Following its 2021-2022 campaign, the East Haven wrestling team felt the effects of COVID on its program and overall final product. Yet the Yellowjackets turned the negative and nasty taste of that season into a positive trend upward on the mats this past winter.

Head Coach Mark Tolla and East Haven had grappled through a COVID season in 2021-2022 to the tune of a sub-par 10-11 dual-meet record. But this winter, the Yellowjackets had much better fortunes inside the circle by finishing 16-8 prior to finishing eighth at the SCC Championship and 16th at the Class M State Championship.

Tolla stated that following the disappointing campaign the year prior, he met with several of his grapplers and noted that in order for East Haven to right the ship, it would take unwavering dedication to the craft, which is exactly what transpired.

“Coming off of last year, which was difficult due to COVID restrictions, this year was an important one from a developmental standpoint,” said Tolla. “We had a team meeting last spring, and a number of the kids bought in and recommitted to the sport. From there, the frame of mind was that we would be a much improved team this year. The commitment of the wrestlers was really refreshing. I was enthused by their hard work, and they took us back to a level of respectability. Three years ago, we were second place at SCCs. We took a huge step this year towards getting back there.”

While Tolla took himself back to a last-second, heart-stopping victory over Hand as a pivotal squad moment that truly displayed the collective character of his team, the Yellowjackets additionally saw several individuals reach new heights on the big stage of state-level competition.

“[Junior captain] Jack Batista-Fletcher finished sixth [at 113 pounds] at the State Open, and he was the first wrestler in about 30 years for East Haven to place in the Open since his father, which is quite an accomplishment,” Tolla said. “He also finished fourth at states for Class M, and [senior captain] Jason Toth [195 pounds] was second. [Junior] Chris Manganiello, who is from North Branford and wrestles as a Team of One, was third at states for Class S. But as a team, against Hand, it came down to the last match, and then [sophomore] Zander Molster scored a pinfall to clinch the meet for us. He is a young kid developing for us, and to have him win the meet for us, it was a spectacular moment from a team standpoint.”

Toth, who won the SCC crown for his weight class, was named First Team All-SCC, while Batista-Fletcher (a conference runner-up) was named Second Team. Senior Marcello Torres was also third place in his SCC bracket at 106 pounds. For the girls’ CIAC State Tournament, freshman Maddie Cooper (126 pounds) was third, fellow sophomore Gonul Celik finished fifth at 126 pounds, and senior Sofia Milano also found fifth (100 pounds).

In addition to captains Toth and Chris Doheny, the senior class was composed of Elijah Trufan, Dylan Snyder, Noah Franchi, Torres, Milano, and Mia Roberts. Tolla touted the final-year group for being able to bounce back from pandemic restrictions to go out on top and push the program back towards prominence.

“The seniors were an awesome group of kids. This group was most heavily impacted by the COVID year,” Coach Tolla said. “They really committed in the offseason, and they were committed to doing even the most tedious things. I really enjoyed working with this senior class, and they set the bar higher than it had been.”

Not to be outdone, East Haven will certainly return a plethora of underclassmen talent to the fold next winter, including several who will return following injury this season. Tolla stated, though that much like the timeline entering this year, a mitigating factor towards further squad success will be mat minutes 12 months out of the year.

“We have some holes to fill from the seniors, and we have Jack Fletcher coming back, which is a huge bright spot,” Tolla said. “[Sophomore] Alex Dombrowski had a great year with 29 wins, but he suffered a head injury at SCCs. [Sophomore] Joe Allen [195 pounds] didn’t compete this year, but we are hopeful to have him step into Toth’s shoes. [Junior] Jacob Ushchak hurt his knee this year, but we expect him to start next year, and he is the hardest worker in our room. We have a bunch of younger kids coming back that gained experience this year. We also have a great contingent of female wrestlers who have a great chance of breaking into the varsity lineup. We have a mix of youth but also high-level varsity kids we can lean on. My hope is that many will wrestle in the offseason.”

In terms of solo season records, East Haven’s top grapplers included Batista-Fletcher, who went 40-9, Toth with a 36-9 mark, Doheny (25-13), Franchi (23-10), Snyder (23-13), Trufan (24-12), and Torres, who compiled a record of 17-9.

Tolla finished his fifth season at the helm for East Haven. He was assisted by Lou Rivellini, Codey Borchert, Neil Merola, and Mat DiVito.

Rounding out the roster for East Haven are juniors of Alyson Alberino, Nevaeh Caffalette, Christian Carabantes; sophomores Marc Gargano, Jacob Hinman, Aidan Loehman; and freshmen of Ela Celik, Dom D’Ambrosio, Joshua Hutchinson, Jaden Jimenez, and Joshua Rivera.