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Calo is first CT wrestler to win three times at Bossi Holiday Tournament

On Friday, Southington’s Paul Calo, top, became the first Connecticut wrestler to win three individual titles at the George Bossi Lowell Holiday Invitational.  The photo is from last March’s State Open championships.

LOWELL, Mass., December 28, 2018 – Southington senior Paul Calo put himself in the record books at the 51st annual George Bossi Lowell Holiday Invitational.

With a dominating performance to win at 182 pounds, Calo became the first Connecticut wrestler in tournament history to win three individual championships. Twenty two other wrestlers from Massachusetts and New Hampshire have won three times.

Fairfield Warde’s Joe Gjinaj won a George Bossi Lowell Holiday Invitational title in 3 OT. (Photo courtesy Jason Shaughnessy)

Calo was one of two state wrestlers to win titles Friday at the Bossi Tournament. Fairfield Warde’s Joe Gjinaj beat defending New England champion Samuel Wilkins of Mt. Anthony, Vt., to win the championship at 195 pounds.

Fairfield Warde’s Will Ebert (126) and Noah Zuckerman (152) finished second while Simsbury’s Ty Finn (120) and Southington’s Jacob Cardozo (145) each finished third. Other state medalists included Granby’s Ben Kibby, who was sixth at 182 pounds and Simsbury’s Sam Bergin, who was seventh at 160 pounds.

With five medalists, Springfield Central beat defending champion Mt. Anthony, Vt., by three points, 177-174 in the closest finish since 2007 when Concord, N.H. beat Timberlane, N.H. by 1½ points. Southington was the top Connecticut team in sixth place with Fairfield Warde finishing eighth.

Calo had little trouble in the two-day tournament that attracted more than 70 teams from across New England. Calo, a two-time defending New England champion, went 6-0 in the tournament with five pins. In the championship match, he beat Sterling McLaughlin of Pinkerton Academy in Derry, N.H., by a score of 12-1. Calo had four takedowns and a near fall in the victory.

Gjinaj won his 100th career match with his 3-2 victory in triple overtime over Wilkins. Gjinaj trailed 1-0 after two periods but escaped with 1:41 left in the third period to force overtime.

Gjinaj went 6-0 in the tournament with four pins. He beat Darby McLaughlin of Springfield Central in the semifinals, 4-2 thanks to a takedown with 1:07 left in the third period.

Ebert dropped a 2-1 decision to Liam McAveney of Masconomet-Boxford, MA in the final at 126 pounds. McAveney got an early takedown in the first period and held off Ebert for the remainder of the bout.

Ebert went 5-1 in the tournament and had an overtime win over Nate Vachon of Central Catholic in Lawrence, Mass., in the third round. Leading by one midway through the third period, Vachon got a takedown but Ebert escaped within a few seconds to tie the match at 2-2.

Ebert got the winning takedown with 1:08 left in overtime to secure the win and advance.

Zuckerman was the seventh seed and advanced to the finals at 152 where he dropped a 4-1 decision to top-seeded Sean Herbert of Melrose, Mass. Zuckerman beat No. 2 seed Gage McLaughlin of Mt. Anthony, Vt., in the quarterfinals, 9-3 to advance.

Other state action: Avon (7-0) went 5-0 to win a dual meet tournament at Avon and remain undefeated on the year. … Middletown beat New Britain, 60-19, to win the Glastonbury Duals for the third straight time. … With a 51-23 win over Ledyard, Foran (10-1) won four bouts at the Ledyard Holiday Duals and finished the afternoon undefeated.

Brunswick junior Luca Errico (138) was voted in the most outstanding wrestler in lower weight classes (99 to 145) at the Michael O’Connell Memorial Tournament at Pearl River (N.Y.) High School.

Errico finished first while senior co-captains Harry Fett (160) and Tim Saunders (195) both finished second in their respective classes losing to New York public school state finalists Jack Chesman of Pearl River and Jhordyn Innocent of East Ramapo, respectively. Brunswick’s Nick Bell (145) finished third. Brunswick finished sixth.

