Montville’s Linder repeats as ECC’s Most Outstanding Wrestler
Killingly — Among the many impressive accomplishments Saturday at the Eastern Connecticut Conference wrestling championships came from one of the league’s smallest schools.
While Montville High did not finish very high in the team competition, the Wolves could trumpet two wrestlers — two undefeated wrestlers — as ECC champions: James Linder and Luke Chapman.
Linder, later named the Most Outstanding Wrestler for the second straight year, moved to 38-0 with a pin at 144 pounds, a few minutes before Chapman went to 36-0 this season with a pin (in 32 seconds) at 157.
“Like coach Jake (Montville coach Jake Caskey) told me,” said Linder, who repeated as ECC champ, “as soon as you put your hands on the guy, let your actions speak.
“The only difference for me this year is that I had a target on my back. I had to step it up even more.”
Killingly, with seven wrestlers in the finals, won the team competition with 223 points, followed by Norwich Free Academy (197.5) and Windham (161.5).
NFA’s three wrestlers in the finals went 3-0. Jackson Sorel (126), Dugan Marsh (138) and Dylan Vanegas (150) were all victorious. Vanegas won his 100th career match as well, earning a 4-3 win over top-seeded Lucas Gannotti of Waterford in the finals.
East Lyme/Norwich Tech’s Lincoln Carlson also stayed undefeated this year (now 34-0) after a win at 175 over Stonington’s Cooper Light. Carlson and teammate Brayden Soleau (190) helped the East Lyme/Norwich Tech cooperative go 2-0 in the finals.
“It all starts in the room,” Carlson said. “And I think it showed tonight.”
Bacon Academy’s Carson Brown won at 165 over Waterford’s Devon Powers via a 25-second pin, the night’s fastest fall.
“I knew this was going to be a hard match,” Brown said. “I wanted to end it quickly and get it over with.”
Windham’s Malachi Fowler won the night’s best match against fellow past ECC champion Soren Rief of Killingly at 215. Fowler trailed 1-0 into the final 20 seconds before rallying for a 3-1 win.
“I heard all day ‘you got Soren tonight, you got Soren,” Fowler said. “No. Soren had ME.”
Griswold/Wheeler’s Seth Christie (112) won his second straight ECC title (he won at 106 last year) while Hunter Sanchez gave Lyman Memorial/Windham Tech its lone win of the night at 120. Killingly’s Anthony Oates (285), Bradey Jonasch (106) and Brady Zadora (132) won for the team champs. Jonasch defeated the lone female finalist, Ledyard’s Tatianna Irizarry, 7-0.
“She is an awesome wrestler,” Jonasch said. “Props to her.”
Irizarry had made the ECC finals the last two years.
NFA (Division I), Killingly (Division II) and Lyman Memorial/Windham Tech (Division III) wrapped up ECC team titles.
ECC Wrestling Championships
At Killingly
Team scores
1. Killingly 223 points, 2. NFA 197.5, 3. Windham 161.5, 4. Lyman Memorial/Windham Tech 155, 5. East Lyme/St. Bernard 138, 6. Griswold/Wheeler 125.5, 7. Ledyard 121, 8. Waterford 118, 9. New London 112.5, 10. Montville 97, 11. Fitch 59, 12. Bacon 46, 13. Stonington 20, 14. Putnam 16, 15. Woodstock 15.
Individual results
106 pounds: Final: Bradey Jonasch (Killingly) dec. Tatianna Irizarry (Ledyard), 7-0; Third, Landon Herdic (NFA) pinned Jose Negron-Ortiz (New London), 3:13; Fifth, Angel Stimson (East Lyme/Norwich Tech) dec. Jonathan Hernandez (Windham), 16-7.
113: Final: Seth Christie (Griswold) dec. Max Richardson (Killingly), 10-8; Third, Calvin Sammarco (Lyman/Windham Tech) dec. Adrian Adames (Montville), 9-6; Fifth: Brock Nowakowski (NFA) dec. Luke Westkott (Waterford), 6-1.
