Odell, Mitchell Lead South Windsor High Grapplers to 3rd in LL Tournament

The South Windsor High wrestling team turned in an impressive performance at the state Class LL meet Saturday, placing third out of 27 teams, just behind winner Danbury and second-place Trumbull.

Seniors Sam Odell and Casey Mitchell led the way for the Bobcats with state titles at 152 and 145 pounds, respectively.

It was the third state title for Odell, who improved his record to 41-0 on the year, while Mitchell rang up his second state title to run his record to 42-0.

“Both were No. 1 seeds and both had won state titles before,” head coach Jude Knapp said in a telephone interview. “They wrestled up to their capabilities.”

Last Year Odell won the state title and the State Open at 145. Mitchell returned to the winner’s podium for the first time since his freshman year, when he won the state title at 130. He lost in the finals at 140 and 152 in his sophomore and junior years.

The two now have their sights set on the State Open tourney, which will be held on Feb. 22 and 23 at the Floyd Little Athletic Center. The State Open includes the top six wrestlers who placed in the Class tournaments held this past weekend.

Both Odell and Mitchell, who are No. 1 seeds in their respective weight classes next week, have similar goals.

Every day, Odell wrote down the same things on a piece of paper: LL, State Open, New England Champion, Undefeated.

Similarly, Mitchell wrote down those four goals on a piece of tape that he stuck to his locker and had to look at every time he got ready to practice.

Odell, who is known for his sense of humor as much as his wrestling moves, wasn’t shy about his victory Saturday.

“It’s pretty sweet; it’s pretty cool,” he said of being a three-time state champion. “That’s my pickup line that I use on the girls. … But usually the girls approach me, because I’m so devilishly good looking.”

But Odell, a senior, has future plans that are no laughing matter. He is going to attend and wrestle at the U.S. Naval Academy in 2014 after he spends a year at the academy’s prep school in Newport, RI.

Odell said that he has always wanted to be a Marine, and was planning on forgoing college to enlist straight out of high school until his mother convinced him otherwise.

For now, though, Odell is focused on high school wrestling. He wants to repeat as State Open champion, and then win at New Englands.

“It’s going to be tough, though,” Odell said. “There is a kid from Rhode Island who is good and two kids from Massachusetts who are really good. And at the State Open, the kids from Conard and New Milford are real tough.”

Mitchell, for his part, also wants to make some noise over the next couple of weeks.

“Winning Class LL was definitely a relief, especially after falling off last year,” he said in a telephone interview. “But I still have a lot more wrestling.”

The two will be joined by teammates Justin Healy, Max Odell (Sam’s younger brother), Thomas Anderson and Conor Caffrey.

Healy (113), Odell (132) and Anderson (195) all made it to the finals of their weight classes, while Caffrey (126) placed third.

Healy, a senior, is seeded eighth in the State Open with an overall record of 22-4, while Max Odell went 37-7 as a freshman and is seeded fifth. Max Odell is the only freshman to qualify for the State Open in his weight class.

Healy had a great class tournament, defeating the No. 1 seed before eventually falling in the final match.

Knapp said that having another Odell on the team makes his job a little easier “when the kids have a lot of wrestling behind them. There’s not too many freshmen who are wrestling at the level he’s at. He lost to a tough, quality opponent.”

Anderson went 27-5, good enough for the No. 5 seed, while Caffrey went 38-2 and earned the No. 11 seed.  Caffrey lost in the semifinal to the tournament’s eventual Most Outstanding Wrestler.

Knapp said that the team sent just 11 of 14 wrestlers to the Class LL tournament.

If all six wrestlers perform up to their capabilities, then South Windsor stands a chance to make some noise at the Open, according to Knapp.