“Berlin Wrestling…Six Minutes of Pressure,” stated the banner posted at each match. Led by Coach Jim Day, the Redcoats went on to another successful season.

They won their 2nd State Championship in program history. They defeated Coventry during the regular season, who later went on to win the New England Championship. They won the Northwest Conference Championship with finalists in every weight class. In the State Class M Championship, which they won and set the State scoring record at that time with 208.5 points. They had two individual winners: Fred Orde at 152 pounds and Ken Pera at 171 pounds, and two runner-ups: Jeff Giantonio at 135 pounds and Pete Veleas at 145 pounds. In the State Open Championship, they had nine wrestlers qualify with three place finishers and one State Champion, Ken Pera. The 1989 team ended the year 2nd in the State wrestling poll behind Danbury.

The team was led by senior members Joe Willametz, Pete Veleas, Ken Pera, Scott Boissoneau, Ken Cotrina, Larry O’Neil, Jay Yuskis, Tom Mezzio, and Fred Orde.
At least seven members of the starting lineup were two or three-sport athletes. Two members of the team traveled with Coach Day to China as part of a wrestling/diplomatic/cultural trip. Three went on to wrestle in college and three served as wrestling coaches in Connecticut. Numerous members of the team have volunteered and coached in other sports as well.

This was a team of brothers!