61°
Darien wrestler Lars Remole won a Fairfield County Interscholastic Athletic Conference championship while Norwalk, Staples, New Canaan and Wilton also had finalists in Saturday's meet at New Canaan High School.
Danbury won the league title, followed by Greenwich, Fairfield Warde and Trumbull. The Hatters crowned three league champions, while Greenwich, Stamford and Westhill had two apiece.
Remole, the top-seed at 140 pounds, won the final with a pin at 3:43 against Danbury's Tyler Arsenault. Remole had two first-period pins and a technical fall en route to the championship.
In one of the biggest upsets of the night, Stamford's Bryan Polinia knocked off previously unbeaten Brian Khzouz of New Canaan in the 145-pound final, 8-4. Khzouz, who lost in the finals last year, beat Polonia during the regular season. This time, Polonia grabbed a 4-2 lead after the first period and controlled the tempo of the match from start to finish.
Norwalk's Brandon Riggins made a surprising run in the 189-pound bracket before falling to top-seeded Ben Ceci of Greenwich, who won with a pin at 3:24. Riggins, the seventh seed, upset No. 2 seed Duncan Cozens of Ridgefield in the quarterfinals, 13-12. Riggins then pinned 11th seeded Andrew Marino in the semifinals in 3:32 to reach the finals.
Staples also had a surprise finalist in Julian Gendels, who fell in the 285-pound final to Marquis Weaver-Hart of Westhill. Hart won a 4-3 decision in four overtimes, earning an escape for the winning point in the battle of weary wrestlers. Gendels, the No. 6 seed, upset No. 3 seed Zach Voytek, 3-2, in the quarterfinals and won a 5-2 decision over Mark Robinson of Stamford in the semis.
Wilton's Clay Helms fell in the 160-pound final to top-seeded and undefeated Mike Sullivan of Fairfield Warde. Helms, the No. 3 seed, was pinned in 3:34.
The wrestlers will begin state class competition next weekend. Danbury, which had its 23-year run ended last year by Fairfield Warde, bounced back this year to pile up 234 points, followed by Greenwich with 184 and Warde with 176.
What do you think of the results of the FCIAC wrestling championships? Start the discussion below!
Click here to follow Daily Voice Norwalk and receive free news updates.
