When the East Haven wrestling team returned to the mats this season, the Yellowjackets were competing for the first time in nearly two years. The Easties had to deal with the tribulations of a long layoff, but they battled back and finished the season with several medal-winning performances at the championship meets.

Frank Papa served as one of East Haven’s captains alongside fellow seniors Jake Ortiz and Dylan Tavares this year. Papa said that the captains and Head Coach Mark Tolla knew the Yellowjackets would have their work cut out for them as they entered the season. However, they still set the goal of trying to return to the form that the Easties had the last time they were on the mat.

“We wanted to rebuild what we had in the season of 2019-2020,” Papa said. “With the 2020-’21 season canceled, we faced a major setback as an organization as many of our wrestlers, including myself, could not wrestle for nearly two years. We knew the 2021-’22 season would be tough, considering the circumstances.”

East Haven finished its dual-meet season with a record of 11-11. Throughout that portion of the schedule, the Yellowjackets rarely had their full team, as several athletes were sidelined after going into quarantine. Papa and the Easties knew that they had to stay strong. They didn’t want to take any moment for granted. By the time the Yellowjackets reached the postseason, the majority of the team was back in action.

On Feb. 5, East Haven competed at the Southern Connecticut Conference Championship at Xavier High School and finished in 10th place with 2l points scored. Sophomore Jack Batista-Fletcher took second place in the 106-pound weight class for the Yellowjackets at the SCC meet. Batista-Fletcher won his semifinal matchup via an 8-4 decision before losing by pin in the final to finish as the runner-up.

Ortiz finished in fourth place for the 145-pound division. Ortiz won a pair of matches on pins in the consolation bracket on his way to a fourth-place performance.

After SCCs, East Haven had the opportunity to host the Class M State Championship for the first time in school history on Feb. 18 and 19. Papa said that many of the Yellowjackets who had never wrestled in states felt nervous heading into their matchups. However, Papa made sure to remind his teammates about how far they’ve come and how much they had improved through the course of the campaign.

“The Class M’s were exciting for us since East Haven High School had the privilege of hosting for the first time. There were a lot of good wrestlers from other teams, which made some of our guys less confident,” said Papa. “When the team huddled up after warmups, I told them that they were courageous for standing up to these guys with higher seeds.”

East Haven finished in 16th place by scoring 61 points at the Class M State Championship. Batista-Fletcher claimed third place in the 106-pound division for the Easties. Batista- Fletcher won three matches by pinfall, finishing off his run by pinning Ben Fournier of RHAM at the 4:17 mark of the third-place bout.

Ortiz finished sixth in the 145-pound weight class at states. Ortiz won an 8-5 decision and also notched two victories via pinfall at the meet.

Junior captain Jason Toth (170), junior Marchello Torres (113), junior Elijiah Trufan (132), junior Noah Franchi (160), and freshman Joe Allen (182) each earned one victory for East Haven at states. Papa competed in the 126-pound weight class for the Yellowjackets. The other athletes who wrestled for the Easties were seniors Isaac Florentino (120), Kevin Phan (138), Mike Pagan (195), and Zayuri Castaneda (220), along with freshman Zander Molster (285).

Batista-Fletcher and Ortiz went to compete at the State Open Championship, which took place at Floyd Little Athletic Center on Feb. 26 and 27. Batista-Fletcher won a 9-0 majority decision in one of his consolation bouts at the Open.

Castaneda, junior Sofia Milano, sophomore Alyson Alberino, and freshman Gonul Celik all competed in the Girls’ Wrestling Invitational that was also held at Floyd Little Athletic Center that weekend. Castaneda took third place in the 235-pound division for East Haven. Castaneda notched a pinfall victory in 20 seconds in the consolation semis, after which she pinned Sarah Silva of Danbury in 55 seconds to finish in third place.

Celik earned two wins in the 126-pound division for the Yellowjackets. Celik won her first-round bout on a pinfall in 1:14 and later won her first consolation match by pin at the 30-second mark.

East Haven featured seven athletes in its senior class this season. Many of the team’s seniors have wrestled together since middle school. After everything they’ve gone through, Papa said that he’s honored to have shared the mat with his fellow seniors in their final year with the Yellowjackets.

“The peers in my class were very special to me, since I’ve wrestled with most of them since middle school,” Papa said. “I can’t believe that we have been through this much for so long. Everything flew by like a breeze.”

With the nature of the sport itself, wrestling can be grueling. Then, throw in a two-year hiatus, and it makes staying in peak shape even more difficult. Still, for Papa and his Easties’ teammates, all of the hard work is worth it. Papa said that being a member of the East Haven wrestling team means persevering through those struggles together and getting back up after any takedown that happens along the path.

“East Haven wrestling is a great experience that will teach many life lessons along the way. It is very demanding, but it will reward you with honor and respect if you push through,” said Papa. “It’s not for everybody, but those who go to practice every day just to get beat up are some of the most enduring people I know.”

The 2022 edition of the East Haven wrestling team featured senior captains Jake Ortiz, Frank Papa, and Dylan Tavares; seniors Zayuri Castaneda, Isaac Florentino, Mike Pagan, and Kevin Phan; junior captain Jason Toth; juniors Noah Franchi, Jeremiah Kane, Harris Malik, Sophia Milano, Dylan Snyder, Marcello Torres, and Elijah Trufan; sophomores Jack Batista-Fletcher, Christian Carabantes, Tin Trinh, Jacob Ushchak, and Nick Vance; and freshmen Joshua Albee, Alyson Alberino, Joe Allen, Felipe Castaneda, Gonul Celik, Alex Dombrowski, Chase Horton, Aidan Loehman, and Zander Molster.