The Northwest Wrestling Club competed in its fifth wrestling tournament of the season at Somers High School Jan. 24. The small team in Salisbury is a competition team that requires all its members to wrestle in tournaments sanctioned by the United States Wrestling Association.
After wrestling at Bristol Eastern, Southington, Danbury, Berlin and Somers High Schools, five wrestlers have taken home a total of 11 first-place, seven second-place and four third-place medals.
Medal count aside, the greatest measure has been seen in the overall improvement in performance of the wrestlers. In the past two tournaments, the team has won 30 bouts and lost four, resulting in seven gold medals and two silvers. One of those losses was to a national champion.
On the team this year is Darius Sanchez of Falls Village, Anton Dziedzic of Torrinton, Tyrus Benoit of Norfolk, Jason Dystra of North Canaan and Gabriel and Joshua Schwartz of Salisbury.
There are three more tournaments before the qualifiers for states and then the state tournament, which is held at Hillhouse High School in New Haven. These young athletes may be seen wrestling on CATV Channel 6 some time after mid-February.
