Category Archives: Division 1

Wrestling Dominates at Art of Combat Four

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BY ZAKKARIAH ROLFE

New York wrestlers from Section Four appeared on the Art of Combat Four card five times on Friday at the Broome County Arena, ending the night with four wins and only one loss.

The first fight on the preliminary card featured Tyler Bayer, a two-time Section Four champion out of Union Endicott. Bayer made quick work of his opponent Jon Ferguson, getting a very quick takedown before transitioning to full mount and raining punches down on his opponent for a TKO in the first round.

Next was another Section Four champion, Andrew Canale of Tioga Central, who got in the cage with John O’Brien. Canale started the fight with a takedown and got some punches in before surrendering a reversal. Things weren’t looking too good for Canale until he caught his opponent in an arm bar and forced the tap out to win by submission in the first round.

Conklin

Another Section Four finalist, Jon Conklin of Union Endicott, took on Dave Lust Jr in one of the best fights of the night. In round one, Conklin and Lust stayed on their feet, exchanging strikes until Conklin got in deep on a double with about three seconds to go and slammed Lust to the mat to secure the round.

In the second, things didn’t go as planned for Conklin as he was knocked down twice. However, after that, something seemed to click for Conklin and he came out looking for blood. He secured three takedowns and unloaded with punches from the top position on multiple occasions.

“After the second round I asked my coaches if I won,” Conklin said. “They said ‘just go out and win the third round.’ So all I had on my mind was really decisively winning the third round.”

He did just that, coming out with a unanimous decision victory.

In another contest decided by decision, Matthew Kurey from Chenango Valley matched up against Tyrone Tilson at 185 pounds. The clash started slow, with the fighters feeling each other out. Kurey seemed to win the first when he capitalized on a throw attempt by Tilson with a takedown at the end of the round.

In the second, the competitors battled for good position and Tilson threw knees and a few punches to win the round. The third was decided when Tilson slammed Kurey to the mat and kept him there, throwing punches and knees to the body. When the winner was announced, it was Tilson.

Perhaps the most well-known wrestler on the card, Derak Heyman, was also the most dominant. He began the fight with Jon Lopez in a three-point stance as if in a wrestling match.

“It was a part of the plan because he’s a kickboxer and you can’t kick an opponent with three points on the ground, and I wanted to get in his head,” Heyman said.

Heyman

The two-time New York state champion came out looking for a takedown early with a low ankle pick attempt that was easily stuffed by Lopez. From then on, whenever Lopez kicked, Heyman caught the leg and ended it with a takedown. He had three in the first round alone.

Entering the second, Heyman picked up another takedown before transitioning to full mount, locking up a merachonda hold and getting the submission victory.

Both Conklin and Heyman said afterward that they want to go professional in mixed martial arts eventually. Both said, however, that they need a bit more amateur experience before taking that big step.

“I want about five more fights before October, and then take eight or nine months just to train. After that get two more fights, see how I feel and then decide if I want to go pro,” Heyman said.

The Section Four alumni weren’t the only New York wrestlers in action. A pair of former grapplers from New Hartford also competed. Marc Giordano lost by submission in the first round to Paul McDonough at 170 while Mike Karam won a decision over TJ Duran at 135.

Overall, Friday was a great night for the wrestlers turned MMA fighters. For the Section Four competitors it was five fights and four wins. More Art of Combat action is coming soon to the area in Elmira on June 8.

Full results from this weekend’s action can be found at this link.

Vougar's Honors Wrestling Goes Undefeated to Win the Journeymen Freestyle Duals

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Freestyle season is well underway.  That much was clear on Sunday at Messa Rink on the campus of Union College as some of the top teams in the region clashed at the Journeymen Freestyle Club Duals.

When it was all said and done, it was Vougar’s Honors Wrestling (VHW) taking top billing after going 4-0 on the day.

“This is a very hard tournament with very good competition,” said Vougar Oroudjov. “It was our first freestyle tournament this year.  We had a few guys get hurt right before it and we didn’t have a 220 pounder, but we were committed to coming and getting some good matches.  Our team had a variety of wrestlers – some guys who are first and second year wrestlers, some who have not been all-county and also a state champion and other state placers. All the guys came together and wrestled hard and did a great job.”

VHW began action against the host squad from Journeymen in a contest Oroudjov called “a great dual against a very tough team.”  The score was all tied up going into the final bout (at heavyweight).

In that match, Seaford’s James O’Hagan, the third place finisher at the state tournament this year in Division I, got his hand raised to give VHW the victory.  It was the first triumph of an unbeaten day for the Nassau County 285 pounder.

It came down to the wire once again against Shamrock, with the final bout once again decisive.  (This time it was a forfeit).  VHW also had a strong performance against Iowa Style and wrestled well in a win against Ascend.

In that matchup of Long Island powers, Oroudjov pointed to some key victories from his squad, including bonus wins by Ben Lamantia, Steve Schneider and Carlos Toribio.  According to Oroudjov, Toribio, in his first-ever freestyle event, dropped the first period and was trailing in the second when he recorded a fall.  In addition, in a meeting of two of the state’s top lightweights, Vito Arujau topped John Arceri.

Santiago, Photo by BV

The wrestlers that came up big in that dual were strong throughout the day.  Lamantia, Toribio and Arujau all had unblemished records, as did the previously mentioned O’Hagan and a pair of Sachem wrestlers – East’s Jakob Restrepo and North’s Gio Santiago, according to Oroudjov.

“Restrepo wrestled really great,” Oroudjov said. “He lost by pin to one of his opponents last week, but came back and beat him this week.  I have a lot of respect for Gio Santiago.  He kept the team together; he was a leader.  He pumped everyone up and kept everyone going. It was just one tournament, but it was a good experience for us.”

It clearly was a good experience for the squad. And several other teams also had strong showings, with Journeymen taking second, and Shamrock and Ascend next in the overall standings, according to Frank Popolizio.

Freestyle season has begun and with the New York States only a few weeks away, the chance to watch many of the Empire State’s best compete in the international styles again is fast approaching.

—————

The VHW team: (as provided)

105 Pounds: Vito Arujau

112: John Twomey, Daniel Murray

119: Ben Lamantia, Nick Casella

125: Tim Johnson

130: Joe Russ

135: Hunter Sharf

140: Anthony Messina

145: Jakob Restrepo

152: Gino Titone/James Farrell

160: Zack Small/Eric Hunson

170: Steve Schneider

185: Carlos Toribio

195: Gio Santiago/Robert Ng

225: None

285: James O’Hagan

Youth Champions Crowned at the 2013 Pop & Flo Mini Men Nationals

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The poster for the 2013 Pop & Flo Mini-Men Nationals says it is “where the young guns come to settle their differences.”

