Posted Saturday, January 10, 2009 by Jason Shaughnessy

Fairfield Warde senior captain Curtis Watkins was in eighth grade when he saw his first Warde wrestling match. Warde, ranked No. 2 in Connecticut, faced Danbury, ranked No. 1.

"I had never seen a high school match before," said Watkins. "But it was really cool seeing Brendan Herlihy and Zach Wagner, guys I looked up to, to see them actually wrestle and to know that next year I was going to wrestle for Warde. I turned to my dad and said, 'I can't wait for next year. I'm going to be in the best shape of my life'."

Today Watkins, 11-0 for the 2008-09 season, is in even better shape than he was as a freshman. His turn has come to lead the 8-0 Mustangs, setting an example for young wrestlers who will continue the Warde tradition of wrestling excellence.

On Wednesday, Watkins' Mustangs simply overwhelmed Staples, 75-5. Only two of 14 Wrecker wrestlers lasted three periods, with nine Mustangs recording first-period pins.

"This is probably the strongest team we've had since the high schools split, and that includes the team that won states in 2006," said Warde head coach Jason Shaughnessy, who recorded his 204th dual-meet win since he took over the Warde program in 1997.

The Mustangs' combination of talent, clear goals,