The ULTIMATE New Englands Recap (Boys/Girls)
- Mar 4, 2024
- 13 min read
What an outstanding season of wrestling all across New England! Last weekend we crowned 14 high school boys New England Champions, and, for the first time ever, 12 girls won New England crowns of their own.
*1/31/24 Prep/Public Girls Rankings Used
*2/21/24 Boys Rankings Used
*2/21/24 Team Tournament Rankings Used
Glancing at the Numbers
Massachusetts barely surpassed Connecticut in the total number of placers across both girls’ and boys’ divisions. It was the smallest state in the country, however, that proved to have the most firepower: Rhode Island took home the most boys’ gold medals. Connecticut, meanwhile, won 6 out of the 12 weights on the girls’ side.
State | Boys Champs | Boys Placers | Girls Champs | Girls Placers | Total |
MA | 5 | 29 | 3 | 25 | 62 |
CT | 3 | 29 | 6 | 23 | 61 |
RI | 6 | 17 | - | 4 | 27 |
ME | - | 6 | 2 | 10 | 18 |
NH | - | 2 | - | 4 | 6 |
VT | - | 1 | 1 | 4 | 6 |
GIRLS TEAM SCORES (Top 5)
Noble (ME) - 66
Sharon (MA) - 46
Norwalk (CT) - 45.5
Platt (CT) - 39
Mt. Blue (ME) - 36
Still a growing sport for girls, only a handful of teams fielded three or more wrestlers. Noble (ME) had the most with four and three of those ladies found the podium, including No. 2 (107) Hannah Perro winning the event at 100 beating No. 1 Samantha Bertini (Ludlow, MA).
Sharon (MA) placed second with only two wrestlers in the event. No. 6 Meghan Wiebe won the 165 title and No. 4 Samantha Rabkin placed second at 235.
Coming in third, Norwalk (CT) earned their trophy thanks to third-place finishes from No. 1 Rylee Donahue at 132 and Lina Rodriguez at 126, and a strong effort from Esmeralda Ramos at 145.
Finals
Stratford’s (CT) 126-pounder Lindsey Rywolt used a big second period that included a takedown and three near-fall points to win the gold. Rywolt got the 6-2 decision in an exciting match against Hannah Bryson (Wilmington, MA).
At 132, it was a back-and-forth between Hoshena Gemme (Old Lyme, CT) and Jillian Glaski (Mt. Anthony, VT). Gemme was up 2-1 against Glaski at the end of the first only to end up trailing halfway through the second. By the end of the second, it was tied. To start the third, Glaski chose bottom and got an escape with 30 seconds left to take the lead, but Gemme was able to get the final takedown with four seconds left on the clock.
Nora Quitt (Ashland, MA) dominated the 138 bracket. Quitt went 4-0 on the day with four pins and outscoring her opponents 6-0—all with only 2 minutes and 46 seconds of work on the mat.
At 145, Shelby Galex (Northeast Metro/Bishop Fenwick, MA) hit a great throw quickly to get out to a 6-0 lead. But Esther Ribeiro (Bethel, CT) was not deterred and battled back, getting two escapes and ultimately a takedown—thus, able to secure the fall.
It was a Connecticut rematch at 152 with Kelly Aspras (Foran, CT) taking on Kali Fangiullo (Plainville, CT) for the second time in two weeks, Aspras, a Sacred Heart commit used a first-period takedown and second-period reversal to secure the win.
Meghan Wiebe (Sharon, MA) scored early in the first period and rode out Emma Leonido (Hanover, MA) in the final at 165. Weibe chose neutral and both wrestlers looked to score but no one found any points, In the third, Leonido chose bottom and a reversal from Wiebe sealed the deal.
Platt”s (CT) Kayli Morris outscored her opponents 13-0 en route to the inaugural 185 title. She had a takedown and a reversal before pinning her opponent Eralyn Figueroa (East Longmeadow, MA) to secure the victory.
Connecticut champion Ariana Bellamy (Maloney, CT) had three pins and outscored opponents 22-4. The only foe to score on her was 235 finals’ opponent Smantha Rabkin (Sharon, MA).