There were definitely a lot of young guns on hand on Saturday at Union College for the event, which featured hundreds of wrestlers across the Bantam, Midget, Junior and Intermediate competitions.

“It was an awesome tournament,” said G2 World Wrestling Academy’s Adam Burgos. “The competition was phenomenal and with 10 mats, it was very efficient. The certified officials were great and it was easy to watch and follow. It’s a tournament that our club will definitely have on our calendar in the future.”

The top finishers in each class received prizes such as Brute singlets, Forever Fierce hoodies and trophies. 

For the first through fourth placers in each bracket, see below. 

(Please comment with changes or additions).
 

BANTAM

43:
Aidan Shufelt (FLWC)
Seach Park Hibler (Apex)
Jeffrey Ellert (Underground)
Kaden Rice (Wawc)

48:
Gianni Silvestri (Tioga Central)
Ashton Seymour (Mike’s Garage Grapplers)
Davis Motyka (Rock Solid)
Rylan Padelford (Colonie)

53:
August West Hibler (Apex)
Nicky Callaghan (G2)
Luca Manfredi (Newtown Youth)
Ryder Machado (Underground)

60:
William Henckel (Newtown Youth)
Zak Ryder (Underground)
Luca Duva (Iowa Style)
Andrew Reall (Predator Wrestling)

70:
Sonny Sasso (Dark Knights)
Andrew Filip (Underground)
Jack Richardson (Marcaurele)
Benjamin Shue (Basement Boyz)

95:
Ethan Gallo (Underground)
Eddie Terreri (Njac)

 
MIDGET

50:
Jaden Pepe (Rock Solid)
Isiac Paulino (NE Elite CT)
Evan Kinney (Doughboy)
TJ Morton (NJ Scorpions)

60:
Nicholas Palso Jr (Journeymen)
Carlson Porter (Smitty’s Barn)
Daniel Wask (Scorpions)
Nate Chandler (Doughboy)

65:
Ryan Defoney (Intensity)
Cooper Price (Rock Solid)
Jimmy Harrington (Doughboy)
Will Fish (Dark Knights)

70:
Jayden Scott (G2)
Joshua Sharron (Newport Rec)
Nicky Fea (Goshen)
Hayden Rabideau (Catamount)

75:
Caleb Galloway (Hornell)
Luca Pirozzolo (G2)
Stefan Wade (Hoosick Falls)
Ian Burke (Smitty’s Barn)

80:
Preston Machado (Underground)
Sean Kinney (Dark Knights)
Justin Onello (Olympic)
Mark Thomas (Doughboy)

90:
Cooper Kropman (Penfield)
Jeffrey Crooks (Journeymen)
Tylynn Lukens (Team Dynamic)
Brady Roux (Salem Bulldogs)

100:
Hunter McKenna (Journeymen)
Jamikael Boutin (NE Elite)

 
JUNIOR

60:
Zachary Soda (Doughboy)
Joe Scheeren (Journeymen)
Braeden O’Brien (NE Elite)
Nate Chandler (Doughboy)

65:
JJ White (Rock Solid)
Nico Provo (Team Tugman)
Dylan Cedeno (Scorpions)
Greg Diakomihalis (G2)

70:
Drew Munch (Dark Knights)
Zachary Martinez (Olympic)
Aidan Canfield (Iowa Style)
Gregory Hotaling (Journeymen)

75:
Tyler Sung (Apex)
Ryan Burgos (G2)
David Krokowski (Rock Solid)
Max Kropman (Penfield)

80:
Brock Delsignore (Journeymen)
John Worthing (Tioga)
Dean Shambo (Mexico)
Andrew Laubach (Tioga)

85:
Jackson Erb (Sepa)
Malachy Farrell (G2)
Joseph Simons (Farmingdale)
Keenan Taylor (Catamount)

90:
Julian Chlebove (Dark Knights)
Corey Connolly (Longwood)
Ryan Burgbacher (631 Elite)
Hunter Adams (Fisheye)

95:
Zachary Lawrence (Journeymen)
Reid Colella (Olympic)
Dylan Batlle (Newtown Youth)
Shaun Allen (Cobra)

100:
Noah Call (Catamount)
Stefan Major (631 Elite)
Carson Licastri (Iowa Style)
Bassam Qasrawi (Wobum)

110:
Harrison Shapiro (Mercury Rising)
Sampson Wilkins (Catamount)
Liam Mooney (Journeymen)
Jack Dardia (Delaware Valley)

135:
Shaine Luzietti (Newtown Youth)
Nolan Mcneill (Warrensburg)
Chris Charleston (Farmingdale)
Mason Lazorchak (Cannonball)

 
INTERMEDIATE

73:
Michael Gonyea (Journeymen)
Kevin DePalma (Team Evolution)
Jared Defoney (Intensity)
Zachary Cummings (Salem Central)

78:
Dylan Ryder (631 Elite)
Cameron Enriquez (Dark Knights)
Ruddy Paulino (NE Elite)

83:
Adam Busiello (631 Elite)
Jakob Camacho (Dywa)
Orion Anderson (Hoosick Falls)
Cole Wyman (Dungeon)

90:
Brian Kelly (631 Elite)
Dillan Palaszewski (Journeymen)
Conor Thompson (NE Elite)
John DeRidder (VHW)

95:
Dane Heberlein (Alexander)
Ryan Luth (NE Elite)
James Trezza (631 Elite)
Jake Silverstein (631 Elite)

100:
Sam Sasso (Dark Knights)
Rowan Braga (Journeymen)
Tyler Mitchell (G2)
Thomas Leuci (Newtown)

105:
Hector Colom (Scorpion/Cobra)
Ben Tepperman (631 Elite)
Josh Stillings (Sepa)
Christian Gramuglia (Journeymen)

110:
Michael Venosa (Superior)
Anthony Sobotker (631 Elite)
Edward Lovely (Newtown Youth)
Andrei Steinjann (Newtown Youth)

115:
Tyler Delorenzo (Dark Knights)
Colin Hogan (Cellar Dwellers)
Michael Ross (NE Elite)
Shane Connolly (Olympic)

125:
Tyler Hazard (Journeymen)
Eoghan Sweeney (Journeymen)
Nicholas Robbins (Journeymen)
Darrin Simons (Farmingdale)

135:
Anthony Falbo (Newtown Youth)
Trent Goodman (Wrestlers Way)
Travis Stefanik (Dark Knights)
Tyler Barnes (Journeymen)

150:
Cade Moisey (Dark Knights)
Clifton Wang (ISW)
Jason Hoffman (Journeymen)
David Crow (Thorobred)

175:
Joseph Eiden (631 Elite)
Benton Whitley (NE Elite)
Daniel Knapp (Whitesboro)
Brandon Cousino (Vergennes)

230:
Ryan Pinkham (NE Elite)
Cole McKee (Cellar Dwellers)

A Quick Look at the National Ratings: Who From New York Ended the Year Ranked?

