We’re less than two days away from the first whistle at the NYPHSAA Championships. Here’s a weight-by-weight look at what could happen this weekend in Division I.

99

Kyle Kelly, undefeated this season at 33-0, is the favorite to repeat at New York’s lightest weight class.  Among his victories this year was a technical fall over second-seeded Jonathan Haas of Spencerport (35-1).  To meet Kelly again, Haas will potentially have to get past 42-1 junior Alex Tanzman as well as an impressive freshman from Section 8, Jose Rodriguez.  The Wantagh wrestler sports an unblemished 41-0 record and has been dominant throughout the season, including winning an Eastern States title.

Prediction: Kelly gets back-to-back titles with a hard fought win over the outstanding ninth grader Rodriguez.

 

106

Unlike at 99 pounds, neither of last year’s finalists return to 106, but the bronze medalist, Nick Piccininni is back.   The Ward Melville wrestler is unbeaten this year and has been held to a decision on only three occasions, but there is no shortage of experienced medalists ready to challenge this weekend.  In fact, last year’s fourth, fifth and sixth place finishers at 96, Lockport’s Anthony Orefice, St. Anthony’s Freddy Dunau and Fairport’s Bryan Ruggeri all sit in the top half of the bracket with Piccinnini. Mike Parise of Brewster, who dropped from 113 at the beginning of 2012 and has put up some impressive results, including third at Eastern States, joins them.  (Ruggeri and Piccinnini meet in the first round).

On the other side, MacArthur’s Justin Cooksey has compiled a 40-3 mark and a runner up finish at Eastern States.  He defeated Krishna Sewkumar three times, including in the Section final.  Seeded second and third, they could meet again in the semifinals.

Prediction: Piccininni moves two spots higher on the podium with a victory over Cooksey.

 

113

Both Mark Raghunandan of Long Beach and Dylan Realbuto of Somers took second place in Albany a year ago, at 103 and 96, respectively.  They met in the finals at the Eastern States Classic in January in a match won 7-6 by the Long Beach wrestler. Another meeting on the evening of February 25 for the state title wouldn’t be a surprise, although Realbuto’s loss during the Section 1 tournament put him a difficult position where he could potentially meet Corey Jamison of Huntington in the second round.

Jamison (38-1) has had a strong season, with solid victories over contenders such as William Koll of Lansing (top seed in Division II) and Brandon Lapi of Amsterdam, the number three seed and a possible semifinal opponent.

Among those potentially in Raghunandan’s path is fourth seeded Vincent DePrez of Hilton (fourth at 103 in 2011), who is 46-0.   He’ll match up with Pat Skinner of Kellenberg (sixth at 103 in 2011) in the opening round.

Prediction: Realbuto fights back to reach the finals, but Raghunandan gets his title as a senior.

 

120

Matt Leshinger earned the top spot in the bracket after an impressive run through the Suffolk County tournament, during which he beat Sean McCabe of Connetquot (third at 119 last year), Mark West of Hauppauge (2010 State champion) and TJ Fabian of Shoreham-Wading River in succession.  McCabe battled back to take third in Section XI and with a 37-2 record, is in the number two spot.  If he is victorious in his first match, the “reward” could be facing a familiar foe in Fabian (43-4).  Also a threat out of the bottom half is Frontier’s Rocco Russo (42-1).

No stranger to tough bouts, Leshinger will be tested right off the bat with Roslyn’s John Lanzillotti, the Section 8 winner, who is 37-1.  Also waiting is Pittsford’s Brady Baron (37-1) whose only setback was to two-time state finalist in Division II, Tristan Rifanburg.

Prediction: Section XI featured incredible competition at 120 this year with former state champion West not even qualifying for the tournament.  McCabe had valuable experience in Albany last season and avenges his county loss with a state finals victory over Leshinger.

 

126

Fox Lane’s Sam Speno was a runner up in 2011 at 112 pounds but will be the favorite to finish one spot higher this time around.  He has followed up his finals appearance with a 42-1 season in which he has racked up a number of quality victories this season, including over Division II standouts Nick Tighe and Drew Longo as well as the third and fourth seeds in the class, Dylan Caruana of Kenmore West and Al Dierna of Webster Schroeder, respectively.  Speno’s only loss came at the hands of nationally ranked Dom Malone of Wyoming Seminary at Eastern States.

Grabbing second at that event was Maverick Passaro of Eastport-South Manor, who is the two seed after a 46-3 campaign.  Passaro topped Caruana (sixth at 125 in 2011) at the Eastern States and a rematch could occur this weekend in the semis.

Prediction: Speno continues his success against Empire State wrestlers, beating Passaro on the biggest stage.

 

132

Some would argue that the top three performers at 132 in New York in 2011-12 are in the bottom bracket together.  Nick Kelley of Shenendehowa was fourth a year ago at 130 and has looked very good all year while earning 41 wins in as many matches.  He cruised to the title at Eastern States, defeating Nick Mauriello of Hauppauge, 10-4.  The two could see a rematch in the second round. Mauriello came back from life threatening illness last year to have an inspirational 39-2 campaign and capture a Suffolk County championship.

St. Anthony’s Jamel Hudson, who raised some eyebrows with several wins over nationally ranked opponents at the Super 32 tournament in North Carolina last fall, has continued rolling with a 31-1 mark this year. The only loss came against out of state opponent Shyheim Brown of Central Dauphin in Pennsylvania. He has pinned 11 of his last 12 foes and would meet the Kelley/Mauriello victor in the semifinals should all advance.

Dan Ventura of Fox Lane notched the top spot after a 42-4 campaign in which took fourth at Eastern States. (He lost to Mauriello during that event).  Ventura has big match experience after his runner up finish at 119 in 2011.  Set to challenge him in the top half of the bracket is Jimmy Porteus of Brockport, who is 21-1 with his only setback against Kelley.

Prediction: Whoever survives the gauntlet on the bottom of the bracket takes the title.   It’s a tough one to pick, but we’ll say Hudson sends Ventura to his second consecutive silver medal.

 

138

James Dekrone of John Glenn finished second last year in Albany, losing the championship match at 130 pounds by one point.  He followed that up with a 41-4 season, but his path to back to the feature match on Saturday night won’t be easy.  If he wins in round one, he’ll face the winner of Shenendehowa’s David Almaviva, a returning placer who has won 11 in a row, and Fox Lane’s Tom Grippi, who has captured 43 victories.  Also in the same section of the bracket is top seed Danny McDevitt of Wantagh (40-5) who defeated Dekrone early in the campaign.

Dekrone is the fourth seed because he took third at the Section XI tournament behind Longwood’s Malik Rasheed and Brentwood’s Alexis Blanco.  They competed three times during the season, with Rasheed taking the last two bouts, including the one for the Suffolk crown.  Warwick Valley’s Shane Connolly is among those trying to stop a fourth meeting between Rasheed and Blanco from happening this weekend.

Predictions: Dekrone bounces back and earns the hardware with a victory over Rasheed.

 

145

James Kloc will try to make it two in a row at 145 after his 4-3 triumph over Rocky Point’s Matt Ross last February earned him his first state title.   Undefeated Evan Wallace of Columbia (47-0) resides in the top of the bracket as does fourth seed John Northrup of Rush-Henrietta, who has the tough Louis Hernandez of Mepham (25-2) in the first round.

Longwood’s Corey Rasheed was fifth at 112 last season.  He jumped up to 145 and has adjusted to the increase in weight well with a 32-2 mark, including 17 consecutive victories to end the regular season.  Rasheed could meet up with Mike Caputo of North Rockland for the third time after splitting matches during the campaign, but Caputo would first have to face the winner of a bout between Eastern State medalists Dale White of John Jay East Fishkill and Bret Sauschuck of Port Jervis.

Prediction:  Two in a row for Kloc, but Rasheed makes it difficult.

 

152

Brian Realbuto of Somers will look to notch his third state title at a third weight.  He has rolled over the competition throughout this season with the exception of his Eastern States finals bout against Dylan Palacio of Long Beach.   A rematch would have been a can’t miss bout to watch, but with Palacio at 160 for the postseason, Realbuto’s main competition in the top half of the bracket could come from Steve Maier of Spencerport, who has beaten multiple qualifiers in his 39-2 campaign.  Maier’s two losses were to two-time state champion Chris Nevinger up at 160 and in sudden victory to Tristan Hamner.

Returning fourth place medalist Nick Hall of Longwood (32-2) sits in the number two slot, with Suffolk rival John Keck of Shoreham-Wading River (44-2) at number three.  The two have split bouts this season and could meet for the tiebreaker in the semifinals.

Prediction: Realbuto gets ready for his collegiate career at Cornell by beating future EIWA opponent Keck (Navy).

 

160

Dylan Palacio has shown all season long that he is one of the state’s best wrestlers.  He is on a mission to win his first title after previous finishes of third and fourth. The Long Beach senior has had no trouble with the opposition this campaign, going 37-0.  Among those trying to prevent him from making the showcase match on Saturday night could be last year’s 140-pound titlist Connor Sutton of LaSalle or Wayne’s Eastern States champion Frank Affronti.