Voted the best match of the finals by the coaches, the 100-pound bout pitted Hannah Perro (Noble, ME) against Samantha Bertini (Ludlow, MA). Perro scored the first takedown a minute into the first period, but, 30 seconds later, Bertini was on top and they were tied. Perro chose bottom at the start of the second and was able to get a fairly quick reversal. That was all she needed to put the Fargo All-American on her back and secure the championship.
Nationally ranked Madolin Ripley (Oceanside, ME) took the mat against Tatianna Irizarry (Ledyard, CT) for the 107 finals. Ripley used a takedown in the first and third periods and a reversal in the second to secure a 6-2 win over the Connecticut sophomore.
It was quite a day for Andover High School (MA) as, for the first time ever, they had a New England finalist—in fact, they had two of them! Madeline Li became Andover’s first champion. She had at least one takedown in every period to win 10-5 against Brooke Weafer (Bristol-Plymouth, MA) in the 114 match.
In the final match of the night for the girls, Jaden Coppins (Colchester, VT) took on Delaney Frost (Noble, ME) in the 120 final. Frost was the first to shoot and looked like she was going to finish a takedown, but Coppins was able to stuff the attempt away. Frost chose bottom to start the second and Coppins was able to work her way to the pin.
Girls 1st Place Matches
100 *Best Finals
No. 2 (107) Hannah Perro (Noble, ME) Fall No. 1 Samantha Bertini (Ludlow, MA) 3-2 2:36
107
No. 1 (114) Madolin Ripley (Oceanside, ME) Dec. No. 2 (114) Tatianna Irizarry (Ledyard, CT) 6-2
114
No. 7 Maddy Li (Andover, MA) Dec. No. 5 Brooke Weafer (Mt. Blue, ME) 10-5
120
No. 3 (126) Jaden Coppins (Colchester, VT) Fall. Delaney Frost (Noble, ME) 4:00 2-0
126 *Lindsey Rywolt (Stratford, CT) Most Outstanding Wrestler
No. 3 Lindsey Rywolt (Stratford, CT) Dec. No. 7 Hannah Bryson (Wilmington, MA) 6-2
132
No. 2 Hoshena Gemme (Old Lyme, CT) Dec. Jillian Glaski (Mt. Anthony, VT), 7-6
138
No. 1 Nora Quitt (Ashland, MA) Fall. No. 4 Kan-Yah McCarthy (Fairfield Ludlowe, CT) 1:31 2-0
145
No. 2 (138) Esther Riberito (Bethel, CT) Fall. No. 4 Shelby Galex (N.East/Bishop Fenwick, MA) 3:30 4-6
152
No. 1 Kelly Aspras (Foran, CT) Fall. No. 7 (145) Kali Fangiulio (Plainville, CT) 3:12 4-0
165
No. 6 Meghan Weibe (Sharon, MA) Dec. No. 8 Emma Leonido (Hanover, MA) 4-0
185
No 1 Kayli Morris (Platt, CT) Fall. Eralyn Figueroa (East Longmeadow, MA) 2:56 4-0
235
No. 3 Arianna Bellamy (Maloney, CT) Fall. No. 4 Samantha Rabkin (Sharon, MA) 5:35 15-4
Girls 3rd Place Matches
100
No. 7 Alison Pattern (Pilgrim, RI) Dec. No. 4 Selena Batres (Jonathan Law, CT) 10-7
107
Mia Dineen (Hingham, MA) Dec. No. 3 Addisyn Herdic (Ellis Tech, CT) 5-0
114
No. 4 Sybella Landire (Berlin, CT) Tec. No. 5 Brooklyn Webber (Mt. Blue, ME) 4:22 16-1
120
No. 4 Jasmine Whitfield (Stamford, CT) Fall. No. 8 Gonul Celik (East Haven, CT) 3:26 9-1
126
Lina Rodriguez (Norwalk, CT) Fall. No. 8 (132) Lilou Gardien (Noble, ME) 3:33 6-0
132
No. 1 Rylee Donahue (Norwalk, CT) Fall. Madison Down (Taconic City, MA) 8-0 3:28
138
Lilya Akande (Shelton, CT) Fall. Amaya Smith (Oliver Ames, MA) 1:42 2-0
