Tag Archives: Burke Paddock

New York State Rankings #2 for 2012-13 Season

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We said the first set of rankings of the year would probably be the toughest. We were wrong. These were much tougher.

However, after much discussion and debate, here are the current opinions of those who collaborated on this project. We will once again consider all of your feedback . . . as long as it’s done respectfully.

So, here you go . . .

Photo by BV

99 Pounds:

  1. Yianni Diakomihalis, Hilton (5)
  2. Vito Arujau, Syosset (8)
  3. Jesse Dellavecchia, East Islip (11)
  4. Ryan O’Rourke, Adirondack (3)
  5. John Arceri, Huntington (11)
  6. Chris Cuccolo, Pine Bush (9)
  7. Jake Yankloski, Wayne (5)
  8. Garrett Baugher, St. Joseph’s Collegiate (C)

A Few Notes: Diakomihalis remains at number one despite winning a tournament title up at 106 over Jonathan Haas this weekend.  The Eastern States Classic featured some close bouts at this weight, including Cuccolo’s overtime triumph over Yankloski for the title. That came one round after Yankloski’s extra time victory over Eastport South Manor’s John Busiello in the semis. There’s no doubt that Busiello will be heard from in the postseason as well.

106 Pounds:

  1. Alex Tanzman, Westhampton Beach (11)
  2. Nick Barbaria, New Rochelle (1)
  3. Kyle Quinn, Wantagh (8)
  4. James Szymanski, Shoreham Wading River (11)
  5. Jimmy Overhiser, Corning (4)
  6. Golan Cohen, Colonie (2)
  7. Jonathan Haas, Spencerport (5)
  8. Tony Recco, Lyndonville (5)
A Few Notes: Tanzman remains in the top spot, followed by Barbaria. The New Rochelle wrestler had an impressive Eastern States, earning the crown with victories over Overhiser and Quinn in tight matches in the semis and finals. Szymanski and Cohen enter the rankings after taking third and fourth at that event, featuring several quality victories.

Photo by BV

113 Pounds:

  1. Nick Piccininni, Ward Melville (11)
  2. Kyle Kelly, Chenango Forks (4)
  3. Anthony Orefice, Lockport (6)
  4. Dillon Stowell, Gouverneur (10)
  5. Bryan Lantry, Wayne (5)
  6. Joe Calderone, Walt Whitman (11)
  7. Johnny Stramiello, Pine Bush (9)
  8. Cheick Ndiaye, Brooklyn International (P)

A Few Notes: The makeup of the top 8 here hasn’t undergone too much change since the last rankings. (Barbaria, previously here, moved down to 106 and Calderone joined the list while Orefice has spent some time up at 120).  Piccininni dominated at the Eastern States while Kelly did the same the previous week at the Union-Endicott Duals.

120 Pounds:

  1. Alex Delacruz, Ossining (1)
  2. Mike D’Angelo, Commack (11)
  3. John Muldoon, Pearl River (1)
  4. Blaise Benderoth, North Rockland (1)
  5. Travis Passaro, Eastport South Manor (11)
  6. Nick Tolli, Arlington (1)
  7. Blake Retell, Shaker (2)
  8. Sean Peacock, Midlakes (5)

A Few Notes: This weight took more time than most of the others combined. What has changed? Honestly, what hasn’t? The Eastern States tournament was loaded at this class and a number of highly accomplished wrestlers, including the #2, 3, 4 and 5 seeds at the event didn’t place. Why this arrangement? Yes, Delacruz was disqualified while trailing during his semis bout with Muldoon. However, looking at the matches that have taken place among these wrestlers this season, Delacruz pinned D’Angelo, who in turn beat Muldoon earlier this year.  Muldoon topped Benderoth, who defeated Passaro for bronze at SUNY Sullivan. (Passaro won their meeting the previous day by fall).

Tolli and Retell turned in strong performances in Loch Sheldrake as well, with Tolli topping Steve Michel and Chris Cataldo on his way to fifth while Retell also placed after beating Santo Curatolo, Cataldo and two-time state runner up Trey Aslanian.

Photo by Josh Conklin

126 Pounds:

  1. TJ Fabian, Shoreham Wading River (11)
  2. Dylan Realbuto, Somers (1)
  3. Chris Araoz, Wantagh (8)
  4. Mark West, Hauppauge (11)
  5. Corey Jamison, Huntington (11)
  6. William Koll, Lansing (4)
  7. Dakota Gardner, Fredonia (6)
  8. Mike Raccioppi, Minisink Valley (9)

A Few Notes:  Most of the names are the same here with the order slightly rearranged. Fabian’s championship over the weekend, in which he defeated Realbuto and Koll, puts him on top. Realbuto beat Araoz, who topped Koll.  One of the new additions to the list is Mark West, a former state champion who was fourth at Eastern States and will be no doubt be a factor in the postseason. Islip’s Brad Wade is among the many others to keep an eye on.  He recently avenged two early season losses and has solid wins over Jamison and state runner up Justin Cooksey.

132 Pounds:

  1. Renaldo Rodriguez-Spencer, Cheektowoga (6)
  2. Tristan Rifanburg, Norwich (4)
  3. Sam Melikian, Fordham Prep (C)
  4. Matt Leshinger, Sayville (11)
  5. Vinny Turano, Wantagh (8)
  6. Brandon Lapi, Amsterdam (2)
  7. Conor O’Hara, Sachem East (11)
  8. Jacob Sepor, Pavilion (5)

A Few Notes: Rodriguez-Spencer has continued to roll but there was a little shakeup behind him. Two-time state finalist Rifanburg takes the second slot after winning Eastern States this weekend, while the wrestler he defeated for the title, Melikian, is next. Then comes bronze finisher Leshinger, who split contests with Turano at SUNY Sullivan. O’Hara has been on a tear since moving down to 132 pounds.

Photo by BV

138 Pounds:

  1. Nick Kelley, Shenendehowa (2)
  2. Nick Tighe, Phoenix (3)
  3. Connor Lapresi, Lansing (4)
  4. Tom Dutton, Rocky Point (11)
  5. Vincent DePrez, Hilton (5)
  6. Dan Reagan, Lewiston Porter (6)
  7. Derrick Gray, Indian River (3)
  8. Skylar Kropman, Penfield (5)

A Few Notes: While the match many were hoping to see, Kelley vs. Tighe, didn’t materialize (Tighe forfeited in the semis), Kelley reinforced his hold on #1 with his outstanding showing. Joining the fray is Penfield’s Skylar Kropman after making the medal stand from an unseeded spot in the bracket at Eastern States.

145 Pounds:

  1. Louis Hernandez, Mepham (8)
  2. David Almaviva, Shenendehowa (2)
  3. Drew Hull, Royalton Hartland (6)
  4. Eric Lewandowski, Lancaster (6)
  5. Tom Grippi, Fox Lane (1)
  6. Jackson Mordente, Sachem East (11)
  7. Frank Garcia, Norwich (4)
  8. Jude Gardner, Fredonia (6)

A Few Notes: Hernandez is the new #1 here after leading the way at the Eastern States. The Mepham wrestler was in great form over the weekend, beating Almaviva in the semifinals before taking out the tournament’s top seed in the finals. State runner up Hull enters the 145 pound rankings after moving down from 152.  Garcia missed a portion of the season with an injury but has made an effective return, including a podium showing at the Eastern States. While not presently included, Anthony DePrez is putting together a very solid season for Hilton.

Photo by BV

152 Pounds:

  1. Corey Rasheed, Longwood (11)
  2. Tyler Spann, Adirondack (3)
  3. Angelo Kress, Columbia (2)
  4. Chris Koo, Great Neck South (8)
  5. Rowdy Prior, Phoenix (3)
  6. Brendan Goldup, LaSalle (2)
  7. Dan DeCarlo, Port Jervis (9)
  8. Joe Mastro, Yorktown (1)

A Few Notes: Corey Rasheed made a strong statement about who the best in New York is at 152 by rolling through the tournament at SUNY Sullivan, which included a number of ranked opponents. DeCarlo and Mastro made the list after their performances over the weekend as well. Kyle Halliday of Chenango Valley also continues to have a strong campaign, with his only loss coming up a weight to Vestal’s Alex Francik, a wrestler who was strongly considered at 160.

160 Pounds:

  1. Burke Paddock, Warsaw (5)
  2. Tyler Grimaldi, HHHW (11)
  3. Steven Schneider, MacArthur (8)
  4. Mike Beckwith, Greene (4)
  5. Jake Weber, Clarence (6)
  6. Andrew Psomas, Monsignor Farrell (C)
  7. Austin Weigel, Onteora (9)
  8. Nick Gallo, Schalmont (2)

A Few Notes: Paddock captured the battle of the top wrestlers at this weight over Grimaldi. Two of the fastest risers in the rankings were MacArthur’s Schneider and Monsignor Farrell’s Psomas, who battled for third at the Eastern States. Schneider also beat Weber the previous week at the Union-Endicott Duals.

170 Pounds:

  1. Dan McDevitt, Wantagh (8)
  2. Carlos Toribio, Brentwood (11)
  3. Christian Dietrich, Greene (4)
  4. Joe Piccolo, Half Hollow Hills West (11)
  5. Troy Seymour, Peru (7)
  6. Zack Buckley, Fredonia (6)
  7. Johnny Vrasidas, St. Anthony’s (C)
  8. Brett Perry, John Jay EF (1)

 A Few Notes: Another weight with a new #1. McDevitt takes over after coming out on top in a field full of stellar wrestlers and keeping his unbeaten streak as an upperweight alive. Dietrich and Piccolo both defeated Seymour on Saturday while Toribio, Buckley and Vrasidas have continued to wrestle well. Perry got the nod for the eighth spot but Brockport’s Jared Mesiti is also one to look out for at this weight class as is Mike Green of Cobleskill-Richmondville and the previously ranked AJ Voelker of Monroe Woodbury.