On the other side, Tyler Grimaldi of Half Hollow Hills West is 45-1 as a junior and has beaten a pair of tough Long Island wresters who are in the same part of the bracket — Joe Cataldo and Zak Mullen (twice).   Mullen starts with Jorge Jiminez, who put together a successful 35-1 campaign.

Prediction: Palacio gets the title missing from his resume, handing Grimaldi his second setback.

 

170

Dan Spurgeon of Plainedge is a perfect 46-0 this year, including an early win over the wrestler all the way on the other side of the bracket – Rrok Ndokaj of Monsignor Farrell.  The Catholic league grappler is 39-5 and if he wins his first round bout, he may face Dylen Seybolt.  Seybolt is 31-3 on the year, with losses to one of the nation’s best, Eric Morris of Wyoming Seminary, as well as Gio Santiago and Joe Piccolo. (He came back to beat Piccolo in mid February).  Shayne Brady of Carthage also resides in the bottom half of the bracket as the three-seed after a 35-1 campaign.

Senior Stephen Lumley of South Glens Falls, the number four seed, will be among those to challenge Spurgeon on the top side.

Prediction: Spurgeon runs the table, beating upset-minded Seybolt.

 

182

McZiggy Richards of Wingate is 34-1 and the favorite in the class.  Jacob Berkowitz of Scarsdale has had a very strong season as well, going 48-2 with only one of his losses coming to an in-state wrestler, a 2-1 decision to Tim Schaefer of Warsaw.  Richards and Berkowitz will be the favorites to meet in the semifinals.

On the other side, Matt Lashway comes back after a runner up finish at 171 in 2011 with hopes of getting to the top of the podium.  The Queensbury wrestler’s only loss on the mat this year came in a 3-2 decision to Richards.  Joining Lashway is Plainedge’s Andrew Jones, who lost three of his first five matches and then reeled off 38 in a row to conclude the season.  A pair of familiar foes, Gio Santiago and Nick Bellanza could also make a run.

Prediction: Richards brings a title to the PSAL with his second tight victory over Lashway this year.

 

195

Tony Fusco has been the top ranked grappler at 195 throughout the season.  The Shenendehowa senior was fourth a year ago at 189 and hasn’t skipped a beat this year, with an unblemished 33-0 record.  Kingston’s Deon Edmond sits on Fusco’s side of the bracket, after a 40-1 year, where his only loss was a default against one of the top Division II wrestlers at the weight, Austyn Hayes.

Johnson City sophomore Reggie Williams, a sixth place medalist as a freshman, cruised through the season at 37-2 with both of his setbacks coming against Fusco, once in December and again at the Eastern States.  Another returning medalist in the field is Brockport’s Jesse Kozub, who moved between 195 and 220 throughout the season, posting a 41-2 mark.  He avenged his only loss at 195 in the Sectional final against Fairport’s Colton Kells.  The two Section V grapplers could met in the second round, although Kells matches up in his first bout against Eastern States placer Mike Spinelli of Mahopac, who went 42-3 with two losses to Williams.

Prediction: This has been Fusco’s year and it will continue to be.  The Shenendehowa senior beats Williams for the third time.

 

220

There aren’t any returning placers from 2011 at this class but there are a number of wrestlers who medaled at the Eastern States in January.  On the top side, LaSalle’s Jon Babson (fourth at Eastern States) could meet Patrick Kopcynski (fifth at Eastern States) of Brooklyn Tech in the second round.   Also in that portion of the bracket is top seeded Josh Lackey of Fairport who has compiled a 36-1 record this year, losing only to Shenendehowa’s Fusco.  Lackey has had a number of solid wins, including a pin of the second seed in Division II, Nick Talcott, and two victories over Max Antone of Niagara Wheatfield, who is positioned on the opposite side of the bracket as the two seed.

Antone (35-3) has a number of challengers in the bottom half.  In his second bout, he could face the winner of a battle between Eastern States placers Tyler Lilly of New Rochelle and Alex Pontiff of Queensbury.  The number three seed Dom DeVita of Somers begins with Nick Lupi of Huntington (28-4), who could be a sleeper at the weight.  Derrek Dalton (40-1), a dangerous returning qualifier, lost his only bout of the season up at 285 pounds.

Prediction: Josh Lackey takes a championship back to Fairport after topping DeVita.

 

285

Cole Lampman is the sole returning heavyweight placer from 2011, when he was fifth.  He comes in as the third seed after losing in the Section II final against Cory Quintana of Mohonasen in overtime on a last second reversal.  The two could compete again in the semifinals, as Quintana earned the two seed.

On the other side, Ethan Stanley of Saugerties is in the top position after a 36-2 season in which he took third at Eastern States and had multiple wins over another competitor he could see, Seth Stauble of Kingston.  Stauble faces a tough first round bout with Evan Kappatos of Syosset who was 41-1, suffering his only setback of the season in the Sectional final against Dante Salkey (36-2). Union-Endicott’s Tyler Bayer got the four seed after going 43-5 with a pair of losses to Stanley.

Prediction: Lampman avenges his last defeat in the semis and takes the title in his final high school bout against Kappatos.

 

–Betsy Veysman

It’s almost here!  The NYSPHSAA Wrestling Championships start on Friday morning.  Here is a weight-by-weight look at Division II.

99

The lightest weight class is often a showcase for future superstars.  Leading the charge this year is sophomore Joe Nelson of Oxford, who suffered his only loss of the season while up at weight against Cody Carbury (the number three seed at 106). Nelson won all but one of his matches at 99 by bonus points this year and that was a 6-2 decision in the Section finals against Dylan Wood of Walton, one of three victories over Wood.

Wood opens action in the first round with Andrew Flanagan of Holley, a 42-5 junior who returns to Albany for the second time.  The winner of that match could face Lyndonville’s Tony Recco (43-3) who decisioned Flanagan 3-1 on the last weekend of the season.

Also in the bottom half is the third seed, Alex Herringshaw, who has piled up 40 wins against just four losses this season.  He could face the winner of Joe Dillon of Nanuet (27-8) and Alexis Bleau (41-3), who was the first-ever qualifier from Schoharie.  One of five eighth graders at 99, Bleau is the only female in the field.

Among the contenders looking to defeat Nelson in the top half are the number four seed, Luis Weirebach of Hoosick Falls, who has had a solid 28-2 campaign, as well as Edgemont’s Tyler Aslanian who has gone 28-6 in his sophomore season.

Prediction: Joe Nelson looks to be the top performer in the field and shows it, beating Herringshaw.

 

106

106 this year may wind up looking a lot like 96 last season.  The 96 pound finals match in 2011 pitted Lucas Malmberg of Marathon against Ryan Snow of General Brown in a bout Malmberg captured 12-2.  This year’s 106 bracket features Malmberg as the top seed and Snow as the number two. Snow’s only setbacks of the campaign came up at 113 pounds.

Cody Carbury of Chittenango was sixth a year ago at 96 and after a 31-4 campaign, with two of his losses to Malmberg and Snow, enters 106 as the three seed.  Corey Hollister of Perry is in the fourth position after a 40-4 year.   Although there are some tough wrestlers in the field, it looks like a rematch of the 2011 finals on Saturday night.

Prediction: Same participants, same results, as Malmberg wins two in a row.

 

113

There is no question that this will be a competitive weight with 7 of the 16 entrants returning placers from 2011. The lone champion, William Koll of Lansing, is the top seed.  He will face a difficult path, with Dillon Stowell of Gouverneur (third at 103), 40-4 Kyler Harrington of Hudson Falls and Sean Peacock of Midlakes (third at 96) in the same portion of the bracket.  Peacock, 45-2 this season, fell to the fourth seed after losing his Section championship to Warsaw’s Austin Keough, 3-2. 

Keough, who took fourth at 112 a year ago, has had a stellar campaign with just one loss (plus two forfeits) and earned the three seed.  He will have an immediate challenge in the first round from Illion’s Laken Cook, a fifth place medalist at 103 last season.  Cook is 35-5 with a fifth place finish at Eastern States in January.

Also on the bottom half with Keough and Cook is returning fourth place medalist Cody McGregor of Tonawanda and last year’s runner up to Koll at 103, John Aslanian of Edgemont (36-1).  With top-notch talent throughout the class, this should be an exciting weight to watch.

Prediction: Both Koll and Keough navigate a deep field to make the finals, where Koll earns his second consecutive title.

 

120

Sam Recco was sixth at 112 last year but has his sights set much higher for this weekend.  The Lyndonville senior is 41-1 with his only setback coming against Wyoming Seminary’s Evan Botwin in the finale at Eastern States.  At that event, Recco piled up some quality triumphs, including a 1-0 win over this bracket’s second seed Jeff O’Lena of East Rochester and an 8-5 decision over the top seed in the Division I bracket, Matt Leshinger of Sayville.

O’Lena’s 48-4 mark includes an eighth place finish at the Eastern States.  He dropped a 3-0 decision to Recco in the Section 5 final.  Looking to stop a third meeting between Recco and O’Lena on Saturday night are a number of tough senior challengers including, but not limited to, Adirondack’s Pat Webster, Sidney’s Scott Stafford and Corinth’s Zach Marcel.

Prediction: The familiar foes meet again with the same result: Recco over O’Lena.

