Currently, the two captains on Morgan’s wrestling team are juniors Ariana Farr and Dominic Larabee. These students competed in wrestling since their freshman year. Usually, captains are seniors. This year for the 2023-24 wrestling season, for the first time there are junior captains. Ariana is also the first female captain. This year there are no seniors on the wrestling team.
The coach Jonathan Wolfer chose Ariana and Dominic because “Their first two years they showed a want for growth, and a tenacity to keep moving on.” Coach Wolfer shared how both Dominic and Ariana impressed him. He said, “Dominic Larabee, specifically, set a goal last year of not being pinned the whole season, and not only did he accomplish that goal, but he actually superseded that. In fact, the kid that ended up becoming the New England Champion was frustrated with him after the match at State Opens. I could hear him going off the mat absolutely infuriated, and I thought that was fantastic.”
Ariana’s dedication to wrestling impressed Coach Wolfer also because she is “a girl athlete in a sport that is dominated for boys.” He said she grew as a wrestler a great deal over her first year. Coach said, “Honestly, people just saw what she was doing, and they reacted, and that’s the kind of thing I look for in leaders. If people see something and react, or follow, then it’s better to help that grow than stifle it and let it go in the wrong direction.”
Ariana shared her thoughts on leading the team, “Being a captain is a lot more pressure when you are a junior because you’re using things from past senior captains.” Ariana also shared her view of her new role: “It’s a little harder for the team to adjust to this, but towards the end, it’s all a fun learning experience.”
Morgan’s wrestling match on January 31 was against East Haven. The score was 18-60 with a win for East Haven. February 3, the wrestlers continued with another dual at Morgan for 4 corners, an event that involves 5 teams competing together in a dual. The teams that came to this event were: Wilton, Canton, Granby, and Griswold. Morgan won the match against Granby. The last match was on February 5th, at Xavier High School. Xavier high School last year won states, and SCCs. The score of the match was 12-66, with a win for Xavier. The coaches noticed two big Xavier matches. One was by Morgan junior Cameron Anderson and the other was by Morgan freshman Luke Rodriguez. Both made it to the 3rd period.
Finally, the wrestlers moved onto Southern Connecticut Conference (SCCs) for JV and Varsity (February 9th and 10th). At SCCs, on February 9th, the two freshmen that placed were Nick Farr and Nathan Ramirez. The next day, on February 10th, Nate Kinser placed 4th. There were consolation matches by Hayden Darr, Nate Kinser, Mason Jakober, and Julian Larabee. For a consolation match, it is when a wrestler loses their first match at the start of the tournament, so then they are given a chance to have another match. This consolation match helps wrestlers place, even if it is 4th or 5th. Then Class S states during the dates of (February 16th and 17th). No wrestlers placed, but the effort of the wrestlers was shown in many matches.
Sadly, the season has come to an end quickly. Juniors Aleia Aleman, and Kierra Baker are the current managers of the wrestling team. The Morgan wrestling team will need new managers when Kierra and Aleia graduate. Any sophomore or freshman can reach out to coach Jonathan Wolfer, or current managers: Aleia Aleman, and Kierra Baker, if they would like to be considered for wrestling manager.
