NEW CANAAN, Conn. — Danbury came in with the dynasty. Fairfield-Warde left with the championship.
After 23 years of dominance, the Hatters were finally dethroned as the Warde Mustangs won the final two head-to-head matches and captured the FCIAC wrestling crown at the annual Joe Sikorski Tournament on Saturday at New Canaan High School. Danbury scored 260.5 points, while Danbury scored 252.5. Greenwich, which had two champions, was a distant third with 158.
The victory was a long time coming for the Mustangs, who have been one of the state’s top 10 teams for a long time, but have been stuck in the same conference with Connecticut’s perennial No. 1 team.
"We’ve had good teams over the years, but we’ve always been just behind Danbury," head coach Jason Shaughnessy said. "To finally surpass them at the FCIACs, to end the streak today and wrestle to our potential is amazing. It’s not about what they did, it’s all about what we did and we wrestled to our potential. We won matches in the finals and we won three head-to-head matches."
Warde’s win was a total team effort. The Mustangs placed six wrestlers in the finals and had five champions. They also beat Danbury in three of the four head-to-head finals. Warde also placed a wrestler in the top five of 13 of the 14 weight classes, and went 7-for-7 in the consolation finals, resulting in four third-place and three fifth-place finishes.
Danbury, which had won every league title since 1986, had seven wrestlers in the finals, but went 3-4.
"I knew it would be hard to win," Hatters head coach Ricky Shook said. "We didn’t wrestle well, Warde wrestled great and they deserve to win. It is what it is."
The Hatters had wrestlers in the first four matches of the finals and looked strong after Brian Jennings (112), Charles Costanzo (119) and J.D. Damici (125) were all victorious. Costanzo’s win was historic, as he joined a select group of wrestlers with four championships in four years.
Warde came back to win three titles behind Brandon McBreairty (130), Ian McAllister (135) and Bobby Rigilano (140). Rigilano’s victory tied the score with Danbury, with two head-to-head matches remaining at 160 and 215 pounds.
At 160, Warde’s Mike Sullivan squared off with Danbury’s John Smith, a three-time FCIAC champion, and Smith quickly took a 7-3 lead after one period. After Sullivan narrowed the gap to two points, Smith scored a 1-point escape early in the third period for an 8-5 lead. Sullivan picked up two points on a takedown, but Smith escaped again for a 9-7 lead with under 30 seconds remaining. Another takedown by Sullivan tied the score with 20 seconds on the clock, forcing an overtime period. Just five seconds into the extra frame, Sullivan took Smith down again for the 11-9 win.
The win put Warde in the lead and also denied Smith a shot at four FCIAC championships in four years.
"Mike Sullivan wrestled incredible against Smith," Shaughnessy said. "He was down and he kept coming back and coming back. There was no quit and he did an awesome job. He didn’t put his head down or feel sorry for himself, he just kept plugging away and got those points back. John Smith is a phenomenal wrestler and to win that match in overtime was amazing."
After Sullivan’s win, the title hinged on the 215-pound final, where Warde’s Marcio Ventura squared off with Danbury’s Dylan Hancock. After a scoreless first period, Ventura scored two points in the seconds, but Hancock came back in the third with a 1-point escape and 2-point takedown for a 3-2 lead with 41 seconds to go. With 30 seconds remaining, however, Ventura scored a 1-point escape and 2-point reverse and then held off Hancock down the stretch for a 5-3 win.
"I heard the parents, the families and especially Mike Sullivan," Ventura said. "I heard his voice, I heard my coach’s voice, I heard my name and I wasn’t going to let those people down."
For his clutch victory, Ventura was given the Brian Wilderman Award as the meet’s most outstanding wrestler.
"Marcio had the weight of the world on his shoulders and I don’t even think he understands how much weight was on his shoulders," Shaughnessy said. "He wrestled calm and controlled and he capitalized on the mistakes. It was great."
"I knew I was going to the finals," Ventura said. "I wasn’t standing for anything less. He’s a hard opponent. I knew since the beginning of the season that I was going to see him in the finals. I’ve been preparing myself for him every practice, every run, every jog.
"It was a hard match, but I think my endurance and perseverance helped me pull through in the end. He hit that last move and I wasn’t going to have it. I haven’t worked this hard to have one random move ruin my season and my team’s season. I wanted it for the team."
2010 FCIAC Wrestling Championships
103 — Johnny D’Elia (Greenwich) def. Dylan Bryant (Danbury), 8-5
112 — Brian Jennings (Danbury) def. Andy Lee (New Canaan), pin 3:44
119 — Charles Costanzo (Danbury) def. Ben Pierre-Saint (Stamford), 5-3
125 — J.D. Damici (Danbury) def. Evan Fraser (Warde), pin 4:53
130 — Brandon McBreairty (Warde) def. Danny Pack (Bridgeport), 10-3
135 — Ian McAllister (Warde) def. Tyler Arsenault (Danbury), 3-1
140 — David LaBorda (Greenwich) def. Brian Khzouz, 5-4 in 4 OTs
145 — Bobby Rigilano (Warde) def. Bryan Polonia (Stamford), pin 3:24
152 — Travis Tiger (Ridgefield) def. Terron Edwards (McMahon), pin 1:28
160 — Mike Sullivan (Warde) def. John Smith (Danbury), 11-9 OT
171 — Mike Sheehan (Ludlowe) def. Duncan Cozens (Ridgefield), pin 0:42
189 — Cosmo Iadanza (Westhill) def. Montel Williams (Greenwich), 1-0
215 — Marcio Ventura (Warde) def. Dylan Hancock (Danbury), 5-3
285 — Jeff Starr (McMahon) def. Said Sarfaraz (Staples), pin 0:21
Dave Stewart, the Sports Editor of the New Canaan (Conn.) Advertiser, is a MaxPreps.com writer and photographer. He may be reached at 203-966-9541 or at sports@ncadvertiser.com.