 

126

126 pounds boasts several wrestlers who have previously been in the finals.  Top seeded Nick Tighe of Phoenix was in the Saturday night spotlight last year when he captured the 119-pound crown.  The second and third seeds, Norwich’s Tristan Rifanburg and Ardsley’s Drew Longo squared off in the 96 pound championship bout in 2010, with Rifanburg earning the hardware.

In the Section IV title match, Rifanburg handed Corey Dake his first loss of the year.  The Lansing senior has made the podium in all three of his appearances in Albany.

Outside of the favorites, upset threats abound, including Noah Valastro of Hudson Falls on the top half (47-2) and Palmyra Macedon’s Dylan Rifenburg (43-2).

Prediction: Tristan Rifanburg gets to his third finals in three tries and in a battle of former champions, edges Tighe.

 

132

After a third place medal in 2011 at 135, Wesley Blanding showed no letdown.  The Chittenango wrestler is 36-0 despite seeing action at several weights.  He had a few impressive victories at 138 and 145, including a pair of triumphs over Canastota’s Anthony Finocchiaro.  Since moving down to 132, he has had some tight wins over the field, including overtime wins over Jessy Williams and Lansing’s Connor Lapresi, which went to the ultimate tiebreaker.

That was Lapresi’s only loss in a campaign in which he won a deep Section IV.  Blanding and Lapresi could be on a collision course in the semis.

In the other half, another pair of familiar foes could meet again.  Kevin Strong of Frewsburg earned a 1-0 win over Eden’s Tom Page during the season, however at the Section final, Page reversed the result in sudden victory.  Page, a three-time placer, and Strong, a two-time medalist, both were third a year ago.

Former state champion Jacob Goddeau of Peru and 45-match winner Curt Rowley of Duanesburg are among the other contenders looking to make a title run.

Prediction:  In his last Albany appearance, future American University Eagle Tom Page gets over the hump to capture a state title over Lapresi.

 

138

Murphy, the winningest wrestler in Empire State history, is the odds on favorite to win his fourth New York title at his fourth different weight.  The Indiana-bound grappler has been impressive all year, with 55 wins, 52 of which were by bonus points.

Looking to earn his first crown is Canastota’s Anthony Finocchairo who has put up a strong resume of his own this year after grabbing third at 130 a year ago.  The senior has compiled a 35-4 mark with victories over Division I qualifiers such as Tom Grippi, David Almaviva and Aaron Benedict.  None of his four losses were to wrestlers in this bracket.  Finochairo edged Beaver River returning placer Isaiah Riccio (37-2) in the Section tournament 1-0 a few weeks ago and could face Riccio again with a finals berth on the line.  Junior Jude Gardner of Fredonia is also a threat.

On the other side, Murphy could see last season’s sixth place medalist, Dan Regan of Lewiston-Porter, who he soundly defeated earlier in the campaign.

Prediction: In the end, we expect the top two seeds to square off on Saturday night with Quinton Murphy joining the exclusive club of four-time state champions.

 

145

There is a lot of familiarity at 145 pounds. Three entrants come from Section III, including the top two seeds, General Brown’s Nathan Silverthorn and Phoenix’s Tyler Button.  The pair met in the 145 pound third place match a year ago with Button coming out on top, 9-3.  This year, Silverthorn turned the tables, beating Button to maintain his 46-0 record.

Also qualifying from the same section is 41-2 Mitch Janes, whose only losses are to Silverthorn and Button and who could face the top seed early on.

Both Drew Hull (35-2, Royalton Hartland) and Jacob Demmon (24-2, Clifton-Fine) earned sixth last year, at 135 and 140, respectively and are back to make the stand again.  Olean’s Jake Baer split matches with Hull this season and will be a threat in the bottom half.

Prediction: Tyler Button and Nathan Silverthorn take the mat against each other yet again. Button won their last meeting in Albany and takes this one.

 

152

Three wrestlers who finished in the top three a year ago sit at this weight.  The top seed, Lehigh-bound Ben Haas, was the 145-pound champion while 140-pound runner up Derek Pfluger is the second seed.  (Pfluger was a state champion in 2010 and a third place medalist in 2009). Tristan Hamner of Medina was third at 152 and sits as the number three seed.

Haas suffered his only loss of a 38-1 season to Hamner in early January but got revenge a month later when he beat the Medina wrestler 14-11.  That result was Hamner’s only blemish all year.

Meanwhile, Pfluger has yet to suffer a setback, ringing up 40 victories, all by bonus.  While there are several other worthy challengers in the field, including 47-match winner Brooks Boyle, these three past medalists look to battle for the title.

Prediction: Pfluger notches the second championship of his career, defeating Haas on Saturday night.

 

160

Chris Nevinger has won eight straight matches at the State tournament and looks for his third consecutive title.  The Buffalo-bound grappler has rolled through the season, winning all 47 matches, with the closest bout being a seven-point victory.  Looking to stop Nevinger’s streak on the top half of the bracket is General Brown’s Tyler SIlverthorn, who has impressed in his sophomore season with a 44-2 mark. Both losses came at the hands of Sandy Creek senior Jared Soule, the second seed, who has had a successful year of his own with a 35-2 record. 

Joining Soule (fifth at 152 in 2011) in the bottom half of the bracket is Hudson Falls senior Aaron Dudley (43-1), who took second in a deep class at the prestigious Eastern States, falling in the finals in overtime to highly ranked Frank Affronti of Wayne.

Mike Beckwith of Greene could also make an impact.  The returning qualifier has been at several weights this year and hasn’t lost a bout on the mat (forfeited out of Eastern States).

Prediction: Nevinger continues his unbeaten streak in Albany with another trip to the top of the podium after topping Dudley.

 

170

While neither of last year’s finalists are back in this weight class, four medalists from 2011 appear in the 170 pound class as the top four seeds.  Nick Mitchell, third at 160 last season, earned the top spot after a 42-0 campaign with 24 pins.  The Frewsburg senior beat second seed Marcus Dwaileebe of Olean (third at 171 last year) twice by decision and also topped possible opponent Burke Paddock of Warsaw.  (Paddock beat Mitchell in the semifinals last year on his way to a runner up finish).

Dwaileebe could face Canastota junior Zach Zupan, fifth at 171 last season, whose one setback this campaign was against nationally ranked Eric Morris of Wyoming Seminary in the Eastern States finals.  Zupan owns a victory over Paddock in January.  It goes without saying that the semifinals should demonstrate very competitive, high level wrestling.

Prediction: Mitchell runs the table for the 2011-12 season by beating Zupan in a squeaker.

 

182

Both Tony Lock (second at 171) and Keegan Cerwinski (sixth at 160) stood on the medal stand last year in Albany.  Both have followed up with stellar seasons.  Lock is the state’s top ranked wrestler after a 47-0 campaign that includes just one decision.  He dominated the Division I frontrunner, McZiggy Richards, by technical fall in the Eastern States championship bout.

Cerwinski dropped matches to Division I standouts Richards, Jacob Berkowitz and Matt Lashway in a 32-3 effort that included handing Lansing’s Ryan Todd his only loss.  He also edged Warsaw’s Tim Schaefer 1-0 at the Eastern States Classic, although Schaefer bounced back to place third while the Greene senior took sixth.

Schaefer began in December at 160 pounds and moved back and forth between that weight and 182 before settling in at the latter class for the end of the season.  Another showdown between Cerwinski and Schaefer seems fairly likely in the bottom half of the bracket for the right to match up with Lock.

Prediction: Tony Lock returns to the championship bout where he gets his first title over Schaefer.

 

195

Ryan Todd returns after making a run to the finals at 189 last year where he placed second.  He followed up that silver medal performance with a 28-1 season in which he has taken the mat at three different weights for Lansing.  After his one loss, to Keegan Cerwinski at 182, he moved to 195 pounds for the remainder of the campaign.  At that weight, he went he went 18-0 with 15 falls over the course of the season.  A possible early opponent is Bryce Mazurowski, who went 43-1 with 42 bonus wins.  His only loss came against undefeated Tony Lock.

Three other highly ranked wrestlers sit in the bottom half of the bracket.  Austyn Hayes, who took sixth last year at 171, sports a 38-1 mark with his only setback coming in the Eastern States final against the state’s top ranked grappler, Tony Fusco of Shenendehowa.  Hayes recorded a major decision over Whitehall’s Zach Diekel, a possible opponent in the semifinals.

Diekel has racked up 36 wins and just a pair of losses – to Hayes and Fusco.   Jon Nickerson of Maple Grove could pose an early challenge to Hayes after a 34-1 regular season.  Dan Breit has had a solid year and could make a run in the top half.

Prediction: Austyn Hayes ends his campaign with the top prize after defeating Todd.

 

220

Kyle Stanton has been dominant, placing second at Eastern States and compiling a 33-2 record, with the two losses to nationally ranked AJ Vizzcarondo of Wyoming Seminary.   The fourth place finisher at 215 in 2011, Stanton has defeated several top notch Division I grapplers such as Dom DeVita, Patryk Kopczynksi and Nick Lupi.

Fellow Section IV competitor Nick Talcott tested Stanton in his last bout, a 3-2 victory for the Greene senior.  Talcott, from Tioga, is the number two seed.  Junior Zack Bacon of Hornell (28-1) and senior Austin Blackley of Barker will be among the many challengers.

