While the Branford wrestling team did not successfully defend its Class M state title this past week, all season long, the Hornets swarmed the mats with a breadth of talent up and down their roster to help them still show their stuff as one of the preeminent programs in Connecticut.

Following a 23-8 dual-meet record and fourth-place showing at the SCC Championship, Branford took part in the Class M State Championship on Feb. 17-18 at Law High School. The Hornets finished fifth with 150 points for the two-day event. Ahead of Branford was Berlin (183), Foran (187), RHAM (196), and Avon (196.5).

Individually, senior captain Drew Schwartz emerged with a state crown in the 220-pound competition. Senior Jake Elpi finished second for the 126 bracket, as did junior Cole Snider at 182.

With regards to Schwartz’s outing (220), he made quick work of E.O. Smith’s Alex Barr with a 52-second pinfall win. He then pinned (at 2:42) Colin Rechenberg from Suffield-Windsor Locks. Against Berlin’s Nick Ebrahimi, he prevailed 7-4. In the title bout, Schwartz pinned Don Shivas of Derby-Oxford-Holy Cross at 5:07.

For Snider (182), he pinned Dominic Fiore of Rockville (at 1:20) and then Tim Mrachek of Berlin (2:57). Grappling against Foran’s Joseph Cichowski, Snider snagged a pinfall win at 3:32. In the finals, he fell by pin at 3:43 against Suffield-Windsor Locks’ Joshua Nieroda.

With Elpi (126), he pinned Michael Mcdevitt from E.O. Smith at 59 seconds and then Malcolm Ferguson of Berlin (at 1:19). Going up against RHAM’s Kyle Currier, he advanced to the finals with a pin at the 4:30 mark. In the finals versus Antonio Madero of Foran, he took a pinfall defeat at 4:49 to finish as state runner-up.

Senior Greg Kealey (170) scored a pin over North Haven’s Eli Ellis (4:19) and another pin against Law’s Will Smith (3:05). Versus Platt’s Ahmed Hernandez, he was pinned at the 2:40 juncture. He then rebounded with a 20-4 triumph over Xavier Dietz of Ellis Tech, and won 4-1 over Berlin’s Aidan DeJesus to finish third overall.

Senior captain Carter Burgess competed in the 132 bracket. He pinned Miles Fine of Weston (4:58) and Barlow’s Stryder Hanson (3:25). Against Danny Carrozza from Brookfield-Shepaug, he suffered a 9-2 defeat. He then faced Miles Tolman of Rockville and scored a pinfall victory at 4:38. He ultimately finished fourth for the draw after an 8-0 decision loss to Nehemiah Czelusniak of Lyman Memorial-Windham Tech.

At the top of the lineup, the Hornets have been led this year by a dynamic duo of senior captains in Burgess and Schwartz. Head Coach Kevin Kapushinski proclaimed that while each competitor has displayed tremendous athleticism for multiple Hornets’ squads, they each have their own undying dedication to the mat.

“I knew that when they were named captains, they were what Branford wrestling represents on and off the mat. They’ve done everything in their power to keep the team motivated,” said Kapushinski. “Carter told me the day after last season ended that he was back on the mat training. He also does golf in the spring and cross country in the fall, but he is extremely motivated and is always doing as much as he can on the mat. Drew is also motivated and trained hard in the offseason. He played football in the fall. He is a figure and someone who is a presence. Wrestlers see what he can do, and they are afraid. But he is one of the nicest people you will meet and wants to be one of the best in the state.”

Also within the senior class and amongst the starting lineup is Elpi, while Snider came into this campaign after capturing SCC and Class M solo state crowns a year ago in the 170-pound class. No matter the inevitable ups and downs manning the mat, both young men keep pushing themselves to unlock even more potential.

“Jake is trying to be one of the best wrestlers he can be. He will talk to us coaches and also his club wrestling coaches and reviews film. He’s had bumps in the road and won and lost some tough matches, but not many wrestlers in the state are undefeated,” said Kapushinski. “Cole achieved a lot last year and has tried to be even better this year. He wants to be better and is always asking questions. His only losses this year have been to top 3 guys in Connecticut, but he has been on a tear this season.”

In the 120-pound bracket, junior Alec Dendas lost to Edwin Lovely of Ellis Tech by pin at the 4:47 juncture, but then bounced back to best Platt’s Jessus Gomez Hernandez (pin at 0:37). Facing Eli Fagin of Avon, he suffered a pinfall loss at 3:56.