Middletown beat New Britain on Friday to win the Glastonbury Duals for the third straight time. (Photo courtesy Mark Fong)


Friday, December 28
Weston 48, Harding 24
* * * *
Avon Duals
At Avon
Pool A
Enfield 47, Canton 28
Enfield 48, Joel Barlow 33
Enfield 63, Conard 18
Canton 54, Joel Barlow 27
Canton 52, Conard 23
Conard 48, Joel Barlow 29
Pool B
Avon 50, Platt 25
Avon 67, Plainville 12
Avon 63, RHAM 18
RHAM 40, Plainville 39, criteria
RHAM 48, Platt 36
Plainville 51, Platt 27
Championship pool
Avon 57, Canton 22
Avon 66, Enfield 15
Canton 60, RHAM 9
Enfield and RHAM did not wrestle
Consolation pool
Platt 54, Joel Barlow 30
Joel Barlow 43, Plainville 42
Plainville 46, Conard 36
Final results: 1. Avon 5-0, 2. Enfield 3-1, 3. Canton 3-2, 4. RHAM 2-1
* * * *
Ledyard Holiday Duals
At Ledyard
Foran 51, Ledyard 23
Foran 57, Haddam-Killingworth 15
Foran 63, Griswold 18
Foran 54, Montville 16
Foran did not wrestle Nonnewaug
Montville 43, Haddam-Killingworth 27
Montville 42, Griswold 35
Montville 42, Nonnewaug 27
Montville did not wrestle Ledyard
Ledyard 49, Haddam-Killingworth 16
Ledyard 61, Griswold 17
Ledyard 51, Nonnewaug 30
Nonnewaug 42, Griswold 39
Nonnewaug 40, Haddam-Killingworth 39
* * * *
Glastonbury Duals
At Glastonbury
Pool A
New Britain 42, Glastonbury 35
New Britain 72, Terryville 12
Hand 43, New Britain 30
Hand 63, Terryville 12
Glastonbury 43, Hand 25
Glastonbury 72, Terryville 6
Pool B
Middletown 55, East Hartford 24
Middletown 69, Hall 5
Middletown 43, Branford 29
East Hartford 42, Branford 39
East Hartford 48, Hall 36
Branford 48, Hall 27
Final: Middletown 60, New Britain 19
Consolation: Hand 48, East Hartford 33
Fifth place: Glastonbury 47,  Branford 34
Seventh place: Hall 36, Terryville 27
* * * *
George Bossi Lowell Holiday Tournament
At Lowell, Mass.
Top 10 team results – 1. Springfield Central (MA) 177, 2. Mt. Anthony, Vt. 174, 3. Timberlane, N.H., 161½, 4. Shawsheen-Billerica MA 134, 5. Masconomet-Boxford MA 129, 6. Southington 122, 7. Pinkerton Academy-Derry NH 119, 8. Fairfield Warde 118½, 9. Concord MA 112, 10. Central Catholic-Lawrence MA 111
Other CT schools: 16. Simsbury 90½, 73. Granby 19.
Individual results
106 LBS
Final: Evan Kinney (Chelmsford MA) dec. Ben Davoli (Haverhill MA), 8-2
3. Ian Darling (Masconomet) pin Jimmy Glynn (Central Catholic), 1:49
5. Zachary Soda (Burlington MA) pin Landon Davis (Mount Anthony VT), 1:02
7. Isiac Paulino (Montachusett-Athol MA) dec. Lisandro Martinez (Hampden Charter-Chicopee MA), 15-5
113 LBS
Final: Hunter Adrian (Melrose MA) pin Dylan Beddow (Agawam MA), 3:32
3. Cameron Soda Burlington, (Burlington MA) dec. Nick Roeger (Timberlane NH), 5-2
5. Austin Dube (Shawsheen-Billerica MA) pin KJ Sotomayer (Ludlow MA), 4:23
7. Ben Stewart (Essex VT) dec. Jake Carlucci (Franklin MA), 13-1
120 LBS
Final: Hunter Verge (St. Johnsbury, VT) dec. Maximillian Leete (Danvers MA), 3-1
3. Ty Finn (Simsbury) dec. Mike Glynn (Central Catholic), 3-0
5. Matthew Adams (Salem NH) pin Adam Lanctot (Foxborough MA), 0:59
7. Frank Foti (Shawsheen) dec. Jacob Ice (Minnechaug-Wilbraham MA), 2-0
126 LBS
Final: Liam McAveney (Masconomet) dec. Will Ebert (Fairfield Warde), 2-1
3. Roman Mayer (Mount Abraham-Lincoln VT) dec. Luke Albanese (Brookline, MA), 4-2
5. Nore Mendes (Weymouth MA) dec. John Lafferty (Woburn, MA), 4-3
