State wrestlers win medals at Super 32 Challenge

Newtown’s Nate Taylor, left, finished eighth at the Super 32 Challenge in Greensboro, N.C. (Photo courtesy Jack Conroy)

Two Connecticut wrestlers earned medals in the high school division at the Super 32 Challenge this past weekend in Greensboro, North Carolina.

Southbury’s Sarah Henckel, who attends Blair Academy in New Jersey, finished fourth at 148 pounds while Newtown’s Nate Taylor of Greens Farms Academy finished eighth at 182 pounds.

Henckel, who was ranked No. 1 in the country in the preseason rankings, went 3-2 in the tournament. Skylar Slade of Iowa scored four points in the final 1:33 of regulation to earn a 6-4 victory in the quarterfinals.

After beating Pennsylvania’s Raegan Snider with a pin in 1:10, Henckel dropped a 3-0 decision to Maryland’s Nebi Tsarni to finish fourth. Henckel had two pins in the tournament.

Taylor went 4-3 in the tournament to earn a medal. He won his first three bouts including a 4-3 decision over Pennsylvania’s Tucker Hogan after scoring four points in the final five seconds to win it with a reversal and a near fall.

In the quarterfinaks, Iowa’s Tate Naatgeboren, who finished second in the weight class, earned a 1-0 victory over Taylor thanks to a second period escape.

Milford’s Kayla Batres (103) went 3-2 in the girls tournament with three pins but didn’t win a medal. Ava Guilmette (115) went 2-2.

In the boys tournament, several state wrestlers had multiple wins. Hebron’s Jackson Heslin went 6-2 at 126 pounds but finished out of the medals. Heslin dropped his second match of the tournament but went onto win his next five matches with three pins.

Heslin, who attends Greens Farms Academy, was eliminated with a 1-0 loss to Pennsylvania’s Michael Turi.

Killingworth’s Anthony Basile (Xavier) went 3-2 with two pins at 132 pounds with Fairfield Prep’s William Smith (138) and Brookfield’s Zehir McClean-Felix (182) each winning a pair of matches and going 2-2.

In the middle school tournament, Colby Houle from the Collinsville section of Canton finished third at 120 pounds. Houle, an eighth-grade student who is home schooled, won several close matches.

He beat New York’s Camryn Howard in the quarterfinals, 2-0 before dropping a 13-3 decision in the semifinals. In the consolation round, he beat Ohio’s Blace Van Gundy, 2-1 and topped West Virginia’s Stephen Myers, 1-0 in the ultimate tiebreaker to finish third.

In the 8 and under division , Milford’s Chris Weiner finished fifth in the 65 pound weight class. Weiner went 2-2 with a pair of victories of Pennsylvania’s Keller Sherer to earn a medal.

Posted at Connecticut Wrestling Online on October 18, 2022

2022 Super 32 results

Ryder Rogotzke of Lakeland, Minn., celebrates after winning a Super 32 Challenge title after beating Iowa’s Tate Naaktgeboren in the finals at 182 pounds, 6-4. (Photo courtesy Sam Janicki / SJanickiPhoto.com)