Minutemen Youth Wrestling

February 23, 2003 By BOHDAN KOLINSKY, Courant Assistant Sports Editor BRISTOL -- Berlin wrestling coach Jim Day had a big smile on his face as he waited for the start of the CIAC Class L championship matches Saturday night. By the time the finals started at Bristol Eastern High School, Day's team had clinched another state title, the school's fourth in the last five years. The Northwest Conference champion Redcoats placed three wrestlers in the finals and won the title with 181 points, 26.5 more than 2002 Class L champion Fitch-Groton. Winning titles for Berlin were Eric McCurdy (160) and John Russo (275). C.J. McCormack lost to Chris Coppolo of Fitch in the 135 final. Berlin also had one third-place finisher (B.J. Madey, 130); two fourths (Dan Madey, 119, and Jim Solek, 145), one fifth (Nick Catalano (140), and two sixths (Mike Crowe, 112 and Matt Powell, 189). "From the day we lost to Fitch in last year's tournament, we were determined to work hard and get the title back," Russo said. "We overcame a lot of obstacles this year. Some decided not to come out for the teams, others left. This title is all about team unity, that's for sure." Russo improved to 42-0 with his 36th pin of the season. He and McCormack will attend Roger Williams College in Rhode Island next year. For Day, it was his ninth title in 21 seasons. "It was great for the kids to just go in and focus on the finals, and not have to worry about the team title," Day said. "It allowed them to wrestle more openly. We struggled opening night, but the kids came around and executed." He was especially happy for McCurdy. "Here's a kid who was seeded ninth and didn't even place in our conference tournament last week," Day said. "It's just a testament to Eric's hard work and the hard work of everyone on this team."