145
No. 5 Isabelle Brandt (Souhegan, NH) Maj. Tess Jaohnson (Mansfield, MA) 9-0
152
No. 4 Tessa Master (Watertown, MA) Fall. Brooke Davis (St. Johnsbury, VT) 0:57 2-0
165
No. 4 Zady Paige (Belfast, ME) Dec. Sky Lewit (Burr & Burton, VT) 7-6
185
No. 3 (165) Kendall Foster (Mt. Blue, ME) Dec. Madison Beauregard (Concord, NH) 3-2
235
No. 6 Arianna Nivar (Agawam, MA) Fall. Lillian Soper (Bucksport, ME) 0:25 2-0
Girls 5th Place Matches
100
No. 5 Sophia Gordon (South Windsor, CT) Dec. No. 7 Daylinette Sanchez-Cardona (Platt, CT) 9-3
107
No. 4 Daisy Hawkins (Scituate, RI) Fall. No. 6 Olivia Polansky (Bridgewater-Raynham, MA), 1:42 2-0
114
Noah Edwards (Duxbury, MA) Fall. Kennedie Davis (Bridgewater-Raynham, MA) 1:53 2-2
120
No. 7 Adriana DeGroat (Framingham, MA) Fall. Cristel Miguel (Amity, CT) 4:34 0-4
126
Natalia Jaramillo (Nashoba Tech, MA) Dec. Piper Leone (Belfast, ME) 5-0
132
Emily Angelo (Merrimack, NH) Dec. No. 5 Morgan Pennimpede (Gloucester, MA) 7-6
138
Katelynn Zannoni (Pelham, NH) Fall. Sophia Lancin (Weston, CT) Fall. 4:00 7-4
145
Aubrey Hastings (Cumberland, RI) Fall. Elena Thomas (Carver, MA)
152
Kaleigh Fuller (Monty Tech, MA) Dec. Hannah Brewer (Central, ME) Dec. 9-5
165
Shalom Feliz (Mt. Pleasant, RI) Fall. No. 2 Marangelie Teixeira (Trumbull, CT) 3:52 6-3
185
No. 5 Essence Tucker (Juanita Sanchez, RI) Fall. Angeles Munoz (Marlborough, MA)
235
Mallory Sefick (St. Paul, CT) Dec. Gianna Cycan (South Shore, MA) 0:51 2-0
Boys Team Scores (Top 25)
1. (1) Ponaganset (RI) - 209
2. (2) Xavier (CT) - 149
3. (3) Haverhill (MA) - 95.5
T-4. (6) East Hartford (CT) - 61
T-4. (4) Newtown (CT) - 61
6. (9) Coventry (RI) - 59
7. (7) St. John’s Prep (MA) - 57
8. (8) Scituate (RI) - 55
9. (13) Methuen (MA) - 51
10. (15) Ridgefield (CT) - 47.5
11. (5) Shawsheen Tech (MA) - 47
12. (22) Tewksbury (MA) - 37
13. (16) Danbury (CT) - 36
14. (12) Central Catholic (MA) -32.5
T-15. Brookline (MA) - 32
T-15. Milford (MA) - 32
17. (19) Chelmsford (MA) - 30
T-18. (14) Simsbury (CT) - 29.5
T-18. (10) Southington (CT) - 29.5
20. (18) Bishop Hendricken (RI) - 28
21. (21) Massabesic (ME) - 27.5
T-22. East Lyme/Norwich Tech (CT) - 26
T-22 Whitman Hanson (MA) - 26
24. (23) Monty Tech (MA) 25.5
25. (20) Milton (MA) - 24
The team race was likely closer than some expected. No. 2 Xavier (CT) placed second in the tournament placing seven out of their eight wrestlers and beating Ponaganset’s record from last year scoring 149 points. Not even that was enough to beat No. 1 Ponaganset (RI), who shattered their own record scoring 209 points with 11 wrestlers in the tournament. Four of those won gold while nine in total found the podium.
To put this into perspective: No NCAA Division I team has ever scored 200 points or more at the NCAA tournament. The argument is, therefore, easy to make that Ponaganset is more dominant in New England than any NCAA team has ever been nationally. The only college team coming somewhat close to this kind of domination is Dan Gable’s 1997 Iowa Hawkeyes that put up 170 points at the NCAA Tournament and had five champions and eight All-Americans.