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Who ended the 2012-13 campaign in the national rankings? We took a look at the most recent postings by Intermat, Flowrestling, Amateur Wrestling News and WIN to see which New Yorkers were included. The rankings by the former two sites were updated after the NHSCA/Flowrestling events, while the others are from before those tournaments occured.

A number of wrestlers were named on one or more of the websites, with sophomore Nick Piccininni of Ward Melville, junior Burke Paddock of Warsaw and senior Tyler Grimaldi of Half Hollow Hills West ranked in the top 20 at their weights by all four of those publications.

Piccinnini, Photo by BV

Piccininni, a two-time state champion, is Flo’s #7 113 pounder in the nation. He ranges from #15-18 on the other sites.  He is also a top 30 recruit in the Class of 2015 according to both Intermat and Flo.

Grimaldi and Paddock ensured that the Empire State is well represented in the 160-pound standings. Paddock ranges between #10 (Intermat) and #15 (Flo) and is also a top 100 recruit in the class of 2014, according to Intermat and Flo.  Meanwhile, Grimaldi is #12 by both Intermat and WIN and #14 and 16 on the other sites.

While not in the top 20 at their weights at this point, Intermat believes both Greene’s Christian Dietrich and Hilton’s Yianni Diakomihalis are among the elite wrestlers at their grade levels. In addition, Flowrestling ranks Diakomihalis and Eastport South Manor’s Adam Busiello among the country’s best at the junior high level.

For the full list of rankings, see below: (Please comment with any changes or additions).

SENIORS

Zach Bacon (Hornell) #17 at 220 (Intermat), #18 at 220 (AWN)

TJ Fabian (Shoreham Wading River) Top 100 Senior recruit (Intermat), #9 at 126 (Intermat), #12 at 126 (Flo)

Tyler Grimaldi (Half Hollow Hills West) Top 100 Senior in the Nation (Flo), #12 at 160 (both Intermat and WIN), #14 at 160 (AWN), #16 at 160 (Flo)

Mike Hughes (Smithtown West) #18 at 285 (Intermat)

Nick Kelley (Shenendehowa) #13 at 138 (WIN)

Nick Tighe (Phoenix) #17 at 138 (AWN)

Zack Zupan (Canastota) Top 100 Senior in the Nation (Intermat and Flo), #8 at 182 (Intermat), #16 at 182 (AWN), #15 at 182 (Flo)

JUNIORS

James O’Hagan (Seaford) #20 at 285 (Intermat)

Burke Paddock (Warsaw) Top 100 Junior in the Nation (Intermat and Flo), #10 at 160 (Intermat), #11 (WIN), #13 (AWN), #15 (Flo)

Renaldo Rodriguez-Spencer (Cheektowoga) Top 100 Junior in the Nation (Intermat and Flo), #13 at 132 (Intermat), #18 at 132 (Flo)

Corey Rasheed (Longwood) Top 100 Junior in the Nation (Flo), #13 at 152 (Flo), #16 (WIN)

SOPHOMORES

Nick Piccininni (Ward Melville) Top 50 Sophomore in the Nation (Intermat and Flo), #7 at 113 (Flo), #15 (Intermat), #17 (WIN), #18 (AWN)

FRESHMEN

Christian Dietrich (Greene) Top 20 Freshman in the Nation (Intermat)

JUNIOR HIGH

Adam Busiello (Eastport South Manor) Top 50 Junior High Wrestler in the Nation (Flo)

Yianni Diakomihalis (Hilton) Top 10 Junior High Wrestler in the Nation (Intermat and Flo)

 

**AWN Rankings are from March 14; WIN rankings are from April 2, Flo and Intermat rankings more recent

No Time to Waste: Michael Hughes Looks to Keep Winning (and Pinning) at Hofstra

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About 50 minutes.  That’s the total time future Hofstra heavyweight Michael Hughes spent on the mat this year on his way to an undefeated campaign and a state championship for Smithtown West.

That’s an average of less than a minute and a half per match (for his 34 bouts, excluding forfeits).  Not too surprising since he wrestled into the second period only six times all season.

“I expected to be really dominant this year,” Hughes said. “After training with the partners my coaches brought in for me, who are bigger than me and tossed me around, it was so much easier in the matches.  I went on the mat thinking there would be no fooling around.  No matter who I was wrestling or how good they were, I wanted to end it as quickly as possible and show everyone I was the best.”

Photo by BV

The best in Section 11?  He demonstrated that with an exclamation point.  It took him less than two and a half minutes to pin his four Suffolk tournament opponents to capture his second straight Sectional title and punch his ticket back to the Times Union Center.

“I guess I was a little surprised at how fast it was,” Hughes said. “I think I was expecting it to take a little bit longer — but not too much longer. When I got after people, they couldn’t stay with me.  I went all out.”

And that’s exactly what he planned to do in his last chance in Albany as well.  As a junior, he took sixth at the state tournament.  In 2013, he was determined to show that he was #1 in the Empire State despite entering as the number four seed.

“I definitely couldn’t wait to go back [to the state tournament],” he said. “I lost my last two matches there as a junior. It was a tough way to finish. I knew that wasn’t who I was as a wrestler.  It made me step up my training. I think taking sixth actually helped me.”

It may have done that, because the road to a title had a number of potential roadblocks, including foes such as 2012 state runner up El Shaddai Van Hoesen of Columbia and Seaford’s James O’Hagan, the only wrestler to go the full six minutes with Hughes prior to the postseason (in a 4-0 Hughes victory).

“After looking at the bracket, I knew I had the tougher half,” Hughes said. “Last year, I had four of the six placers on my side and the same thing happened this year.  I knew I would have a tough match in the semis [which wound up being a 1-0 decision over O’Hagan], but I was confident about the finals.  I told the coaches that when I made the finals I would pin the kid no matter what.”

His prediction came true as he earned the fall against Spencerport’s Austin Coleman in just two and a half minutes.  And he didn’t just accomplish his mission to win it all.  He made some history as well, becoming Smithtown West’s first-ever state champion.

