Gonzalez is named state wrestler of the year, Xavier honored as team of the year
Xavier’s Braylon Gonzalez was named the state wrestler of the year by the CHSCA’s wrestling committee.
Senior Braylon Gonzalez of Xavier, who won his third consecutive State Open championship in February at 144 pounds, was named the state wrestler of the year by the Connecticut High School Coaches Association at the recent All-State banquet in March in Southington.
Gonzalez, who lives in Newington, is just the 20th wrestler in state history to win three or more State Open championships and is the second wrestler to achieve this since 2020. He helped Xavier win the Class L title for the sixth straight year and the State Open championship for the fifth consecutive season.
Gonzalez is the second Xavier wrestler in the last three years to be named state wrestler of the year and the third since 2000. Raekwon Shabazz was the state wrestler of the year in 2013 while Nick Ciarcia was the state wrestler of the year in 2000.
Ridgefield’s Joe Regan was named coach of the year after leading his Tigers to a 13-2 record, their first Class LL state championship and a second place finish at the State Open – their best finish in team history.
Assistant coach of the year went to Trumbull’s Joe Vano, who helped lead the Trumbull girls wrestling team to their second straight state championship.
Xavier (11-4) was named team of the year for the fourth time in the last five years and the fifth time overall. The Falcons had a school-record five wrestlers win State Open championships and placed seven wrestlers in the finals.
Xavier was just the fourth team in state history with five or more champions at the State Open. Danbury had six champions in 2017 with Greenwich (1965) and Conard (1968) with five champions each.
Greg Perry was named state official of the year and Steve Merlino, a long-time member and chair of the CIAC wrestling committee, coach and friend of the sport, received a lifetime achievement award.
Perry, a former head coach at NFA and a ECC champion as an athlete at NFA, was a national judo champion and founded the Strike Zone wrestling club in Norwich.
The CIAC’s Dan Scavone, left, presents Steve Merlino with a tournament dedication award before the State Open in New Haven. (CIAC photo)
The 2026 wrestling championships were dedicated to Merlino in recognition of many years of outstanding leadership and service to wrestling in Connecticut.
Merlino was instrumental in the establishment of girls wrestling as a championship sport and was a strong advocate for athlete safety and continued growth of the sport in Connecticut.
He founded the wrestling programs at Lyman Memorial and Coventry High and has been deeply involved in the development of wrestlers in eastern Connecticut since 1988 through his work with the Windham Wrestling Club, now known as the Silverbacks.
Ledyard sophomore Lukas Boxley was named Wrester of the Year by GameTimeCT, the sports team that supplies to content to Hearst daily and weekly newspapers across the state.
2026 All-State banquet program
2026 GameTimeCT All State
First team
Antontio Arguello, Newtown (157)
Lukas Boxkley, Ledyard (138)
Chase Catalano, Xavier (190)
Cole Desiano, Ridgefield (113)
Delmazio Despard, Windham (126)
Zack Dixon, Xavier (120)
Chase Galke, Shelton (285)
Taiyo Gemme, Lyme-Old Lyme (215)
Braylon Gonzalez, Xavier (144)
Jude Grammatico, Fairfield Warde (132)
Isaiah McDaniel, Middletown (150)
Josh Perez, Xavier (106)
Vincent Rivera, Xavier (175)
Evan Schibi, Gilbert/Torrington/Wolcott Tech (165)
Wrestler of the year: Lucas Boxley, Ledyard (138)
Second team
William Accorsi, Somers (120)
Peter Annis, Suffield/Windsor Locks (113)
John Bean, Stafford (106)
Ethan Bochman Rodriguez, Terryville (138)
John Carrozza, Ridgefield (144)
Alex Lamarre, Bristol Central (150)
Harry Marino, Conard (165)
Harrison Muller, Danbury (175)
Zaphyr Musshorn, Xavier (132)
Dylan O’Brian, Fairfield Warde (190)
Jacob Palermo, East Lyme/Norwich Tech (285)
Mael Pierre-Paul, Bunnell (126)
Julian Rousseau, Staples (215)
Riley Storozuk, Notre Dame-West Haven (157)
2026 GameTimeCT All-State wrestling team
Previous years
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Previous CHSCA All-State banquet programs
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