No. 3 Haverhill (MA) brought home the bronze as a team after placing five of their six wrestlers in the event, including a champion. Coming in at No. 6, East Hartford (CT) had two finalists and tied for fourth with Newtown (CT) who had two bronze medalists and a fifth-place finisher at the event.
Several wrestlers won multiple titles:
2x Raekwon Shabazz (113 Xavier, CT)
2x Peyton Ellis (126 Coventry, RI)
3x Gabe Bouyssou (150 Scituate, RI)
3x Nate Blanchette (175 Central Catholic, MA)
2x Thomas Brown (285 Chelmsford, MA).
Bouyssou and Blanchette’s third title automatically enters them into the New England Wrestling Hall of Fame.
*Note Rankings used are set 2/21/24 before state tournaments.
Finals
Like the girls, the boys started at 126 which brought defending champion No. 1 Peyton Ellis (Coventry, RI) and Pan-Am silver medalist No. 3 Yandel Morales (Andover, MA) to the mat. At the end of the first, Ellis was up 2-0 and picked bottom. Morales, halfway through the second, got the escape and was able to secure the takedown, but Ellis quickly reversed. In the third period, Ellis got three back points after starting on top and that was enough to secure a 10-5 victory for his second consecutive New England title.
132 was fireworks. No. 2 Jonah Paulino (Monty Tech, MA) was the first to score with a wrist snap takedown and chose bottom leading 2-0 into the second period. 40 seconds in, Paulino scored again with a reversal. Perez was quick to get away and turned a shot attempt from the Bulldog wrestler to his own points getting the takedown and sending Paulino to his back for a split-second. Another Paulino takedown attempt resulted in a short scramble from which Perez was able to lock up a cradle and get the fall with four seconds left.
Who expected the 138-pound final to include No. 2 Joey Joyce (Ponaganset, RI) against No. 3 Jaeckez Mendez (East Hartford, CT)? Joyce made the finals after a 10-4 win over No. 1 Sid Tildsley (Shawsheen Tech, MA). The Rhode Island grappler was up 4-1 at the end of the first and would win the match 7-4.
At 144, No. 1 James Tildsley (Shawsheen Tech, MA) trailed No. 5 Victor Petkov (Ridgefield, CT) 2-0. He used a big 2nd period, scoring six points, to find the eventual 8-6 win.
When speaking of New England wrestling No. 1 150-pounder Gabe Bouysou (Scituate, RI) is a must-mention. The now 3x New England Champion capped off his career with a 16-4 win over No. 9 Carnell Davis (Ponaganset, RI) in what was a rematch of the Rhode Island state finals. Bouyssou had six takedowns in the win and will compete at prestigious Cornell University next year.
The final bout at 157 proved to be a rematch of the Massachusetts state finals with No. 2 Jayden D’ambrosio (St. John’s Prep, MA) defeating No. 9 Vincent DeMaio (Methuen, MA) for the fourth time in four weeks (MIAA D1N, MIAA D1 States, MIAA All-State). This time, however, it was very close. A decisive 3-0 win led the Edinboro commit to his first New England title after a bronze finish in 2023.
No. 1 Brent Nicolosi (Haverhill, MA) was the lone finalist for the Hillies amongst their five placers. The 200-win senior brought home the gold at 165 with a 10-1 major decision over Brown-commit and No. 2 Andrew Reall (Ponaganset, RI). Nicolosi used a big second period, scoring five to help him achieve his victory.
Rutgers-commit and No. 1 Nate Blanchette (Central Catholic, MA) took the mat trying to make history and be the second 3x champion of the night. Preston Marchessault (Ponaganset, RI), a junior Brown commit was the only one standing in his way in the 175 final. They battled closely and Blanchette was down 1-0 heading into the third, but he got out from bottom and scored a takedown with 30 seconds left to win it. The future Scarlet Knight celebrated his third championship with a backflip, slightly fumbling the landing. 7/10.
