By GERRY deSIMAS, JR.
Collinsville Press.com
HARTFORD, Feb. 19 – It’s been a long journey for Canton High senior Nate Getler in his quest for a wrestling state championship. As a freshman in 2008, he advanced to the semifinals of the Class S tournament at 125 pounds before losing to eventual champion Jake Miller of East Windsor.
As a sophomore in 2009, Getler looked superb winning 29 of his first 30 matches with 16 pins before severely injuring his knee in a dual meet against Somers in early February, prematurely ending his season.
He returned to the mat in 2010 despite nerve damage to his leg that made running difficult. He lost in the semifinals in the Class S tournament at 135 pounds before finishing third. For the year, he finished with 38 wins and advanced to the State Open, where he won a match.
To prepare for his final opportunity this season, Getler not only continued to work out with club teams in the offseason but he competed in tournaments along the East Coast, including the Super 32 in Greensboro, N.C., one of the nation’s premier preseason tournaments in October.
That work and preparation paid off as Getler celebrated a state championship on Saturday night. With his sixth pin in six post-season matches, Getler (36-1) became the first Canton wrestler since 2004 to capture a Class S title by pinning Nonnewaug’s Austin Hodges in 2:33 in the finals at 130 pounds.
Getler helped Canton finish 12th in the field of 34 teams at the Class S meet. Junior teammate Matt White (125) finished second, falling to defending State Open champion Tyler Tilbe of Nonnewaug while Bryan Fitzpatrick finished fifth at 135 pounds.
Getler had little trouble at the Class S tournament with four pins. He was thrilled after pinning Hodges. “It feels so awesome,” he said. “I’m so pumped. I’ve worked so hard this year. This makes up for the bum nerve and bum knee.”
Lost in the celebration is that Getler still has nerve damage in his leg from his sophomore year. Training is not easy. But he didn’t let it stop him.
Getler has trained for years in the off season with the Northeast Elite club out of Enfield. Last spring and this fall, he also worked out with KT Kidz out of South Windsor with wrestlers from across the state. In the fall, he competed in tournaments in New York, New Jersey, Delaware and North Carolina.
“I’m a lot better on my feet,” Getler said. “Last year, I used to brawl out there. I’ve worked on my technique and now I’m using technique instead of brawling.”
When the high school season began, he was ready to go. Getler won his second straight NCCC championship and won the Derby Invitational where he was named outstanding wrestler.
His only loss came in the finals of the Eagle Classic to Windham High sophomore Miguel Calixto, who he could see this weekend at the State Open championships in New Haven. The top four wrestlers in each weight class advance to the Open.
Getler also became a mentor to White and Fitzpatrick, his training partners. With a small and relatively inexperienced team, these three worked out together and pushed each other.
“I’ve been showing them a few moves,” Getler said. “You have to pass it down to the younger grades.”
A year ago, White lost in the semifinals at the Class S tournament and finished fourth. This year, he outlasted Old Saybrook/Westbrook’s David Colvin in the semifinals, 7-1 to earn a spot in the final.
“Matt has gotten better on his feet,” Getler said. “And he’s better with his pinning combinations. He’ll be a force to be reckoned with next year.”
White will also compete at the State Open in New Haven.
Fitzpatrick spent most of the year wrestling at 125 or 130 pounds. But with White and Getler in place, he took the leap to wrestle at 135 pounds and did well to finish fifth.
Fitzpatrick beat St. Bernard’s Tim Neilan, who had beaten him earlier in the tournament by nine points, by a 5-2 score. Trailing by one in the second period, Fitzpatrick wrapped Neilan up in a headlock for a two-point takedown and a two-point near fall to take command of the bout.
Fitzpatrick (25-10) won four of his five consolation round bouts.
Getler is the first Canton wrestler to bring home a state championship since Kelvin Valencia in 2004.
Avon is 8th in L
Pearson, St. Onge take 2nd in Class L
BRISTOL, Feb. 19 -- Avon finished eighth in the Class L tournament with Ryan Pearson (160) and David St. Onge (189) each finishing second. James Gendler (140) and Joe Murphy (152) each took fifth.
The season turned around for Avon’s Ryan Pearson (160) after some losses at midseason. “It’s been a different presence in the second half of the year,” Avon coach John McLaughlin said.
Pearson was disappointed after losing a match to a wrestler from Coventry at mid-season. “He just said, ‘I don’t want to lose again.’ And he took off. His work ethic was great and there was a tenacity there.”
Pearson (31-7) finished the season strong. He won the NCCC championship with three pins, all in under a minute, and rolled into the Class L finals with three straight wins, including a pin of No. 2 seed Clay Helms of Wilton in just 1:28.
But against No. 1 Mike Sullivan of Fairfield Warde, Pearson made a mistake and Sullivan made his pay for it. Sullivan (38-0) pinned Pearson in 1:17.
St. Onge (189) had a nice tournament getting to the championship match. He pinned Farmington’s Shaun Rio in 1:50 in the quarterfinals and beat No. 9 seed Michael Cassin of Bristol Eastern in the semifinals, 15-3. Cassin had upset the No. 1 seed in the quarterfinals.
“He is one of the most underrated kids on the team,” McLaughlin said. “He flies under the radar. People don’t know how good he is.”
However in the finals, he met Norwalk’s Brandon Riggins, a former Oklahoma resident who began attending Norwalk High earlier this winter. Riggins (14-1) who beat the No. 2 and No. 3 seed to get to the finals, beat St. Onge, 16-3.
Gendler (140) lost a 2-1 decision in the semifinals and finished fifth while Murphy (152) also lost in the semifinals before taking fifth.
McLaughlin was pleased with Avon’s eighth place performance in Class L. “All year, we’ve been led by these four leaders who placed here,” he said.