Prediction: Kyle Stanton shows why he’s the state’s best at 220 with another decision over Talcott.

 

285

Kacee Sauer looks to move one step higher on the podium this year after runner up performances at this weight as a sophomore and junior.  The only returning placer at heavyweight, Sauer’s only setbacks this year have been by medical forfeit at the Eastern States.

The other side of the bracket features several wrestlers with excellent records. Beekmantown’s Hayden Head piled up 37 wins against just two losses and has a quality victories over Columbia’s El Shaddai Gilmore-VanHoesen and Kingston’s Seth Stauble.    Brandon Fayle of Lowville also has just two setbacks (along with 35 wins, 23 coming by fall).

Prediction: Sauer came within a point of a crown in 2010 and 2011 and we predict he will not come up short this time as he gets by Fayle.

 

–Betsy Veysman

 

99 Pounds (By Section)

1: Nick Barbaria (New Rochelle)

2: Kevin Parker (Shenendehowa)

3: Dempsey King (New Hartford)

4: Kyle Kelley (Chenango Forks)

5: Jon Haas (Spencerport)

6: Tyler Hartinger (Lancaster)

8: Jose Rodriguez (Wantagh)

9: Gerald Daly (Minisink Valley)

10: Ryan Brown (Canton)

11: Alex Tanzman (West Beach)

C: John Twomey (St. Anthony’s)

P: Josh Antoine (Grand Street)

A1: Vinny Vespa (Monroe Woodbury)

A2: Bryan Lantry (Wayne)

A3: Joe Calderone (Walt Whitman)

A4: Steven Lee (West Babylon)

 

106 Pounds (By Section)

1: Mike Parise (Brewster)

2: Corey Ali (Shenendehowa)

3. Kevin Paul (Baldwinsville)

4: Jimmy Overhiser (Corning)

5: Barton Peters (Brockport)

6. Anthony Orefice (Lockport)

8: Justin Cooksey (MacArthur)

9: John Stramiello (Pine Bush)

10: Nate Marshall (Messina)

11: Nick Piccininni (Ward Melville)

C: Freddy Dunau (St. Anthony’s)

P: Zin Htoo (Brooklyn Tech)

A1: Krishna Sewkumar (Long Beach)

A2: Bryan Ruggeri (Fairport)

A3: Dominic Inzana (Saratoga)

A4: Michael Raccioppi (Minisink Valley)

 

113 Pounds (By Section)

1: Alex Delacruz (Ossining)

2: Brandon Lapi (Amsterdam)

3: Thomas Hill (Fulton)

4: Jacob Green (Chenango Forks)

5: Vincent DePrez (Hilton)

6: Kellen Devlin (Amherst)

8: Mark Raghunandan (Long Beach)

9: T.J. Kreider (Cornwall)

10: Skyler Cameron (Massena)

11: Corey Jamison (Huntington)

C: Patrick Skinner (Kellenburg)

P: Santo Curatolo (Tottenville)

A1: Dylan Realbuto (Somers)

A2: Robert Person (Bellmore JFK)

A3: Jesse Porter (Shenendehowa)

A4: Ron Duguay (Kenmore West)

 

120 Pounds (By Section)

1: Jake DiMarsico (North Rockland)

2: Zach Joseph (Shenendehowa)

3. Derrick Gray (Indian River)

4: Richard Burke (Ithaca)

5: Brady Baron (Pittsford)

6: Rocco Russo (Frontier)

8: John Lanzillotti (Roslyn)

9: Justin Corradino (Warwick)

10: Cody Bond (Canton)

11: Matt Leshinger (Sayville)

C: Blaise Rufo (Monsignor Farrell)

P: Keanu Thompson (Grand Street)

A1: Sean McCabe (Connetquot)

A2: Steve Michel (Lancaster)

A3: TJ Fabian (Shoreham-Wading River)

A4: Casey Jones (Queensbury)

 

126 Pounds (By Section)

1: Sam Speno (Fox Lane)

2: Matt Greene (Columbia)

3: Antonio DeLuco (Roman Free Academy)

4: Brock Post (Maine-Endwell)

5: Alec Dierna (Webster Schroeder)

6: Dylan Caruana (Kenmore)

8: Mike Lofrese (Garden City)

9: Tom Murphy (Monroe-Woodbury)

10: Isaiah Perry (Massena)

11: Maverick Passaro (Eastport South Manor)

C: Sam Melikian (Fordham Prep)

P: Michael Gannone (Tottenville)

A1: Matt Caputo (North Rockland)

A2: Josh St. John (Queensbury)

A3: Giovanni Sanchez (Central Islip)

A4: Drew Oligney (Lansingburgh)

 

132 Pounds (By Section)

1: Danny Ventura (Fox Lane)

2: Nick Kelley (Shenendehowa)

3: Connor Grome (West Genessee)

4: Curtis Grant (Elmira)

5: Jimmy Porteus (Brockport)

6. Eric Lewandowski (Lancaster)

8: Maurice Irby (Freeport)

9: Luke Roth (Cornwall)

10: Curtis Barney (Canton)

11: Nick Mauriello (Hauppauge)

C: Jamel Hudson (St. Anthony’s)

P: Ahmed Elsayed (Wingate)

A1: Joey Butler (Burnt Hills)

A2: Brendan Morgan (Columbia)

A3: Nick Cegelski (Penfield)

A4: Dylan Cohen (Williamsville East)

 

138 Pounds (By Section)

1: Tom Grippi (Fox Lane)

2: David Almaviva (Shenendehowa)

3: Aaron Benedict (CBA/Jamesville-Dewitt)

4: Trevor Hoffmeir (Newark Valley)

5. Angelo DeAngelis (Spencerport)

6: Mike Feeney (Lockport)

8: Dan McDevitt (Wantagh)

9: Shane Connolly (Warwick)

10: Jamel Steapleton (Malone)

11: Malik Rasheed (Longwood)

C: Timmy McCann (Monsignor Farrell)

P: Camilo Rodriquez (Curtis)

A1: Gus Clark (Schenectady)

A2: Adam Wallace (Fulton)

A3: Alexis Blanco (Brentwood)

A4: James Dekrone (John Glenn)

 

145 Pounds (By Section)

1: Mike Caputo (North Rockland)

2: Evan Wallace (Columbia)

3: JT Romagnoli (CBA/Jamesville-Dewitt)

4: Richie Lupo (Union-Endicott)

5: John Northrup (Rush-Henrietta)

6: James Kloc (Iroquois)

8: Louis Hernandez (Mepham)

9: Kyle Wierzbicki (Warwick)

10: Ryan Spinner (Malone)

11. Corey Rasheed (Longwood)

C: Matt Matouzzi (Kellenburg)

P: Emin Aliyev (Abraham Lincoln)

A1: Dale White (John Jay East Fishkill)

A2: Bret Sauschuck (Port Jervis)

A3: Anthony Pistone (Sachem East)

A4: Mike Roman (Spencerport)

 

152 Pounds (By Section)

1: Brian Realbuto (Somers)

2: Angelo Kress (Columbia)

3: Tony Torrese (Fulton)

4: Greg Kleinsmith (Johnson City)

5: Steve Maier (Spencerport)

6: Luke Falzone (Williamsville South)

8: Danny Tracy (Mepham)

9: Ryan Bedross (Warwick)

10. Ed Foote (Canton)

11. Nick Hall (Longwood)

C: Matt Szilagyi (St. Anthony’s)

P: Cristian Masaya (Brooklyn Tech)

A1: John Keck (Shoreham-Wading River)

A2: Thomas Carta (South Glens Falls)

A3: Zach Skiba (Kenmore West)

A4: Josh Maier (Brockport)

 

160 Pounds (By Section)

1: Matt Pasqualini (Fox Lane)

2: Connor Sutton (LaSalle)

3: Nick Woodworth (Fulton)

4: Zach Colgan (Johnson City)

5: Frank Affronti (Wayne)

6: Joseph Catalano (Lake Shore)

8: Dylan Palacio (Long Beach)

9: Dan DeCarlo (Port Jervis)

10: Cody Dominque (Canton)

11: Tyler Grimaldi (HHHW)

C: John Vrasidas (St. Anthony’s)

P: Jorje Jimenez (Grand Street)

A1: Joe Cataldo (MacArthur)

A2: Mike Garrison (Amsterdam)

A3: Zak Mullen (Shoreham-Wading River)

A4: Jake Weber (Clarence)

 

170 Pounds (By Section)

1: Steven Sabella (Yorktown)

2: Stephen Lumley (South Glens Falls)

3: Shayne Brady (Carthage)

4: Dillon Franco (Corning)

5: Jared Mesiti (Brockport)

6: Anthony Liberatore (Williamsville South)

8: Dan Spurgeon (Plainedge)

9: Colin Casey (Washingtonville)

10: Cody Smith (Malone)

11: Dylen Seybolt (Longwood)

C: Rrok Ndokaj (MF)

P: Anatoliy Anchakov (Grand Street)

A1: Mike Hewitt (Queensbury)

A2: Jacob Gullo (Jamestown)

A3: Joe DiFrancesco (Niagara Falls)