After a thrilling 190 quarter-finals matchup in the morning that saw top 30 freshman No. 2 Max Konopka (Simsbury, CT) beat Columbia bound No. 1 Spencer Fine (Bishop Hednricken, RI) 7-5, the freshman could taste the victory. But first he had to get through No. 3 Elijah Josey (Portsmouth, NH), which he did. Konopka scored a takedown in the first and another in the second after. escaping to work his way to an eventual second period pin.
In the third rematch of a state final, Connecticut 215 Champion No. 3 Chales Weidman (Xavier, CT) took on runner-up No. 4 Sam Montovani (East Hartford, CT). This match, however, was not as close as their State Open match was; Weidman was able to get the second period pin while up 3-0.
At heavyweight, NHSCA champion No. 1 Thoams Brown (Chelmsford, MA) took on No. 3 Alex Bajoras (St. John’s Prep, MA) for the third straight time. Brown used a takedown in each period to secure his second New England title.
As usual, a battle of freshmen occurred at 106 with No. 1 Cole Lemovitz (Ponaganset, RI) taking on No. 4 Isaiah McDaniel (Middletown, CT). Lemovitz was the first to score with a takedown in the first period, and, after a scoreless second that saw McDaniel ride out the Chieftain, Lemovitz managed another takedown and a reversal within the last 15 seconds. While a solid effort, it just wasn’t enough for the Middletown Dragon to win it.
NHSCA Champion and No. 1 Raekwon Shabazz (Xavier, CT) took the mat against sophomore No. 2 Nick Desisto (Tewksbury, MA) in the 113 final. Desisto may have been the only wrestler in New England to score offensively on Shabazz, but it still wasn't enough. Shabazz cruised to a 12-5 win for his second title.
In the final match of the night, No. 3 Jared Hood (Ponaganset, RI) took on the lowest-ranked wrestler to make the finals, No. 14 Charlie Lussier (Whitman-Hanson, MA). Lussier, a 2023 New England 4th place finisher at 106, took a few losses during the regular season, but finished second at the MIAA All-State Tournament. A big first period from Hood put him up 5-0 and never looked back. The Chieftains had their fourth champion of the night.
Boys 1st Place Matches
106
No. 1 Cole Lemovitz (Ponaganset, RI) Dec. No. 4 Isaiah McDaniel (Middletown, CT) 4-2
113
No. 1 Raekwon Shabazz (Xavier, CT) Dec. No. 2 Nick Desisto (Tewksbury, MA) 12-5
120
No. 3 Jared Hood (Ponaganset, RI) Maj. No. 14 Charlie Lussier (Whitman-Hanson, MA) 9-0
126
No. 1 Peyton Ellis (Coventry, RI) Dec. No. 3 Yandel Morales (Andover, MA) 10-5
132 *Best Finals
No. 1 David Perez (Ponaganset, RI) Fall. No. 2 Jonah Paulino (Monty Tech, MA) 3:56 5-5
138
No. 2 Joe Joyce (Ponaganset, RI) Dec. No. 3 Jaeckez Mendez (East Hartford, CT) 7-4
144
No. 1 James Tildsley (Shawsheen Tech, MA) Dec. No. 5 Victor Petkov (Ridgefield, CT) 8-6
150 *Gabe Bouyssou (Situate, RI) Most Outstanding Wrestler
No. 1 Gabe Bouyssou (Scituate, RI) Maj. No. 9 Carnell Davis (Ponaganset, RI) 16-4
157
No. 2 Jayden D’Ambrosio (St. John’s Prep, MA) Dec. No. 9 Vincent DeMaio (Methuen, MA) 3-0
