2022 New England championships at a glance

After a one-year absence, the New England wrestling championships will be held this weekend in Providence.

57th  annual New England championships
At Providence, R.I.
Date: Friday, March 4 and Sunday, March 5
Participants: Top 7 wrestlers from Massachusetts; top 5 from Connecticut, top 3 from Vermont, Maine, New Hampshire and Rhode Island

Friday’s schedule: Wrestling begins at 5 p.m. Round two begins at 6:30 p.m.
Saturday’s schedule: Wrestling begins at 9 a.m. with quarterfinals and consolation round matches. Championship semifinals begin at noon. Championship finals, consolation finals (third place) and fifth place bouts begin at 3:45 p.m.

Brackets and real-time results (FloArena)
Pre-tournament brackets (PDF)
Watch the tournament online (FloWrestling.com)

Tickets: No tickets will be sold at the door. Order them online.
Masks: Everyone, spectators, athletes, coaches and officials, must wear a mask in the building. The only exception will be wrestlers competing on the mat. 

State championship meets: 2022 state championship results from Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Vermont, Maine and Rhode Island

Last time (2020): 1. Danbury 82½, 2. Essex, VT 71, 3. Bishop Hendricken-Warwick RI 70, 4. Mt. Anthony Union-Bennington VT 58, 5. Coventry RI 53.
Defending champions returning: none
Last time’s championship matches (2020)
106:  Zachary Soda (Burlington MA) dec. Josh Brault Joel Barlow), 10-5
113:  Cameron Soda (Burlington MA) dec. Evan Kinney (Chelmsford MA), 4-3
120:  Hunter Adrian (Melrose MA) dec. Calvin Dalton (Salem MA), 3-2
126: Maximillian Leete (Danvers MA) dec. Michael Joyce (Ponaganset- Scituate RI), 6-2
132: Mason Clarke (Coventry RI) dec. Devin Matthews (Gilbert), 5-3
138: Ryan Jack (Danbury) dec. Mike Glynn (Central Catholic-Lawrence MA), 11-2
145: Jake Nicolosi (Haverhill MA) dec. Mahari Miller (Springfield Central MA), 3-2
152: Tyler Sung (New Canaan) dec. Aidan Faria (Cumberland, RI), 6-3
160: Brevin Cassella (Nashoba Valley MA) pin Nicholas Fine Warwick, (Bishop Hendricken-Warwick RI), 2:19
170: Seth Carney (Essex, VT) dec. Kyle Gora (Alvirne, NH), 3-1
182: James Danis (Essex, VT) dec. Sterling McLaughlin (Pinkerton Academy, Derry NH), 7-3
195: Sam Wilkins (Mt. Anthony, VT) dec. Conor Maslanek (Pelham, NH), 3-2, 3 OT
220: Beau Dillon (Salem NH) dec. Jeffrey Worster (Oxford Hills, ME), 3-2
285:  Dylan Chandler (Tewksbury, MA) dec. Tyrek Williams (New Bedford, MA), 6-1
Outstanding wrestler: Hunter Adrian, Melrose, MA (120)

2022 Outlook: No. 1 Xavier has the most entrants in the tournament of any team in New England with nine, including a pair of State Open champions. New Hampshire champion Timberlane Regional and Vermont champion Mt. Anthony Union each have eight wrestlers in the tournament while Spaulding, Vt., has seven wrestlers who qualified. No. 2 Danbury and Ponagansett, R.I. each have six wrestlers in the tournament.

As in any tournament, the key is picking up victories – especially victories in the consolation bracket. For most of the wrestlers in the field, this will be a new experience for them – participating in the New England tournament. Not many freshmen or sophomores get to this tournament. Danbury had a strong performance in the consolation round to grab a share of the CIAC Class LL championship with East Hartford two weeks ago.

Danbury is the defending tournament champion and the Hatters have won the tournament in three of the last four years (2017, 2019, 2020). The only other Connecticut team to win this tournament was Windham in 1992. … Xavier’s best finish in the tournament was sixth in 2012, the last year they won the Connecticut State Open. … With three State Open champions, No. 4 Simsbury hopes to make some noise in the tournament. The best finish for the Trojans in the tournament was fourth in 1995.

More news:  After one year in Massachusetts in 2020, the tournament returns to Providence, where it was help for seven of eight years from 2012-19. … The last time the New England tournament was in Connecticut was 2011 in New Haven at Hillhouse. … There will be no inductions into the New England High School Wrestling Hall of Fame this year due to the uncertainly presented by COVID-19 when the winter season began. … The 2020 New England championships was the last major scholastic event of the year before COVID-19 pandemic and the lockdowns in March 2020.