Senior William DellaCamera (285) pinned Hand’s Carlos Santos (3:58) prior to a 6-0 loss to Henry Santana-liriano of New London. Versus Rockville’s Jayden Spaulding, he scored a pin win at 2:57. Against Sean Martin from Weston, he lost a close and hard-fought 1-0 decision.

At 160 pounds, freshman Dominic Maturo won a four-minute bout against Foran’s William Lecuyer by pin. He then lost a bout against Conlan Simard of Berlin (pin, 0:46) before squeaking out a 7-6 decision over Luciano Mazella of Law. Battling Ledyard’s Braxton Swanbeck, he was pinned at the 3:42 mark.

For the 145-pound competition, junior Dominick Zdunek beat Ian Foster of Hand (7-4) before a defeat to Avon’s Jonah Weber (pin at 3:01). Facing Notre Dame-West Haven’s Tyler Clarlegllo, he triumphed by a 15-0 decision, and then was pinned at the 2:57 juncture by Berlin’s Hiram Sepulveda.

Also at states, freshman Ava Gambardella (113) pinned Keith Pokornowski of Foran at 54 seconds, prior to a loss to Bristol Eastern’s Yussuf Bah with a pin at the 1:54 mark. In the 138-pound bout, freshman Jordan Contreras defeated Quinn Boudreau of Suffield-Windsor Locks (pin at 1:46) before losses to RHAM’s Gavin Plourde (pin at 0:57) and Jack Sisson of Masuk (pin at 0:29).

Junior Maxfield Parsell (195 lbs) fell to E.O. Smith’s Thomas Jeffers by major decision, 15-7, and then was pinned by Zander Varricchio of Berlin at 2:28. Trent Tracy (152) also competed, falling by 8-3 decision to North Haven’s Alan Tomaszewski.

When it comes to the objectives for the team and its individuals for this season, Kapushinski consistently takes a deeper approach in noting that it is more about the character of an athlete rather than their accolades.

“I do not always tell them the goal is to win a particular championship,” Kapushinski said. “I just want them to make sure they are outstanding people who are putting everything they have on the mat. Success is not measured by first place; it is more about being the hardest worker out there.”

Back on Jan. 14 at the Art Powers Duals at Berlin High School, the Hornets certainly made a statement by going perfect on the day as a collective club against some of the top contenders in not only Class M, but also the entire state.

“We were very successful at that meet,” said Kapushinski. “We went 4-0, beating Bethel, Nonnewaug, Avon, and RHAM. RHAM I believe is ranked eighth in the state. It was a huge weekend for us because RHAM is one of the better teams in Class M. We were focused, and everyone was behind each other.”

Branford took part in the SCC Championship Tournament back on Feb. 11, and the hosting Hornets finished in fourth place with 84.5 points, finishing behind Foran (106), runner-up Fairfield Prep (108), and champion Xavier (244.5).

Advancing to the conference championship rounds were Elpi (at 126), who lost a close 7-6 decision to Foran’s Antonio Madero. Snider, who grappled in the 182-pound bracket, took a pinfall defeat at the 4:37 mark to Charles Weidman of Xavier. Lastly, Schwartz (220) lost 5-3 to Xavier’s Vincent Scileppi.

In third-place bouts, Burgess at 132 defeated Hand’s Jack Wiesbrock by a 13-2 major decision. DellaCamera (285) prevailed over Law’s Zachary Sulkis by pin at the 2:50 juncture.

Kapushinski disclosed that sometimes the Hornets needed a jumpstart to re-energize their focus, though once the fire was reignited, it was all systems go–creating a symbiotic relationship with successes for both him and his athletes.

“There were some days where they were not where they needed to be mentally, so I would remind them of where they needed to be,” said Kapushinski. “I began seeing in their eyes that they were craving that success. They kept getting hungrier every day.”

Kevin Kapushinski is in the midst of his second year at the helm for Branford. He is joined by lone assistant coach Zach Cash.

The complete 2022-’23 roster for Branford is made of seniors in Burgess, Schwartz, Elpi, Melina Canalori, DellaCamera, Kealey, Jeremy La Croix; juniors of Snider, Anthony Aljamal, Dendas, Parsell, Zdunek; sophomores in Nihal Benipal, Eliza Burgess, Gabriel Lawrence, Dylan Warner; and freshmen with Jack Bartels, Ryan Bastian, David Buckley, Joseph Calandro, Giovanni Casanova, Contreras, Jayden Crespo, Caden Dombrowski, Gamberdella, Maturo, Jake Pombo, Tracy, and Keagan Walsh.