182 Pounds:

  1. Zack Zupan, Canastota (3)
  2. Shayne Brady, Carthage (3)
  3. Tim Schaefer, Warsaw (5)
  4. Trent Egenlauf, Spencerport (5)
  5. James Corbett, Wantagh (8)
  6. Levi Ashley, Shenendehowa (2)
  7. James Benjamin, Vestal (4)
  8. Gio Santiago, Sachem North (11)

A Few Notes: Zupan does have some blemishes on his record – a loss while wrestling up at 195 (he was winning at the time of the fall) and a disqualification. However, the former state champion demonstrated that he is the wrestler to beat with his showing at the Eastern States, including a championship win over Schaefer. Egenlauf defeated Corbett at Union-Endicott duals while the Wantagh wrestler responded at SUNY Sullivan by taking third with a win over Ashley. Section 6’s Anthony Liberatore, who wrestled well in Albany last year, continues to impress.

Photo by BV

195 Pounds:

  1. Reggie Williams, Johnson City (4)
  2. Bryce Mazurowski, Avon (5)
  3. Colton Kells, Fairport (5)
  4. Chris Chambers, East Islip (11)
  5. Steven Sabella, Yorktown (1)
  6. Joe Nasoni, Baldwinsville (3)
  7. Nick Weber, Kings Park (11)
  8. Dan Choi, Syosset (8)

A Few Notes: Sabella and Nasoni enter after picking up some solid victories as does Chambers after beating Weber (who beat Choi). According to the NWCA Scorebook, Chambers has won every match this year by bonus points (and has 17 first period falls). Reggie Williams stays on top after his weekend title while Mazurowski remains in the second slot as the favorite in Division II. Both Hunter Ayen of Gouverneur and Ben Honis of Jamesville-Dewitt/CBA put on strong showings at the Eastern States and will be threats in February along with Collin Pittman of Spencerport and Tyler Morris of Salem.

220 Pounds:

  1. Zack Bacon, Hornell (5)
  2. Ryan Wolcott, Waverly (4)
  3. Dan Breit, Nanuet (1)
  4. Nick Lupi, Huntington (11)
  5. Mike Silvis, Holley (5)
  6. Chris Saden, Fredonia (6)
  7. Richard Sisti, Monsignor Farrell (C)
  8. Joe Sprung, Berne Knox (2)

A Few Notes: Breit and Silvis traded positions after the Nanuet wrestler defeated the Holley grappler for the Eastern States crown. Minisink Valley’s Josh Bonneau made a statement with his bronze placement at the same tournament and is one we will keep close tabs on, along with Islip’s Ryan Hughes.

Photo by BV

285 Pounds:

  1. El Shaddai Van Hoesen, Columbia (2)
  2. Mike Hughes, Smithtown West (11)
  3. Matt Montesanti, Medina (6)
  4. Alex Soutiere, Ravena (2)
  5. Brandon Fayle, Lowville (3)
  6. James O’Hagan, Seaford (8)
  7. Austin DiCerbo, Colonie (2)
  8. David Varian, Yorktown (1)

A Few Notes: The top six didn’t change after the last set of rankings, however, DiCerbo makes his debut after pinning Varian for the bronze at Eastern States. It was one of four falls for the Colonie wrestler at the tournament.

Special thanks to Mike Carey for his tremendous work on these rankings.

* Results based on NWCA Scorebook

New York State Rankings #1 for 2012-13 Season

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Here we go . . . the first and probably most difficult rankings of the year.  Soon, wrestlers will settle into their weights, more top wrestlers will go head to head and others will be back from injuries. Rankings, especially at this time of year, are subjective and we’re sure there are some wrestlers not included who will make an impact.  They are the opinions of those who collaborated on this project and are meant to generate conversation. We will seriously consider all of your feedback . . . as long as it’s done respectfully.  So, have at it.

Special thanks to Mike Carey for his incredible work to make these rankings happen.

Diakomihalis, Photo by BV

99 Pounds:

  1. Yianni Diakomihalis, Hilton (5)
  2. Vito Arujau, Syosset (8)
  3. Jesse Dellavecchia, East Islip (11)
  4. Peter Pappas, Plainview (8)
  5. Ryan Hetrick, Southwestern (6)
  6. John Arceri, Huntington (11)
  7. John Busiello, Eastport South Manor (11)
  8. Vinny Vespa, Monroe Woodbury (9)

A Few Notes: There are some terrific young wrestlers in this weight, but #1 is Hilton’s Yianni Diakomihalis, who has been extremely impressive not only on the mat for Hilton thus far but all over the country over the past several months.  Before this high school campaign began, he captured the Junior High Championship at the Super 32 Challenge in North Carolina. On his way to that title, Diakomihalis defeated Syosset eighth grader Vito Arujau (who took third). Arujau has been dominant thus far, both at 106 and 99. Suffolk county will have quite a battle in this class.  Over the holidays, Jesse Dellevecchia edged John Busiello in a very close and entertaining match while Arceri won the Windsor Christmas Tournament with a technical fall in the title bout.

106 Pounds:

  1. Alex Tanzman, Westhampton Beach (11)
  2. Jimmy Overhiser, Corning (4)
  3. Tony Recco, Lyndonville (5)
  4. Andrew Flanagan, Holley (5)
  5. Kyle Quinn, Wantagh (8)
  6. Jake Yankloski, Wayne (5)
  7. Jonathan Haas, Spencerport (5)
  8. Steven Lee, West Babylon (11)
A Few Notes: Tanzman took bronze at 99 a year ago, and started the season up at 113 (where he dropped a decision to state champion Nick Piccininni). Overhiser took fourth at this weight a year ago and has picked up where he left off, including a title at the Windsor Christmas Tournament.  Recco, a state champion in 2012, and Flanagan, a placer, have done well up a weight after competing at 99 a year ago. Yankloski caught our attention when he defeated qualifier Bryan Ruggeri of Fairport by technical fall early in the year.  He won his first 16 bouts.

 

Piccininni, Photo by BV

113 Pounds:

  1. Nick Piccininni Ward Melville (11)
  2. Kyle Kelly, Chenango Forks (4)
  3. Anthony Orefice, Lockport (6)
  4. Bryan Lantry, Wayne (5)
  5. Dillon Stowell, Gouverneur (10)
  6. Nick Barbaria, New Rochelle (1)
  7. Johnny Stramiello, Pine Bush (9)
  8. Cheick Ndiaye, Brooklyn International (P)

A Few Notes: This is one of two weights where there was a lot of back and forth on who is #1 and who is essentially 1A. We expect Piccininni and Kelly to settle things on the mat in the finals at the Times Union Center.  Two years ago, Kelly defeated Piccininni in the state semifinals and neither has lost in the state of New York since.  The Ward Melville wrestler’s outstanding performances against top competition outside the state, and a victory over the nation’s top sophomore, Zahid Valencia, gave him the edge.  Of course, Kelly’s many achievements are extremely impressive, including two state titles and placements at Fargo and Virginia Beach.  Anthony Orefice also has had a lot of success both inside and outside of the Empire State.  He was 40-2 a year ago, with his losses coming to Piccininni and Jimmy Overhiser (by default) and he registered a solid 7-1 win over Stowell over the holidays. Like Orefice, Bryan Lantry was fifth in 2012 in the state capital.  After a slow start at the Madison Square Garden title bout, Ndiaye gave Kelly a tough match a few weeks ago, dropping a two point decision.

Person, Photo by BV

120 Pounds:

  1. Robert Person, Bellmore JFK (8)
  2. Rocco Russo, Frontier (6)
  3. Steve Michel, Lancaster (6)
  4. Mike D’Angelo, Commack (11)
  5. Sean Peacock, Midlakes (5)
  6. Trey Aslanian, Edgemont (1)
  7. Kellen Devlin, Amherst (6)
  8. John Muldoon, Pearl River (1)

A Few Notes: Person, a two-time placer out of Section 8 is looking to make the finals for the first time after placing multiple times in the past. A number of these wrestlers have met this year.  Russo defeated Michel early on and then Michel beat Peacock.  Meanwhile, in last year’s state finals at 113, Peacock topped Aslanian.  The Edgemont grappler, headed to Princeton, is on a mission to win a state title after two runner up finishes in Albany.  Mike D’Angelo may not be a familiar name to those outside of Long Island but he suffered only three losses last year – all to Nick Piccininni.  In fact, Piccininni had only four regular decisions prior to Albany and three were against D’Angelo.  Truthfully, D’Angelo won’t have an easy time in Section 11 this year, because a pair of wrestlers who made it to the Round of 12 at the Super 32, Connetquot’s Steven Bulzomi and Eastport South Manor’s Travis Passaro, are also very strong.

Realbuto, Photo by BV

126 Pounds:

  1. Dylan Realbuto, Somers (1)
  2. TJ Fabian, Shoreham Wading River (11)
  3. Chris Araoz, Wantagh (8)
  4. Corey Jamison, Huntington (11)
  5. William Koll, Lansing (4)
  6. Blake Retell, Shaker (2)
  7. Dakota Gardner, Fredonia (6)
  8. Antonio DeLuco, Rome Free Academy (3)

A Few Notes:  Realbuto captured a state title a year ago and will have a challenging group to beat to repeat. Fabian took fourth last season at a deep 120 pound weight and has impressed so far for Shoreham Wading River, as he did while winning seven straight after an opening round loss at the Super 32.  Chris Araoz knows about long winning streaks at national events as he took the 120 pound NHSCA National title last spring. Meanwhile, former state gold medalist William Koll has made the move up a few weights.  He took second this weekend at the Windsor Christmas Tournament behind Corey Jamison, who came into Albany as the number two seed last year but didn’t compete the second day.

Rodriguez-Spencer, Photo by BV

132 Pounds:

  1. Renaldo Rodriguez-Spencer, Cheektowoga (6)
  2. Matt Leshinger, Sayville (11)
  3. Tristan Rifanburg, Norwich (4)
  4. Sam Melikian, Fordham Prep (C)
  5. Cody McGregor, Tonawanda (6)
  6. Brandon Lapi, Amsterdam (2)
  7. Vinny Turano, Wantagh (8)
  8. Ben Ettlinger, Fox Lane (1)

A Few Notes: Renaldo Rodriguez-Spencer is currently ranked nationally at this weight and has a boatload of achievements in the international styles. Last year, he took second in Albany behind Nick Tighe in an entertaining, back and forth, match. Future Columbia Lion Matt Leshinger of Sayville, a returning bronze medalist, went through one of the state’s toughest brackets (Section 11, 120 pounds) just to get to the Times Union Center last season.  Rifanburg, McGregor and Lapi have made a number of appearances on the medal stand and Melikian came within one match of joining them a year ago.