165
No. 1 Brent Nicolosi (Haverhill, MA) Maj. No. 2 Andrew Reall (Ponaganset, RI) 10-1
175
No. 1 Nate Blanchette (Central Catholic, MA) Dec. No. 2 Preston Marchessault (Ponaganset, RI) 3-1
190
No. 2 Max Konopka (Simsbury, CT) Fall. No. 3 Elijah Josey (Portsmouth, NH) 3:17 5-0
215
No. 3 Charles Weidman (Xavier, CT) Fall. No. 4 Sam Montovani (East Hartford, CT) 3:05 3-0
285
No. 1 Thomas Brown (Chelmsford, MA) Dec. No. 3 Alex Bajoras (St. John’s Prep, MA) 6-0
Boys 3rd Place Matches
106
No. 5 Robby Newton (Scituate, RI) Dec. No 2 Chase Kastner (Southington, CT) 5-2
113
No. 4 Mike Morris (Haverhill, MA) For. No. 3 Domenic Gangi (Methuen, MA)
120
No. 1 Peter Rincan (Billerica, MA) Dec. No. 6 Dominic Barella (Ridgefield, CT) 8-2
126
No. 9 Braylon Gonzalez (Xavier, CT) Dec. No. 2 Joe Mahoney (New Fairfield, CT) 3-2
132
No. 6 Gavin Ripley (Oceanside, ME) Dec. No. 4 Deydon Soto (Danbury, CT) 10-9
138
No. 1 Sidney Tildsley (Shawsheen Tech, MA) Dec. No. 6 Michael Boulaunger (Milford, MA) 15-8
144
No. 6 Kyle Levesque (Xavier, CT) Dec. No. 3 James Linder Jr. (Montville, CT) 4-0
150
No. 3 Jake Maddox (Newtown, CT) Dec. No. 8 Lucas Libby (Mountain Valley, ME) 11-6
157
No. 4 Caiden Talento (Platt, CT) Dec. No. 3 Ryan Currier (Chariho, RI) 7-4
165
No. 3 Fisher Stites (Newtown, CT) Dec. No. 6 Lucas Alvan (Ludlow, MA) 3-1
175
No. 4 Lincoln Carlson (East Lyme, CT) Dec. No. 3 David Pento Jr. (Londonderry, NH) 9-7
190
No. 1 Spencer Fine (Bishop Hendricken, RI) Fall. No. 16 Ben Ronca (York, ME)
215
No. 1 Mason Pellegri (Milton, MA) Fall. No. 12 Malachi Fowler (Windham, CT) 5:32 3-0
285
No. 6 Gabriel Thomas (Brookline, MA) Fall. No. 9 Griffin Moreau (Wind.West./GNG, ME) 5:56 9-3
Boys 5th Place Matches
106
No. 3 Ben Fournier (RHAM, CT) Dec. No. 10 Kylan Berry (Marshwood, ME) 3-2
113
No. 6 Apollo Bellini (Ponaganset, RI) Maj. Zach Brzoska (Fairfield Warde, CT) 16-5
120
No. 8 Cristian Pote (Danbury, CT) Fall. No. 11 Cale Wood Jr. (Haverhill, MA) 1:21 2-0
126
No. 6 Nathan Sayers (Xavieran, MA) Fall. No. 4 Emmett Logan (Lowell, MA) 3:57 4-2
132
No. 16 Kevin Kasperowski (Xavier, CT) For. No. 3 Brent Von-Magnus (Bridgewater-Raynham, MA)
138
No. 11 Sebastion Armstrong (Coventry, RI) Fall. No. 9 Shea Morris (Haverhill, MA) 5:43 11-3
144
No. 4 Dylan Sherman (Fairfield Ludlowe, CT) Dec. No. 2 Colby Vital (Ponaganset, RI) 6-3
150
No. 2 Evan Schibi (Gilbert, CT) Dec. No. 7 John Lagana (Xavier, CT) 5-0
157
No. 5 Marc Maurath (Newtown, CT) Dec. No. 6 Vincent Rivera (Xavier, CT) 9-4
165
No. 5 Dominick Bubbar (Massabesic, ME) For. No. 4 Joseph Bolduc (Methuen, MA)
175
No. 12 Aman Khalil (Brockton, MA), Dec. No. 8 Anthony Matas (Essex, VT) 4-3
190
No. 12 Jack Gianetto (Narragansett, RI) Maj. No. 5 Michael Toppan (Gloucester, MA) 16-5
215
No. 6 Jerameel Vasquez (Hampden Charter East, MA) For. No. 2 Matt Harrold (Haverhill, MA)
285
No. 7 Keonta Crawford (Enfield, MA) Dec. No. 4 Kaz Morosetti (North Kingstown, RI) 11-9
Comments