A4: Jessi Kimmerli (Spencerport)

 

182 Pounds (By Section)

1: Jacob Berkowitz (Scarsdale)

2: Matt Lashway (Queensbury)

3: Garrick Cook (Indian River)

4: James Benjamin (Vestal)

5: Josh Reed (Webster Schroeder)

6: Will Bickelmann (Williamsville East)

8: Andrew Jones (Plainedge)

9: Bilal Hasan (Valley Central)

10: Jacob Moose (Canton)

11: Gio Santiago (Sachem North)

C: Matt Roberts (Monsignor Farrell)

P: McZiggy Richards (Wingate)

A1: Josef Carter (Brockport)

A2: Nick Bellanza (John Glenn)

A3: Anthony Sannella (Minisink Valley)

A4: John Luxmore (Bellmore JFK)

 

195 Pounds (By Section)

1: Mike Spinelli (Mahopac)

2: Tony Fusco (Shenendehowa)

3: Patrick Nasoni (Baldwinsville)

4: Reggie Williams (Johnson City)

5: Jesse Kozub (Brockport)

6: Jake Kelly (Niagara Wheatfield)

8. Rob Zorn (Sewanhaka East)

9: Deon Edmond (Kingston)

10: Jerry Malone (Massena)

11: Zack Conner (Islip)

C: Rich Sisti (Monsignor Farrell)

P: Andreas Kokkoros (Brooklyn Tech)

A1: Pavel Gorelov (Warwick Valley)

A2: Ryan Kelly (Miller Place)

A3: Colton Kells (Fairport)

A4: Daquan Rodriguez (Orchard Park)

 

220 Pounds (By Section)

1: Dom DeVita (Somers)

2: Jon Babson (LaSalle)

3: Derrek Dalton (Indian River)

4: Anthony Osman (Vestal)

5: Josh Lackey (Fairport)

6: Max Antone (Niagara Wheatfield)

8: Andrew Cole (Uniondale)

9: Connor Leavell (Warwick)

10: Adam Weidner (Canton)

11: David Rubino (Commack)

C: Andrew Auriemma (St. Anthony’s)

P: Patryk Kopczynski (Brooklyn Tech)

A1: Nick Lupi (Huntington)

A2: Tyler Lilly (New Rochelle)

A3: Alex Pontiff (Queensbury)

A4: Nicolas Burgos (Kenmore West)

 

285 Pounds (By Section)

1: David Varian (Yorktown)

2: Cory Quintana (Mohonasen)

3: Pat Carroll-Marsh (Liverpool)

4:Tyler Bayer (Union-Endicott)

5: Jake Debuyser (Greece Olympia)

6: Brandon Lathrop (Kenmore West)

8: Dante Salkey (Uniondale)

9: Ethan Stanley (Saugerties)

10: Nolan Terrance (Massena)

11: Michael Hughes (Smithtown West)

C: Kyle DiPirro (St. Mary’s)

P: Leon Gonzalez (Franklin Roosevelt)

A1: Cole Lampman (Shenendehowa)

A2: Seth Stauble (Kingston)

A3: Evan Kappatos (Syosset)

A4: El Shaddai Gilmore-VanHoesen (Columbia)

***(Only wildcards A1-A4 listed)

 

99 Pounds (By Section)

1: Tyler Aslanian (Edgemont)

2: Luis Weierbach (Hoosick Falls)

3: Alex Herringshaw (Holland Patent)

4. Joe Nelson (Oxford)

5: Tony Recco (Lyndonville)

6: Dylan Lundmark (Southwestern)

7: Ethan Feazelle (Peru)

8: Nick Casella (Locust Valley)

9: Dean Stanton (Tuxedo)

10: Tanner LaPiene (Ogdensburg Free Academy)

11: Lucas Webb (Mattituck)

P: Dolan McColgan (Petrides)

A1: Andrew Flanagan (Holley)

A2: Dylan Wood (Walton)

A3: Joe Dillon (Nanuet)

A4: Alexis Bleau (Schoharie)

 

106 Pounds (By Section)

1: Vinny Stokos (Nanuet)

2: Carter Merecki (Salem)

3: Ryan Snow (General Brown)

4.Lucas Malmberg (Marathon)

5: Corey Hollister (Perry)

6: Drew Marra (Olean)

7: Kyler Agoney (Peru)

8: Hunter Dusold (Locust Valley)

9: Austin Ingraham (Highland)

10: Aaron Bush (Gouverneur)

11: Michael Menzer (Center Moriches)

P: Cheick Ndiaye (Brooklyn International)

A1: Cody Carberry (Chittenango)

A2: Sean Ballard (Whitney Point)

A3: Jerome Gladney (R-C-S)

A4: Matt Boyle (Batavia)

 

113 Pounds (By Section)

1: Trey Aslanaian (Edgemont)

2: Kyler Harrington (Hudson Falls)

3: Laken Cook (Ilion)

4. William Koll (Lansing)

5: Austin Keough (Warsaw)

6: Ryan Kromer (Lew-Port)

7: Max Marte (Peru)

8: Jack Leguelaff (Oyster Bay)

9: Declan Dwyer-McNulty (Red Hook)

10: Dylan Stowell (Gouverneur)

11: Hunter Hulse (Stony Brook)

P: Edwin Uruchima (Robert F. Wagner)

A1: Sean Peacock (Midlakes)

A2: Cody McGregor (Tonawanda)

A3: Pat McCarthy (Fredonia)

A4: Nate Hayes (Windsor)

 

120 Pounds

1: Anthony Calvano (Nanuet)

2: Zach Marcel (Corinth)

3: Pat Webster (Adirondack)

4. Scott Stafford (Sidney)

5: Sam Recco (Lyndonville)

6: Dakota Gardner (Fredonia)

7: Codie Gillette (Saranac)

8: Cassidy Exum (Oyster Bay)

9: Eric Januszkiewicz (New Paltz)

10. Zach Ayen (Gouverneur)

11. Justin Underwood (Bayport-Blue Point)

P: Metin Vrlaku (Petrides)

A1: Jeff O’Lena (East Rochester)

A2: Andrew Lazickas (East Aurora)

A3: Al Aubin (Whitehall)

A4: Austin Ryan (Unatego)

 

126 Pounds

1: Drew Longo (Ardsley)

2: Noah Valastro (Hudson Falls)

3: Nick Tighe (Phoenix)

4. Tristan Rifanburg (Norwich)

5: Dylan Rifenburg (Pal-Mac)

6: Renaldo Rodriguez (Cheektowaga)

7: Jordan Bushey (Peru)

8: Ryan Arnel (Oyster Bay)

9: John Hodes (Rondout Valley)

10. Skyler Way (Gouverneur)

11. Sean Kelly (Babylon)

P: Abubokarr Sow (Brooklyn)

A1: Corey Dake (Lansing)

A2: Emory Rowe (Ripley)

A3: Dustin Greene (Chenango Valley)

A4: Jake Nicholson (Waterloo)

 

132 Pounds

1: David Occhipinti (Croton)

2: Curt Rowley (Duanesburg)

3: Wesley Blanding (Chittenango)

4. Connor Lapresi (Lansing)

5: Clyde Carey (Addison)

6: Tom Page (Eden)

7: Jacob Goddeau (Peru)

8: Robert Heney (Locust Valley)

9: Collin Dimler (Rondout Valley)

10: Joey Love (Gouverneur)

11. Ryan Hake (Bayport-Blue Point)

P: Paul Schoenberg (Baruch)

A1: Kevin Strong (Frewsburg)

A2: Matt Herringshaw (Holland Patient)

A3: Frank Garcia (Norwich)

A4: Jessy Williams (Windsor)

 

138 Pounds

1: Dean Rogener (Westlake)

2: John Diekel (Whitehall)

3. Anthony Finocchiaro (Canastota)

4. Adam Greene (Chenango Valley)

5: Quinton Murphy (Holley)

6: Jude Gardner (Fredonia)

7: Nick Forget (Peru)

8: Matt Long (Mineola)

9: Ian Morse (Rondout Valley)

10: Nate Murdock (Ogdensburg Free Academy)

11. Dylan Roberts (Port Jefferson)

P: Anthony Padulo (Baruch)

A1: Isaiah Riccio (Beaver River)

A2: Dan Reagan (Lewiston Porter)

A3: Matt McCauley (Royalton Hartland)

A4: Matt Dillon (Nanuet)

 

145 Pounds

1: Brett Pastore (Irvington)

2: Geno Brancati (Hudson Falls)

3. Nathan Silverthorn (General Brown)

4: Kyle Halliday (Chenango Valley)

5: Austin Hedges (Letchworth)

6: Jake Baer (Olean)

7: Hunter Carpenter (NAC)

8: Jordan Formicola (Locust Valley)

9: Ricky Treu (Red Hook)

10: Jake Demmon (Clifton-Fine)

11. Dom Evangelista (Port Jefferson)

P: Adis Radoncic (Riverdale Kingsbridge)

A1: Tyler Button (Phoenix)

A2: Drew Hull (Royalton Hartland)

A3: Mitch Janes (Port Byron)

A4: Connor Lawrence (Duanesburg)

 

152 Pounds

1: Scott Porter (Pawling)