“I thought it was really cool,” Hughes said. “Knowing all the good wrestlers that came from Smithtown before and watching a lot of them when I was growing up, it was great to get the title for myself and for the school.”

The victories kept coming for Hughes.  He pinned Eric Chakonis in the decisive bout of the Pinning Down Autism Charity Challenge to ensure New York’s third straight dual victory over rival New Jersey.  And a few weeks later, he rebounded from an early 4-1 deficit against the previously mentioned Van Hoesen with a late third period takedown to win 5-4 in the Long Island vs. Upstate Challenge, which eventually ended in a tie.

And he still wasn’t done.  Hughes said he wanted to make his mark on the national level and he checked that off the list as well as he made the trip to Virginia Beach to compete at the NHSCA Senior Nationals.

“I wanted to go down and compete against the best in the country to see how I would do,” he said. “I had no clue who anyone was or how good they were. I just thought if I wrestled hard, I could compete with anyone.  My goal at first was to be an All-American.”

He did more than that, going all the way to the championship contest before finishing as the runner up to Will Geary of Kansas.

“Making it to the finals was great.  I couldn’t be any happier,” Hughes said.  “I wish I won the last one, but second place was really great.”

It also spoke to the potential of the three-sport athlete who will fully focus on wrestling in the future after splitting his attention among football, wrestling and track in the past.

“For me, at the start of my senior year, I was trying to figure out what the best fit would be in college,” Hughes said. “I was torn between football and wrestling for a while, but in February, I decided.  I realized then that I didn’t have to ask myself which one I preferred anymore, I just knew that I wanted to wrestle.”

He’ll do that for the Pride after also considering Buffalo, Bloomsburg, Ohio and Sacred Heart.

“I wanted to stay close to home,” Hughes explained. “Hofstra has a great wrestling program and I loved the coaches. They have great personalities and are motivated to push the wrestlers to be the best they can.”

Hughes looks forward to the challenge and said he may add some size as he transitions to being a heavyweight at the college level.  However, he emphasized the importance of maintaining his quickness.  And he expects some other things to stay the same as well.

“I like when things come down to me,” he said. “I don’t want to settle for close matches, I want to keep ending them as quickly as possible.”

 ———————————————————

Mike Hughes had a few people he wanted to thank:  “I want to thank my coaches for everything they’ve done for me, especially bringing people in to work with me and spending time after practice just working on the little things that made a difference.  I also want to thank all my friends and family for coming to watch me and supporting me. It was always a great feeling seeing they were there.”

**All match times taken from the NWCA High School Scorebook

 

Six New Yorkers Win Titles, Over 40 Place at the Ohio Tournament of Champions

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2013 New York state champion Yianni Diakomihalis is very familiar with the top of the podium at the Ohio Tournament of Champions, advertised as the “largest one-day tournament in the world.”

For the third consecutive year, the Hilton standout won a championship at the prestigious event, this time at 110 pounds in the Schoolboy division. The G2 World Wrestling Academy representative was also third in 2010 and second the year before.

But he did more than go undefeated himself.

Diakomihalis, Photo by BV

“Yianni relishes in the experience,” said G2 owner/coach Adam Burgos. “He was running around, keeping track of all our guys. He was doing everything; he’s like a machine. He coached a lot of the kids and then he and his dad coached one of our coaches to a title.”

Burgos was referring to former Spencerport standout and current G2 staff member Mike Collura, who captured first place in the Open Division at 165 pounds with an overtime takedown. According to Burgos, Diakhomihalis and his father manned Collura’s corner during his title bout.

“Mike has been a huge asset to G2 this year, we’re really glad to have him,” Burgos said. “He’s helped out immensely with the kids. He got the itch to compete himself and when he decided to do it, he attacked it. His championship really capped off the weekend for us.”

But Diakomihalis and Collura weren’t alone in bringing gold medals back to the Empire State. A pair of wrestlers from Cobra Wrestling Academy, Dane Heberlein (Cadet 92 pounds) and Nick Jones (Schoolboy 240 pounds), also won their brackets on Saturday.

“Nick [Jones] pretty much always has to go up an age group to compete at tournaments because he’s an eighth grade heavyweight,” said Cobra Wrestling Academy Executive Director Keith Maute.  “He usually has to wrestle against older guys, but this tournament had a solid group of kids for him to compete against and he did very well.”

Heberlein has a bit of experience at the tournament, having placed four times since 2006, including several top four showings. However, it was the first time he won it all.

“It was exciting for Dane because out of all the big tournaments, this is the only one he never won,” Maute said.

Heberlein wasn’t the only New York winner in the Cadet division. In fact, at just one weight class higher, the Empire State boasted another champion – New Hartford’s Kelan McKenna. The 2013 All-State grappler from Section 3 won his second Ohio T of C title in three years, as he earned first place in 2011 and was second at 92 pounds last April.

Another wrestler with some prior history in Columbus is Slate Hill’s Ethan Gallo. A year ago, he grabbed seventh place in the Bantam 80 pound class. Over the weekend he once again entered at that weight and this time, he went all the way to the top, adding another line to his lengthy spring resume. Among his recent accomplishments are capturing titles at the NYWAY State Championships, the Empire Nationals and the Gene Mills Eastern Nationals.

Haas, Photo by BV

Another 13 wrestlers from New York lost just a single bout on Saturday, finishing in the top 3. Those include G2’s Frankie Gissendanner of Penfield at 140 pounds, a champion at this tournament the past two seasons., who was edged 1-0 in the title bout when a penalty point was awarded to his opponent late in the match, according to Burgos.

Gissendanner was one of several state qualifiers who made the finals this weekend in Ohio, along with Spencerport’s Jon Haas (who took third in Albany) and Andrew Shomers of Lewiston Porter. Fellow Section 6 wrestler Hector Colom of Dunkirk also took runner up honors after winning at 90 pounds in 2012.

In addition, a trio of Bantam grapplers, Andrew Filip of New Hampton, Kevin Daskavitz of Lockport and Herman Wooten of Niagara Falls, all went to the finals in their brackets.

In all, New York had over 40 placers at the event, which drew around 3000 wrestlers from all over the country and featured 40 full sized mats of competition.

For the full list of all the top 8 medalists from the Empire State, see below.

With any further additions or changes, please comment below.

