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Sixth-grader Nemo Harris came home a champion, while Zavier Hernandez, Artie Cocchia and Brendan Gilchrist each finished second.
Harris had an uphill battle all day long as he had to win five consecutive matches en route to the 165-pound weight class title. The victory gave Harris the No. 1 seed in the New England Championships to be held March 14.
Harris, in his second year with the Mad Bull program, said the road to the state championship was not easy,
“Last year I finished second in this tournament, I viewed last year as a learning experience,'' Harris said. "I lacked the confidence that I needed when I went against some more experienced wrestlers. This year my coaches took that inexperience out of the equation, they worked with me every single day in practice preparing me for this."
Cocchia lost a 6-0 decision in the finals after pinning every previous opponent. Hernandez led 3-2 in the third period before losing to the returning state champion.
Mad Bull newcomer Justin Gierum upset several opponents and finished fourth.
Another outstanding newcomer, Phoenix Gardella, had one of the most exciting matches of the tournament as he went against a more experienced wrestler and nearly pulled off the huge upset of the day in sudden death overtime to the delight of the crowd.
Team co-captain Koy Price bounced back from a semifinal loss to take third place and will take his 31-1 season record into the New England Championships.
Joining Price for third place for the Mad Bulls were Tyler Monaco and Jason Singer. Fifth place finishes were garnered by Asaiah Baez, Jacob Gonzales, Jeff Cocchia, and Mikey Bartush. Hunter Monaco and Nick Augeri finished sixth.
Team co-captain Sam White earned his 22th victory of the season and logged his 100th match of his career but failed to place after losing a close 2-1 match in wrestlebacks.
Next up for the Mad bulls will be the girls State Championship on March 8.
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