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Warde Wrestlers Pinned by Danbury

FAIRFIELD, Conn. – Fairfield Warde wrestling coach Jason Shaughnessy saw the handwriting on the wall when Danbury beat Trumbull by 66 points in a meet last week.  The Mustangs put up a little bit better fight, falling 48-12 to the state’s top-ranked team Wednesday in Fairfield.

“I think we’re pretty competitive with Trumbull, so I could see this coming,’’ said Shaughnessy, whose team came in ranked No. 6 in the latest state coaches poll. “I knew we were going to playing catch-up. It was our goal to be competitive in all 14 weight classes and for the most part we were. The majority of our guys competed.”

Warde’s winners included Pharoah Eaton at 132, who pinned Steven Beckham in 5:00. Danny Almeida won a decision at 126 pounds, and Mike Money won by decision at heavyweight.

“It’s always nice to beat a Danbury wrestler,’’ Eaton said. “They’re good wrestlers. They always seem to be in good position. They’re very tough when they’re up top.”

The match of the night was Casey Stopa’s 14-10 overtime loss to Danbury’s Anthony Cote at 145 pounds. Cote led 3-2 after the first period, and Stopa led 8-6 entering the third. Cote pulled ahead early in the third, but Stopa escaped with a second left to force overtime. In the dramatic final seconds, Stopa nearly reversed Cote, which would have given him a win by one point.

“I would’ve have loved to have had that one,’’ Shaughnessy said “We lost some close matches at 160 (Thomas Anania) and 171 (Joey Muratori). The difference when it comes down to states is the close matches. This just tells us what we need to do to get better.”

The victory extended Danbury’s winning streak against Fairfield County Interscholastic Athletic Conference teams to 344. Its last league loss was in 1986. “Right now, they’re head and shoulders above every team in the state,’’ Shaughnessy said. 

Results

Danbury 48, Fairfield Warde 12

108: Kevin Jack (D) technical fall over Josh Anderson, 17-0; 113: Chris Bryant (D) majority decision Dan Ebert, 11-0; 120: Zach Tepper (D) pinned Dylan Bender, 12:29; 126: Danny Almeida (W) decision Frankie Callace, 3-0; 132: Pharoah Eaton (W) pinned Steven Beckham, 5:00; 138: Shane Jennings (D) decision Anthony Rotz, 7-0; 145: Anthony Cote (D) decision Casey Stop, 14-10 (OT); 152: Johnny Garcia (D) majority decision Kevin Kollar, 12-2; 160: Ryan Peterson (D) decision Thomas Anania, 5-1; 170: Wesley Spears (D) decision Joe Muratori, 13-7; 182: Witt Jack (D) pinned Jodi Proz, 0:22; 195: Tyler Hancock (D) decision Joey Marx, 8-3; 220: Eddie Garcia (D) pinned Chris Wynne, 1:03; 285: Mike Money (W) decision Jevon Pegues, 5-0.

Records: Danbury, 11-0; Fairfield Warde, 11-2.

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