Champions
Ethan Gallo, Bantam 80 (Slate Hill)
Yianni Diakomihalis, Schoolboy 110 (Rochester)
Nick Jones, Schoolboy 240 (Dunkirk)
Dane Heberlein, Cadet 92 (Darien)
Kelan McKenna, Cadet 100 (New Hartford)
Mike Collura, Open 165 (West Henrietta)

Second Place

Andrew Filip, Bantam 65 (New Hampton)
Kevin Daskavitz, Bantam 80 (Lockport)
Herman Wooten III, Bantam 95 (Niagara Falls)
Hector Colom, Schoolboy 100 (Dunkirk)
Frankie Gissendanner, Schoolboy 140 (Rochester)
Andrew Shomers, Cadet 135 (Ransomville)
Jon Haas, Elite 112 (Spencerport)

Third Place

Jaden Crumpler, Bantam 45 (Niagara Falls)
Carson Alberti, Midget 60 (East Aurora)
Cooper Kropman, Midget 85 (Rochester)
Benny Baker, Junior 90 (Newark Valley)
Joe Lupisella, Cadet 160 (Webster)
Dennis Ferro, Elite 153 (Great River)

Fourth Place

Jayden Scott, Midget 68 (West Henrietta)
Max Kropman, Junior 72 (Rochester)
Tyler Barnes, Schoolboy 126 (Rock City Falls)
Trevor Hoffmier, Elite 160 (Newark Valley)

Fifth Place

Connor Day, Schoolboy 96 (Elma)
Drew Schafer, Cadet 85 (Marion)
Tito Colom, Cadet 110 (Dunkirk)
Jimmy Leach, Elite 132 (Manorville)

Sixth Place

Caleb Galloway, Midget 76 (Hornell)
Joseph Dixon, Midget 80 (Niagara Falls)
Jace Schafer, Junior 56 (Marion)
Jake Brewer, Cadet 85 (Orchard Park)
Carm O’Donnell, Elite 153 (Angola)

Seventh Place

Colin Bradshaw, Midget 52 (Liverpool)
Greg Diakomihalis, Junior 64 (Rochester)

Tony Kuhn, Open 220 (Sanborn)

Eighth Place

JJ Lucinski , Bantam 40 (Lockport)
Sam Wolf, Junior 90 (Warsaw)
Keagen Case, Junior 95 (Boonville)
Tyler Castro, Junior 125 (Otisville)
Troy Keller, Cadet 100 (North Tonawanda)
Theo Powers, Cadet 105 (Mexico)
Travis Race, Cadet 171 (Fulton)
Collin Pittman, Elite 190 (Spencerport)
Henry Beaman, Open 135 (Niagara Falls)

St. Anthony's to Sacred Heart: State Runner Up Johnny Vrasidas Chooses the Pioneers

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As he looked back at his high school career, Johnny Vrasidas said what was most memorable was the leap he made from his freshman to sophomore seasons for St. Anthony’s.

“I went from being a backup and sitting all season to winning my first Catholic State title,” he said. “That was huge – making so much progress. I got to go to the state tournament for the first time and winning a match there was a building block for me.”

On Thursday, Vrasidas said he was ready to become part of another building process. The standout senior committed to Sacred Heart University, a wrestling team that is looking to make a jump in its second year under head coach Andy Lausier.

“Sacred Heart is almost like a new program, really getting a new start,” he said. “Coach Lausier talked to me about what he’s trying to build and I want to be part of it. I had a great visit there and I’m happy to spend the next four years there with a really good group of recruits.”

The class assembled by Lausier has a strong New York presence. In fact, according to Intermat’s recruiting list, seven of the 11 wrestlers heading to the Connecticut school next fall are from the Empire State. That list includes several grapplers Vrasidas already knows, including his current teammate Nick Allesandrini and Shoreham Wading River’s Zak Mullen and TJ Fabian.

Photo by BV

“Having those wrestlers going was definitely a factor for me,” Vrasidas said, noting that he was also strongly considering Hofstra and American. “Knowing someone like TJ [Fabian, the NHSCA Senior Nationals champion at 126 pounds] will be in the room will be a huge motivation.”

Motivation wasn’t a problem for Vrasidas coming into his senior campaign. After finishing one win short of All-State status in 2012, he was determined to end his career with a spot on the podium.

“When I lost my last match at the state tournament as a junior, I knew I was so close,” he said. “I literally started training right away. I went to all the clubs on Long Island and wrestled some of the best kids in the state. I did some freestyle. I started lifting weights. I realized what I had to do to get to that next level. It was two or three practices a day – going to school, going to school practice, then club practice and then to the gym to lift. Some nights I didn’t get home until 11, but that’s what you have to do to become a champion.”

He was favored to win his third straight CHSAA championship – and he did that. But after a 22-14 record as an 11th grader, Vrasidas brought a 34-1 mark into Albany and although he was the eighth seed at 170 pounds, he fully expected to do far better than that.

“My expectations were that I would be a state champion,” he said. “I wrestled at clubs with some of the top guys at that weight and I knew I could compete with them. I lost in the Summer Heat tournament to Carlos Toribio in a pretty close match where I felt I made some stupid mistakes. I expected to win the whole thing.”

He started off with a 7-6 decision over Kyle McGuire of Newburgh and then was set to meet another familiar face – top seeded Danny McDevitt of Wantagh. Vrasidas said they practiced together in the offseason.

“I went into the match really focused,” he said of wrestling McDevitt. “I thought if I could just get past him, I could win it all. He was the favorite but I went in there and wrestled my match.”

He certainly did that, taking an 8-2 decision in the process of handing McDevitt his only loss of the campaign. After a pin in the semifinals over Monroe Woodbury’s AJ Voelker, Vrasidas squared off with Toribio in the title bout.

The Brentwood senior came away with a 4-3 triumph, sending Vrasidas to a state silver medal.

“I wasn’t happy, but it’s something I have to accept,” Vrasidas said. “I wish I came out on top but I didn’t wrestle the match I wanted to.”

However, the performance did put him on the medal stand for the first time in New York. And a few weeks later, he picked up another honor – on the national level.

At the NHSCA Senior Nationals in Virginia Beach, Vrasidas took eighth place at 170 pounds.

“Last year at that tournament, I was one win away from being an All-American,” he said. “So I definitely went in wanting to be an All-American this time. I was really proud to do it because I’m only the second person ever in my school to accomplish that as a senior.”

Now it’s on to a new set of goals. One is to graduate with a degree in criminal justice from Sacred Heart. But before that, he’s looking to make an impact on the mat in the EIWA, something he hopes to do at 165 or 174 pounds.

“Coach Lausier said I should be looking to wrestle right away,” he said. “Going out there as a freshman should be a great experience.”
——————

Johnny Vrasidas wished to thank his parents for everything they’ve done for him, including all the hours of driving and traveling. He said he “wouldn’t be where I am right now if not for them.”.