Kelley, Photo by BV

138 Pounds:

  1. Nick Kelley, Shenendehowa (2)
  2. Nick Tighe, Phoenix (3)
  3. Connor Lapresi, Lansing (4)
  4. Tom Dutton, Rocky Point (11)
  5. Vincent DePrez, Hilton (5)
  6. Eric Lewandowski, Lancaster (6)
  7. Codie Gillette, Saranac (7)
  8. Derrick Gray, Indian River (3)

A Few Notes: A pair of Binghamton-bound wrestlers are the favorites to capture titles at this weight in 2013. On the Division I side it’s Kelley, who is looking for his first crown to cap off a terrific career. On the other hand, Tighe is aiming for his third straight championship in Albany. Tighe may have to battle returning 132 pound gold medalist Connor Lapresi, who will wrestle for Bucknell in the future. On the large school side, Tom Dutton had a stellar offseason, placing at both the NHSCA Nationals and Fargo after a successful regular season in Section 11. DePrez and Lewandowski have both competed in the Saturday night finals in the past and will look to get back there this February.

Almaviva, Photo courtesy of Anthony Almaviva

145 Pounds:

  1. David Almaviva, Shenendehowa (2)
  2. Louis Hernandez, Mepham (8)
  3. Isaiah Riccio, Beaver River (3)
  4. Dan Reagan, Lewiston Porter (6)
  5. Jude Gardner, Fredonia (6)
  6. Joey Butler, Burnt Hills (2)
  7. Jackson Mordente, Sachem East (11)
  8. Colby Kash, Clarkstown North (1)

A Few Notes: Almaviva, an All-American, lost some matches this year but did so while making the Round of 12 at the prestigious Reno Tournament of Champions. After taking bronze in Albany last year, he’ll be looking to get to the finals this time. A number of other wrestlers on this list have solid experience at the Times Union Center, such as All-Staters Riccio, Reagan and Gardner. Hernandez made the trip to the state capital last year and wrestled with a severe injury. Now back in form, he dominated tough competition in and outside of the Empire State in the offseason and is looking for big things in a return trip.

Rasheed, Photo by BV

152 Pounds:

  1. Corey Rasheed, Longwood (11)
  2. Tom Grippi, Fox Lane (1)
  3. Drew Hull, Royalton Hartland (6)
  4. Angelo Kress, Columbia (2)
  5. Tyler Spann, Adirondack (3)
  6. Chris Koo, Great Neck South (8)
  7. Rowdy Prior, Phoenix (3)
  8. Kyle Halliday, Chenango Valley (4)

A Few Notes: Rasheed is a three-time placer and two-time runner up going into his junior year.  He took second at 145 in D-I last season while Drew Hull, a two-time medal winner, was the silver placer in the small school tournament.  Tom Grippi handed our #1 at 145 David Almaviva his only loss in Albany last year and finished one match from placing.  He already has over 20 wins.  Kress pinned his way through the PSAL Holiday tournament and racked up a number of wins in offseason events in the international styles. At the state tournament last season, he lost to nationally ranked Nicky Hall in the opening round before winning three straight in the consolations.  Chris Koo has been an All-American twice in Virginia Beach but has yet to travel to the state capital.  He has the ability to not only qualify but go far at the Times Union Center. He most recently was the Outstanding Wrestler at the Massapequa Holiday Tournament. Prior had a 32-3 season last year but two of his setbacks came in the Section 3 tournament (including to Spann).  He has been on fire this year thus far.

Grimaldi, Photo by BV

160 Pounds:

  1. Tyler Grimaldi, HHHW (11)
  2. Burke Paddock, Warsaw (5)
  3. Brendan Goldup, LaSalle (2)
  4. Jake Weber, Clarence (6)
  5. Mike Beckwith, Greene (4)
  6. Nick Gallo, Schalmont (2)
  7. Tyler Silverthorn, General Brown (3)
  8. Austin Weigel, Onteora (9)

A Few Notes: Speaking of 1 and 1A back at 113, Grimaldi and Paddock are both in the national rankings.  Some have Grimaldi higher and some have the reverse. We expect both to stand on top of the podium in Albany in their respective divisions.  Why do we have Grimaldi higher?  He defeated Paddock at the New York State Freestyle championships this year and placed at Fargo while both were in the same bracket. Needless to say, Paddock has a plethora of achievements over the years and will be difficult to beat. Mike Beckwith encountered a number of setbacks a year ago but with very little practice under his belt won Section 4 and a match in Albany.  He has blistered through the competition this year. Silverthorn was one of the few non-senior medalists in either division at 160 in 2012. Gallo came within a bout of the podium as a freshman and Goldup, a former All-Stater, is off to a great start. Weigel was one bout from the All-State status at 170 and will be a handful down at 160. [Dale White has been out injured].

170 Pounds:

  1. Troy Seymour, Peru (7)
  2. Dan McDevitt, Wantagh (8)
  3. Carlos Toribio, Brentwood (11)
  4. Zack Buckley, Fredonia (6)
  5. Christian Dietrich, Greene (4)
  6. Johnny Vrasidas, St. Anthony’s (C)
  7. Joe Piccolo, Half Hollow Hills West (11)
  8. Andrew Voelker, Monroe Woodbury (9)

Seymour, a national runner up and fourth placer at the state tournament last year, stands on top of 170.  Behind him are a number of talented competitors, none of whom have tasted the podium yet at 170.  However, McDevitt was on the medal stand as a fifth placer in 2012 — down at 138. After a growth spurt, he is up several classes and after beating some tough customers this summer, he’s looking like a solid bet to medal again. Johnny Vrasidas made it to the top 8 in Albany in February.  Toribio has started off the year on fire in Section 11, beating All-Stater Gio Santiago and returning qualifier Matt Roberts, both while wrestling up a weight. He also handled Piccolo this past week at the Long Island Challenge. An interesting wildcard is Deitrich, who medaled at 152 as a seventh grader in 2011 and who looked overpowering as he cruised to the Windsor Christmas Tournament title.

Zupan, Photo by BV

182 Pounds:

  1. Zack Zupan, Canastota (3)
  2. Shayne Brady, Carthage (3)
  3. Tim Schaefer, Warsaw (5)
  4. James Corbett, Wantagh (8)
  5. James Benjamin, Vestal (4)
  6. Trent Egenlauf, Spencerport (5)
  7. Gio Santiago, Sachem North (11)
  8. Levi Ashley, Shenendehowa (2)

A Few Notes: Zack Zupan, the top ranked recruit in New York, stands at #1 while fellow Section 3 wrestler Shayne Brady, the Division I runner up a year ago comes in at #2.  The two met in the finals of the Herkimer Invitational, which ended quickly after some good early action when Brady injury defaulted.  Tim Schaefer, a multi-time state placer, is off to another great start for Warsaw after taking third at this weight in 2012.  Benjamin is back after his All-State showing out of Section 4 and fellow medalist Gio Santiago returns to the rankings. Above him is Wantagh’s James Corbett, who has impressed during his undefeated start, including a solid win over the Sachem North wrestler. Egenlauf has won multiple tournaments so far this campaign including the Teike Bernabi.

Williams, Photo by BV

195 Pounds:

  1. Reggie Williams, Johnson City (4)
  2. Bryce Mazurowski, Avon (5)
  3. Dan Choi, Syosset (8)
  4. Tyler Smith, Midlakes (5)
  5. Colton Kells, Fairport (5)
  6. Tyler Morris, Salem (2)
  7. Collin Pittman, Spencerport (5)
  8. Nick Weber, Kings Park (11)

A Few Notes: Reggie Williams conquered all challengers as a sophomore at 195 with the exception of four losses to state champion (and now graduated) Tony Fusco of Shenendehowa. Williams is the favorite to win his first state title.  Next up is another state silver medalist, Bryce Mazurowski of Avon, a future member of the Binghamton Bearcats.  Two 2012 fourth placers also sit here, Tyler Smith of Midlakes (at 195) and Tyler Morris of Salem (at 182). Colton Kells finished in the top 8 in Division I at 195 a year ago while Choi did the same at 182. Pittman gave Williams a lot to handle in the finals of the Teike Bernabi tournament despite a previous setback.

 

Bacon, Photo by BV

220 Pounds:

  1. Zack Bacon, Hornell (5)
  2. Ryan Wolcott, Waverly (4)
  3. Mike Silvis, Holley (5)
  4. Nick Lupi, Huntington (11)
  5. Dan Breit, Nanuet (1)
  6. Chris Saden, Fredonia (6)
  7. Joe Sprung, Berne Knox (2)
  8. Richard Sisti, Monsignor Farrell (C)

A Few Notes: Zack Bacon of Hornell, currently ranked #16 in the country by Intermat, leads the way. Bacon is familiar with Silvis and they are sure to meet this year again. Lupi also earned a spot in the national polls (by Amateur Wrestling News). The Huntington wrestler was upset in the Windsor Christmas Tournament finals by Ryan Wolcott, a returning Top 8 wrestler (at 170). Breit, Sprung and Sisti all made appearances at the Times Union Center in 2012.

