VIRGINIA
BEACH, March 29 – Newtown’s Anthony Falbo was frankly a
little stunned after his
New England championship loss at 160 pounds to Fritz Hoehn of North
Andover,
Mass., by a 13-4 score. Falbo was taken down for the first time all
year and
not just once but five times. Falbo
vowed
to get back to work on the mat. His work paid off Sunday with a
national
championship. Falbo (53-1, 5-0 NHSCA) rolled through the National High
School
Coaches Association Sophomore Nationals tournament. Falbo
became just the second Connecticut wrestler to bring home a NHSCA
national
title with a 6-4 win over Brandon Kui of DePaul Catholic in New Jersey.
The
first wrestler to do that was Ledyard’s T.J. Hepburn who won a
Junior National
title at 135 pounds in 2006. Foran
freshman Ryan Luth finished second at 120 pounds while eight other
Connecticut
wrestlers earned All-American honors for finishing in the top eight of
their
respective weight classes. SeniorJuan
Garcia (182) of
Danbury became just the second Connecticut wrestler to
earn NHSCA All-American honors for four years by taking seventh. New
Milford’s
Kyle Lindner (120) was seventh while Windsor Locks’ Khamri Thomas
was sixth at
195. Windham
junior Seijia Arzuaga (220) was fifth and New Fairfield’s Alec
Opsal (113) was
eighth in the Junior National tournament. In the
Sophomore Nationals, Bunnell’s Michael Ross (138),
Newtown’s Ed Lovely (125)
and New Fairfield native Avery Shay (132) each finished eighth to earn
All-American honors. Falbo
earned All-American honors for the second straight year. He pinned
George
Walton of New Jersey in 1:30 in the quarterfinals and beat Angel Solis
of
California, 10-3 in the semifinals. Falbo finished the tournament with
two pins
and two major decisions. His two-point win over Kui was his closest
bout of the
tournament. Luth
(55-7, 5-1 NHSCA) won his first two bouts by technical fall. He beat
Anthony
New of Virginia, 7-3 in the quarterfinal before outlasting Joey Brillo
of New
York, 8-6 in the semifinals. He dropped a 9-4 decision to Malcolm
Robinson of
Washington, D.C. in the final. Lindner
(46-6, 5-2 NHSCA) won three straight matches to begin the tournament
before
getting pinned in the quarterfinals. He earned All-American honors for
the
second straight year with a 5-3 win over New Jersey’s Freddy
Terranova. Lindner
lost a 7-4 decision in OT to Eddie Matyka of Riverhead, N.Y., before
beating
Kyle Quinn of Wantagh, N.Y., 5-1 to finish seventh. Thomas
(46-4, 4-3 NHSCA) won four of his first five matches to earn
All-American
honors for the first time. He beat Nevada’s Hunter Brown, 3-1 and
South
Carolina’s Matthew Rudy, 6-1 to earn a spot in the consolation
semifinals. But
he lost to California’s Austin Caleb Flores, 6-1 and lost in
triple overtime to
Wyoming’s Tevis Bartlett, 2-1 to finish sixth. Garcia
(47-4, 5-2 NHSCA) won four of his first five bouts to earn All-American
honors
for the fourth straight year. He is the first Connecticut wrestler to
do that
since Shelton’s Patrick Gillen from 2008-11. He
opened the tournament with three straight wins before dropping a 7-2
loss to
Maryland’s Jaron Smith in the quarterfinals. Garcia rebounded
with a 5-3
victory over Derek Spachman of Hazelton, Pa., before losing in double
overtime
to David Hamil of Deer Park, N.Y., 6-4. Garcia beat New Jersey’s
Chris Morgan
to finish seventh. Arzyaga
(52-8, 5-2 NHSCA) had a pair of two-point victories and a three-point
victory
to earn a spot in the semifinals at 220 in the Junior Nationals. He was
pinned
in the semifinals and went 1-2 in the consolation bracket to take fifth. Opsal
(43-9, 4-3 NHSCA) won his first three bouts of the tournament before
suffering
a 5-1 loss in the quarterfinals. A win by technical fall earned him
All-American honors. He dropped a 3-1 decision to Indiana’s Drew
Hildebrandt to
finish eighth. NHSCA
Tournaments Connecticut
entrants Seniors Brandon
Caffrey, Pomfret, 120, 1-2 Kyle
Lindner, New Milford, 120, 5-2, 7th, All-American Jacob
Martin, Windham, 120, 2-2 Sebby
Ruffino, Windham, 126, 0-2 Cross
Cannone, Trumbull, 132, 4-2 Mason
Rambarose, Portland, 132, 0-2 Zach
Arnold, New Milford, 138, 1-2 Lyiam
Mathis, Old Lyme, 138, 0-2 Chris
Barrett, Old Saybrook,145, 3-2 Graysen
Deluca, Woodstock Academy, 152, 3-2 Ashton
Gyenizs, Hand, 145, 4-2 Jordan
Balskus, Portland, 152, 0-2 Stephen
Briganti, Trumbull, 160, 2-2 Charles
Lomanto, Staples, 160, 1-2 Juan
Garcia, Danbury, 182, 5-2,
7th, All-American James
Planeta, Portland, 182, 0-2 Khamri
Thomas, Windsor Locks, 195, 4-3, 6th, All-American Juniors Alex
Starr, Lyman Memorial, 106, 4-2 Matt
Dowler, St. Bernard, 113. 3-2 Matthew
Foster, NFA, 113, 2-2 Alec
Opsal, New Fairfield, 113, 4-3, 8th, All-American Matt
Conte, Westhill, 126, 1-2 Joey
Hulse, Danbury, 120, 1-2 Braden
Lohbusch, Lyman Memorial, 120, 3-2 Austin
Sherman, Fairfield Ludlowe, 120, 0-2 Jarrett
Debowsky, East Hampton, 132, 0-2 Jeremy
Fields, Danbury, 126, 4-2 Justin
Peterson, Danbury, 132, 2-2 Bryan
Rojas, New Milford, 138, 1-2 Charles
Kane, Fairfield Warde, 138, 5-2 Dante
Montanaro, Trumbull, 138, 0-2 Jordan
Baker, Middletown, 138, 0-2 Emmett
Licastri, Joel Barlow, 145, 0-2 A.J.
