Two Connecticut wrestlers earn medals at tournament in Oklahoma

TULSA, Okla., Nov. 21, 2020 – Two Connecticut wrestlers earned medals at the 24th annual World of Wrestling (WOW) Kickoff Classic on Saturday at the Expo Square Pavilion in Tulsa.

Wrestling the 12-and-under division, Newtown’s Brighton Karvoski finished fourth in the 70-pound weight class while Collinsville’s Colby Houle finished fifth in the 92 pound weight class.

Wrestlers from ages 6-18 competed at the WOW Kickoff Classic and Girls Kickoff Classic.

Karvoski went 4-2 in the tournament with three straight pins to earn a spot in the semifinals before he lost to Fred Bachmnann of North Wales, Penn., 9-0. Karvoski got his fourth pin in the tournament to earn a spot in the consolation final but dropped a 4-0 decision to Sean Kenny of Bayville, N.J. to earn a fourth place medal.

Houle went 6-2 in the tournament with four pins. After winning his first match with a pin, Houle dropped a 2-1 decision to Kane Shanger of Cincinnati, Ohio. That began a long route throught the consolation bracket for Houle.

He had three straight victories by pin (2:24, 0:47, 1:28) before outlasting Chris Dennis of Furlong, Pa., 3-2 thanks to an escape and two-point near fall in the final 30 seconds.

Houle met Shanger again in the consolation semifinals and dropped a 2-0 decision in overtime.

Houle, a seventh grade student at The Master’s School in West Simsbury, finished fifth with a 12-1 decision over Michael Lopez of Aurora, Colorado. Houle trains with Empire Wrestling Academy in Somers, N.Y.