7. Nate Vachon (Central Catholic) dec. Donald Ryan (Boston College MA), 6-4
132 LBS
Final: Connor Mcgonagle (Timberlane) dec. Jack Darling (Masconomet), 3-0
3. Jordan Carlucci (Franklin, MA) dec. James Best (Billerica, MA), 3-2
5. Michael Bobola (Xaverian-Franklin MA) dec. Steven Wise (Haverhill, NH), 9-6
7. John Mairano (Simsbury) pin David Hammond (Pinkerton Academy, NH), 0:53
138 LBS
Final: Jake Nicolosi (Haverhill, MA) dec. Keenan Taylor (Mount Anthony), 6-4 OT
3. Tyler Glynn (Central Catholic) dec. Michael Reynolds (Scituate, RI), 4-1
5. Zach Rioux (Bishop Guertin-Nashua NH) dec. Riley Millette (Windham, NH), 10-5
7. Nick Pallaria (Timberlane) pin Mahari Miller (Springfield Central), 5:36
145 LBS
Final: Eddie Marinilli (Canton, MA) dec. Keegan Coon (Mount Anthony), 5-3
3. Jacob Cardozo (Southington) forfeit over Evan Goodall (Chelmsford, MA)
5. Antonio Pallaria (Timberlane) dec. Stephen Macintosh (Melrose, MA), 10-7
7. Anson Dewar (Merrimack, NH) dec. Zabion Powell (Taconic-Pittsfield, MA), 8-4
152 LBS
Final: Sean Herbert (Melrose, MA) dec. Noah Zuckerman (Fairfield Warde), 10-5
3. Chase Anestis (Bedford/AB-Lowell, MA) dec. Harrison Mendrala (Agawam, MA), 5-1
5. Tyler Mackiernan (Pinkerton Academy) dec. Brandon Reyes (Dedham, MA), 3-1
7. Thomas Lacourt (Boston College, MA) dec. David Spinney (Marshwood-South Berwick, ME), 18-9
160 LBS
Final: Cesar Alvan (Springfield Central) dec. Tristen Cabinta (Salem, NH), 8-4
3. Andrew Goddard (Algonquin- Northborough, MA) dec. Finbar Heaslip (Dedham, MA), 7-6
5. Ayomide Onajide (Hope-Providence RI) forfeit over Daniel Franco (Bishop Guertin- Nashua, NH)
7. Samuel Bergin (Simsbury) pin Stephan Saint-Juste (Shawsheen- Billerica, MA), 1:18
170 LBS
Final: Kyle Gora (Alvirne- Hudson, NH) pin Seth Carney (Essex, VT), 4:31
3. Dohnivin Harvey (Springfield Central) dec. Anthony (Triton- Ostrander MA), 2-0
5. Mark Thomas (Tyngsborough, MA) dec. David Gibson (Goffstown, NH), 5-3
7. Russell Canova (Danvers, MA) dec. Dominic Sackley (Franklin, MA), 6-3
182 LBS
Final: Paul Calo (Southington) dec. Sterling Mclaughlin (Pinkerton Academy), 12-1
3. James Danis (Essex, VT) pin Abraham Spurlock (Brookline, MA), 3:01
5. Dom Ledoux (Agawam. MA) forfeit over Benjamin Kibby (Granby, CT)
7. Gregory Grigorian (LaSalle Academy- Providence, RI) dec. Dylan Strong (Marshwood- Rollinsford, NH), 8-1
195 LBS
Final: Joe Gjinaj (Fairfield Warde) dec. Sampson Wilkins (Mount Anthony), 3-2, 3 OT
3. Kyle Setzer (Pinkerton Academy) dec. Joey Perkins (Masconomet), 4-2
5. Darby Mclaughlin (Springfield Central) dec. Sam Ware Barre, (Quabbin, MA), 16-6
7. Aaron Diaz (Lowell) dec. Tanner Alexander (Xaverian- Westwood, MA), 11-7
220 LBS
Final: Omar Eldaly (Shawsheen) dec. Noah Giffard (Concord, NH), 4-1
3. William Ogebebor (Foxborough, MA) dec. Oj Pekacar (Dedham, MA), 6-2
5. Robbie Fahey (Pinkerton Academy, NH) dec. Owen Macmillan (Hollis Brookline, NH), 10-2
7. Chris Mayer (Mount Anthony, VT) dec. Zeb Winot (St. Johnsbury, VT), 5-3
285 LBS
Final: Brooks Jones (Wayland, MA) dec. Edison Guarcas (Hope-Providence RI), 2-1 2 OT
3. Grant Laws (Xaverian-Westwood MA) dec. Dylan Chandler (Tewksbury, MA), 3-1, OT
5. Gregory Harris (Springfield Central) pin Kyle O’connor (Nashua South NH), 1:48
7. Woudanly Danger (Taunton, MA) pin Hayden Gaudette (Mount Anthony), 0:53

