Avon’s Isaiah Adams controls’ Xavier’s Max Morse in the State Open finals at 113 pounds Sunday in New Haven.
NEW HAVEN, Feb. 27, 2022 – It was late in the fourth quarter of Avon High’s CIAC football playoff game with Branford. A Falcon defender was banged up on the play and slowly walked off the field. A substitute was needed quickly.
The coaches called out, “Adams!!” And junior Isaiah Adams quickly raced out onto the field.
Adams isn’t big, probably about 125 pounds – extremely light for playing high school football. But size and strength didn’t carry the day. It was his quickness. On the next play, Adams was too quick for his opponent and sacked the quarterback.
Sunday at the State Open wrestling championships, Adams used that quickness to win his first State Open championship at 113 pounds with an 8-1 win over Xavier’s Max Morse. Adams (27-2) had four takedowns in the victory.
“It was a good matchup,” Adams said. “I went out and wrestled the best that I could. I did what I had to do to get the win.”
In his final three matches of the day, Adams had 10 takedowns. His quickness played a big role in that.
“I like to wrestle on my feel because that is where I excel,” he said. “I also like wrestling on the bottom because I like to get out.”
A week ago, Adams won his first Class M state championship. Two weeks ago, he captured his first Central Connecticut Conference crown.
“He has earned everything he has gotten,” Avon High coach John McLaughlin said. “The kids works so hard and he is such a humble kid. You wouldn’t know he is a State Open champion. He is unassuming and such a hard worker – a delight to coach.”
Avon’s Isaiah Adams is in control of his State Open final at 113 pounds against Xavier’s Max Morse.
Adams spent two days working out with Canton’s Ethan Titus (120 pounds) leading up to the Open. Titus wrestled in the finals at 120 pounds before falling to Xavier’s Jackson Heslin.
“(Isaiah) is open to being coached. He is open to new things and that is what makes him easy to coach and fun to coach,” McLaughlin said. “And then he goes out there and did what he did in the State Open. He is so quick.”
Adams began the tournament by pinning Greenwich’s Stephen Numme in 51 seconds. In the quarterfinals, Adams had four takedowns in a 10-5 win over Simsbury’s Griffin Devivo before beating Class LL champion Dominic Barrella of Ridgefield, 6-4 in the semifinals.
Tied at 3-3, Adams escaped with 39 seconds left in the match to take a one-point lead. He secured the victory with a two-point takedown with 26 seconds remaining, quickly spinning behind Barrella to take control of the match.
In the final, Adams took control early against Morse, the Class L champion from Xavier.
Adams is the ninth wrestler in school history to win a State Open championship. Chris Gens (220) won in 2020 but before Gens, it has been 13 years between Open champions for the Falcons. Before Gens, Este Lara was the last Falcon to win a State Open title in 2007.
Next up for Adams is this weekend’s New England championships in Providence. He will try to become the second wrestler in school history to capture a New England title. Shawn Gethin (119) won a New England championship in 1997. The last Falcon to make the New England final was Este Lara (119) in 2007.
Adams wasn’t the only Avon wrestler at the State Open. Roel Johnson went 1-2 at 152 pounds while Cameron Casey (160) and Ethan Volpe (195) each qualified to wrestle but lost both of their matches.
In the Girls State Championship tournament, Avon’s Katie Paulakis (138) finished sixth.
