Staples remained at No. 6 in this week’s top 10 wrestling poll. (Photo courtesy Leigh Busby)
After a year off due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the four CIAC championship meets will be held this weekend. The Class LL meet will be in Trumbull, the Class L championships will be at Wilton, the Class M event will be at East Haven and the Class S meet will be held at Killingly High.
Wrestling begins Friday at 4 p.m. at all four locations. On Saturday, action begins at 11 a.m. The semifinals begin Saturday at noon at all four locations with the medal round, including the finals, beginning at 3:30 p.m.
The seeds for the four tournaments have been announced and can be found below. The official records do not include any results from Saturday’s conference tournaments nor any matches the wrestler may have wrestled out-of-state. It includes just matches against other Connecticut wrestlers.
The top six individuals in each weight class at all four meets will earn an invitation to the State Open championships on Friday, February 25 and Saturday, February 26 at the Floyd Little Athletic Center on the campus of Hillhouse High in New Haven.
The CIAC will host their second girls state championship tournament at the State Open. Girls can wrestle this week in the divisional tournaments (Class LL, L, M and S) but will have to choose which tournament they want to participate in at the State Open – boys (if they quality) or girls.
Tickets are not available at the door. They must be purchased online.
Masks are required for fans at all four locations. They must be worn except while eating or drinking.
The tournament will be streamed on FloWrestling and through the NFHS network. There are subscription fees for both streaming services.
Class LL championships
At Trumbull
Last time (2020): Danbury 269, Fairfield Warde 227, Southington 151½
2022 seeds
Class LL brackets and results (FloArena)
Video streaming: FloWrestling and NFHS network.
Outlook: A week ago, No. 2 Danbury (11-1) outlasted No. 3 Fairfield Warde (20-1) by 3½ points to win the FCIAC championship tournament thanks to a strong effort in the consolation bracket. It might take that type of effort again for the Hatters to win the Class LL tournament. Warde had four No. 1 seeds, including Will Ebert (170), who is looking to win a second individual Class LL title. No. 5 East Hartford (20-0) should be in the mix for the championship but they haven’t wrestled teams like Danbury or Warde so it will be interesting to see how the Hornets do. East Hartford has a pair of No. 1 seeds.
Notable: Danbury’s Kai O’Dell is one of a handful wrestlers who won state titles as a sophomore in 2020. O’Dell was first in Class LL at 113 two years ago. Now, he is the top seed at 138 pounds. … Danbury has won the last five Class LL titles. Fairfield Warde’s most recent championship was in 2010 when the Mustangs were first in Class L. Warde has finished second in Class LL four times. … East Hartford’s best finish has been second in Class LL in 1987,
Class L championships
At Wilton
Last time (2020): Xavier 243, Simsbury 240½, New Milford 166½
2022 seeds
Class L brackets and results (FloArena)
Video streaming: FloWrestling and NFHS network.
Outlook: In 2019, Bristol Eastern beat Simsbury by a half point to win the state title. In 2020, it was Xavier with a 2½ point win over the Trojans. It should be another close meet again this year. No. 1 Xavier (12-1) has wrestled a tough schedule in and around Connecticut so they will be in good shape to defend their championship. Should the Falcons falter, look for No. 4 Simsbury (14-2) to challenge for the championship. The Trojans have three No. 1 seeds including John Mairano (145) and Zach Johns (126), who previously won state titles. No. 8 New Milford (6-1), who won the SWC championship on Saturday, and Newtown hope to contend as well.
Notable: Mairano won his previous state title as a freshman in 2019 while Johns won a title in 2020 at Suffield/Windsor Locks, helping the Wildcats win the Class M title that season. … Simsbury’s most recent state championship came in 1997 when they won the Class L title.
Class M championships
At East Haven
Last time (2020): Suffield/Windsor Locks 187, Foran 181½, RHAM 166
2022 seeds
Class M brackets and results (FloArena)
Video streaming: FloWrestling and NFHS network.
Outlook: There is an opportunity here in Class M to the team that has a good weekend to bring home a state championship. No. 6 Branford (23-1), No. 8 Berlin (14-1) and RHAM (19-1) should be contending for the title. Branford and RHAM have No. 1 seeds each with Plainville coming in with three No. 1 seeds. This tournament looks to be wide open so it will be the team with the best overall effort that will probably bring home the championship trophy.
Notable: Branford is looking for their first-ever state championship. RHAM’s last title came in 2002 when they won the Class M title and Berlin’s last championship came in 2003 when they were first in Class L.
Class S championships
At Killingly
Last time (2020): Killingly 207, Haddam-Killingworth 157, Ledyard 149½
2022 seeds
Class S brackets and results (FloArena)
Video streaming: FloWrestling and NFHS network.
Outlook: The COVID-19 pandemic and the loss of last season hurt teams across the state. But it really hit home in Class S, home of the smallest schools in the state with wrestling programs. Some schools are literally building from scratch. Two schools that have survived well are defending champion Killingly (22-3) and No. 10 Haddam-Killingworth (16-5). Killingly won the Eastern Connecticut Conference title a week ago while the Cougars have three No. 1 seeds and a four No. 2 seeds.
Notable: The Cougars have finished second in Class S twice and have finished in the top three four times in the last six years. … Killingly’s Kaden Ware is the top seed at 126. He won a Class S title at 106 in 2020.
