Xavier won the Mid-Hudson Classic for the fourth time on Saturday in Arlington, N.Y. (Photo courtesy Michael Cunningham)
With two individual champions and three finalists, Xavier won the 58th annual Mid-Hudson Classic in Arlington, New York for the fourth time since 2019. The Falcons had nine wrestlers finish in the top four of their respective weight classes.
Xavier, the only Connecticut school to have won this New York tournament, outlasted Fairfield Warde to win the championship. With two individual champions, Warde finished second with 220 points behind Xavier’s 250 points. Ridgefield was sixth with 131 points.
Xavier’s Max Morse (190) won his second consecutive Mid-Hudson title with an 11-1 decision while Chase Catalano (170) won his first title with a 5-0 shutout win.
Warde’s Louis Soracco won a championship at 165 with a technical fall while Anthony Albanese outlasted Jacob Snedeker of Bellport, N.Y., 3-2, for the win at 285 pounds.
Xavier had a tournament-high 53 pins in the event, closely followed by Fairfield Warde with 52 pins.
The Mid-Hudson tournament began in 1965 and is the longest running high school tournament in New York state.
The two-day event is not a typical tournament. On day one, wrestlers compete in pools wrestling four or five times to advance to the finals with an eight-wrestler bracket to determine the medalists on day two.
Saturday, Dec. 28 results
Friday, Dec. 27 results
East Hartford went 4-0 with victories over Hand, Ellis Tech and E.O. Smith in pool competition and a 60-12 win over Windham to win the RHAM Invitational duals tournament on Saturday in Hebron.
Newtown fell to Kellenberg Memorial from Uniondale, N.Y., 44-32 in the final of the fourth annual Nighthawk Duals tournament. Newtown beat Norwalk, West Springfield, Mass., and Staples in pool competition.
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Killingly extended their school-record dual meet winning streak to 71 with a victory in their own New Year’s Day dual meet tournament in Danielson on Saturday. Killingly beat Plainville, Coventry and the Gilbert/Torrington/Wolcott Tech co-op team in pool play before beating Middletown, 49-29 in the championship match.
Killingly won the tournament for the fourth straight season and the eighth time since 2017.
Saturday, Dec. 28 results
Friday, Dec. 27 results
Enfield’s Ethan Buonanducci (132) tied a state record with a pin in four seconds at the Phil Tomkeil Holiday tournament in Agawam, Mass., on Friday. Buonanducci pinned Paul McLaughlin of Gateway Regional in four seconds in the first round of the tournament.
Buonanducci won his individual weight class at 132 pounds with a pin over Agawam’s Jordin Agosto in 2:35. Buonanducci had four pins in the tournament and helped Enfield finish third in the event for the fourth straight year. Natick, Mass. dominated with 302 points with Agawam finishing second with 190½ points.
Saturday, Dec. 28 results
Friday, Dec. 27 results
Trumbull beat Berlin and Foran in the championship pool to win the Trumbull Duals tournament. Trumbull beat Berlin, 49-21 and Foran, 37-35 to finish 5-0 on the afternoon. The Eagles won the tournament for the second straight year and the fifth time since 2010.
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With four individual champions and eight finalists, Danbury won their own Ryan Sabbagh Holiday tournament with a 212-188½ win over New Milford. Victor Velez (138), Emrick Henry (157), Harrison Muller (165) and Eric Coons (175) each won titles for the Hatters.
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Simsbury sophomore Max Konopka (190) went 4-0 with a pair of pins and a tech fall to win the Sam Cali Invitational in New Jersey. Konopka beat Nevin Mattessich of New Jersey’s Don Bosco Prep, 8-2 in the finals.
Westport’s Greens Farms Academy won the overall tournament with 244-174 win over Delsea, New Jersey.
Two Dragons finished second – Newtown’s Brighton Karvoski (113) and Southington’s Chase Kastner (120) – with four GFA wrestlers taking third — Kimoni Giles (138), Milford’s Jeremy McGrath (144), Norwalk’s Will Motley (157) and Norwalk’s Ryan Schneider (190).