Van Hoesen, Photo by BV

285 Pounds:

  1. El Shaddai Van Hoesen, Columbia (2)
  2. Mike Hughes, Smithtown West (11)
  3. Matt Montesanti, Medina (6)
  4. Alex Soutiere, Ravena (2)
  5. Brandon Fayle, Lowville (3)
  6. James O’Hagan, Seaford (8)
  7. David Varian, Yorktown (1)
  8. Anthony Puca, Huntington (11)

El Shaddai Van Hoesen earns the top spot with his absolute dominance thus far as a senior after taking second in 2012.  Another silver medalist, Alex Soutiere, has followed up his run at the Times Union Center with an unbeaten start.  A pair of sixth place finishers are also included, with Smithtown West’s Mike Hughes and Medina’s Matt Montesanti in control just about every time they’ve stepped on the mat.  Brandon Fayle of Lowville fell one bout short of placing in 2012 and has put up solid results again, with the one blemish on his record via disqualification.  Rounding out the rankings are Seaford’s James O’Hagan, an NHSCA Nationals third place finisher who went 31-3 last year and who has lost only to Hughes this campaign (the only match Hughes hasn’t won by fall).  Anthony Puca of Huntington and David Varian of Yorktown, a qualifier out of Section 1, round things out.

* Results based on NWCA Scorebook

Section 5 Preview: More Than 10 All-State Wrestlers Return, Including 2012 Finalists Recco, Peacock, DePrez, Mazurowski and Bacon

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Division I

Returning State Placewinners

Fifth Place: Bryan Lantry, Wayne, 99 Pounds

Second Place: Vincent Deprez, Hilton, 113 Pounds

 

Additional Returning Qualifiers

99 Pounds: Jon Haas, Spencerport

106 Pounds: Bryan Ruggeri, Fairport

106 Pounds: Barton Peters, Brockport

170 Pounds: Jared Mesiti, Brockport

195 Pounds: Colton Kells, Fairport

Seniors to Watch

Colton Kells (Fairport) – The Red Raiders crowned the first state champion in school history in 2012 when Josh Lackey took the 220-pound title.  Kells, a fellow Fairport upperweight, looks to make it two years in a row.  He came within one victory of making the medal stand as a junior as he won a pair of bouts in Albany.  His 35-8 campaign included a victory over bronze medalist Jake Kelly of Niagara Wheatfield and all but one of his losses came against wrestlers that have now graduated.

Bryan Ruggeri (Fairport) – Like his teammate Kells, Ruggeri made the trip to the state tournament. He had a difficult draw, losing to undefeated champion Nick Piccininni of Ward Melville and fourth place finisher Jimmy Overhiser of Corning.  However, he showed his ability in a 35-win season that included a win over All-State grappler Corey Hollister.  He’ll be looking for more in 2013.

Jared Mesiti (Brockport) – Mesiti went 36-9 at 170 pounds a year ago, making an appearance at the Times Union Center after winning the Section 5 title by a point over Jessi Kimmerli.  The victory was significant because the Spencerport grappler had defeated Mesiti the first three times they met in 2011-12.  (Kimmerli earned fifth in Albany). Now that he’s had a taste of the state tournament, Mesiti is looking to get his hand raised at the event as a senior.

Austin Coleman (Spencerport) – Coleman, the returning Section 5 runner up, had a number of quality wins at 285 a year ago, including over state silver medalist El Shaddai Van Hoesen of Columbia, and looks to punch his ticket to Albany in 2013.  He’s favored to do just that as opposing coaches such as Brockport’s Mike Ferris believe he’s the wrestler to beat at heavyweight this season.

 

Also Keep an Eye On . . .

Vincent DePrez, Photo by BV

Vincent DePrez (Hilton) – Deprez had a nearly perfect season as a sophomore that ended just short of a state title.  He went 49-1 at 113 pounds, with his only setback coming on a takedown at the buzzer in the state championship bout against Dylan Realbuto of Somers.  He racked up a collection of impressive triumphs, including wins over Sean Peacock (Division II state champion) and additional placers Cody McGregor, Pat Skinner and Robert Person.  He will be up several weight classes but will be among the favorites to stand on top of the podium in late February.

Barton Peters (Brockport) – Peters is already a two-time Section 5 champion, including the 106 pound title in 2012.  During his 39-win sophomore campaign, he tallied several quality victories, including a pin against Fairport’s Bryan Ruggeri in the first period of the Section championship bout.

Lightweights Jonathan Haas (Spencerport) and Bryan Lantry (Wayne) know each other pretty well.  Two of the top 99-pounders in the state last season, they met three times in February.  Haas came out on top on the first two occasions, including in overtime in the SuperSectional final.  However, when they met in Albany, with a place on the podium on the line, Lantry (45-5) captured a 5-1 victory on his way to fifth.  Both will once again be in the running at the end of the year.

 

Although the following wrestlers didn’t take the mat at the state tournament last year, they will certainly be in the mix to do so this time around.

Anthony DePrez (Hilton) – As a tenth grader, he went 41-6 with three of his losses to state runner up Brady Baron.  The last of those defeats came by a slim 4-3 margin in the SuperSectional title bout.  DePrez had 11 pins and another 17 bonus wins.  Not to be outdone by his brothers Vincent and Anthony, Lou DePrez piled up 29 wins as a seventh grader at 106 and will another important part of the Hilton lineup.

Jacob Pincus (Pittsford) – Pincus took second at the SuperSectionals behind Angelo DeAngelis after a 35-4 campaign.  He registered 20 pins and defeated NHSCA All-American Derek Holcomb of Newark Valley.

Vinny Romeo (Canandaigua Academy) – Romeo took third in Section 5 to cap off a season in which he won 38 matches at 126 pounds, including 16 pins.  His bronze medal match victory at SuperSectionals came against Jacob Boice of Honeoye Falls-Lima, another wrestler to keep an eye on.  Boice had defeated Romeo multiple times earlier in the campaign.

Peter Armbruster (Webster Schroeder) – Armbruster was 40-9 in 2011-12, taking third place in Section 5 behind a pair of state qualifiers Jessi Kimmerli and Jared Mesiti.  He registered some solid wins, such as a victory over Josh Maier of Brockport, and looks to make an appearance in Albany.

Collin Pittman (Spencerport) – Like Armbruster, Pittman was a bronze medalist at the SuperSectionals behind two wrestlers that earned bids to the state capital – Colton Kells and Jesse Kozub.  After his successful junior season at 195 pounds, Pittman will look to make an impact not only in the Section but at the state level in the upperweights.

 

Youth Movement . . . 

Yianni Diakomihalis (Hilton) – Diakomihalis captured trophy after trophy in the spring and summer as he won several events in various states, including the Ohio Tournament of Champions, the Empire Nationals and the NYWAY State championships. As a seventh grader, he went 35-3 with his losses coming to Haas (twice) and Lantry. Intermat currently has him pegged as the sixth best Junior High School wrestler in the nation.

He demonstrated yet again that he’ll be a force to be reckoned with in New York this year at the Journeymen Classic at the beginning of October where he went undefeated and won his bracket in convincing fashion, including victories over Suffolk County’s Jesse Dellavecchia and All-American Tommy Aloi of Virginia. For an encore performance, he won the Middle School national crown at the Super 32 in October.

“He is the closest thing I’ve seen to a young Quinton Murphy,” said Section 5 Class Chairman and Byron-Bergen Athletic Director Rich Hannan.  “He’s really special. He doesn’t get rattled and he doesn’t care who he’s wrestling.  He just does his thing and stays composed.”

Parker Kropman (Penfield) – Kropman was another seventh grader who produced good results at 99 pounds, with more than 30 wins. He lost a one-point decision to state champion Tony Recco of Lyndonville and also dropped matches against Diakomihalis (twice) and state placer Nick Barbaria of New Rochelle.   He and brothers Skylar and Cooper will rack up many victories over the years for Penfield. Teammate Frankie Gissendanner will be in his first year of varsity eligibility and is a wrestler to keep tabs on.  He had a highly successful offseason, winning titles at just about every event he entered, including the Ohio Tournament of Champions.

 

Team Race

“The team race will be more interesting than it’s been in years,” Hannan said.  “Brockport has been inching closer and closer to Spencerport each year.  Last year, the team race wasn’t locked up until somewhere close to 220 pounds and that was unusual.  Several teams will be fighting it out this year.”

Brockport coach Mike Ferris agrees that it will be an intriguing race in 2013, naming a number of squads he thinks can contend, such as Spencerport, Brockport, Hilton, Webster Schroeder, Penfield, Fairport and Pittsford.

“It’s always exciting to see how coaches prepare their teams for the final tournament of the year,” Ferris said.  “It seems that this year more than ever, any one of those teams has the ability to finish on top.  The team that finishes hot at the end of the season will prove to be Section 5’s best.”

Let’s take a look at some of those teams.

Spencerport, which finished fourth in the state polls last year, is of course a team that will be in the thick of things. The squad graduated a fair bit of firepower with state qualifiers Steve Maier, Angelo DeAngelis and Jessi Kimmerli moving on.  But Jon Haas, Austin Coleman and Collin Pittman will be back to form a strong core for the always-tough Rangers.

Brockport, eighth in the state a year ago, is in a similar situation, welcoming back Section 5 champions Mesiti, Peters and Class A Section champion Ryan Mattison, but losing a large group of solid competitors in Joe Carter, Jesse Kozub, Alex Love, Josh Maier, Mark Nesbitt, Owen Peters, Jimmy Porteus and CJ White.

“It is always difficult to say goodbye to a special group of seniors like we had last season,” Ferris said, mentioning that his squad sent a Division I team record of six athletes to the state tournament. “However, like every year, it is important to build off of the successes of past athletes to build the future. I am confident our team will be ready to go when it matters the most.”

As always the highly anticipated Brockport vs. Spencerport dual is circled on the calendar for Section 5 wrestling fans. January 24th will be sure to draw a crowd as the Blue Devils host the Rangers in what is typically a battle.

Don’t forget about Fairport. The team’s first-ever state champion Josh Lackey now suits up for North Carolina State and his classmates Dakota Taylor and Pat Van Bortle aren’t wearing Red Raider singlets anymore.  But James Arao, Zack Barker, Colton Kells, Andrew Pieri and Bryan Ruggeri will give Fairport a tough squad to beat.

“Fairport always finds ways to replace talent with young tough kids,” Ferris said. “I’m sure Coach Kohl has his Raiders ready to contend for an AA sectional title once again.”

