Hudson, Mass. - Many youth wrestlers and coaches in New England were looking for a youth tournament that mirrored the High School New Englands - a tournament for the very best wrestlers the six states had to offer.

With the help of many people from the region, Aaron Polansky, the state chairman for Massachusetts - USA Wrestling, thought such a tournament could be successful.

He was correct. The High School New Englands, the culmination of the high school wrestling season for Connecticut Rhode Island, Massachusetts, Vermont, New Hampshire and Maine high wrestlers, was held in New Haven, Connecticut, on Saturday, March 3. 

On the following day, the USA Wrestling New England Youth Folkstyle Championships were held in Hudson, Massachusetts.  

The top three wrestlers from each state tournament qualified, so the tournament indeed lived up to the billing as a New England championship. There were over 400 wrestlers competing in two age divisions, 5th-6th grade and 7th-8th grade.  

Team scores were kept, with Connecticut outdistancing Massachusetts for the title. A total of 36 individual champions were crowned, with Devon MarcAurele of Connecticut and Ben Tammany of New Hampshire the smallest and biggest champions, respectively.  The Massachusetts Wrestling Hall of Fame sponsored all of the trophies, which were over 4 feet tall.

Before the finals and place matches, Massachusetts - USA Wrestling was able to showcase its Stance in Motion program, an innovative project which helps grow the sport of wrestling.  Dollamur Sports Surfaces CEO/president Gary McDowell presented a brand new mat to Algonquin High School Coach Peter Connery and Pathfinder Regional High School Coach, Paul Danielovich. 

Algonquin High School and Pathfinder Regional High School were the 2007 recipients of the award, which meant that the high schools were able to implement a wrestling program.  

Not only were the competitors from all over New England, so were the many selfless individual volunteers who helped make the tournament hugely successful.  Each state helped in promotion of the event, and event-day personnel also represented the entire region. 

"A lot of people from the six New England States came together put this initiative in place, said Polansky.  "Without the cooperation of these people, an event like this would have been a no-go."

After a successful first year with this tournament, the New England wrestling community is excited about seeing the event grow in size and prestige in future years. USA Wrestling congratulates all of those who participated in this historic first event, and looks forward to building a tradition for those who love wrestling in the Northeast.