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Newington Blackhawks - 2006/2007 - State of the "Blackhawks Nation!"

Well here we are at the end of another fantastic season, and what a season it has been - by far one of the best yet! I’ll summarize it to give you a feel for heights we’ve reached and the mountains we’ve climbed.

This program has evolved into one of the top in the state because of dedication, commitment and sacrifice. It warms my heart to think of how far we’ve come and where we are going. I’ve said all along that one of my goals is to pack the NHS Gym on Wednesday nights with excitement so that a period ending buzzer cannot be heard. That’s where we are going!

11 years ago, we would have 15 to 20 wrestlers, now look at our 60 plus wrestlers in recent years. Let’s talk about this year.

We set out to win the Cheshire Duals, to wrestle in more out of state tournaments, to compete in Lititz, PA, to have 10 State Champions, to hold a fund raising Golf Tournament, and finally to have our own wrestling building with enough room for three full mats.

The Cheshire Duals has been an elusive target for the Blackhawks over past 6 years:

• In those first two years we would battle to stay out of the basement, and then finally we medaled! Third Place. How sweet it was.
• Year four brought us closer and second place was ours, but some said that was still the “first loser”!
• Year five took us 2 team points shy of First Place, that was a bitter pill to swallow, but we press on.
• Year six! We had lost some hammers, the likes of Scalise and Esposito, but you can’t keep the Blackhawks down. At the end of the day, First Place at the Cheshire Duals belonged to the Newington Blackhawks! And, it was not make-the-coach-nervous close!

One Down!!

Wrestle in more out of state tournaments!

We all know our motto “the more you wrestle the better you get, the better you get, the more you wrestle…” and the place you go to get better, is out of state. Go to the dragon’s lair and slay them, that’s right NY, NJ and especially PA.

• Three years ago we sent 7 wrestlers out of state and wrestled in 53 matches, winning 35 and losing 18 for a .660%, taking 7 Gold, 5 Silver, & 3 Bronze.
• Last year we sent 17 wrestlers of state wrestling in 146 matches, winning 71 and losing 75 for a .486%, scoring 7 Gold, 8 Silver & 7 Bronze.
• This year we reached another milestone, 14 wrestlers out of state, 211 total matches (so far!), winning 122 and losing 89 for a 578%, taking 18 Gold, 8 Silver, & 8 Bronze.

Two Down !!

Compete in Lititz ! For those of you that don’t know, Lititz is a small town in Southeastern PA. Some wrestlers consider PA the Mecca of wrestling, and if you want to get better, you go there to wrestle PERIOD.

Many NCAA National Champions get their start in PA.

Two years ago , Coach Jim found a tournament in Lititz and we, like lemmings, followed into the belly of the beast. It was 540 miles round trip and took some of us 6 to 8 hours one way. Wrestling started at 8:00AM on Saturday and by 11:30AM we had gotten our butts whooped by 4 teams, and were on our way home. 0 and 4 with many wounded spirits. But you can’t keep the Blackhawks down for long.

We were back again this year ! Same distance and time, but the results changed. By 9:15 we had won our first match in Lititz. We finished the day 1 and 3 with a very close final match coming down to an exciting and controversial last bout. We ended up losing the match by 5 points. We left in much better spirits this year, and are starting to talk about next year !

Three Down !!

To have 10 State Champions was our next goal and a lofty one at that. We came up short on this goal but we are still very proud of the hard work that paid off for 3 State Champions. Luca Briganti, Joey Briganti, and Chris Chorzepa. Regroup and refocus next year. Let’s try Five State Champs!! Close but not quite !!

A fund raising golf tournament, I must admit this was one goal I was not initially in favor of, but I alone was not going to keep us down. Many hours of planning throughout the spring and summer of “06”. Countless meetings with staff and finally we pulled it off ! It was not only a great fund raiser but great time as well. Did I mention my team won? We were able to raise close to $10,000.00 for the club. This season we were able to purchase goods for both the HS and the youth program. Two electronic score boards, a PA system, a digital video camera, state of the art mat cleaning systems to cut down on practice prep time and increase practice time.

Four Down !!

To have our own wrestling building with 3 full mats ?!!! WOW Lets keep dreaming. Three out of five goals is something to be proud of, but there is still work to be done.

Some other points of interest:
We sent more wrestlers to North East Elite wrestling than any other year. These wrestlers went up to Enfield any chance they could get, and it paid off. Just ask Chris Chorzepa! We see Northeast Elite or similar ‘advanced’ clubs as a natural progression for our experienced wrestlers, and agree 100% with their philosophy of encouraging wrestlers to wrestle for their town program when wrestling in Connecticut, or at team functions like Lititz.

Through Coach Lou’s guidance we defeated Wethersfield in a pre HS Dual Meet for the third straight year ! Keep on the lookout for a new section on the website that will have fantastic statistics complied by Coach Jim.

In closing, we as a Blackhawk family bid a sad and heart felt good bye to a member who has chosen to move on. We not only lose our GM, but a friend who has added many good times to our practices, matches and tournaments. He has never been at a loss for words and will tell you just how he feels. Although the shoes will be hard to fill, I’m confident someone will step up.

I’m also confident that we can call on Paul when ever we need to. A heart felt thank you goes out to Paul Germano !

See you guys next year !
Coach Chris

PS– summer wrestling makes winter champions!

2005-2006 - Coach Chris Delzangle's message:

As we, the Newington Blackhawks, begin yet another season, it is time once again to set our goals and dreams for this year. It is usually a time of excitement and optimism, but this year is somewhat different with the passing of our wrestling family member, Richard Hastings. For those of you who may not know, Rich was the former wrestling coach at Newington High School. He founded and developed the Newington wrestling program from its inception.

Rich was not only a good friend and a great Coach, but most importantly he was a good man. Before I met Rich back in 1997, I had heard so many good things about him and I can clearly remember the first time I met Rich. It was at John Wallace Middle School and my son Tommy and I were in our practice gear, walking down the hall towards the Aux. Gym for our very first practice.

It was our introduction to youth wrestling in Newington. High school practice was wrapping up and I could hear a loud voice that sounded like a proud coach after a great work out. It reminded me of my own high school practices and it gave me the chills. Thinking about it still gives me those feelings to this day. Coach Hastings came out of the Aux. Gym and looked up towards Tommy and me, he paused a moment and said, “Nothing makes me more happy than to see a father and son coming to wrestling practice together.”

I will never forget that moment. That sums up Rich in a sentence - family first!

To that end, let us dedicate this season to Richard Hastings.

Sincerely,

Coach Chris