2: Nick Gallo (Schalmont)

3: Derek Pfluger (Sandy Creek)

4: Dan Dickman (Greene)

5: Brooks Boyle (Lyndonville)

6: Ben Haas (Salamanca)

7: Jackson Suderland (NAC)

8: Blake Meyer (Oyster Bay)

9: Paul Sommer (Rondout Valley)

10: Curtis Fuller (Gouverneur)

11. Paul Cavanagh (Port Jefferson)

P: Max Zhang (Baruch)

A1: Tristan Hamner (Medina)

A2: Tyler Spann (Adirondack)

A3: Tyler Newton (Bolivar Richburg)

A4: Conner Fox (Midlakes)

 

160 Pounds

1: Mike Boyle (Dobbs Ferry)

2: Aaron Dudley (Hudson Falls)

3. Jared Soule (Sandy Creek)

4: Mike Beckwith (Greene)

5: Chris Nevinger (Letchworth)

6: Zach Buckley (Fredonia)

7: Justin Kellett (NAC)

8: Joe Massaro (Mineola)

9: Austin Weigel (Onteora)

10: Brenden Ward (Gouverneur)

11. Travis Baskerville (Center Moriches)

P: Tyson Simon (Petrides)

A1: Hayden Wagner (South Seneca)

A2: Tyler Silverthorn (General Brown)

A3: Matt Fisher (Oneida)

A4: Brandyn Ainsworth (Johnstown)

 

170 Pounds

1: John Messinger (Putnam Valley)

2: Brad Burns (Hoosick Falls)

3. Zach Zupan (Canastota)

4: Ryan Wolcott (Waverly)

5: Burke Paddock (Warsaw)

6: Nick Mitchell (Frewsburg)

7: Troy Seymour (Peru)

8: Rob Morgan (Oyster Bay)

9: Mike Rauch (Red Hook)

10: Andrew Cole (Ogdensburg Free Academy)

11: Tomasz Filipkowski (Mattituck)

P: Isaiah Blake (Baruch)

A1: Marcus Dwaileebe (Olean)

A2: Adam Hughey (Watkins Glen)

A3: Mike Green (Cobleskill)

A4: Matt Casullo (Berne-Knox)

 

182 Pounds

1: Oliver Mold (Pawling)

2: Mike Morris (Salamanca)

3. William Koelmel (Immaculate Heart Central)

4: Keegan Cerwinski (Greene)

5: Tim Schaefer (Warsaw)

6: Tony Lock (Pioneer)

7: Nate Wood (Saranac)

8: Dylan Rankin (Oyster Bay)

9: Andy Martinez (Liberty)

10: Kyle Bigwarfe (Gouverneur)

11. Brian Loskamp (Babylon)

P: Nathanael Rose (Eagle)

A1: Dallas Mesick (Duanesburg)

A2: Cody Houppert (Beaver River)

A3: Mike Beers (Walton)

A4: Jeff Day (Letchworth)

 

195 Pounds

1: Dan Breit (Nanuet)

2: Zach Diekel (Whitehall)

3. Austyn Hayes (Phoenix)

4: Ryan Todd (Lansing)

5: Bryce Mazurowski (Avon)

6: John Nickerson (Maple Grove)

7: Ben Perry (Saranac)

8: Dave Gorry (Mineola)

9: Dustin MacKenzie (Onteora)

10: Hunter Ayen (Gouverneur)

11. Chris Baglivi (Mattituck)

P: Miguel Perez (Eagle)

A1: Tyler Smith (Midlakes)

A2: Jeffery Lake (Alden)

A3: Mark Viviano (Bainbridge-Guilford)

A4: Kegan Levesque (Norwich)

 

220 Pounds

1: Matt Acevedo (Pawling)

2: Joe Sprung (Berne-Knox)

3. Travis Conklyn (Canastota)

4: Kyle Stanton (Greene)

5: Zach Bacon (Hornell)

6: Austin Blackley (Barker)

7: Luke McKee (Peru)

8: Ian Estevez (Oyster Bay)

9: Dominique Vales (Eldred-Fallsburg)

10: Brayden Wood (Gouverneur)

11: Kevin Giron (Hampton Bays)

P: Christopher Durazzo (Petrides)

A1: Nick Talcott (Tioga)

A2: Travis Harvey (Alfred-Almond)

A3: Mike Silvis (Holley)

A4: Dillon Hurlbert (Marathon)

 

285 Pounds

1: Obum Anyichie (Pleasantville)

2: Alex Soutiere (RCS)

3. Brandon Fayle (Lowville)

4: James Merritt (Owego Free Academy)

5: Kacee Sauer (Holley)

6: Matt Montesanti (Medina)

7: Hayden Head (Beekmantown)

8: Ricardo Salinas (Carle Place)

9: Anthony Tufano (New Paltz)

10: Nate Sarkin (Ogdensburg Free Academy)

11: Harrison DeSousa (Bayport-Blue Point)

P: Elvin Gervacio (Brooklyn)

A1: Brian Ervin (VVS)

A2: Derek Wise (Cassadaga Valley)

A3: Dan Ognibene (Alexander)

A4: Reid Castner (Penn Yan)

 

By Matt Diano

If you are an avid follower of the Long Island scholastic wrestling scene, surely you already know the name Craig Vitagliano.  The accolades earned by this Nassau native are sure to command your attention: three-time Nassau County Champion, the 1990 New York State Champion for Plainedge High School, four-time varsity letterman at Harvard University and University National Freestyle Champion, among others.

But perhaps you don’t know him from his competitive days on the mat.  Maybe instead you know him as “The Guru” on Flowrestling, a devout student of international competition armed with one of the most extensive video libraries in the world.  If you are one of the 60 kids (and growing) that belong to the Ascend Wrestling Club based out of Hicksville, you might simply know him as “Coach.”  But, the question remains, who really is Craig Vitagliano?

While cognizant of all that he has accomplished in the sport in a short period of time, he much prefers to talk about the student-athletes who have brought a new sense of joy and pride into his life.  Once you get him talking about his wrestlers, you should be prepared to allocate the rest of the day to that conversation; that is how passionately he feels about working with the next generation of Long Island wrestling royalty.  This characteristic is seemingly contagious because when approached, his wrestlers could not say enough about how much the coach has helped them both on the mat and in life.  Thus, in fitting fashion, don’t let me be the one who tells you who Craig Vitagliano is, let’s us hear it directly from the mouth of his disciples.  (Excerpts, full quotes can be found at: http://ascendwrestling.com/testimonials.html).

“Every time Craig and I get together I learn something from him. He is honestly one of the best technicians I’ve ever been around. I haven’t met anyone else who cares for me and this sport as much as Craig. Not only is he a father figure to me but he’s my inspiration.”

–Mark Raghunandan (2011 NYS Runner-up, 2010 Fargo Runner-up)

“Since joining Ascend Wrestling Club and Craig Vitagliano after my sophomore year in high school everything started clicking. Before joining the club I was a pretty average wrestler with a ton of potential and no real technique. Along with my coaches at St John the Baptist I truly owe all my success to Coach Craig. He was able to take this potential and turn it into productivity. Without his desire and determination to make everyone in our room better none of us would be where we are today.”

–Jimmy Gill (2x CHSAA runner-up)

“Craig has drastically improved my wrestling, because he focuses on every little aspect and detail of technique. Craig simply watches you wrestle and in seconds is able to fine tune your every move and put forth some of the moves he knows that he thinks will best suit you.”

— Pat Skinner (2x CHSAA State Champion; 2011 NYS placewinner)

“One of the best things about Craig is he will show you moves that best fit your style. He won’t try to make you into a wrestler you’re not.  All you need to do is show him you want to learn and he will do everything he possibly can for you. He is a very affable person and one of the best technicians I’ve ever met.”

 –Danny McDevitt (2011 Nassau County runner-up)

“The technique that Craig shows is unmatched by any other coach that I have seen. Every single part of the move he is showing is put into specific detail; sometimes it would take him 15 minutes to go over a single move. If you look at the wrestlers that Craig has coached you can see that he has truly influenced every wrestler that goes to his club.”

–Christian Dluginski (2011 Nassau County Champion)

“Craig has not just been a coach for me, but a mentor for all different aspects that I’ve been involved with. He helped me through the recruiting process, dieting and controlling my weight, and transformed my wrestling abilities to where they are today, and I think the biggest impact that he’s had on me is that I’m now really a student of the sport.”

–Chris Perez (2x Nassau County Champion; NHSCA Senior National runner-up; current Princeton Freshman)

“Craig has made a huge impact on my life.  That is what makes a true champion, the person behind the champion, the person who stuck through it with them to the end and never gave up on them, the true champion is the one who trains the champion.  Craig is definitely a person in my book that I will always look up to and be thankful to forever.”

–Ryan Singh (2011 Nassau County Champion)

Such heartfelt sentiments are precisely what Vitagliano was aiming for when deciding to start the Ascend Wrestling club two years ago.  When he returned to the sport circa 2004 it was not necessarily Vitagliano’s plan to form a club.  However, it just happened that way.  Two kids became four, then eight, then 16, and so forth. But now that the wheels have been set in motion, Craig has remained loyal to his vision of what a wrestling club should entail: a spot that not only offers student-athletes the opportunity to train 12 months a year, but also allows them to establish relationships and friendships with peers who will not only enhance them as wrestlers, but as people as well.