Hofstra Heavy: Undefeated State Champion Michael Hughes Commits to the Pride

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One of New York’s best will be staying in the Empire State to wrestle at the Division I level. Smithtown West senior Michael Hughes, an undefeated state champion at 285 pounds in 2012-13, informed New York Wrestling News on Wednesday that he will sign with Hofstra University this week.

“Michael is excited to be representing NYS at the next level and looking forward to wrestling at Hofstra,” the message from his family stated.

Photo by BV

After a sixth place finish at the state tournament as a junior, Hughes followed up with a spectacular final campaign for the Suffolk County school, registering a 42-0 record with 39 bonus point victories (31 falls).

It didn’t stop there for Hughes. His pin clinched the third straight dual meet victory for New York over rival New Jersey at the Pinning Down Autism Charity Challenge in March and he then earned a pivotal come-from-behind triumph over El Shaddai Van Hoesen of Columbia in the inaugural Long Island vs. Upstate Challenge. (The event ended in a tie).

A few weeks ago, Hughes capped off his career by collecting All-American honors with a second place showing at the NHSCA Senior Nationals in Virginia Beach. The Section 11 champion began the event with wins over opponents from Utah, New Jersey and Washington to make the title bout against Will Geary of Kansas.

'Striking Back' With Top Notch Wrestling: This Weekend's Empire Nationals Recap

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Numerous wrestlers flocked to the campus of SUNY Brockport this weekend for the two-day Brute Empire Nationals.

On Saturday, the individual tournaments took place, with over 60 brackets ranging from 43 pounds to the 285-pound high school division.  And for those who wanted more, Sunday provided a dual meet competition, with 14 squads fighting it out in the Kindergarten-8th grade group and another 10 squaring off at the high school level.

When all was said and done, it was Cobra Wrestling Academy that came out on top in the high school dual tournament and New Jersey’s A & B Core that captured the dual title in the youth division.

Cobra won all five meets, with a team that offered quality wrestlers from top to bottom, including many who competed (and placed) in Albany in February.   In the championship contest against Superior Black, Cobra earned a 46-16 victory.

“Our team was strong across the whole lineup and got a lot of bonus points when the opportunities were there,” said Cobra Executive Director Keith Maute. “We didn’t have close duals, but we did have some great matches.”

Among the highlight bouts, according to Maute, were victories by Tito Colom over All-State lightweight Kelan McKenna and by Matt Booth over Trent Egenlauf, the number two seed at this year’s state tournament.  In addition, Maute mentioned a pair of wins by his team members over 2013 New York second place finishers (Kellen Devlin over Sean Peacock and Nathan Schwab over Rowdy Prior).  For the full list of Cobra grapplers, see the end of this article.

There were many winners in the individual action, but one name that came up quite a few times was “Kropman”.  That’s because the Penfield-based family boasted four first place finishes as well as a runner up showing.  Cooper, Max, Parker and Skylar Kropman all took gold, while Max (first at 70 pounds in Division 3) competed again in Division 4 at 73 pounds and grabbed silver there as well.

Another member of the Kropman clan was well represented at the event as well.  Scott Kropman, the father of all the previously mentioned wrestlers, is currently battling cancer.  In order to raise funds to help in this fight, t-shirts and hoodies that said “Empire Nationals Wrestling Tournament Strikes Back Against Cancer” sold prior to and during the event.

Courtesy of the Empire Nationals Website

“Scott Kropman has always been a supporter of the Empire Nationals as well as a friend to all!” the event website said. “We are very appreciative of everything he has ever done for this tournament and mindful of everything he means to youth wrestling in our area. Scott is a loving husband and father of seven! He is a positive influence and an inspirational person.”

The Kropmans weren’t the only New York family to collect several awards.  Brothers Hector and Tito Colom both competed in two different divisions on Saturday.  Hector won the 105-pound bracket in Division 5 while taking third at the same weight in Division 4.  Meanwhile, Tito was second at 113 in Division 6 and third at 112 one Division down.  Also of note, Journeymen’s Michael Gonyea made the finals twice – grabbing top billing at 73 pounds in Division 4 while recording second at 78 pounds.

In addition, Division 6 featured 2013 New York state placers atop the podium at a number of weights, including Jonathan Haas (113), Bryan Lantry (120), Sean Peacock (126), Dan Reagan (145) and Sam Eagan (220).

For the top four finishers in the individual competition, see below (from KapWrestling):

Division I

43 Pounds
Darren Bailey (Thorobred, NY)
Ethan Illerbrun (Kane, PA)
Cooper Gronowski (Cobra, NY)
James Leuer (Lockport, NY)

48 Pounds
Jaden Crumpler (Power Cats, NY)
Ashton Seymour (Mike’s Garage Grapplers, NY)
Trey Kimball (Camden, NY)
Lucas Tirpak (Rock Solid, PA)

53 Pounds
Ashton Homan (Btw, OH)
Cole Murray (Mineral Wells, WV)
August Hibler (New Canaan, CT)
Ayden Woolston (Nt Sprawlers, NY)

60 Pounds
Julien Griffith (Palmer, OH)
Max Hermes (Edison, OH)
Jack Clough (Ihc Cavaliers, NY)
Jeremiah Russell (Team Erie Vipers, PA)

70 Pounds
Wesley Holley (Gilead Christian, NY)
Mason Maring (Westfield, NY)
Landon Kelly (Rrwc, PA)
Timothy Connolly (Olympic, NJ)

95 Pounds
Ethan Gallo (Underground, NY)
Kevin Daskavitz (Lockport, NY)
Aric Bloomquist (Jamestown, NY)
Troy Legault (Brockport, NY)

Division 2

50 Pounds
Nic Allison (Siglerville, PA)
Jaden Pepe (Rock Solid, PA)
Wesley Wydick (Mt. Vernon Killer Bees, OH)
Michael Santore (Journeymen, NY)

55 Pounds
Jake Craig (Mat Cats, ME)
Jacob Van Dee (Ragin Raisins, PA)
Chase Liardi (Long Beach Gladiators, NY)
Colin Bradshaw (Pin2Win, NY)

60 Pounds
Carson Alberti (Iroquois, NY)
Mark Botello (Smitty’s Barn, MA)
Maximilian Leete (Mercury Rising, MA)
Evan Maag (Rsw, PA)

65 Pounds
Peter Ruiz, (Northeast Elite, RI)
Nolan Fenton (Pa Rednecks, PA)
Andy Lucinski (Lockport, NY)
Nico Berlingeri (Olympic, NJ)