Ryan, Pomperaug, 145, 3-2 Tyler
Burlinson, New Fairfield, 152, 0-2 Brett
Leonard,
New Milford, 152, 2-2 Taylor
Shay, New Fairfield, 152, 3-2 Jacob
Berry, Somers, 160, 2-2 Dakota
Carden, Branford, 160, 2-2 Justin
Garden, New Fairfield, 160, 0-2 Mitchell
Laflam, Lyman Mem, 160, 2-2 Austin
Caffrey, Killingly, 170, 3-2 Andy
Hubina, Newtown, 195, 1-2 Daric
Johnson, Jr., Ledyard, 195, 0-2 Seiji
Arzuaga, Windham, 220. 5-2, 5th, All-American Antonio
Baratta, Danbury, 220, 0-2 Sophomores Gino
Esposito, Foran, 106, 1-2 Robby
Hartling, E.O. Smith, 106, 1-2 Kasim
Khah, Fairfield Prep, 106, 0-2 Rodric
Grant, Portland, 113, 1-2 Tristan
Haviland, Trumbull, 113, 1-2 Thomas
Leuci, Newtown, 113, 1-2 Shaun
Williams, Danbury, 113, 1-2 John
Grasis, Middletown, 113, 1-2 Daniel
Clark, Old Lyme, 120, 0-2 Baltazar
Gonzalez, Ellis Tech, 120, 3-2 Andrew
Blum, Westhill, 126, 0-2 Anthony
Devanny, Ellis Tech, 126, 0-2 Edward
Lovely, Newtown, 126, 4-3, 8th, All-American Peterson
Souza, Danbury, 126, 2-2 Charles
Schultz, New Milford, 126, 3-2 Brandon
Chejin, Westhill, 132, 1-2 Avery
Shay, New Fairfield, 132, 4-3, 8th, All-American Cameron
Berger, N. Milford, 138, 1-2 Michael
Ross, Bunnell, 138, 4-3, 8th, All-American Grayson
Adler, Haddam-Killingworth, 145, 2-2 Tom
Gatti, Middletown, 145, 1-2 Alexander
Stavola, Newtown, 152, 1-2 Joseph
Accousti, Newtown, 152, 5-2 Anthony
Falbo, Newtown, 160, 5-0, 1st, national champion Jordan
Goins, Westhill, 160, 0-2 Andrew
Marquis, Danbury, 160, 0-2 David
Verizzi, Lyman Memorial, 170, 0-2 Daniel
Contino, Ledyard, 182, 3-2 Gavin
Thoutte, Ellis Tech, 182, 0-2 Thomas
Long, Newtown, 220, 0-2 Lachlan
Rosato, Brunswick-Greenwich, 220, 1-2 Freshmen Jakob
Camacho, Danbury, 106, 3-2 Noah
Caskey, Montville, 106, 2-2 Peyton
Debowsky, East Hampton, 106, 0-2 Brandon
Leonard, New Milford, 106, 1-2 Colin
Lindner, New Milford, 106, 3-2 Nicolas
Savo, Danbury, 106, 2-2 Nick
Violissi, Portland, 106, 0-2 Gabe
Knittel, East Hampton, 113, 0-2 Aaron
Occhipinti, Danbury, 120, 4-2 Ryan
Luth, Foran, 120, 5-1, 2nd, All-American Jason
Vitrit, New Fairfield, 120, 1-2 Zachary
Bohenko, New Milford, 126, 1-2 Sam
Kury, Montville, 126, 2-2 Caleb
Marsh, St. Bernard, 126, 1-2 Christopher
Tyler Schultz, New Milford, 126, 2-2 Jeff
Suschana, Somers, 132, 0-2 Dylan
Vertefeuille, Lyman Memorial, 132, 0-2 Mason
Laflam, Lyman Memorial, 138, 2-2 Gino
Baratta, Danbury, 152, 3-2 Jonathan
Noyes, Old Saybrook, 160, 0-2 Middle
School Jacob
Marselli, Tolland, 75. 0-2 Ryan
Jack, Danbury, 85, 4-2,
7th, All-American Sean
Johnson, Ashford, 85, 1-2 Max
Lynch, Danbury, 90, 0-2 Ben
LeBlanc, Danbury, 95, 4-2,
4th, All-American Jaqvon
Priar, New Milford, 105,
6-2, 4th, All-American Grant
Barber, Colchester, 112, 0-2 Kyle
Fields, Danbury, 112, 6-2,
4th, All-American Gabriel
Reyes, New Milford, 127, 1-2 A.J.
Kovacs, Danbury, 127, 4-2
