West Hartford wrestlers had a strong showing in the CCC wrestling tournament this weekend.

Sports reporting is sponsored by Keating Agency Insurance

By Savannah Cote

Conard and Hall wrestlers delivered a strong showing at the Central Connecticut Conference tournament, earning multiple podium finishes and advancing deep into championship brackets across several weight classes.

At 106 pounds, Raffi Arakelian of Conard battled through a demanding bracket to earn a third-place finish. After receiving a bye in the Round of 32, Arakelian advanced with a win by fall over Julius Blinn (Maloney) in the Round of 16. He followed with an 11-0 major decision against Sophia Gordon (South Windsor) in the quarterfinals.

Arakelian narrowly fell 5-4 to Kody Dragon (Bristol Central) in the semifinals before rebounding with a 4-0 decision over Skylar Napolitano (Glastonbury) in the third-place bout.

At 113 pounds, Santiago Garcia of Conard placed fourth overall. Garcia opened with a bye before earning a win by fall against Omar Vega Upadhyay (Rocky Hill) in the Round of 16. He continued his run in the quarterfinals with another fall over Caleb Morales (Bristol Central).

Garcia dropped a 4-0 decision to Edward Fioletov (Glastonbury) in the semifinals and then fell by fall to Collin Sullivan (Berlin) in the third-place match.

Elijah Obisesan of Hall reached the championship bout at 132 pounds, finishing as the runner-up. After a bye in the Round of 32, Obisesan recorded a 21-5 technical fall over Gavin Dibella (Newington) in the Round of 16 and followed with a 14-4 major decision against Liam Hildinger (Avon) in the quarterfinals.

He edged Nathan Rivera (New Britain) by a 5-4 decision in the semifinals before falling by technical fall to Mohammed Ramlek (Maloney) in the title match.

Aiden Kerr of Hall earned a third-place finish at 144 pounds with a resilient tournament run. Kerr opened with back-to-back wins by fall over Abdurahman Pelletier (EO Smith) and Santiago Fernandez Decker (Glastonbury). He advanced past Gabriel Perritt (Middletown) with an 8-7 decision in the quarterfinals before falling by fall to Sean Champlain (Platt) in the semifinals.

Kerr closed strong, winning the third-place bout by an 8-4 decision over Aaron Aidoo (New Britain).

At 175 pounds, Joseph Fukuyama of Conard finished third after opening with a bye and then posting consecutive 11-3 major decisions over Noah Laub (Platt) and Seth Dunko (RHAM). Fukuyama fell by technical fall to Cooper Theriault-Dinelli (Plainville) in the semifinals but responded with a win by fall over Ryan Van Buren (Manchester) in the third-place match.

Owen Holmes of Conard also secured a third-place finish, at 190 pounds. After a bye, Holmes earned a 17-2 technical fall against Jayden Bryce (East Hartford) and followed with an 18-6 major decision over Hayato Cayford (Hall) in the quarterfinals.

Holmes fell by fall to Rocco Paolino (Bristol Central) in the semifinals before closing his tournament with a 9-5 decision over Brett Osborne (Simsbury).

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