Naugatuck’s Wilcox takes strides in sophomore year

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Naugatuck sophomore wrestler Logan Wilcox. -JASON LEVY/REPUBLICAN-AMERICAN

NAUGATUCK — In his second year wrestling at the varsity high school level, Naugatuck sophomore Logan Wilcox saw a vast improvement on the mat.

“I was pleased at how well I performed at states,” said Wilcox, who wrestles as a team of one and trains with Pomperaug. “It really all came down to conditioning. I felt I was better prepared this season than I was last year to go the distance.”

Wilcox entered the Class L state meet Feb. 15 at Bristol Central High School ranked 15th in the 170-pound class and complied a 2-2 record against a field of upperclassmen.

In his first match, Wilcox defeated Windsor’s Matt Mormino with a pin in 3 minutes, 39 seconds. In the round of 16, the Greyhound grappler dropped a match against South Windsor senior Cooper Nodden, who went on to capture third place, in 1:18.

Wilcox bounced back and defeated Simsbury senior Will Henery with a pin at 2:45.

Wilcox then faced off against Daniel Hand junior Seamus Moriarty with a chance to advance to the quarterfinal round and earn a spot in the State Open. It was a back-and-forth battle until Moriarty got the upper hand and pulled out a 13-6 decision.

“It was a close match,” Wilcox said. “A win in that match would have placed me in the State Open. My coach from Pomperaug, Brendan Quinn, thought I had a good shot to win that match.”

“I was happy to have had a shot to wrestle for a chance to make the State Open,” Wilcox added. “I was better this year in my strength-to-weight ratio. I put on about ten pounds of muscle this year and it really helped me in my physical condition.”

Wilcox, who went 6-7 in the regular season, finished the postseason 4-4 with a pair of wins at the Berkshire Valley Invitational championship and the state meet.

After going 0-1 at the state meet last year in the 152-pound class, Wilcox took big steps forward this season. But the sophomore knows he has room to grow.

“Overall there are still a few holes in my wrestling,” Wilcox said. “I plan on working on that in the offseason to get better next year. The goal is to put on a little more muscle with a focus on body weight training. I’m looking into some wrestling camps to keep me in form during the offseason so when it’s time to go next year I will be ready.”

Woodland freshman Elias Sturdevant, who wrestles as a team of one, competed at the Class S tournament Feb. 15 at Windham High School.

Sturdevant finished 3-3 in the 113-pound class to qualify for the State Open Feb. 22 at the Floyd Little Athletic Center in New Haven.

At the Class S meet, Sturdevant earned wins over Haddam-Killingworth’s Ethan Wright, Rocky Hill’s Tyler Brodeur and St. Paul’s Evan Kowalski.

In a battle for fifth place, Sturdevant came up on the short side of a 6-4 decision to Montville’s Derek Debbis.