70 Pounds
Shawn Russell (Team Erie Vipers, PA)
Nick Fea (Goshen, NY)
Jacob Deguire (Journeymen, NY)
Ian Darling (Mercury Rising, MA)

75 Pounds
Blake Clayton (The Beast, NJ)
Paniro Johnson (Team Erie Vipers, PA)
Nicholas Fine (NE Elite, RI)
Ethan Sanderson (Titletown Fight Club, NY)

80 Pounds
Nicholas Crisp (Prescott, PA)
Jack Brantly (Olympic, NJ)
Justin Onello (Olympic, NJ)
Aydin Rix McElhinney (Southern Maine Trappers, ME)

90 Pounds
Cooper Kropman (Penfield, NY)
Jeffrey Crooks (Journeymen, NY)
Connor Haroutunian (Waldwick, NJ)
Michael Main (Fusion, NY)

100 Pounds
Hunter McKenna (Journeymen, NY)
Joseph Delgado (Jamestown, NY)

115 Pounds
Mason Lazorchak (Cannonball, NJ)

135 Pounds
Cael Black (Eisenhower, PA)
Mason Lazorchak (Cannonball, NJ)

Division 3

60 Pounds
Jacob Brumett (Ragin Raisins, PA)
Joe Scheeren (Journeymen, NY)
Luke Hoerle (Drill Masters, NJ)
Tyler Bartolomei (Cobra, NY)

65 Pounds
Myles Griffin (Mexico, NY)
CJ Composto (Apex, NJ)
JJ White (Rock Solid, PA)
Alijah Seymour (Mike’s Garage Grapplers, NY)

70 Pounds
Max Kropman (Penfield, NY)
Nicolas Botello (Smitty’s Barn, MA)
Nicholas Sabin (Lake Catholic, OH)
Hunter Adrian (Mercury Rising, MA)

75 Pounds
Nicholas Burgard (Conneaut Cougars, OH)
David Krokowski (Rock Solid, PA)
Jack Darling (Mercury Rising, MA)
Brock DelSignore (Journeymen, NY)

80 Pounds
Kyle Mosher (Long Beach Gladiators, NY)
Noah Castillo (Drill Masters, NJ)
Caleb Dowling (Juniata, PA)
Justin McDougald (Cobra, NY)

85 Pounds
David Berkovich (Long Beach Gladiators, NY)
Jimmy Kramer (Warren, PA)
Noah Strout (Smitty’s Barn, NH)
Cole Hivnor (Lake Catholic, OH)

90 Pounds
Benny Baker (Rock Solid, NY)
Warren McDougald (Cobra, NY)
Ed Scott (Dubois, PA)
Willie McDougald (Power Cats, NY)

100 Pounds
Dempsey Carroll (Copenhagen, NY)
Anthony Hinson (Roughneck, PA)
Tyler Kellison (Vvs, NY)
Joseph Koplow (Lake Catholic, OH)

110 Pounds
Carter Starocci (Team Erie Vipers, PA)
David Cumberledge (Ashtabula, OH)
Harrison Shapiro (Mercury Rising)
Gabriel Onorato (Raw 241, NJ)

135 Pounds
Drew Butera (Lake Catholic, OH)
Colby Johnson (Vvs, NY)
Shaine Luzietti (Newtown, CT)
Cael Black (Midget)

Division 4

73 Pounds
Michael Gonyea (Journeymen, NY)
Max Kropman (Penfield, NY)
Matthew Mustakis (Long Beach Gladiators, NY)
Evan Lesher (G2, NY)

78 Pounds
Sam Bacon (Ragin Raisins, PA)
Michael Gonyea (Journeymen, NY)
Owen Kissell (Viper Garage, NY)
Sam Baker (Cobra, NY)

83 Pounds
Dillan Palaszewski (Journeymen, NY)
Cole Rhone (Benton, PA)
Joe Klock (Benton, PA)
Sam Sallot (Ragin Raisins, PA)

90 Pounds
AJ Burkhart (Superior, NY)
Sebastian Comejo (Drill Masters, NJ)
Jonathan Gomez (Long Beach Gladiators, NY)
Cody Craig (Mat Cats, ME)

95 Pounds
Jacori Teemer (Long Beach Gladiators, NY)
Matthew Cabezas (Smitty’s Barn, MA)
Colton Babcock (Benton, PA)
Farouq Muhammed (Shaker, OH)

100 Pounds
Devon Briton (Rsw, PA)
Creighton Edsell (Wyalusing, PA)
Connor McGonagle (Smitty’s Barn, ME)
Matthew Maquet (Long Beach Gladiators, NY)

105 Pounds
Wade Unger (Olympic, NJ)
Shayne McCann (Smitty’s Barn, NH)
Hector Colom (Scorpion Cobra, NY)
Luke Wymer (Akron, OH)

115 Pounds
Mike Stuart (Rock Solid, PA)
Anthony Martoccio (Drill Masters, PA)
Carnell Andrews (Coldsteel, PA)
Philip Conigliaro (Smitty’s Barn, MA)

125 Pounds
Joshua McKenzie (Triumph, NJ)
Chris Barker (Fairport, NY)
Tyler Barnes (Journeymen, NY)
Kevin Ciresa (Apex, NJ)

135 Pounds
Joseph Giorlando (Long Beach Gladiators, NY)
Blake Aina (Brockport, NY)
Danny Contino (Marcaurele, CT)
Jacob W (Spencerport, NY)

150 Pounds
Frankie Gissendanner (G2, NY)
Gavin Hoffman (Rock Solid, PA)
Anthony Walters (Young Guns, PA)
Ryan Fredette (Cummings Compound, ME)

175 Pounds
Jerry Ogurkis (Dallas, PA)
Calvin Hayford (Winooski, VT)
David Clayton (The Beast, NJ)
Dominic Salerno (Thorobred, NY)

230 Pounds
Nick Jones (Cobra, NY)

Division 5

98 Pounds
Kelan McKenna (Superior, NY)
Troy Keller (Cobra, NY)
Derek St. James (G2, NY)
Dylan Arena (Cobra, NY)

105 Pounds
Hector Colom (Scorpion Cobra, NY)
Vincent Falvo (Nwaa, NY)
Eli Yoho (Akron, OH)
Kaleb Pascoe (Spencerport, NY)

112 Pounds
Jimmy Hoffman (Rock Solid, PA)
Ta’ Nauz Gregory (Ragin Raisins, PA)
Tito Colom (Scorpion Cobra, NY)
Isaac Yoho (Akron, OH)

