WOODBURY — The Nonnewaug wrestling team beat the Derby/Oxford/Holy Cross co-op wrestling team during the Chiefs’ senior night on Feb. 7 to finalize their unbeaten regular season season. The final score was 63-18, a fifth straight win over Berkshire League competition.
After another big win, wrestlers weren’t just pleased with their win streak, but also for the sizable crowd that watched their last home meet of the winter.
“It feels great to win in front of my family and friends,” says Jeff Bernardi, a junior at Nonnewaug who won his match by pinfall. “It’s nice to show people how fun the sport can be.”
The wrestling team brought out a big student crowd for their senior night, something that they hadn’t seen in a long time. Nonnewaug’s emphasis on supporting all sports teams runs true with the endless cheers for the wrestlers.
With the wrestling team gaining popularity, some team members reflected on how the sport has shaped their high school careers. Despite the members of the senior class — Collin Wilmot, James Mahon, Jackson Krajeski, Te Andre Le Beach, and Michelangelo DiNunzio — not having a freshman season due to COVID-19 restrictions, they agreed that wrestling has played an important role in their transformation from underclassmen to seniors.
“Wrestling has helped me develop discipline,” says Mahon, who won his match by points. “It has pushed me to work harder throughout the years.”
Nonnewaug’s win in the regular-season finale cemented a perfect dual-meet record, which the Chiefs took into the Berkshire League championships Feb. 10 at Derby. Although Gilbert-Torrington edged Nonnewaug for first place, the Chiefs’ second-place finish in the tournament secured the league championship, which is determined through a mix of regular-season and tournament results.
Krajeski (165 pounds) and junior Durkin Stankevich (144 pounds) each won their weight classes at the league tournament, while six other Chiefs were runners-up. Nonnewaug will focus next on the Class S state championships Feb. 16-17 at Killingly High.
