Magnoli competes at Open

Weston junior captain Carmine Magnoli had his first taste of the State Open wrestling tournament of his career. Although Magnoli didn't have much success in the 189-pound weight class Feb. 27 at the New Haven Athletic Center, losing both of his matches, he did well by making it to this tournament.

He was seeded seventh and lost a 4-2 decision to sixth-seeded Aren Norman of Bacon Academy in the first round, which dropped him into the consolation bracket. After losing to Norman, he dropped to the consolation bracket when he was pinned by 15th-seeded Colter Abely of Xavier.

"I was upset and I was hoping to do better," Magnoli said. "I was battling weight issues all season and I was 20 pounds underweight that day."

Trojans Coach Mario Federici said, "He wrestled well. He's only a junior but he's a smart wrestler. As he gets more experience, he'll become a smarter wrestler."

Although he's in the 189-pound class, he weighed 170 last Saturday. However, he plans on learning from this experience and is confident it will propel him to better things next year.

"It was a good experience and it will motivate me to do better next year," Magnoli said.

Federici said, "This experience will make him a much better wrestler next year and he'll go much deeper next year. He's making all the right moves."