Granby’s Ben Kibby, top, was one of four Bears to win NCCC titles Saturday but Somers was able to slip past Granby to win the NCCC Tournament for the first time.
SOMERS, Feb. 13 – Somers and Granby fought to the last match in the finals of Saturday’s North Central Connecticut Conference tournament. And it was the host Spartans with four wins in the championship round including a key victories by Frankie Rinaldi at 170 pounds and Jackson Rheault at 195 pounds that lifted Somers to a 2½ win over Granby and its first-ever NCCC Tournament championship.
Somers beat Granby, 145-142½ to capture the NCCC Tournament in the closest finish in tournament history. Previously, the tightest finish was a six-point win by East Windsor over Avon in 1998.
Canton finished fifth with two finalists and four wrestlers finishing third.
Despite the loss, Granby still won its first NCCC championship since 2004. Teams earn one point for a dual meet win and ½ point for each team they beat at the NCCC championship meet. The Bears (13-2, 8-0 NCCC), finished with 15 points while Somers and Suffield/Windsor Locks/East Granby finished tied for second with 12 points.
Somers (6-12, 4-3 NCCC) entered just eight wrestlers in the tournament but it was enough. Seniors Jacob Berry-Parker (160), Frankie Rinaldi (170), junior Jackson Rheault (195) and sophomore Jeff Suschana (132) each won NCCC titles. Steven McBride (126) took second while freshman Michael Maloney (145) took third.
After finishing second three straight years from 2010-12, Somers finally won their first NCCC Tournament title Saturday.
Somers led by 7½ points entering the finals and the Bears cut the lead to 1½ with Steven Muller’s pin to win at 120 pounds. Somers extended its lead to 4½ with a 3-0 win by Suschana at 132 pounds.
But Granby took a 1½ point lead when Cooper Fleming won by pin at 138 pounds. They extended the lead to 7½ points when Ben Kibby won by pin at 152 pounds. Somers trimmed the lead back to 1½ points when Berry-Parker, the tournament’s most outstanding wrestler, won by pin at 160 pounds.
The two pivotal matches came at 170 and 195 pounds with head-to-head matches between Somers and Granby. At 170, Frankie Rinaldi pinned Granby’s Stephen Kopf in 4:34 to give the Spartans a 4½ point advantage. Somers clinched the match with Rheault’s victory over Granby’s Owen Kibby, 10-2 at 195 pounds.
Granby’s Justin Lengvarsky won with a pin at 220 pounds but it wasn’t enough.
Canton’s Donovan Macklin, top, finished second at Saturday’s NCCC championship meet. (Photo courtesy Bill Brewster)
Canton (5-10, 3-4 NCCC) was led by Donovan Macklin (106) and Trey VandeBogart (138), who each finished second. Macklin lost to Alex Hunleth of Suffield/Windsor Locks/East Granby, 5-3 in the final. VandeBogart was pinned by Granby’s Fleming in 4:20.
Brian Connolly (113) and Julian Adams (170) each pinned to finish third while Hayden DiMaio (132) took third with a 9-4 decision over East Windsor’s Collin Beahn. James Pelehach was third at 182 pounds. Braydon Fluckiger finished fourth for Canton at 195.
NOTES: A bracket and scores released late Saturday had Somers with a ½ point win over Granby. But the bracket and team scores were updated on Sunday to provide Somers with a 2½ point margin of victory. … Granby is still looking for its first-ever NCCC Tournament championship. The Bears previously finished second to Avon in 2015, 2008 and 2004. … Somers previously finished second in the NCCC Tournament behind Avon three straight years from 2010 through 2012.
2016 North Central Connecticut Conference Tournament
At Somers
Team results – 1. Somers 145, 2. Granby 142½, 3. Suffield/Windsor Locks/East Granby (ESW) 109, 4. East Windsor 104½, 5. Canton 87, 6. Stafford 68, 7. SMSA/University/Classical 61, 8. Coventry 44, 9. Enfield 33, 10. Bolton 24, 11. East Windsor B 16, 12. Canton B and Enfield B 4
Individual results
106: Final — Alex Hunleth, Suffield/WL/EG dec. Donovan Mackin, Canton, 5-3; 3. Louis Mikulski, Stafford, Pin Anthony Davis, East Windsor, 2:52
113: Final — Jack Pelley, East Windsor, dec. Joe Fleming, Enfield, 21-10; 3. Brian Connolly, Canton, Pin Scott Gamble, Somers, 1:24
120: Final — Steven Muller, Granby, Pin Kacper Prozek, Coventry, 3:10; 3. Charlie Church, East Windsor, dec. Nick Stevens, SMSA, 10-0
126: Final — Patrick Sutherland, East Windsor, dec. Steve McBride, Somers, 22-9; 3. Nate Tardif, East Windsor B, dec. Mitch Kloter, Coventry, 5-4
132: Final — Jeff Suschana, Somers, dec. John Nieroda, Suffield/WL/EG, 3-0; 3. Hayden Dimaio, Canton, dec. Collin Beahn, East Windsor, 9-4
138: Final — Cooper Fleming, Granby, pin Trey VandeBogart, Canton, 4:20; 3. Cote Biovin, East Windsor, dec. Ethan Ives, Stafford, 6-4
145: Final — Frankie Falcon, Bolton, dec. Henry Mayne, Suffield/WL/EG, 15-2; 3. Mike Maloney, Somers, Pin Mike McNarmara, Coventry, 2:36
152: Final — Benjamin Kibby, Granby, Pin Romeo Valentine, SMSA, 1:02; 3. Scott Miller, Suffield/WL/EG, Pin Jacob Payton, Granby B, 2:49
160: Final — Jacob Berry-Parker, Somers, Pin AJ Stewart, Suffield/WL/EG, 1:15; 3. Jonathan Hayes, East Windsor, dec. Nathan Lawson, Stafford, 5-0
170: Final — Frank Rinaldi, Somers, Pin Stephen Kopf, Granby, 4:34; 3 Julian Adams, Canton, Pin Edwin Matozo, SMSA, 4:53
182: Final — Bruce D`Agata, Suffield/WL/EG, win by default over Kevin Matozo, SMSA; 3. James Pelehach, Canton
195: Final — Jackson Rheault, Somers, dec. Owen Kibby, Granby, 10-2; 3. Nate Chesworth, Enfield, Pin Braydon Fluckiger, Canton, 2:07
220: Final — Justin Lengvarsky, Granby, Pin Dominic Peterson, Stafford, 2:00; 3 Joe Lanham, Coventry, Pin David Cannamela, East Windsor, 0:57
285: Final — Nathan Dern, Suffield/WL/EG, dec. Donivan Bruno, East Windsor, 4-1
Outstanding wrestler: Jacob Berry Parker, Somers (160)
Final league standings (teams earn 1 point for dual meet win in league, and ½ point for every team beaten at league tournament): 1. Granby 8-0, 15 pts., 2. Suffield/WL/EG 6-2, 12 pts., and Somers 4-3, 12 pts., 4. East Windsor 6-2, 11; 5. SMSA/Univ/Classical 4-4, 8; 6. Canton 3-4, 7; 7. Stafford 2-5, 5; 8. Coventry 1-7, 2, 9. Enfield 0-7, 0
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