“Where else are you going to find the opportunity for a Mark Raghunandan to train with a Pat Skinner, Ryan Singh, or Robert Person?” Vitagliano said.  “It just would not happen if not for the existence of clubs like Ascend.  My goal is to expose these kids to the best workout opportunities possible.  As has become the USA Wrestling motto, steel really does strengthen steel.  Therefore, I do everything I can to make it happen.”

As successful as the results have been on the mat since the inception of the club, Vitagliano is very quick to point out that Ascend stands for much more than just winning matches.  Instead, what he gives him the greatest satisfaction is preparing these high school students for the real world.  The discipline, commitment to craft, and camaraderie that one encounters when stepping into the Ascend Wrestling room are values and attributes that extend behind wrestling. They have purpose in the outside world. Wrestling is the method by which greater qualities and traits are instilled.

From a strictly wrestling standpoint, Vitagliano, ever modest, is the first to tell you that he does not have all of the answers.  He recognizes that there are certain techniques and approaches that he is not as adept at teaching.  Rather than allowing this to be an obstacle, Vitagliano does whatever is required to arrange for guest clinicians to work with his developing wrestlers.   Already, Ascend has welcomed former NCAA Champion Mitch “Make it Happen” Clark to teach leg riding, Long Island icon/4x NYS Champion/NCAA Champion Jesse Jantzen to teach the crab ride, and 2010 NCAA Champion/2012 Olympic hopeful, Max Askren, to give a tutorial on funk and scramble positions, to name just a few.

“Having all of these great guys come into the room is not just valuable to the high school kids; I also learn something from it,” he said. “As good a coach as I may be, I am always learning and looking to improve.  My objective is to help the kids develop a full repertoire as a result of their involvement with Ascend.  I don’t want them to just know how to execute moves.  I want them to incorporate the cerebral elements with the physical actions.  It is just as important to be a student of the sport and understand why a certain technique or strategy will work at a specific moment as it is to be able to hit the move flawlessly.  Wrestling is like chess; it’s a thinking person’s game.  Bringing in the best of the best just reaffirms this message.”

Vitagliano is hesitant to say too much on the growth of club training and personalized coaching, emphasizing that what’s most important is molding and changing the lives of the kids.  Vitagliano wants to work with everyone and thinks that we all have a stake in helping kids to grow as wrestlers.  In his own career, he cited at least a dozen names of people who cultivated him as a wrestler (coaches Terry Haise, Al Bevilacqua, Paul Gillespie Sr., John Hamilton, Ron Abbatelli, John Walter, as well as peers Brett Gould, Eddie Leonard, Tom Sinacore, just a sampling). He believes the club system is just one tool in getting the desired outcomes.  And, from where he is standing, other sports (baseball, tennis, golf) have demonstrated that this nature of instruction is invaluable to facilitating the greatest amount of improvement.  Supporting him in this belief is legendary wrestler/coach John Smith of Oklahoma State.  In sharing a conversation he had with the former six-time World Champion, Vitagliano indicated that according to Smith, thanks to clubs, “Kids are better today than they were 20 years ago. And, regions and certain states that were once weak are now flourishing.”  The club system may be new to the Empire State, but it has been around wrestling for decades.  Hence, if other states have shown the effectiveness of the approach, why not embrace it?

When asked to reflect on what his time at Ascend has meant to him, Vitagliano paused before saying, “It’s made me a happier man, as well as a better husband and father to my two young girls.  Professionally, I was doing quite well while working in New York City.  But, you can’t put a price tag or a value on the emotions that overcome you when you see a kid like Ryan Singh make such dramatic sacrifices to achieve his dream, or when you watch as [Chris] Perez reads his acceptance letter to Princeton.   You can’t make enough money to replace these feelings.  And, best of all, I know there will be many awaiting me in the future.”

So who is Craig Vitagliano?  He is the selfless, never tiring, enthusiastic gentleman who cares more about your success than he does his own.  He is the man who will sit with you in the wrestling room till midnight so that you make weight the next morning.  He is the man who may be able to teach you more about life than he will about takedowns or tilts and, he is the man who if given the chance, can make you a better wrestler than you ever thought you could be.   Before our interview, I had never met Craig Vitagliano; now I consider him a man who I will go to bat for any day of the week and twice on Sundays.  He’s the kind of man you’d be lucky to have mentoring your son or daughter.

WATCH CORNELL FACE COLUMBIA AT 1 P.M. AND HOFSTRA AT 3 P.M. ON SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 4, COURTESY OF MARK MORRIS OF PAWRVIDEO.COM

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#3 Cornell vs. #23 Hofstra Preview

By Betsy Veysman

A few weeks ago, two ranked New York teams battled down to the wire in Vestal, New York when Cornell edged Binghamton on criteria in a back and forth dual meet.  This weekend in Ithaca, another Empire State dual will take place when two undefeated teams, the third-ranked Big Red and 23^rd ranked Hofstra take the mat on Saturday at 3 p.m.  Both squads sport undeafeated dual records for the 2011-12 campaign.

(The Big Red will face Ivy League foe Columbia at 1 p.m.)

The following is a match-by-match preview:

125: #5 Frank Perrelli (CU, 22-4) vs. #14 Steve Bonanno (HU, 21-5)

It’s fair to say that these two know each other well, as they have met twice already this season and on three occasions last year.  While the Big Red grappler has won all five matchups, most have been close.  At the Binghamton Open this past November, Perrelli escaped as time expired to earn a one-point victory over his Hofstra counterpart and then took a 3-1 decision at the Southern Scuffle.  Bonanno has had a very solid campaign, but it’s hard to bet against Perrelli on Senior Day, especially given the recent history between these wrestlers.

133: Nick Arujau (CU, 1-0) vs. Jamie Franco (HU, 15-9)

While they haven’t wrestled as recently as the 125 pounders have, Arujau and Franco did have a high profile meeting in February of 2009.  In the 125 pound Division I New York high school state championship match, Arujau prevailed by a 4-0 score.  Plenty has happened since then and both have had fine seasons.  Franco, who has a win over Army’s Jordan Thome and a Round of 12 finish at the Southern Scuffle, has been praised by the Pride coaching staff for his performance this year.  Arujua has wrestled in a Cornell singlet only once since transferring from American, but while competing for the Finger Lakes Wrestling Club during the first semester, Arujau took second at the Penn State Open and fifth at the Southern Scuffle.  Slight edge to Arujau given a few more quality wins.

141: #17 Mike Nevinger (CU, 22-9) vs. Luke Vaith (HU, 15-7)

The two have not met and results against common opponents aren’t revealing.  Both beat Conor Hanafee and Patrick Hogan, both lost to Tyler Small and Jake Sueflohn.  While Nevinger defeated Frank Cimato twice, Cimato topped Vaith.  On the other hand, Vaith turned in a breakthrough performance last weekend, defeating returning All-American Zach Kemmerer, a wrestler who has defeated Nevinger twice this year.  What does it all mean?  It’s a toss up between grapplers who both scored upset victories last weekend (Vaith over Kemmerer, Nevinger over Iowa State’s Luke Goettl).  It certainly will have important implications for the team score.

149: #20 Chris Villalonga (CU, 19-5) vs. Justin Accordino (HU, 18-8)

Villalonga has recently broken into the rankings on the heels of a victory over top 10 opponent Corey Jantzen of Harvard.  Since moving up from 141 pounds, the New Jersey native has won 18 of 21 matches, with two of his losses to the #1 and #4 grapplers in the land (Penn State’s Frank Molinaro and Binghamton’s Donnie Vinson).  Accordino has rather quietly had a high quality campaign in his return from his second ACL injury.  Since dropping a match in the consolation bracket to Cornell’s Craig Eifert at the Southern Scuffle, Accordino has reeled off eight straight victories.

157: #1 Kyle Dake (CU, 23-0) vs. Tyler Banks (HU, 10-8)

It’s no secret that Dake is the favorite here.  That’s not a knock on Banks; it would be true against any 157-pounder in the nation.  The two-time NCAA champion returned to action at this weight against Iowa State last Sunday after missing time with an injury.  He looks to return to dominant form and pick up bonus points, which he has earned in 13 of 23 matches this year.  Banks has won four of his last five, including two pivotal triumphs in last weekend’s sweep over Rutgers and Penn.

165: Marshall Peppelman (CU, 22-12) vs. #19 PJ Gillespie (HU, 21-5)

The Pride’s returning All-American edged Peppelman 2-1 at the Binghamton Open at the beginning of the campaign.  While both competed at the Vegas Invitational and the Southern Scuffle, they did not meet again.  Gillespie took second at Vegas and fourth at the Scuffle while Peppelman was seventh at the latter tournament.  The Hofstra senior is coming off an undefeated weekend in which he upset then-ninth ranked Scott Winston of Rutgers while the Big Red wrestler suffered a tough loss to fourth-ranked Andrew Sorenson of Iowa State on Saturday.  Gillespie tends to wrestle close matches and will be favored to take this one.

