By BRIAN JENNINGS STAFF WRITER Blue Knights coach Derek Dion sat in an empty room in the high school that the Southington wrestling program likes to call “The Pit.” He was suited up in a t-shirt to wrestling shoes, waiting to see if any new kids would show up. As football and wrestling are very similar animals, in terms of physicality, most football players go out for the wrestling team after their fall season is over. This year, Southington’s football team made it all the way to the semifinals of the Class LL State Tournament, which was played on Monday, Dec. 7 and very close to the start of the winter season. Dion had to sit back and wait to see which football players were coming out for the wrestling team, and which weren’t. “It makes it a couple difficult first weeks of the season,” said Dion. “But, it’s good for the school and community. Coach Drury does such a great job with them. I suspect that this is going to be an every-year effect that I’m just going to have to work around. A couple years ago, there was a snow storm that pushed the championship game two days before […]
By BRIAN JENNINGS STAFF WRITER Blue Knights coach Derek Dion sat in an empty room in the high school that the Southington wrestling program likes to call “The Pit.” He was suited up in a t-shirt to wrestling shoes, waiting to see if any new kids would show up. As football and wrestling are very similar animals, in terms of physicality, most football players go out for the wrestling team after their fall season is over. This year, Southington’s football team made it all the way to the semifinals of the Class LL State Tournament, which was played on Monday, Dec. 7 and very close to the start of the winter season. Dion had to sit back and wait to see which football players were coming out for the wrestling team, and which weren’t. “It makes it a couple difficult first weeks of the season,” said Dion. “But, it’s good for the school and community. Coach Drury does such a great job with them. I suspect that this is going to be an every-year effect that I’m just going to have to work around. A couple years ago, there was a snow storm that pushed the championship game two days before […]