The best wrestlers from the six New England states will gather March 3-4 in Providence, Rhode Island for the New England Championships. Qualified for the tournament are: the top seven from Massachusetts, top five from Connecticut, and the top three each from Maine, New Hampshire, Rhode Island, and Vermont. 

There are a bunch of talented wrestlers in the field, highlighted by two from Rhode Island: Scituate junior Gabe Bouyssou, who has been ranked has high as #15 in the country, and Jacob Joyce of Ponaganset, ranked #18 in the country. There are tons of other enthralling stories to follow as well in the tournament, such as the great matchups we will see due to the seeding format, those who are looking to defend a title, and one team’s clear dominance over all others.

How To Watch 

Watch all of this weekend's action live and check out archived footage from the New England Championships live on FloWrestling. 

Returning Champions

126 — Jacob Joyce (Ponaganset, RI) — Joyce, a champion last year at 120, enters the field as the clear favorite in the 126-pound bracket. The Stanford commit is aiming to help lead the Chieftains to a New England title. 

138 — Sidney Tidlsley (Shawsheen Tech, MA) — Tildsley is the favorite at 138 after winning a title last year at 132, but that doesn't mean there aren't a boatload of challengers ready to take him down. Jayden D’Ambrosio (St. John’s Prep, MA), Jackez Mendez (East Hartford, CT), and Tyler Kadish (Newton South, MA) will all look to threaten the sophomore.

145 — Gabe Bouyssou (145) (Scituate, RI) — A champ last year at 138, Bouyssou should run the 145-pound bracket. The nationally-ranked wrestler placed at the prestigious Escape the Rock earlier this season and looks to add a second New England title to his résumé.

152 — Jack Richardson (Killingly, CT) — Richardson just won back-to-back CT State open titles and looks to capitalize on that with a second New England title after winning the 145-pound championship last year. Ponaganset’s Jason Hood looks to be his main threat on his way to the crown. 

160 — Rawson Iwanicki (St. John’s Prep, MA) — Iwanicki is the favorite in a very deep weight class. He won the title last year at 152 pounds and this year he has three main foes in front of him. Brent Nicolosi (Haverhill, MA), who went to OT with Iwanicki at the MIAA All-State Tournament, Eastern States Classic placewinner Andrew Reall (Ponaganset, RI), and New England placewinner Khalil Bourjelli (New Milford, CT) could all challenge the St. John’s Eagle. 

182 — Nate Blanchette (Central Catholic, MA) — Blanchette won gold last year at 160 and has a great chance to repeat. He has already beaten his main threat, Columbia commit Spencer Fine (Bishop Hendricken, RI) earlier in the season.

285 — Hampton Kaye-Kuter (Milford. MA) — Kaye Kuter reached the top of the 220-pound podium last year. Now, to win at 285, he is staring in the face of Thomas Brown (Chelmsford, MA). The sophomore has beaten Kaye-Kuter twice on the year already. It could be an electric final if both wresters get there. 

Ponaganset’s Reign

Ponaganset High School in Gloucester, RI has built a special program. After a third-place finish last year, the Chieftains are the clear favorite to win the regional title. The team wrestled an admittedly light schedule in terms of the number of matchups. However, it went to various high-level tournaments, and even won the highly renowned Eastern States Classic in Loch Sheldrake, NY. Ponaganset brings an impressive nine wrestlers to this tournament — the most of any team. The sheer number is already a huge bonus in a tournament where a team is lucky to bring six wrestlers. One of the more impressive things, too, is that six of Ponaganset’s nine will be returning next season. It certainly seems like there is a dynasty in the works, one that can rival the great Danbury Hatters (CT), Mount Anthony Union Patriots (VT), and Timberlane Owls (NH). It looks like they are here to stay.

Potential Quarterfinals To Watch

Due to CNESSPA’s format, the wrestlers are seeded using a formula to separate state champions. This can result in three top wrestlers in the region who are all from the same state getting 1, 7, and 14 seeds. However, this can create some great matchups that can start off Day 2. Here's a look at some of the possible quarters, accompanied by New England rankings provided by Max Schwartz: 

106: #1 Raekwon Shabazz (Xavier, CT) Vs. #2 Yandel Morales (Andover, MA)

106: #3 Brady Oulette (Noble, ME) Vs. #5 Coy Lyford (Spaulding, VT)

113: #4 Jared Hood (Ponaganset, RI) Vs. #5 Peter Rincan (Bedford, NH)

113: #3 James Blood (Sanford, ME) Vs. #8 Anthony Vickers (Northbridge, MA)

120: #2 Ayden Cofone (Windham/GNG, ME) Vs. #3 David Perez (Ponaganset, RI)

120: #4 Brayton Carbone (Shawsheen Tech, MA) Vs. #5 Joe Mahoney (New Fairfield, CT)

126: #2 Julian Henderson (Camden Hills, ME) Vs. #5 Phoenix Gardella (Norwalk, CT)

126: #4 Vincent Tripaldi (New Fairfield, CT) Vs. #6 Jack Callahan (Tewksbury, MA)

132: #1 Hayden Myers (Coventry, RI) Vs. #5 Kyle Levesque (Xavier, CT)

132: #6 Connor Swaim (North Kingstown, RI) Vs. #8 Shaun McLaughlin (Natick, MA)

138: #1 Sidney Tildsley (Shawsheen Tech, MA) Vs. #4 Anthony Basile (Xavier, CT)

138: #4 Cam Ice (Minnechaug, MA) Vs. #8 Aiden Williams (Windham, NH)

145: #2 Elliot Humphries (Minnechaug, MA) Vs. #3 Thomas Bock (New Fairfield, CT)

145: #4 Xayden Natal (Montachusett Tech, MA) Vs. #5 Teghan McConnell (Bedford, NH)

152: #1 Jack Richardson (Killingly, CT) Vs. #4 Drew McGourty (Braintree, MA)

152: #3 Derek Cote (Noble, ME) Vs. #7 Luke Montefusco (Cranston West, RI)

160: #3 Brent Nicolosi (Haverhill, MA) Vs. #5 Drayvn Roberts (East Hartford, CT)

160: #2 Andrew Reall (Ponaganset, RI) Vs. #6 Joe Tully (Carver, MA)

170: #4 Fisher Stites (Newtown, CT) Vs. #5  Anthony Johnson (Mt. Anthony Union, VT)

170: #1 Rafael Knapp (Algonquin, MA) Vs. #3 Nicholas Baccala (Ponaganset, RI)

182: #5 Matthew Walsh (Bedford/AB, MA) Vs. #7 Charles Weidman (Xavier, CT)

182: #1 Nate Blanchette (Central Catholic, MA) Vs. #4 Preston Marchessault (Ponaganset, RI)

195: #3 Imanol Taveras (Hope, RI) Vs. #9 Chris Robbins (Conval, VT)

195: #4 Corbin Maraia (Chariho, RI) Vs. #2 Nathan Leach (Bridgewater-Raynham, MA)

220: #1 Jayden Toppan (Gloucester, MA) Vs. #7 Kaden Cyr (Bonny Eagle, ME)

220: #5 Matt Harold (Haverhill, MA) Vs. #6 Andrew Archibald (Cranston West, RI)

285: #2 Hampton Kaye-Kuter (Milford, MA) Vs. # 3Malaki Colon (Timberlane, NH)

285: #1 Thomas Brown (Chelmsford, MA) Vs. #6 Malachi Mercer-Robinson (Fairfield Prep, CT)