Other teams that will make their mark include Penfield, which returns Keith Langdon, Parker Kropman, Skylar Kropman and Eric Harley and Hilton which offers a standout lightweight group of the three DePrez brothers (Vincent, Anthony and Lou) as well as Diakomihalis.

Pittsford will be in the mix despite the loss of state runner up Brady Baron with a core made up of Jeff Gould, Tyler Gross, Rob Klotz, Jacob Pincus and Tyler Schaefer.

And while Webster Schroeder said goodbye to Section 5 finalists Alec Dierna, Josh Reed, Andrew Wightman and Mike DeMarco, they are a team to keep tabs on as well, led by returning placers Armbruster and Rosario Venniro.

“Webster Schreoder lost a solid core of athletes but it wouldn’t be a surprise if Coach Salvaggio competes for a AA championship again this year,” Ferris said. “He has some tough kids returning on his team.”

 

Division II

Returning State Placewinners

99 Pounds: Andrew Flanagan, Holley, Fourth Place

99 Pounds: Tony Recco, Lyndonville, State Champion

106 Pounds: Corey Hollister, Perry, Fifth Place

113 Pounds: Sean Peacock, Midlakes, State Champion

113 Pounds: Austin Keough, Warsaw, Sixth Place

170 Pounds: Burke Paddock, Warsaw, Third Place

182 Pounds: Tim Schaefer, Warsaw, Third Place

195 Pounds: Bryce Mazurowski, Avon, Second Place

195 Pounds: Tyler Smith, Midlakes, Fourth Place

220 Pounds: Zack Bacon, Hornell, Second Place

220 Pounds: Mike Silvis, Holley, Fifth Place

 

Additional Returning Qualifiers

106 Pounds: Matt Boyle, Batavia

126 Pounds: Jake Nicholson, Waterloo

132 Pounds: Clyde Carey, Addison

145 Pounds: Austin Hedges Letchworth

182 Pounds: Jeff Day, Letchworth

 

Some of the Wrestlers to Watch . . .

Section 5 was the big winner in Division II in Albany and although outstanding state champions Sam Recco, Quinton Murphy and Chris Nevinger have graduated, as have medalists such as Jeff O’Lena and Kacee Sauer, the Section still returns a host of qualifiers that will account for a large number of points again in February.  In fact, 16 wrestlers who represented the section in 2012 will be back.

Tony Recco, Photo by Boris V

Tony Recco made a tremendous debut at the state tournament, earning a championship to match the one his brother Sam (now at Edinboro), captured.  On his title run in Albany, Recco defeated fellow Section 5 star Andrew Flanagan, who also made All-State.

A few minutes after Tony Recco earned his title, Sean Peacock completed a 49-2 campaign with a crown of his own in one of the brackets most densely packed with former All-State grapplers.  One blemish on his record was a SuperSectionals finals loss to Austin Keough, who was sixth at the states.  Recco, Peacock and Keough will once again be threats to earn gold in 2013.

Bryce Mazurowski, Photo Boris V

A pair of upperweights also stepped on the mat for the Saturday night title bouts in Albany, with both Avon’s Bryce Mazurowski and Hornell’s Zack Bacon coming up just one match short of being state champions themselves.   Mazurowski racked up a 46-2 record a year ago (including a victory over Bacon up at 220) and may be the preseason favorite statewide.  To win the Section 5 crown, Mazurowski defeated Tyler Smith of Midlakes, who took fourth at the state tournament.  They could meet again during the season . . . or in Albany.

Bacon and Mike Silvis may be on a collision course to meet not only to determine the best in Section 5 but also the best in the Empire State. Bacon was dominant a year ago, with all but one of his victories by bonus points coming into the state tournament.  When they met in Albany, Silvis gave Bacon one of his toughest bouts in a 4-1 decision.  Look for some more battles, as according to Hannan, Silvis put in significant work in the offseason, including attending the 28-day J Robinson camp, and is getting serious looks from several Division I college programs.

Two other wrestlers looking to win it all this season are Warsaw’s Tim Schaefer and Burke Paddock.  The pair has combined to make the medal stand seven times, but neither has reached the top yet. Both hope to change that in 2013.

 

Also Keep an Eye On . . .

Here are some wrestlers who didn’t make the drive to wrestle in Albany last year, but have a solid chance to do so this year.

Lightweights:

At 99 pounds, Hannan pointed to a pair of wrestlers who could break through this year, Tyler Hamsher of Wayland-Cohocton and Jason Charlette of Midlakes (34-13), the third and fourth place finishers at Supers.  They split a pair of close, late season matches.

“I think both Charlette and Hamsher will be very good,” Hannan said. “Hamsher lost a tight 3-1 match to [state champion] Tony Recco in the semis at the Supers.  I think both are right there at the state level if they’re back at 99.”

Another bonus name to remember over the next few seasons is Dane Heberlein.  The Alexander wrestler made the varsity squad last year as a seventh grader but didn’t meet the minimum weight requirement to compete. However, he has proven himself in a number of events around the country, including winning an NHSCA Middle School National championship in the spring. According to a number of coaches, Heberlein will be dangerous, especially once his weight is high enough.

In the 106/113 range, keep tabs on Matt Boyle of Batavia, who went 34-7 with 11 pins as a sophomore 106 pounder.  He dropped a 2-1 decision to state placer Corey Hollister and would like to join the Perry grappler in the Times Union Center in 2013.   In addition, don’t lose sight of Hunter Taylor of Byron Bergen, who captured 33 bouts as a freshman 113-pounder and took fourth at the SuperSectionals.  Interestingly, Taylor has wrestling in his family as he often watches his uncle, Tim Taylor compete in Greco Roman at high profile events.   Tim Taylor has been second on the Olympic ladder behind Dremiel Byers for a number of years.

While two familiar faces, Sam Recco and Jeff O’Lena, the top two finishers in the state a year ago, are no longer in high school, Section 5 will still be tough at 120 pounds. The top returner, Rafael Mateo of Midlakes, piled up 42 victories as a tenth grader, including wins over state medalists Zach Ayen of Gouverneur (by major) and Dakota Gardner of Fredonia. He faced a tough schedule, battling Recco and O’Lena twice each as well as Dylan Rifenburg.  That experience should help him as a junior.

At 126 pounds, Jake Nicholson of Waterloo came so close to going to Albany in 2012, losing by a point in triple overtime to state placer Dylan Rifenburg at 126 in the SuperSectionals.  In his 33-3 campaign, he lost only to state silver medalist Renaldo Rodriguez-Spencer and Rifenburg twice (although he also beat Rifenburg) and recorded 21 pins.

“126 last year was a bag of rattlesnakes,” Hannan said. “I didn’t know who was going to come out of it.  Nicholson wrestled well and won it. He’s very athletic on the mat.”

Speaking of 126 pounds, two wrestlers to monitor this year are Jake Sepor of Pavilion and Derek Draper of York, although one or both may move up to 132.  Draper placed at the SuperSectionals in 2011, according to Hannan, and a top three finish in 2013 could result in a trip to Albany.  Draper has overcome some obstacles to get back on the mat and will be someone to cheer for in his final campaign.

“I’ll be very surprised if Sepor doesn’t make it to states this year.  He’s definitely good enough to do it,” Hannan said.  “As for Draper, he came up with the [Bobby and Alec] Diernas and Quinton Murphy and was right there as a young guy.  He’s had some serious medical issues and at times looks like a shell of his former self but you can still see the glimpses of really great wrestling. If he puts it together, he may be at states and that would be a gigantic victory.”

If either Sepor or Draper are at 132, they might face Addison’s Clyde Carey, who was one victory from placing in Albany last year.  A few things should be noted about that performance.  One, his losses were to eventual state champion Connor Lapresi in the first round and then to bronze finisher Tom Page of Eden by a 4-3 score.  Second, while many compete at less than 100% at the end of the campaign, Carey was far less than that.

“Clyde wrestled with a broken collarbone at the end of the year,” Hannan said. “You could see he was hurting in the semis and finals of the Supers, but he did what he had to do.  He gutted it out.  He actually wrestled well at states, but you’re not going to be able to get away with being that injured and still win at that level.  He doesn’t stop moving.  He’s technically very good.  He beat up on some kids in Section 5 that I thought were very good wrestlers. I’m excited to see what he can do when he’s healthy.”

 

Middle/Upperweights: 

Moving on to the middle and upperweights, Collin Fox of Midlakes is one to keep tabs on this year. The numbers were very good for Fox as he was 46-2 with 25 pins and a bronze medal at SuperSectionals a year ago.  He also defeated qualifier Austin Hedges of Letchworth and hopes to take a few steps forward in the postseason.

Austin Baker from Canisteo-Greenwood was 40-10 at 160 pounds with four losses to New York state medalists (champions Chris Nevinger and Ben Haas and third placer Hayden Wagner) and another four to now-graduated Corey Vail of Pioneer.  He defeated state qualifier Conner Fox of Midlakes and “will be very good” according to Hannan.

At 170 pounds, Nick Winkley, who took fourth at Supers last year is back, and another name to keep an eye on is a grappler who didn’t participate in the postseason after a 32-7 record — Byron Bergen’s Jon Levchuk.

“I think Jon could have been in the finals against Burke Paddock last year in the SuperSectionals if he had wrestled,” Hannan said. “He had a fantastic year and will make some noise this year, even possibly at the state level.”

Yet another upperweight who will be a breakout threat is Penn Yan’s John Martisch.  As a sophomore in 2011-12, Martisch went 43-6 with five of his losses to state placers (four to Tyler Smith and one, a 6-5 decision to Jesse Kozub).  He registered 32 pins along the way.

“He had Kozub on the ropes.  A call went Kozub’s way late in the match but Martisch had him beat.  He’s big and well put together and he can definitely wrestle,” Hannan said.  “Little mistakes cost him last year but if he cleans them up, he can be one of the top guys in the state, that’s for sure.  No one in the state knows his name, kind of like [current Binghamton wrestler] Tyler Deuel a few years ago.  We saw Deuel coming but he surprised a lot of people in New York.  Martisch is the same way and is even built like him.”

