Danbury tops first-ever Connecticut Wrestling Online top 10 poll; Simsbury receives votes

Gilbert’s Connor Blay, left, battles with Northwestern’s Liam Smith in a recent match at 152 pounds.

Defending New England champion Danbury is unanimous pick as the No. 1 team in the state in the first top 10 wrestling poll of the season of state coaches and media members as conducted by Connecticut Wrestling Online.

The undefeated Hatters (6-0) have been the No. 1 team in the state for 18 consecutive weeks now since the initial poll of the 2014-15 season. There are six undefeated teams in the top 10 including No. 2 Bristol Eastern (4-0), No. 3 New Milford (4-0), No. 7 Killingly (16-0), No. 8 Xavier (6-0) and No. 10 Hand (8-0). No. 6 Trumbull is already closing in on 20 wins with a 17-1 start. Simsbury is ranked at No. 15 with 85 votes.

Connecticut Wrestling Online is proud to continue the long tradition of a top 10 state wrestling poll begun in 1983 by the Norwich Bulletin. The Bulletin conducted the poll for 34 years with their final season in 2017. Connecticut Wrestling Online has been covering high school wrestling in the state since 2001.

Connecticut Wrestling Online’s Top 10 high school wrestling poll

First-place votes in parentheses, record through Saturday, points tabulated on a 30-28-26-24-22-20-18-16-14-12-11-10-9-8-7 basis, and last week’s ranking:

Week 1, January 9, 2018

Also receiving votes: Montville (10-2) 141, Windham (7-0) 138, New Canaan (5-2) 98, Platt High-Meriden (9-2) 88, Simsbury (5-3) 85, Wilton (5-2) 68, Wethersfield (3-0) 54, Ledyard (6-5) 47, Ellis Tech (7-3) 41, East Hartford (2-1) and Gilbert-Winsted (8-2) 11, Ridgefield (2-6) 7

The following coaches and media members voted: Charlie Anderson, Trumbull; Matt Boissonneault, Bristol Central; Steve Bilheimer, Ledyard; Mike Cunningham, Xavier-Middletown; Gerry deSimas, Jr., Connecticut Wrestling Online; Paul Gallo, New Canaan; Rich Gregory, Danbury News Times; Ken Lipshez, Meriden Record Journal; Bryan McCarty, Platt-Meriden; Eric Misko, Farmington; Chris Piel, New Milford; Patrick Risley, Windham; Matt Schoonmaker, Jonathan Law-Milford; Jason Shaughnessy, Fairfield Warde; Ricky Shook, Danbury; Jimmy Zanor, Norwich Bulletin