'Wick Depth Overcomes Opponents in BIT Victory

Despite having only one champion (seventh grader Silas Corveddu in the 99 lbs. weight class), Brunswick finished first in the tournament with 309.5 points, besting FAA rival Greens Farms Academy by four points (305.5) and New England rival Northfield Mt. Hermon by four and a half points (305) at the Brunswick Invitational on Saturday.

Other schools competing included Hopkins (131 points), Trinity Pawling (130 points), Episcopal Academy (114 points), Poly Prep (89 points), Rye Country Day (87 points), Greenwich High School (74 points), Greenwich Country Day (32 points), and Hamden Hall (24 points). 

The traditional format of the Brunswick invitational allows for duplicate entries at each weight class, providing valuable tournament experience for junior wrestlers. Brunswick was able to take advantage, entering duplicate wrestlers at 11 of the 15 weight classes. Both GFA and NMH boast lineups containing multiple All-American wrestlers, who helped the teams earn eight and five first-place positions, respectively. Brunswick placed an astounding 19 wrestlers in second through sixth place, leveraging the depth and talent of their younger wrestlers to overcome this star power. 

At the 99 lbs. weight class, Silas Corveddu earned two pins and a technical fall to earn his championship. Ninth grader Christian Yanotti 1-2 to earn fourth-place honors. At 106 pounds, eighth grader Quinn McGraw went 1-2 to take fourth place as well. Patrick O’Donahue earned two pins, but lost to the top-seed at 113 lbs. to take second place. Eighth grader Ethan Phelps and 10th grader Carter Bagaria both competed in the 120 lbs. class. Phelps went 2-3 to earn sixth place, while Bagaria finished out of the money at 1-2. In the 126 lbs. weight class, eighth graders Julio Urbina and Charlie McGraw both competed for Brunswick. Urbina drew tough opponents and finished 0-2 for the day, while McGraw earned sixth place with a 1-2 record. At 132 lbs., unseeded Enzo Vera went 3-1 with two pins (including a pin of the No.2 seed) on his way to a second-place finish. Michael Accetta went 4-2 with three pins to take fourth place. Captain Kyle Karas and ninth grader Jack Degl placed fourth and fifth, respectively, at 138 lbs. Karas earned two pins and went 4-2, while Degl had an identical record to capture fifth place. 

In the upper weights, Kyle Pagnani went 3-2 to take fourth place at 145 lbs., while Asher Benn went 2-2. Senior Kaden Saad (3-2) and Freshman Emil Sogaard-Srikrishnan (2-2) both placed at 152 lbs., facing off in the fifth-sixth place match where Saad won by pin. At 160 lbs., junior Will MacGillivray earned a 2-2 record including two pins to take fourth place; sophomore Whip Gorman also went 2-2 with two pins, but a loss in the consolation round of four knocked him off of the podium. Captain Will Donovan wrestled to seed, notching a 4-2 day with four pins for fifth place at 170 lbs. Freshman Ilan Amaro lost both his matches at 170 lbs. as well. Juniors Wylie Ocken and David Chavarria both competed at 182 lbs. Ocken went 3-3 for a sixth-place finish, while Chavarria was eliminated with a 1-2 record. Junior Tomas Delgado was the lone Brunswick competitor at 192 lbs. He earned third place with a 2-1 performance; both wins were pins. At 220 lbs., senior Michael Neviera went 4-1 with two pins to take third place. The finals match was sweet revenge, as Neviera defeated the GFA wrestler who had beaten him earlier in the day. Perhaps the biggest story of the day (no pun intended) was at heavyweight. Captain Cliff Belknap took sixth, but sophomore Reed Eddy knocked off the No. 3 seed and No. 2 seed to earn second place. His performance exemplifies the contribution the junior wrestlers made to this win.
 
Kudos to other team members who spent the entire day supporting their teammates by working as scorers. Their dedication is a testament to the solidarity of this team.

Thanks also to the team parents for their dedicated support, especially their hardiness in staffing a snack bar outside in the cold.

Brunswick’s next action is away against Taft Thursday, Jan. 27.