 

Team Race

Holley won the team title in 2012 for the first time since 2008, less than 10 points ahead of Midlakes and about 20 in front of Warsaw.   Each of those squads returns multiple SuperSectional placers, but Midlakes may be the preseason favorite, according to Hannan, as the Screaming Eagles bring back a large number of top performers.

State champion Sean Peacock and All-Stater Tyler Smith lead the charge for Midlakes while Collin Fox, Rafael Mateo, Hammond Raes and Jason Charlette, who all finished in the top six at SuperSectionals, will put plenty of points on the board as well.  “I think Midlakes will be very tough to beat.  They have to be at the forefront because of what they did last year,” Hannan said.

Challenging for top billing will be Warsaw, which welcomes back Burke Paddock and Tim Schaefer who are among the best in New York as well as multiple-time state medalist Austin Keough and Colin Royce, who was fourth in the Section a year ago.  Of course, the return of Aaron Paddock strengthens the team on the mat and serves as an inspiration to wrestlers throughout the state and the country.  For our recent story on the Paddock family, see here.

Holley can’t be discounted in its bid to repeat despite the losses of four-time state champion Quinton Murphy and multiple-time All-Stater Kacee Sauer. Andrew Flanagan and Mike Silvis both made the podium at the Times Union Center and Nick Winkley is set to come back after a fourth place SuperSectional showing.

“Holley will be solid,” Hannan said. “No one in Section 5 reloads better than [head coach] John Grillo.  One year, they had seven seniors in the finals of the SuperSectionals and the next year, after all those guys graduated, they scored more points with a new team.   You can’t count Holley out.”

Also offering strong squads will be Canisteo-Greenwood as well as typically tough Palymra-Macedon. Byron Bergen has a solid group of returning starters such as Hunter Taylor, Jon Levchuk, Warren Oderkirk and Austin Yockel. “There’s a nice mix of veterans and a really good group of youth wrestlers at Byron Bergen,” Hannan said.  “The future looks pretty bright.”

Special thanks to all of the contributors to this article, especially Mike Ferris and Rich Hannan.

 

More Season Preview Articles:

Section 1 Preview

Section 3 Preview

Section 4 Preview

Section 7 Preview

Section 8 Preview

Section 9 Preview

Section 11 Preview

CHSAA Preview

PSAL Preview

Features:

Section 1 Feature:  Aslanian and Realbuto, All-State Wrestlers and Workout Partners, Seek to End Their Careers on Top of the Podium

Section 4 Feature: Looking for “Number Nine”: Reggie Williams Aims to Make History at Johnson City

Section 5 Feature: The “Miracle” Continues: The Return of Aaron Paddock

Section 9 Feature: Unstoppable: Vinny Vespa Wrestles Again After Confronting Cancer

Section 11 Feature: Nick Piccininni Looks to Continue Winning Streak

The "Miracle" Continues: The Return of Aaron Paddock

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A New York wrestling fan wouldn’t have been faulted for a doing a double take in May at the Cadet Greco Roman New York state championships during the 182-pound third place match.

In that bout, Aaron Paddock took the bronze with a 2-1, 3-2 victory over Dakota White.

Could it be the same competitor who earned sixth at the New York state championships in a weight class 79 pounds lighter about 14 months earlier?  Could it be the same individual who wasn’t sure just a few months before whether he would ever lace up his wrestling shoes again?

It was.

The weekend represented a new chapter of the “miracle” comeback story of the Warsaw freshman, who spent significant time in a coma after a backyard accident led to severe head trauma in August of 2011.  At the time of the incident, doctors feared that he wouldn’t survive, or that if he did, he may never speak or walk again.

(For the full story, please see this link).

Aaron, Ian and Burke Paddock, courtesy of the Paddock family

However, Paddock made an incredible recovery and returned to school after a 17-week absence in January of 2012, saying he felt “back to [his] old self.” He even put on a Warsaw uniform again, joining the track team.

“He ran track but he didn’t compete very much because he broke his big toe early on,” Brad Paddock said.  “He told me he didn’t really like it much anyway – he just wanted to wrestle.”

There wasn’t much question that he longed to be back on the mat competing in his favorite sport.   He attended as many wrestling events as he could, supporting his older brother Burke and his teammates.  So it wasn’t at all unusual when he joined his family and some other area wrestlers for a trip to Binghamton for the New York State Freestyle and Greco championships in early May.

However, according to Brad Paddock, Aaron wasn’t satisfied with a spectator role.

“He kept pushing — asking over and over again if he could wrestle.  He wouldn’t let it go,” Brad Paddock said. “It was really hard to make that decision.  I wanted to say no.  But he had no issues at all.  He was healed and if God healed him, then who was I to say no?  When I told him he could wrestle, his demeanor changed completely.  He pepped right up. He was running around, jumping on people, smiling so wide.”

That smile didn’t go away, even when he was reminded that he’d be stepping on the mat for the first time in quite some time at a weight class that was totally new.

“He probably weighed around 175 pounds that day,” Jeanie Paddock, his mother, said. “He went through a big growth spurt. We told him – the last time you wrestled, you were at 103.  182 will be very different.  He said, ‘I don’t care, let’s go.’”

Weigh-ins were already complete for Freestyle, so he got ready for Greco.  He entered at 182 pounds and could hardly contain his excitement.

“I expected all along to wrestle again, but I wasn’t really expecting to do it that weekend,” Aaron Paddock said. “It was just really nice to wrestle again.  I actually liked it better with the bigger guys because it was more upperbody stuff and less about being speedy.  I wasn’t nervous, but I know everybody else was.”

That’s for sure.

“Saying it was hard to watch him would be a huge understatement,” Brad Paddock said.  “I just about had an aneurysm.”

Those feelings of nervousness come up again when talking about the upcoming high school campaign.   Jeanie Paddock described it simply by saying it will be a “scary and interesting” season.

Aaron has been given full clearance to wrestle by his regular physician, neurologist and neurosurgeon.  After a number of tests, the medical professionals didn’t find any reasons that he can’t get back on the mat this year.

Aaron and Burke Paddock (just a few years ago), courtesy of the Paddock family

He’s been preparing ever since his performance at the Greco New York states in May, when he began lifting and running more on his own.  And, although he didn’t do much wrestling initially, he found himself a new training partner – Burke.

“Before, Aaron was at 103 and I was at 160, so we didn’t really work out together,” Burke Paddock said. “But now, it’s pretty nice.  I worked out with him a lot at Fargo and it was a lot of fun.  It’s nice to have him back. I definitely didn’t ever think Aaron would be at a higher weight than me.”

Burke wrestled at 170 pounds for Warsaw a year ago, taking third at the state championships after finishing fifth as a freshman and second as a sophomore.  He said he will move down to 160 for 2012-13 while Aaron will slide into his former spot in the lineup at 170.

“Aaron’s a little bit bigger than I am and I think it will be easier for me to cut the weight,” Burke Paddock said. “I weighed about 170 last year and I want to help him out.”

They will be helping each other out throughout the season.  Along with All-State wrestler Tim Schaefer and others, Aaron will look to push Burke towards his goal of a first New York title.

“I definitely want to win states this year,” Burke said. “It’s harder than I thought it would be when I was younger.  I expected to win one by now.  When I was younger, I thought I would do it a lot of times like my older brothers did.”

Speaking of older brothers, Joey is currently wrestling at Liberty University. And Ian, after taking time off from Ohio State to help guide Aaron through his recovery, is back with the Buckeyes, ready to wrestle off for the 141-pound spot with Hunter Stieber, according to Brad Paddock.

“I actually think the break was really good for Ian,” Brad Paddock said.  “Everything’s coming together now.  He’s feeling good and he’s in a good place, training wise.  Sometimes a kid redshirts and doesn’t come back the same.  That’s not true for Ian. He hasn’t lost that intensity.”

After his layoff from the sport, Aaron hasn’t lost that intensity, either.  He’ll wear special headgear as extra protection.  And he’ll get his wish to wear the Tigers singlet again.

“I’m looking forward just to being on the mat, wrestling for Warsaw,” Aaron Paddock said when asked what his goals are for the year.  He then quickly added, “And I want to make it to states again.”

Aaron Paddock at SuperSectionals, courtesy of the Paddock family

The path to Albany goes through the SuperSectionals.  While Aaron Paddock didn’t compete at the event in 2012, he did earn a victory there.

According to Brad Paddock, during the tournament, Aaron was presented with an award and a t-shirt that said, “One Match to Win . . . 1-0”.

“It was a really nice gesture,” he said. “Through all of this, Aaron has inspired a lot of people.”

He has inspired by simply returning to his everyday life.  And he will continue to inspire every time he takes the mat.

Dutton and Tangora Become All-Americans; Seven NY Wrestlers Undefeated After Day 1 of Junior Freestyle

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New York had four All-Americans in Cadet Greco and now has two in Cadet Freestyle.  On Thursday night, Rocky Point’s Thomas Dutton (138 pounds) and Bethlehem Central’s Chris Tangora (195) clinched spots on the podium.  Both will wrestle for seventh place on Friday.

Dutton has amassed a 5-2 record with three pins, while Tangora has a 3-2 mark and will face Matthew Olauson of Maryland on Friday.

Also remaining in medal contention for New York is Benjamin Honis, who has racked up a 3-1 record thus far.  The Jamesville-Dewitt grappler will face Samuel Colbray of Oregon in his next bout.  With a victory, Honis will be an All-American as well.

Seven Wrestlers Go Undefeated for New York on Day 1 of Junior Freestyle

The Junior Freestyle tournament, the final Fargo event, got underway on Thursday and many Empire State wrestlers got off to a great start.  In fact, seven grapplers finished the day with perfect records, including three in the 160 pound bracket — Dylan Palacio (4-0), Tyler Grimaldi (4-0) and Burke Paddock (3-0).

Reggie Williams, Photo by Boris Veysman

Returning National Champion Brian Realbuto (152) began his run at another title by going 4-0, including two technical falls and a pin.