George Bossi Lowell Holiday Tournament results

Avon 57, Canton 22
At Avon
132 Justin Meador (A) pin Jack Freedenberg (C), 3:54; 138 Brian Connolly (C) pin Jake Deluca (A), 1:11; 145 Donovan Mackin (C) pin Gunner Propiescus (A), 1:34; 152 Jared Butler (A) pin Josh Newell (C), 0:25; 160 Jack Colman (A) pin Brendan Kelly (C), 2:11; 170 Austin Kilduff (C) pin Sam Johnson (A), 0:56; 182 Tyler Dickenson (A) pin James Pelehach (C), 3:51; 195 Braydon Fluckiger (C) dec. Amir Johnson (A), 9-1; 220: Chris Gens (A) forfeit; 285: Henry Schrecengost (A) forfeit; 106 Ryan Baghdassarian (A) dec. Ethan Titus (C), 10-9; 113: Abhi Bhabad (A) forfeit; 120: Alex Rostenberg (A) forfeit; 126: Max Jacobs (A) forfeit
Records: Avon 7-0

Avon 66, Enfield 15
At Avon
106 Ryan Baghdassarian (A) pin Robert Moeller (E), 3:46; 113: Abhi Bhabad (A) forfeit; 120 Colin Caron (E) pin Alex Rostenberg (A); 126 Justin Beiler (E) pin Zac Colman (A); 132 Justin Meador (A) pin Sean Messina (E), 1:11; 138 Grant Corbett (A) pin Shawn Keeler (E), 1:16; 145 Gunner Propiescus (A) pin Roy Marocchini (E); 152 Tallon Stager (E) dec. Jared Butler (A), 12-6; 160 Jack Colman (A) pin Cody Stager (Enfield), 4:18; 170 Sam Johnson (A) pin Nolan Wyse (E), 1:30; 182 Tyler Dickenson (A) pin Greg Bogdan (E), 3:49; 195 Amir Johnson (A) pin Matt Jackson (E), 1:11; 220 Chris Gens (A) pin Nick Miller (E), 3:40; 285 Henry Schrecengost (A) pin Colin Pedersen (E)

 

Gerry deSimas, Jr., is the editor and founder of Connecticut Wrestling Online. He is an award-winning writer and has been covering sports in Connecticut and New England for more than 40 years. He was inducted into the New England High School Wrestling Hall of Fame in 2018.

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