plus youth wrestlers getting recognized on the mat and the Newtown High School seniors being honored before helping the Nighthawks defeat Bethel ... to Coach Chris Bray being celebrated for his 100th career dual meet victory, it was quite a night all around for wrestling at NHS on January 29.

Seniors Kenna Gioffre, Shaun Daoust, Grayson Renkert, Marc Maurath, Andrew Corey, Charlie Dunn, Thomas Morgan, and Brayden Ayles were all given a few moments in the spotlight as part of the team’s Senior Night festivities.

Newtown dominated South-West Conference rival Bethel with a 63-16 victory. The Nighthawks won 11 of 14 weight classes and recorded nine pins from Owen Blair, Gioffre, Ryder Symes, Daoust, Antonio Arguello, Jake Maddox, Maurath, Corey, and Ayles. Newtown is undefeated at 5-0 in the SWC.

This was Bray’s century-mark dual victory — with plenty of tournament wins sprinkled in as well. The coach was honored with a big sign commemorating his accomplishment and teammates and family took part in the special moment.

Bray has been an instrumental leader in both the town’s youth and high school programs for the last 20 plus years, including starting the youth program in 2002, Newtown High wrestling Booster Club President Tom Maurath noted.

Coach Bray first took the helm at NHS from 2014 through 2017, coaching the school’s most successful teams in the program’s 54-year history. Some of his accolades include; Class LL state titles in 2014 and 2015, a State Open Team Championship in 2015, and New England team runner-up finishes in 2015, 2016, and 2017. The Connecticut High School Coaches Association (CHSCA) recognized Bray as Coach of The Year in both 2014 and 2015.

After returning to the youth program for a few more seasons, he came back to NHS in 2022 and immediately brought the team back to prominence, including the team being runner-up in Class L and the State Open in 2024. At the end of last season he was again named Coach of The Year by the CHSCA. Tom Maurath notes that Bray has only 13 losses, giving him an 88.5 win percentage, which is top in the state.

“They’re all special in their own way,” Bray said of the wins, adding that the first State Championship, in 2014, as well as the 2015 State Open title, probably stand out a bit.

“It’s pretty rewarding. I’ve had a lot of good wrestlers along the way. I’ve had so much help,” said Bray, referring to assistant coaches.

Among those standout grapplers who helped Bray pile up the wins is Marc Maurath, who this year became the program’s all time wins leader.

“He’s always doing stuff for us and recognizing our accomplishments. It’s nice to reciprocate,” said the senior who was among those to take part in a small ceremony recognizing Bray after the team victory. “He’s the best — he really pushes us mentally and physically.”

Recognizing Seniors And The Future

Many of Newtown’s seniors have been wrestling together since elementary school. Last year, they led the team to their first undefeated season since 1972 with a record of 16-0.

*Corey has been wrestling since seventh grade and has earned 63 wins with an outstanding win percentage of 92 by pin for a total of 58 pins. He is a two-time SWC place-winner and took fifth at the Class L State tournament last season. Corey has been a three-sport athlete and plans on studying aerospace engineering in college this fall.

*Daoust started wrestling in second grade and has earned 35 wins and 25 pins in just the last season and a half. Daoust placed fourth at SWCs in 2024 and plans on studying computer science in college in the fall.

*Morgan has been wrestling since third grade. He has 68 career wins with 43 by pin fall. Morgan is a two-time SWC place-winner and plans on studying physical therapy in college.

*Renkert started wrestling in fourth grade and has amassed 49 wins and 26 pins in the last two and a half seasons. He placed sixth in the 2024 Class L State Championships and is currently ranked 17th in the state at 144 pounds. Renkert is a 2024 National High School Coaches Association (NHSCA) Academic All-American and plans on studying finance in college.

*Ayles began wrestling in just his sophomore year and has 12 wins this season with ten by pin fall. He will attend University of Scranton in the fall, studying business finance.

*Dunn has been wrestling since sixth grade. He has been team captain both his junior and senior years. Dunn has earned 90 career wins and 63 pins. He is a two-time SWC and Class L place-winner. Dunn won the SWC title last season and is currently ranked fourth in the state and 17th in New England at 190 pounds. A two-time NHSCA Academic All-American, Dunn has committed to wrestle and continue his academic studies in mechanical engineering at Johns Hopkins University.

*Gioffre has been wrestling since second grade. He has been team captain his junior and senior years. Gioffre has earned 147 career wins with 92 by pin fall. He is a three-time SWC place-winner and two-time champion. Gioffre is a three-time Class L place-winner, a 2023 State Open place-winner, and a 2024 Class L State Champion. He is currently ranked No. 1 in the state and fifth in New England at 120 pounds. A 2024 NHSCA Academic All-American, Gioffre has committed to stay as a Hawk and wrestle for Roger Williams University and study finance in the Gabelli School of Finance.

*Maurath has been wrestling since second grade. He has been team captain his junior and senior years. Maurath has earned 165 career wins with 104 pins and currently holds the record for the most varsity in-season wins in the team’s 54-year history. He is a three-time SWC place-winner and 2024 champion. He is a three-time Class L finalist and 2023 Class L State Champion. Maurath is also a three-time State Open place-winner and a two-time New England place-winner. He is currently ranked No. 1 in the state and third in New England at 165 pounds. An NHSCA Academic All-American, Maurath has committed to wrestle and continue his academic studies at Columbia University.

The future of the NHS program, the Newtown Youth Wrestling Association’s 130-plus student-athletes in kindergarten through eighth grade, had the chance to run in front of the crowd on the high school mat. USA Wrestling has recognized Newtown as one of the top 100 largest community-based programs in the country. The program is led by Curtis Urbina, along with former NHS wrestling standouts Mike and Tom Long. As the primary feeder for the NHS team, over 70% of the varsity roster came up through the youth program.

East Hartford Duals

Newtown High competed in the TFC Kevin Miller Duals at East Hartford High School on February 1. The team lost two tough battles against a pair of the highest-ranked squads in the state, including East Hartford (ranked No. 2; East Hartford defeated NHS 46-27) and Fairfield Warde (ranked No. 4; Warde defeated Newtown 51-14). Newtown bounced back with three commanding wins ( 54-19 over Norwich Free Academy, 77-4 over Branford, and 71-9 over Granby.

A highlight to the weekend was Gioffre reaching the huge milestone of 150 wins for Newtown High. Gioffre is currently on track to become one of the winningest wrestlers in the program’s history.

The Nighthawks conclude the regular season with a visit to New Milford to face the host Green Wave along with Xavier of Middletown Friday, February 7 at 4:30 pm. The Hawks are home to face New Fairfield Tuesday, February 11 at 7 pm. Then it is on to the postseason beginning with the Saturday, February 15, SWC Championships at New Fairfield High beginning at 8:30 am.

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