Shenendehowa teammates Nick Kelley (132 pounds) and David Almaviva (145) also were unbeaten, while Johnson City’s Reggie Williams (195) had an unblemished day as well.

Several others remain in the competition for the Empire State.  They include multi-time state champions Kyle Kelly (106) and Quinton Murphy (138), as well as 2012 state silver medalists Trey Aslanian (120) and El Shaddai Gilmore Van Hoesen (285).  Representing New York at 220 pounds on Friday will be NY Freestyle state champion Soslan Gularov and Matthew Abbott of Windsor, who both registered 2-1 marks on Thursday.

Action resumes at 10 a.m. Eastern time on Friday in both the Cadet and Freestyle competitions.

 

Over 90 New York Wrestlers To Compete at Fargo; Realbuto and Flores Look to Repeat as Champions

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The biggest tournament of the summer is here as competition begins in Fargo, North Dakota on Saturday.  Here are a few of the New York storylines to watch.

Will the champions repeat?

Rosemary Flores had a tremendous tournament in 2011, capturing titles in both the Cadet and Junior divisions while winning eight of her nine bouts by pin.  She has enjoyed sustained success throughout the year, earning a spot on the ASICS Girls All-American First Team and taking second at a number of prestigious tournaments including the Cadet Pan Am Championships and the Body Bar Women’s National tournament.  The New York City standout will be back for another run, this time at 130 pounds.

Last summer, Brian Realbuto became the first Men’s Freestyle title winner from the Empire State since Troy Nickerson won double titles back in 2004.  The 145-pound class that Realbuto won was loaded with top tier talent, such as Jake Sueflohn, who won 25 matches as a true freshman at Nebraska last season and top 20 recruits such as Brandon Kingsley, Oliver Pierce and Brian Murphy.  The Somers star wrestled only in a pair of matches at the Junior Duals in Oklahoma City, but is registered to compete at 152 pounds this week where he will once again be challenged by a plethora of formidable opponents such as Ohio’s Anthony Collica, New Jersey’s Dylan Milonas, Murphy, Pierce and a familiar face, Long Beach’s Dylan Palacio.

Speaking of Palacio, can he keep his unbeaten streak alive?

It’s been quite a year for the Nassau County wrestler.  Palacio had an unblemished record during the high school campaign to win his first state championship, then went on to earn gold at the NHSCA Nationals in Virginia Beach.  He followed that with dominant performances at the New York Freestyle and Greco States, taking the top spot in both, and then went undefeated at the Disney Duals, beating nationally-ranked grapplers such as Garrett Peppelman and Taylor Simaz.  While he has placed at Fargo in the past (8th in Greco a year ago), he has made it clear that he is looking to reach the top of the podium in North Dakota before beginning his college career in Ithaca.

Which other returning placers are gearing up for a title run?

Juniors

Four-time state champion Quinton Murphy readily admits that while he has had success in folkstyle throughout his career, he prefers Freestyle.  He has proven his capabilities in the international styles as well, including an fourth place at the Youth Olympics Games in 2010.  In 2011, he took bronze at Fargo at 135 pounds, handing the eventual winner Ben Whitford of Michigan his only loss.  Murphy went undefeated in limited action at the Junior Duals in Freestyle a few weeks ago and will be among the favorites at 138 pounds, where he could again meet Whitford.

The 160-pound Junior competition may be of interest to New York fans as several accomplished grapplers take the mat.  Burke Paddock of Warsaw has a long list of achievements, including earning sixth in 2011 in Greco at the same weight and capturing the Junior Greco World Duals event this spring.   Columbia-bound Connor Sutton placed at FILA Juniors in Greco and comes into the week with a lot of momentum.  In fact, WIN Magazine picked Sutton to make the finals at Fargo following his All-Tournament team performance at the Junior Duals in late June where he went 8-0 in the style.

Cadets

Chris Cuccolo was a double medalist in 2011, taking fifth in both styles at 84 pounds in the Cadet division.  The Pine Bush wrestler returns to the Cadet competition, this time at 94 pounds where Intermat has labeled him the favorite on the Greco side.

Shenendehowa’s Jesse Porter has a track record of success in the international styles, including a 2011 Schoolboy National Championship at 105 pounds in Greco.  He is one to watch in Cadet Greco action at 132 pounds.

Women

Mary Westman made the finals in 2011 at 148 pounds, registering three wins by fall, and looks to finish one rung higher on the ladder in the 159-pound class this week.  Alexis Porter wrestled in both divisions in 2011, garnering third (Cadet) and fourth (Junior) in the 124/125 weight classes.  She is currently registered at 143 pounds in the Cadet competition and should be a contender.  In addition, two returning sixth place finishers, Kendra Kenyon and Kennedie Eddings, will look to climb to the top of the podium.

Which wrestlers will make a smooth transition from the Cadet to Junior competition?

There are several wrestlers on Team New York who appear ready to make the jump.  Renaldo Rodriguez-Spencer of Cheektowoga was fourth at 125 pounds in Freestyle and has placed in a number of national events in both Greco and Freestyle.  At the Junior Duals, he went 10-2 overall and looks poised to represent the Empire State well following his runner up performance in Albany in February.

Another New York state finalist, Reggie Williams of Johnson City, stood fifth on the podium last year at 215 as a Cadet and will try to repeat that success at the Junior level, this time at 195 pounds.

What other state placers should be watched closely?

A large number of medalists from Albany in 2012 will be fighting for All-America status, including state champions Kyle Kelly of Chenango Forks (7th in Greco in 2011 at Fargo) and Dylan Realbuto (126) of Somers.  In addition, several other top four finishers at the Times Union Center such as Columbia’s El Shaddai Gilmore-Van Hoesen (285), McZiggy Richards (182), Troy Seymour (170), Tyler Grimaldi (160), David Almaviva (145) and Nick Kelley (132), Ryan Snow (126), William Koll (120), Nick Casella (100) and Trey Aslanian will look for podium positions.  Aslanian, a two-time folkstyle silver medalist in New York, went an impressive 7-1 at the Junior Duals.

Which of the New York State Freestyle and Greco title double winners will be taking the mat?

In addition to Palacio and Koll, 220-pounder Soslan Gularov was a double champion who is registered.  On the Cadet side, a handful of double titlists will represent the Empire State – Matthew Morris (113 pounds), Freddie Dunau (120), Mike Dusold (152) and Daniel Smith (170).  Josh Antoine was the 113-pound champion in both Freestyle and Greco at the Northeast Regional qualifier as well.

Many wrestlers were mentioned and there are sure to be others who stand out on one of the sport’s biggest stages.

Stay tuned and check back for updates and interviews throughout the week.

 

 2011 Fargo All-Americans from New York

Junior Freestyle

105 – Lucas Malmberg (Marathon), 6th

112 – John Aslanian (Edgemont), 8th

135 – Quinton Murphy (Holley), 3rd and Steven Rodrigues (Fox Lane), 5th

145 – Brian Realbuto (Somers), Champion

Junior Greco

98 – Kyle Kelly (Chenango Forks), 7th

135 – Patrick Hogan (Peru), 8th

152 – Dylan Palacio (Long Beach), 8th

160 – Burke Paddock (Warsaw), 6th

Cadet Freestyle

84 – Chris Cuccolo (Pine Bush), 5th

125 – Renaldo Rodriguez-Spencer (Cheektowoga), 4th

130 – Jonathan Craft, 8th

215 – Reggie Williams (Johnson City), 5th

Cadet Greco

84 – Chris Cuccolo (Pine Bush), 5th

Junior Women’s Freestyle

105 – Hanna Grisewood (Warsaw), 5th

125 – Rosemary Flores (Curtis), Champion, Alexis Porter (Shenendehowa), 4th

148 – Mary Westman, 2nd

Cadet Women’s Freestyle

88 – Kim Cardenas (Petrides), 4th

101 – Leah Taylor (Alexander), 8th

115 – Kendra Kenyon (Warsaw), 6th

124 – Rosemary Flores (Curtis), Champion, Alexis Porter (Shenendehowa), 3rd

143 – Keneddii Eddings (Niagara Falls), 6th

"Fighting Back": Team New York Battles at Junior Duals in Oklahoma City

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Jim Sutton, who has been coaching the New York Greco and Freestyle Duals teams for over a decade, had high expectations for the group traveling to Oklahoma City last week for the 2012 competition.

“We expected to finish in the top eight in both styles,” he said. “We were seeded second in our pool in both styles and this team had more seeding points overall than we’ve had in years.  We had the points, but the stars and moon didn’t line up correctly for us as far as injury, illness and winning some close matches.”

Despite not making the top eight, the squad finished 6-2 in Greco and 5-3 in Freestyle against some of the toughest competition in the nation.

“Coach talked to us beforehand and told us it had been a while since New York made the All-American round,” said 182-pounder Chris Loew of Wantagh.   “We weren’t able to do it, but we did pretty well.  We lost to some of the best teams in the country but kept fighting back.”

In Greco, the team got off to a strong start with a comfortable 55-14 victory over South Dakota before dropping a one-point dual to Oklahoma Red.

But the New Yorkers rebounded, winning the next two rounds in dominant fashion over Utah and North Dakota before taking three out of four on the second day of action, to earn third in the Bronze/Copper bracket and 11th overall.

“Going 6-2 certainly isn’t bad, but honestly it was a little disappointing considering what we thought we could do prior to the tournament,” Sutton said.

The Empire State had several standout performances in Greco, led by future Columbia wrestler Connor Sutton, who was named to the All-Tournament team after a perfect 8-0 showing at 160 and 170 pounds.   Especially satisfying was a triumph over Oklahoma’s Kyle Ash, an All-American who eliminated Sutton at Fargo a year ago.

“That was a huge win for Connor,” Jim Sutton said.  “It really kept his confidence high and helped him go undefeated the rest of the way in that style.”

“Connor went undefeated and was fantastic,” added Loew, who will be Sutton’s teammate with the Lions in the Ivy League next season. “He really beat up on some guys.”

Also picking up significant points in Greco were 120-pounder Santo Curatolo (7-1), Jessy Williams (6-2 at 132), Matt Greene (5-2 at 145), Loew (5-2 at 182/195) and Dante Salkey (5-0 at heavyweight).

