Colonels finish second in team standings on a day that belongs to the favorites at ECC wrestling

Killingly — Jackson Sorel looked as if he just emerged from a steel cage match on Saturday. After walking off the mat as the Eastern Connecticut Conference 132-pound wrestling champion, Sorel stripped off the white tape that wrapped around his head to help control a bloody nose. The injury temporarily halted the match late in the third period. When action resumed, Sorel, a Norwich Free Academy senior, finished off an impressive 18-6 victory over Killingly's Max Richardson. "I'm kind of used to nose bleeds at this point," Sorel said. "Today was just a little bit more than normal." Sorel, who came into the competition with a 40-2 record this season, is used to winning as well. He's won two straight ECC titles. He put in the work in the off-season to prepare for a strong senior year. "I have better pace this year, better gas tank," Sorel said. "I can go all three periods if my nose doesn't bleed, of course." Sorel was just one of many top seeds to win their championship matches on Saturday. Ledyard's Lukas Boxley (120), Griswold/Wheeler's Seth Christie (126), Waterford's Lucas Gannotti (150), Lyman Memorial/Windham Tech's Lucas Judd (157), Montville's Luke Chapman (175) and the East Lyme/Norwich Tech duo of Brayden Soleau (190) and Lincoln Carlson (215) were other favorites that won. Carlson, who set the East Lyme program's record for career wins earlier this season, earned Outstanding Wrestler honors. He took care of Windham's Malachi Fowler 16-7 to remain unbeaten. "This is my third ECC title and I'm really proud of that," Carlson said. "I knew going in that Malachi is a tough dude. I trained with him in the off-season. He's a dog. I have nothing but utmost respect for him." Chapman's victory — 20-5 over James Hiltz of Lyman Memorial/Windham Tech — was even more impressive considering he competed with a brace over his right elbow. He suffered a small fracture earlier this season that forced him to take two weeks off. A senior, Chapman was determined to compete in the ECC championship and defend his title. "It's pretty tough with the brace," Chapman said. "They fixed it so I could bend it. It's better now. It does bother me a little bit but I try not to think about it and just wrestle." Boxley's performance at 120 was another ECC championship highlight. A freshman, Boxley recorded the fastest pin, finishing off Killingly's Bradey Jonasch in 1 minute, 10 seconds. "It feels really good knowing that I have all the support from my team and my family," Boxley said. Boxley helped the Colonels earn runner-up status, scoring 207 points to finish behind winner Killingly (230), which defended its team title. Windham (186.5), East Lyme/Norwich Tech (185.5) and Lyman Memorial/Windham Tech (175) rounded out the top five. Depth helped Ledyard achieve that result, as the Colonels had one winner, five third-place finishers, one fourth place and three in fifth. "Killingly has a good program," Ledyard coach Allyn Quibble said. "My guys wrestled well. The semifinal round hurt us a little bit and we got set back. But we came back and we rallied and came in second. That's all I can ask for." Some other noteworthy individual performances included Christie securing his third career ECC individual title for Griswold/Wheeler by knocking off Windham's Delmazio Despard in convincing fashion, 17-7, at 126. Christie, a senior, jumped out to a 13-1 lead and never let up. "I was getting a little tired but I had to keep going," Christie said. "I had to make sure that he didn't get anything and stay composed and I just kept fighting. It's pretty cool that I won it three times." NFA's Edward Lavoie, the No. 2 seed at 138, upended No. 1 Brady Zadora of Killingly by a 9-2 decision. He lost all four previous matches against Zadora in his career, including in the ECC finals as a sophomore and semifinals as a junior. "This is my first time beating him," Lavoie said. "It's great. Knowing how good a wrestler he is, it's even better. I wore him down throughout the match and just had the energy left." Saturday's team results also determined the divisional winners in the ECC. East Lyme clinched the program's first outright title in program history in Division I. Killingly captured Division II and Lyman Memorial/Windham Tech Division III. g.keefe@theday.com