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The Foran wrestling team celebrates it second straight Class M title on Saturday, Feb. 21, 2026 in Guilford. (Ned Griffen/For Hearst Connecticut Media)
GUILFORD - Tyquell Lucas decided to try wrestling for the first time during his freshman year at Foran.
He didn't last long.
"I was with it for about a week," Lucas said. "I got a concussion and I was like, ‘Nah, I'm not doing it.'"
Lucas was coaxed to return the following season. Three years later, he is a state champion.
Lucas avenged two earlier season losses to Alphonse Milano of Notre Dame-West Haven on Saturday to win the CIAC Class M 165-pound title, clinching the team championship for the defending champion Lions at Guilford High School.
Lucas won by major decision 21-7.
"It didn't feel real in the moment," Lucas said. (Milano) has a lot more experience than me but, hey, I took him down and kept letting him up [for more take downs and points] and took the win."
Thomas Mahon (150 pounds) was Foran's other champion.
The Lions scored 203 points for their second straight M title. Bristol Eastern was runner-up (189.5), followed by the Lyman Memorial/Windham Tech co-op (183), Notre Dame (178.5) and Berlin (137).
Lucas had previously lost twice by two points to Milano. That included last Saturday's 9-7 defeat at the Southern Connecticut Conference championships.
Lucas blitzed Milano on Saturday. He took an early 7-1 lead and never trailed.
"I was working on countering [Milano's] moves because he's a funky guy," Lucas said. "He likes to scramble a lot. That's what he was trying to do, and every time he tried to scramble and roll, I put him on his back."
Not bad for someone who never wrestled until high school.
"I just wanted him to be dominant in the neutral position and take him down," Foran head coach David Esposito said. "He committed to it all week in practice leading up to this and really executed it beautifully. It was probably the best match he's wrestled in his three years here.
"It was really amazing. It speaks to how tough he is and how hard he's worked over the last three years. It was kind of a perfect way to cement our title."
Mahon pinned Griffin Allen of Masuk in 59 seconds for his title, the second-fastest pin in the championship round.
"(Friday) I got a bit of an injury (back) at practice, so I was a little nervous," Mahon said. "Once I got out here, I just knew my heart is giving everything I've got."
Foran took a 13½-point lead over Eastern going into the final round.
The Lancers whittled their deficit down to a few points before Mahon and Lucas won their respective titles.
"Last year's [title] was kind of a little unexpected," Esposito said. "I had known since these kids were freshmen that this was going to be a great year."
Esposito grinned and added, "I was the only one who could screw this up, so this year is more of a relief."
It was the Lions' fourth state title.
"This season is really special because (they) have really cemented themselves as one of the best teams probably ever in Foran history," Esposito said, "and that's saying something."
Two-Time Champs
There were four wrestlers who won their second straight CIAC title.
Matt Bray from the Brookfield/Shepaug Valley co-op won a major decision over Landon Roy of RHAM 9-0 at 132. He was the 2025 Class M champion at 120 pounds.
Alex Uzzo of Guilford won a major decision over Trevin Guardarrama of Bristol Eastern 11-2 to win at 138. He won the 144-pound M title last season.
Calvin Sammarco from the Lyman Memorial/Windham Tech co-op moved up from 126 to 144 pounds this season and beat Rowan Bodden of Foran in 44 seconds for the fastest pin in the finals.
Notre Dame's Riley Storozuk downed Evan Kucenski of Bristol Eastern by tech fall 18-3 (4:19) at 157 pounds. Storozuk won the 150-pound Class LL crown at East Hartford last year.
Champion Roll Call
Saturday's other state champs were Joshua Vernon of Branford (106), Collin Sullivan of Berlin (113), Evan Martin of Bristol Eastern (120), Mason Beecher of Avon (126), Andrew King of Hand (175), Lucas Judd of Lyman Memorial/Windham Tech (190), Aidyn Davies of Bristol Eastern (215) and Dorian Pollard of the Bloomfield/East Windsor/Weaver co-op (285).
CIAC Class M Wrestling Championships
(Note: The third-place match between Lulzim Begolli of Platt Tech and Thomas Frez of Avon will be held Sunday at Platt at noon due to the five-match rule limit).
Championship matches
106: Joshua Vernon (Branford) pinned Sean Sevigny (Notre Dame), 3:11.
113: Collin Sullivan (Berlin) pinned Sawyer Miller (Foran), 1:52.
120: Evan Martin (Bristol Eastern) pinned Micah Vong (Bloomfield/East Windsor/Weaver), 3:29.
126: Mason Beecher (Avon) tech fall Caden Bell (RHAM), 17-2 (3:09).
132:Matt Bray (Brookfield/Shepaug) major dec. Landon Roy (RHAM), 9-0.
138: Alex Uzzo (Guilford) major dec. Trevin Guardarrama (Bristol Eastern), 11-2.
144: Calvin Sammarco (Lyman/Windham Tech) pinned Rowan Bodden (Foran), :44.
150:Thomas Mahon (Foran) pinned Griffin Allen (Masuk), :59.
157: Riley Storozuk (Notre Dame) tech fall Evan Kucenski (Bristol Eastern), 18-3 (4:19).
165: Tyquell Lucas (Foran) major dec. Alphonse Milano (Norte Dame), 21-7.
175:Andrew King (Hand) major dec. Domenic Maturo (Branford), 13-4.
190: Lucas Judd (Lyman/Windham Tech) pinned Johnny Williston (North Haven), 1:23.
215: Aidyn Davies (Bristol Eastern) dec. Aedan Webster (East Haven), 5-1.
285:Dorian Pollard (Bloomfield/East Windsor/Weaver) pinned Joseph Calandro (Branford), 1:28.
This article originally published at Foran wrestling defends CIAC Class M title as senior Tyquell Lucas enjoys storybook ending.
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