120: Final: Hunter Sanchez (Lyman/Windham Tech) pinned Ian Cathell (Killingly), 1:24; Third, Masyn Smith (New London) dec. Gianno Pearson (East Lyme/Norwich Tech), 11-6; Fifth, Vincent Andreozzi (Griswold) won by forfeit.
126: Final: Jackson Sorel (NFA) dec. Mason Connetti (Killingly), 8-2; Third: Joseph Crader (Ledyard) won by forfeit; Fifth: Aidan Piccolo (Waterford) pinned Xavier Gudelski (Bacon), 1:28.
132: Final: Brady Zadora (Killingly) dec. Lucas Judd (Lyman/Windham Tech), 8-2; Third: Edward Lavoie (NFA) dec. Delmazio Despard (Windham); Fifth: Collin Rhodes (Ledyard) dec. Jeremy Ruiz (New London), 5-4.
138: Final: Dugan Marsh (NFA) technical fall over Oscar Mendoza-Soto (Windham), 15-0 (2:57); Third: Reuben Minter (East Lyme/Norwich Tech) pinned Shea Quashie (New London), 2:21; Fifth: Noah Jones (Ledyard) won by forfeit.
144: Final: James Linder (Montville) pinned Lance Stewart (Fitch), 1:20; Third: Rylee Kenny (Griswold/Wheeler) dec. Aiden Mantia (Killingly), 13-8; Fifth: Ariel Cortez-Roque (Windham) pinned Lariell Francisco-Soto (Lyman/Windham Tech), 2:36.
150: Final: Dylan Vanegas (NFA) dec. Lucas Gannotti (Waterford), 4-3; Third: Anthony Caisse (East Lyme/Norwich Tech) dec. Ryan Taggart (Ledyard), 5-0; Fifth: Shad Stewart (Fitch) pinned David Bean (Lyman/Windham Tech), 4:01.
157: Final: Luke Chapman (Montville) pinned Christian Ortiz (New London), 0:32; Third: Giovanni Sanchez-Ruelas (Killingly) pinned Naim Wallace (NFA), 1:55; Fifth: Nicholas Blanco (Windham) pinned Russell Stewart (Griswold/Wheeler), 2:25.
165: Final: Carson Brown (Bacon) pinned Devon Powers (Waterford), 0:15; Third: Exael Padilla (Killingly) dec. Michael Capalbo (Griswold/Wheeler), 7-4; Fifth: James Hiltz (Lyman/Windham Tech) dec. Braxton Swanbeck (Ledyard), 10-0.
175: Final: Lincoln Carlson (East Lyme/Norwich Tech) major dec. Cooper Light (Stonington), 12-3; Third: Jordan Delmonico (Montville) pinned Logan Jenkins (NFA), 3:53; Fifth: Cameron Sammarco (Lyman/Windham Tech) pinned Maxwell Gray (Griswold/Wheeler), :12.
190: Final: Brayden Soleau (East Lyme/Norwich Tech) pinned Jaycee Diaz (Windham), 3:46; Third: Zaire Wallace (NFA) dec. Zachary Ruest (Waterford), 3-0; Fifth: Jhandel Marchial (New London) pinned Dylan Beebe (Fitch), 3:19.
215: Final: Malachi Fowler (Windham) dec. Soren Rief (Killingly), 3-1; Third: Jonathon Macfeat (Griswold/Wheeler) dec. Braeden Sollima (Waterford), 5-4; Fifth: Zachary Rebello (Lyman/Windham Tech) dec. Jacob Bookmiller (East Lyme/Norwich Tech), 8-3.
285: Final: Anthony Oates (Killingly) pinned Timothy Breault (Lyman/Windham Tech, 1:57; Third: Henry Santana-Liriano (New London) pinned Aidan Schlimgen (Ledyard), :54; Fifth: Jesse Tingley (NFA) dec. Isaiah Torres (Windham), 11-9.
Outstanding wrestler: James Linder (Montville).
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