Salkey’s contributions weren’t limited to the mat as he sang the national anthem and, according to Coach Sutton “had everybody laughing the whole tournament as the team entertainer.”

That entertainment came in handy during the first two days, as the team faced some adversity.  Injuries hit Indiana-bound star Quinton Murphy (who made a trip to the hospital) and several other wrestlers.  In addition, a few grapplers had a stomach virus that resulted in large weight losses and an inability to stay on the mat.

Nevertheless, New York went 3-1 in the opening day of Freestyle, soundly beating Minnesota Blue and Indiana twice while falling against Wisconsin 35-25.   Looking back, on the event, Coach Sutton said there were a number of missed opportunities in the bouts against the Badgers.

“We had three matches that we probably should have won in that dual and that would have made the difference,” he said.  “In one match, we were ahead by a point with one second left then got pushed out of bounds to lose.  In another, we were ahead with two seconds left and got thrown.  Then, we were ahead again in another match by a lot, and instead of staying away and circling with a few seconds left, got thrown and pinned. We were right there and we didn’t win some close matches.”

On the second day of Freestyle, the squad split four dual meets, topping Texas Blue and Ohio while losing against Georgia Black and Pennsylvania.  It was a day in which two of the state’s best wrestlers, Brian Realbuto and Murphy, were unable to compete (after having gone a combined 6-0 in Freestyle to that point) and a number of others fell ill.   The team placed 13th/14th overall, 5th/6th in the Bronze/Copper pool.  (The 5th place match wasn’t wrestled).

“Going 2-2 was pretty good, honestly, because we were decimated,” Coach Sutton said. “We had kids okay in the morning who then all of a sudden became sick and couldn’t stay out there.  Also, when you take guys like Realbuto and Murphy out of your Freestyle lineup, you’re in trouble.  Those are two of the best in the country.  We had to change the strategy with weights and styles. But we had guys step in and step up.  Guys who came to just wrestle Greco, took the mat in Freestyle.  Guys wrestled at different weights.  I give everyone a lot of credit – people did whatever they could for the team.  Everyone worked hard.  It was a really good group of kids and coaches.” [Max Askren assisted in Freestyle; Nick Catana did the same in Greco]

The organizers of the event agreed, as Team New York was nominated for the Sportsmanship Award.

“That was pretty important to me,” Jim Sutton said. “Sometimes things don’t go your way, but I was proud of how the team acted.”

He was proud of several performances on the mat as well.

Like in Greco, 120 pounds was an area of strength, as Trey Aslanian of Edgemont racked up a 7-1 record.

“With Santo [Curatolo] in Greco and Trey [Aslanian] in Freestyle, 120 was a really solid weight the whole time.  Those guys both had very good tournaments, losing only one match each.”

Sutton also had high praise for Cheektowoga’s Renaldo Rodriguez-Spencer, who was 10-2 overall.

Renaldo Rodriguez-Spencer at the 2012 NY States, Photo by Boris Veysman

“Renaldo had a great tournament, both in Greco and Freestyle,” Sutton said. “He wrestled really tough.  He’s young, but very talented. He’s a star. He’s going to be great.”

The coach also mentioned the efforts of wrestlers like Greene, who wrestled more than expected in Freestyle (and up a weight) due to Realbuto’s injury. And Williams, who had primarily practiced Greco leading up to the event, but wrestled Freestyle when the need arose. And Burke Paddock, who lost more than 10 pounds due to sickness, but gutted out several wins for the group.  And Loew, who moved to 195 pounds at times to help the team.  The list went on and on.

“Bumping up is nothing new for me,” Loew said.  “I did it for my high school team the past couple of years. We all did what we needed to for the team.

“It was a great experience,” Loew continued.  “Being together with all those guys, some of the best wrestlers in the state, was really cool.  I thought we were pretty close as a team, especially for a bunch of guys who were enemies a couple of months ago.”

Many of the participants will be teammates again, wearing New York singlets while competing in the international styles at the Junior Nationals at Fargo later in July.

“Looking back on it, it’s too bad because New York had the chance to be top eight or even better and that’s what we were aiming for,” Sutton said.  “But I’m proud of the team and hopefully we can see some great performances at Fargo.”

Results

GRECO

Pool B – 
Match #1 Quarterfinal: New York defeated South Dakota 55-14
100 – Jesse Dellavecchia (New York) over Unknown (Unattached) Forf
106 – Nick Cassella (New York) over Unknown (Unattached) Forf
113 – Matt Morris (New York) over Unknown (Unattached) Forf
120 – Santo Curatolo (New York) over Marshall Swanson (South Dakota) Pin 1-3,0:43
126 – James Ronca (New York) over Gene Trimble (South Dakota) Pin 6-0,0:50
132 – Jessy Williams (New York) over Josh Manning (South Dakota) TF 10-4,6-0
138 – Quinton Murphy (New York) over Unknown (Unattached) Forf
145 – Matt Green (New York) over Alex Davies (South Dakota) TF 6-0,8-0
152 – Regan Bye (South Dakota) over James Mclean (New York) Dec 3-3,6-0
160 – Connor Sutton (New York) over Bailey Konvalin (South Dakota) TF 7-0,6-0
170 – Troy Seymour (New York) over CJ Warren (South Dakota) Pin 0:54
182 – Mason Bender (South Dakota) over Chris Loew (New York) Dec 0-3,2-0,3-0
195 – Eugene Martin (South Dakota) over Levi Ashley (New York) TF 6-0,8-0
220 – Nathan Rotert (South Dakota) over Soslar Gularov (New York) Dec 1-2,4-1,6-3
285 – Dante Salkey (New York) over Collin Jensen (South Dakota) Pin 0-3,8-1,1:47

Match #2 Semifinal: Oklahoma Red defeated New York 32-31
100 – Jesse Dellavecchia (New York) over Matt Maxwell (Oklahoma Red) Dec 2-0,4-1
106 – Kaid Brock (Oklahoma Red) over Nick Cassella (New York) Pin 1:03
113 – Cody Karstetter (Oklahoma Red) over Kyle Kelly (New York) Dec 0-1,7-0,1-0
120 – Santo Curatolo (New York) over Joe Smith (Oklahoma Red) Dec 4-0,3-0
126 – Cub Yeager (Oklahoma Red) over James Ronca (New York) Dec 2-1,1-0
132 – Brian Crutchmer (Oklahoma Red) over Jessy Williams (New York) Dec 2-0,0-2,6-1
138 – Dakota Head (Oklahoma Red) over Quinton Murphy (New York) Pin 1:53
145 – Matt Green (New York) over Tanner Bailey (Oklahoma Red) Pin 2-2,0:41
152 – Keilan Torres (Oklahoma Red) over Leland Slawson (New York) Pin 3-0,0:39
160 – Burke Paddock (New York) over Ricky McCarty (Oklahoma Red) TF 7-0,6-0
170 – Connor Sutton (New York) over Kyle Ash (Oklahoma Red) Dec 5-0,6-0
182 – Kyle Crutchmer (Oklahoma Red) over Troy Seymour (New York) TF 7-0,8-0
195 – Nolan Boyd (Oklahoma Red) over Bryce Mazurowski (New York) Dec 6-0,5-0
220 – Soslar Gularov (New York) over Unknown (Unattached) Forf
285 – Dante Salkey (New York) over Unknown (Unattached) Forf

Match #3 Cons. Semi: New York defeated Utah 32-16
100 – Brock George (Utah) over Jesse Dellavecchia (New York) Dec 4-0,3-1
106 – Kohl Tolbert (Utah) over Nick Cassella (New York) Dec 5-0,6-0
113 – Kyle Robison (Utah) over Matt Morris (New York) Dec 2-0,3-7,7-0
120 – Santo Curatolo (New York) over Antonio Meikel (Utah) Dec 0-3,5-1,4-3
126 – James Ronca (New York) over Matt Findlay (Utah) Dec 4-6,1-0,3-0
132 – Jessy Williams (New York) over Brenden Turner (Utah) Dec 7-0,5-0
138 – Renaldo Rodriguez-Spencer (New York) over Morgan Bogue (Utah) Dec 5-0,5-0
145 – Matt Green (New York) over William Chavez (Utah) Pin 1:03
152 – Grant LaMont (Utah) over Leland Slawson (New York) Pin 5-0,1:16
160 – Connor Sutton (New York) over Jesse Carlisle (Utah) Dec 0-7,3-2,2-0
170 – Burke Paddock (New York) over Nick Sorenson (Utah) Dec 5-0,2-0
182 – Jon Wixom (Utah) over Chris Loew (New York) Dec 2-0,1-1
195 – Bryce Mazurowski (New York) over Johnathan Larson (Utah) Dec 4-0,2-0
220 – Soslar Gularov (New York) over Joe Flores (Utah) Dec 1-0,2-0
285 – Dante Salkey (New York) over Roy Nash (Utah) Dec 4-2,0-3,3-2
Utah’s team score was adjusted by -1.000 for unsportsmanlike conduct on a coach

Match #4 3rd Place Match: New York defeated North Dakota 37-23
100 – Austin Rust (North Dakota) over Jesse Dellavecchia (New York) Dec 1-0,0-2,5-4
106 – Kael Knowlen (North Dakota) over Nick Cassella (New York) Dec 4-3,2-1
113 – Kyle Kelly (New York) over Reed Cronin (North Dakota) Dec 3-0,6-0
120 – Santo Curatolo (New York) over Adam Blees (North Dakota) Pin 4-0,0:48
126 – Trevor Kringlie (North Dakota) over James Ronca (New York) Dec 1-0,4-0
132 – Jessy Williams (New York) over Patrick Freeman (North Dakota) Dec 5-3,7-0
138 – Renaldo Rodriguez-Spencer (New York) over Weston Dobler (North Dakota) Dec 4-0,2-0
145 – Matt Green (New York) over Reed Beckman (North Dakota) TF 7-0,7-0
152 – Leland Slawson (New York) over Zane Braun (North Dakota) