Medina Wins Class LL Championship
By Ken Lipshez | Sports Correspondent at February 24, 2024 | 9:00 am | Print
New Britain High’s top-seeded 126-pound junior Geovanni Medina won the school’s first Class LL championship in six years Saturday night by pinning Cody Keane of Glastonbury.
Medina advances to the State Open, which begins Friday and ends Saturday night in New Haven, after sweeping through his LL competition with relative ease.
Medina is now 30-0 on the season and 84-14 in three varsity seasons. He scored a technical fall in whitewashing Andrew Miller of Hall, 15-0, in his first bout. He whipped eighth-seeded Patrick Messick, 12-3, in the quarterfinals and cruised to a 9-0 win over Jacob Cervero of Cheshire in the semis.
In the finals, he pinned Cody Keane of Glastonbury in overtime (6:53). Medina was second at 112 pounds last year, losing to Keane’s brother and eventual New England champion Tyler Keane, 11-3.
Medina will be looking to improve on his third-place finish at the Open last year. He lost to Andrew Chase of Bristol Eastern when Chase slipped out of a headlock for a decisive takedown.
The last New Britain wrestler to win a state championship was Brett Roberts, who took first place in 2006 at 125 pounds. No Hurricane has won a State Open crown since Randy Reyes turned the trick in 1995.
Aside from Medina’s placewinning performance last year, the only other ’Canes to place at the Open in the 2000s are Jordan Jacquo and Joe Colella. Jacquo was fourth at 135 pounds in 2006 and third at 140 in 2007. Colella was fourth at 171 in 2006 and 189 the following season.
Also qualifying for a trip to the Open were Rafael Gonzalez (6th place at 106 pounds) and Edward Cruz (6th at 138).
