The last time the wrestling team was crowned champs of New England, George H.W. Bush was president, The Simpsons debuted on television, and the Berlin Wall came tumbling down.

That was 1990, and although the team over the past 27 years has won plenty of conference and state titles, the New England’s proved elusive. As a matter of fact, a Connecticut team hadn’t won the title since 1992 when Windham was crowned.

But this year, everything clicked with the talents of CT Wrestler of the Year Jacob Camacho and seven of his teammates who qualified to compete in the 53rd annual New England Interscholastic Wrestling Championships in Providence, R.I. on March 4.

“We had a great group this year,” said CT Coach of the Year Ricky Shook. “We exceeded team and individual expectations this year.”

Camacho, a junior in the 120-pound weight class, agreed with his coach.

“This year has been a long ride individually and as a team,” Camacho said. “I am ecstatic that our team accomplished such goals and I know we will do better things in the future. Everyone pulled their weight and did amazing work.”

The team earned one trophy after another this season: The Hatters won the FCIACs, winning seven weight classes and compiling a dominating 304 points to second-place finisher, Warde, with its 182 points; they won the Connecticut State Open in February, with a record six champions and a record 212 1/2 points (even the margin between them and 2nd-place finisher Newtown and its 90 points is a record); and ultimately won the New England Championships with all eight wrestlers winning at least one match.

At Providence, two Hatters went to the finals, five won medals for finishing in the top six and Camacho dominating performance earned him Outstanding Wrestler for the tournament.

Ever the good teammate, Camacho says winning the New Englands was a “great accomplishment and really shows how much we care, and how badly we want to succeed — individually and as a team. It is a culmination of all our hard work and dedication.”

Analyzing the New England performance, Gino Baratta, also a junior and competing in the 160-pound class, said the team overcame mistakes made early in the season and came on strong in March.

“I personally finished 6th in New England’s,” Baratta said, adding, “which doesn’t satisfy my performance but I am proud of my team and happy that I could have contributed to our success.”

He said it also helped that this year’s team had a healthy respect for the Hatter’s winning program and its history.

“There’s a legacy at DHS that every team and generation has to live up to it,” said Baratta, who finished 6th in his weight class. “And even though the legacy is daunting, I am proud of my team for completing a year that will inspire the next team to live up to.”

He recalled when he first walked into the DHS gym as a freshman, he noticed the many title banners hanging up. He noted there was only one New England banner, the one from 1990. He decided then and there that winning again during his high school career would be a goal.

Other teammates had the same goal.

“As a team we are really close,” Baratta said. “When we wrestle, we have the whole team on the sidelines. Even if they are not there, they are watching online. I love the team and couldn’t ask for any better.”

Both of the wrestlers clearly showed their passion when talking about the sport. A word Camacho would use to describe the team is “dedicated,” while Baratta said “heart.”

“You need to heart to wrestle back after you lose, and you need heart to never give up in the match,” Baratta said. “Heart wins the close matches and the overtime struggles.

“When it comes down to it,” he concluded, “wrestling is about having heart.”

Here are just a few of this season’s highlights

The Connecticut State Coaches Association:

• CT Team of the Year
• CT Wrestler of the Year (Jakob Camacho)
• CT Coach of the Year
• CT Assistant Coach of the Year

The State Open:

• Champion
• CT Team of the Year
• Outstanding Wrestler (Jakob Camacho)

CIAC Class LL

• Champion

FCIAC:

• Champion
• Of 15 spots for First Team All-FCIAC, 8 were awarded to Hatters, including:
• Tyler Johnson, freshman, 99 pounds
• Ryan Jack, freshman, 106 pounds
• Ben LeBlanc, sophomore, 113 pounds
• Jakob Camacho, junior, 120 pounds
• A.J. Kovacs, freshman, 145 pounds
• Jake Constantine, senior, 182 pounds
• Andrew Marquis, senior, 220 pounds
• Michael Gaboardi, senior 285 pounds