After struggling for most of the season, the New Canaan High School wrestling team found a flair for the dramatic against Norwalk on Thursday evening. With the team holding onto a slim three-point lead with only three matches remaining, New Canaan freshman Kenny Philipson pinned Norwalk's Kevin Aurelien just before the buzzer sounded in the final round of the 140-pound category. Philipson's win ignited his teammates and padded the Rams' lead to secure a 47-30 win.
"When I saw the guy I was going against get up there, I was like, 'Whoa, he's really tall.' I didn't know if I could win my match," Philipson said. "I saw that time was running down, and I knew I was losing. I finally got a cradle on him and just got him down. It was a tough match."
The last-second pin was the only match to top a thrilling and extremely even brawl in the 285-pound category. New Canaan's Kalin Killinger matched Norwalk's Zack Stacks move for move. Each of the heavyweights collected two takedowns, two three-point near-falls, and two escapes for an action-packed first round. Killinger recovered from a late-round neck injury and pinned Stacks with 1:40 left in the second round.
Dulan Leemina got the Rams on the winning track in the 159-pound category, pinning Kadeem Brown 50 seconds into the second round. Will Nemiroff dominated the 215-pound category, pinning Norwalk's Nathaniel Rodriguez in just 59 seconds. Brian Khzouz landed four near-falls and three takedowns in just one round to win the 145-pound category, 18-3. Dylan Kavookjian ended the night on a high note for New Canaan, pinning his opponent 34 seconds into the second round of the 160-pound category.
New Canaan now has four match victories this season against seven losses. New Canaan will travel to Staples on Saturday for a five-way match featuring Stamford, Bunnell, Thomaston and White Plains (N.Y.).
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