120 Pounds
Peter Delgallo (Mtn Valley, ME)
Tyler Craig (Mat Cats, ME)
Logan Gray (Ragin Raisins, PA)
Mitchell Shambo (Mexico, NY)

125 Pounds
Zack Barker (Fairport, NY)
Brian Earlston (Drill Masters, PA)
Brandon Saline (CC, PA)
Austin Coleman (Excelsior United, NY)

130 Pounds
Julian Sirois (Cummings Compound, ME)
Joseph Koontz (Awc, OH)
James Arao (Titan Worldwide, NY)
Paul Bavisotto (Ken West, NY)

135 Pounds
Cody McGregor (Cobra, NY)
Freddy Eckles (Cobra, NY)
Collin Edsell (Wyalusing, PA)
Alex Herringshaw (Vvs, NY)

140 Pounds
Matt Kloc (Cobra, NY)
Jakob Coad (Kenmore West, NY)
Julian Korfine (Finger Lakes, NY)
Connor Dowe (Brockport, NY)

145 Pounds
AJ Aeberli (Olympic, NY)
Nicholas Konovalchik (Mercury Rising, MA)
Corey Farrell (Knights, NY)
Matt Judge (Valley View, PA)

152 Pounds
Jason Hoffman (Journeymen, NY)
Avery Dinardi (Sepa, NJ)
Matt Azzano (Wayne, NY)
Jack Collins (NE Elite, RI)

160 Pounds
Nathan Schwab (Cobra, NY)
Trevor Allard (Mexico, NY)
Ethan Pansa (Mohawk, NY)

171 Pounds
Sonny McPherson (Indian River, NY)
Michael Hughes (Ragin Raisins, PA)
James Geiger (Dallas, PA)
Kameron Miller (Prescott, NY)

189 Pounds
Tyler Hall (NYSS, NY)
Michael Daskavitz (Lockport, NY)
Noah Siesto (Webster Schroeder, NY)

250 Pounds
Austin Slocum (Ragin Raisins, PA)
Lucas Silvis (Goldforce, NY)
Hayden Ricci (East Rochester, NY)
Nick Jones (Cobra, NY)

Division 6

106 Pounds
Parker Kropman (Penfield, NY)
Michael Wicks (Spencerport, NY)
Chris Hoerle (Apex, NJ)

113 Pounds
Jonathan Haas (Spencerport, NY)
Tito Colom (Scorpion Cobra, NY)
Aleksei Cartagena (Pittsford, NY)
Chase Jefferys (Mercury Rising, MA)

120 Pounds
Bryan Lantry (Superior, NY)
Doug Iadanza (Sachem East, NY)
Edwin Serrano (Titan Worldwide, NY)
Jacob Morley (Gates Chili, NY)

126 Pounds
Sean Peacock (Superior, NY)
Anthony Calvano (Iowa Style, NY)
Abdul-Fatah Alishawai (NY)
Daniel Sportello (Ilion, NY)

132 Pounds
Austin Acquard (Cobra, NY)
Kyle Lukowich (Ragin Raisins, PA)
Nick Toutant (Indian River, NY)
Jack Glasi (Brockway, PA)

138 Pounds
Sean O’Hagan (Sachem North, NY)
Keller Watkins (Rrwc, PA)
Codie Gillette (Saranac, NY)
Anthony Pesce (Fairport, NY)

145 Pounds
Dan Reagan (Ransomville, NY)
Daniel Anghelina (Olympic, NJ)
Noah Phillips (Cellar Dwellers, NY)
Deane Twitchell (Ragin Raisins, PA)

152 Pounds
Skylar Kropman (Penfield, NY)
Tristan Broddus (Fayetteville-Manlius, NY)
Hunter Proctor (Ragin Raisins, PA)
Anthony Bell (Hells Bells, NY)

160 Pounds
Kyle Bova (Coudersport, PA)
Rowdy Prior (Pin2Win, NY)
Mark Stucke (Cobra, NY)
David Burke (Danville, PA)

170 Pounds
Evan Delong (Kane, PA)
Cole Shirey (Ragin Raisins, PA)
Joshua Goodman, Gates Chili, NY)
Brayden Denk (Prestige, NY)

182 Pounds
Jared Mesiti (Brockport, NY)
Taylor Saline (CC, PA)
Marquis Buchanan (Cobra, NY)
Shane Currey (Kenmore West, NY)

195 Pounds
Troy Uhrin (Mat Assassins, PA)
Andrew Phelps (Ragin Raisins, PA)
Trent Egenlauf (Spencerport, NY)
Dan Norris (Hilton, NY)

220 Pounds
Sam Eagan (Empire, NY)
Connor Calkins (Finger Lakes, NY)
Paul Herrera (Wolf Pack, NY)
Dylan Grant (Cobra, NY)

285 Pounds
Wyatt Morris (Morrisville-Eaton, NY)
Jakob Rowe (Mat Assassins, PA)
Mason Cross (Titans, NY)
Kasey Kubiniec (Newfane, NY)

High School Dual Team Champions – Cobra Wrestling Academy (as provided by Keith Maute)

101 Troy Keller and Dylan Arena

108 Tito Colom

115 Michael Wizniewski

122 Ryan Burns and Nick Gaiser

128 Kellen Devlin

134 Cody McGregor and Freddy Eckles

140 Matt Kloc

147 Danny Graham

154 Jude Gardner

162 Nathan Schwab

172 Matt Weber

184 Anthony Liberatore and Marques Buchanan

197 Matt Booth

222 Marshall Taylor and Mike Ziolo

285 Matt Montesanti and Nick Jones

McFarland, Schubert and Scott Win Championships at NUWAY Nationals in Michigan

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It was a small but successful New York contingent that traveled to Michigan this weekend for the NUWAY National Championships.

Both Carter Schubert (58 pounds) and Jayden Scott (72 pounds) won titles in Division 2, while Andrew McFarland captured first place as well at 118 pounds in Division 5.

Schubert registered a pin and otherwise outscored his opponents 10-0 on his path, while Scott won three of his five matches by bonus points, including a 16-5 major in the finals.  McFarland outpointed his foes 17-1 and also had a fall on his way to the top of the medal stand a week after becoming an All-American at NHSCAs in Virginia Beach.

Meanwhile, Ethan Ferro dropped his opening bout at 76 pounds but bounced back with five straight wins in the wrestlebacks to record fourth place in Division 3.  Also making the podium was Dylan Ellingsworth, who was eighth at 140 in D5.

Gary McDowell entered in the youngest division at 40 pounds.

For full results and brackets, see http://www.trackwrestling.com and search for NUWAY Nationals.