174: Billy George (CU, 13-9) vs. Jermaine John (HU, 7-12)

It’s a matchup of a pair of freshmen who have had their ups and downs throughout the season.  George’s 8-2 decision over John at the Las Vegas Invitational in December makes him the favorite in this bout.

184: #3 Steve Bosak (CU, 24-2) vs. #11 Ben Clymer (HU, 23-6)

Similar to 125, these wrestlers are not strangers.  Bosak defeated Clymer 3-0 in a hard fought bout in the Binghamton Open finals this season in addition to victories the other three times they have met.  The matches have all been fairly close, with scores of 3-0, 4-1 and 3-1.  Both competitors have been on a roll lately, with Bosak winning seven straight and Clymer capturing eight consecutive victories.  However, until proven otherwise, the Cornellian is favored by decision.

197: #1 Cam Simaz (CU, 18-1) vs. Tim Murphy (HU, 10-15)

Simaz puts points on the board.  16 of his 18 wins this year have been by bonus points, including 5 technical falls and 8 pins.  Murphy and Matt Loew have both manned the 197 spot for the Pride this season but the former got the call a week ago against the Scarlet Knights and Quakers. When Simaz takes the mat against almost anyone, expect bonus points for the Big Red.

285: Maciej Jochym (CU, 13-12) vs. Paul Snyder (HU, 15-8)

This looks like another toss up.  These heavyweights met twice at the Binghamton Open.  In the opening round of the tournament, Jochym defeated Snyder, 11–4.  Hours later, Snyder returned the favor in the third place match, coming out on top, 3-2.  Both were eliminated in the Round of 12 at the Southern Scuffle and in the same round at the Las Vegas Invitational. For Hofstra to take the dual, this will be a key bout to win.

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The Pride wrestlers have won 13 straight and clearly have a very good dual lineup. However, Cornell matches up well with Hofstra’s strengths.  It’s unlikely that the result will be anything like the 45-0 shutout that the Big Red had against the Pride a year ago in Hempstead, but the Big Red should ride the Senior Day crowd to a comfortable victory in the first duals held at the Friedman Center this season.

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By Betsy Veysman

Hofstra, the 24th ranked team in the country in the latest USA Today/Division I Coaches Poll, is off to an 8-0 start, including victories last week over American and CAA squads Old Dominion, George Mason and Boston.  Dating back to last year, the Pride wrestlers have won 13 duals in a row.

This weekend, Hofstra puts that unbeaten streak on the line against two tough foes, Rutgers on the road and Pennsylvania at the Mack Sports Complex.

“We’ll be facing two very good teams,” said head coach Rob Anspach. “We know that in this sport everything is about March.  But you don’t do well in March if you don’t really challenge yourself during the season.  Rutgers had a great year last year with close to 20 dual wins and they have some very good individuals.  Penn has a returning All-American at 141 and a highly ranked 197 in Micah Burak. So we will definitely be challenged.  We need to continue to do the things we’ve been doing like dictating the pace and winning hand fighting battles and if we do, we should be able to come away with two more wins.”

One of the bouts Anspach is looking forward to this weekend is at 165 pounds where senior PJ Gillespie will face ninth ranked Scott Winston of the Scarlet Knights.  Gillespie, a returning All-American from nearby Long Beach High School, sports a 19-5 record and some strong placements in tournaments this year – first at the Binghamton Open, second at the Las Vegas Invitational and fourth at the Southern Scuffle.  Four of his five losses have come in his last 9 matches, however.

“PJ started off the year really well but hit a rough spot at the Scuffle and the Drexel dual,” Anspach said.  “Last weekend I was much happier with his performance.  He even dominated almost the entire match that he lost.  We just want him to use all of his tools. We rely on him to score bonus points in close duals and when he’s offensive minded, he looks great.”

The captain finished on the podium last year at the NCAAs in Philadelphia after entering the tournament unseeded.  Currently ranked #19, he may have to take a similar path this March.

“Wherever he winds up, even if he is unseeded again, PJ is capable of winning those matches at NCAAs.  His road may be a little tougher than we hoped, but he is certainly capable of placing high this year.”

Gillespie is one of the team leaders fueling the Pride this campaign, in addition to junior Steve Bonanno and senior Ben Clymer.

Bonanno has consistently gotten the team off on the right foot.  The Long Island product has gone 20-5 overall, including finishes of third and sixth at the Las Vegas Invitational and the Southern Scuffle, respectively.  In addition, he has racked up an 8-0 record in duals, including six bonus point wins.

“I’ve been really impresssed with Steve,” Anspach said.  “He’s been our most consistent wrestler.   We’ve been able to start at 125 in all but one dual and he gets things going the right way. It’s really nice to start off the dual 4-0 or 5-0.”

Anspach also added that Bonanno is a top student, with a grade point average around 3.8 in International Business.

“You don’t find too many guys like Steve,” he said. “He’s outstanding.  You never worry about him academically or in anything else.  He’s always doing the right things.”

Clymer, a two-time NCAA qualifier, has been competitive throughout his career.   However, the nation’s 11th ranked grappler at 184 pounds has raised his game, according to Anspach, to the tune of a 20-4 record.

“Ben has picked up his point scoring to the level he is capable of,” the coach said.  “He’s very strong and long and hard to score on, but he relied too much on his defense.  He’s had a lot of 2-1, 3-2 matches against good opponents in the past.  Now he’s working really hard on his feet and starting to put some distance between him and the guys he’s wrestling.  He’s also been working hard on top and has been able to ride some of the best in the country.”

Anspach pointed to Clymer’s fourth placing showing at the Southern Scuffle as a turning point.  The Pennsylvania native lost in the first round to Clarence Neely of Missouri, but rebounded to win six straight bouts, including victories over Jon Fausey (who eliminated Clymer from last year’s Scuffle), Luke Rebertus (who knocked Clymer out of the NCAA tournament in 2011) and Neely.

While Bonanno, Gillespie and Clymer have starred, any good dual team needs contributions throughout the lineup, and Hofstra has had solid performances from a number of wrestlers.

133: Lou Ruggirello was a nationally ranked wrestler throughout his four years in Hempstead and his graduation in 2011 left the 133-pound slot vacant.  However, Anspach has been pleased with his replacement.

“133 has been a win and often a pin for us for several years with Lou,” the coach said.  “But Jamie Franco might be the biggest surprise on the team.  He has gone out and done a great job for us.”  The Monroe, New York native is 14-8 in 2011-12.

141: Luke Vaith has been competitive all year (14-7) and is waiting for a breakthrough victory.

“Luke isn’t getting the recognition he deserves,” Anspach said. “He’s very strong and talented.  The problem is that he is losing to very good kids in tight ones.  He was beating [5th ranked] Jake Sueflohn of Nebraska the whole match and gave up a very late takedown.  He just had a good win against Justin LaValle from Old Dominion, who had beaten him at the Scuffle.  I’m hoping he can turn the corner and win some of these close ones.  He definitely belongs at nationals.”

149: Following Vaith in the lineup is 149-pounder Justin Accordino, who has taken a difficult path back onto the mat for the Pride.

“Justin suffered two torn ACLs, in back to back years.  Both times it was in the first half of the season,” Anspach said. “After the first one he put in an intense, long rehab and he was just getting the rust knocked off when it happened again.  You don’t know how a kid will react to that, but Justin rehabbed again and came back stronger.  His body isn’t fully where his mind is yet wrestling wise, but we’re starting to see him getting back to the wrestler he was.  If he can keep it going, he will be good come March.”

285: Anspach also mentioned the efforts of heavyweight Paul Snyder, last season’s CAA champion, who has registered a 14-7 mark.

“Paul has been working hard on his offense and his handfighting.  He’s run into some guys in the conference who weren’t here last year in [19th ranked] Kyle Frey and [12th ranked] Nick Gwiazdowski.  He’ll have to beat them to get back to the national tournament.”

174:  The head coach believes that recent CAA Rookie of the Week Jermaine John has made significant strides since the beginning of the campaign.

“Jermaine is coming along nicely,” he added.  “He had a great match with Te Edwards from ODU last week. [10th ranked Edwards won 7-6].  Jermaine is strong, quick and athletic. He has all the tools; he just needs more confidence. He needs to get that one win that triggers him to the next level.”

The next level is where the new, young coaching staff hopes to get Hofstra as a team.

While Anspach is in his first season as the head coach, he has been around the Hofstra program for most of the past 13 years, first as a student-athlete and then as a member of the staff.   In addition to second-year coach Zach Tanelli, Anspach added a pair of recent All-Americans, Gregor Gillespie and Dan Vallimont, before this campaign began.

“They are all young and bring great enthusiasm,” Anspach said. “We only have 22 guys in the room, so having coaches that wrestle with the guys every day really makes a difference.  They all come from very successful programs and have great minds for wrestling.  I think it’s been a good formula so far.”

Anspach acknowledged that ultimately success is judged in March and he believes he knows what it would look like for the Pride.

“We want to win our conference championship, which we’ve done 10 out of the last 11 years.  Binghamton has a really good team as does Old Dominion, but we feel like we’re the favorites,” he said. “When we get to nationals, we believe we have the potential for a lot of our guys to place.  From my perspective, three or four All-Americans would be a great success.”

*Rankings are from theopenmat.com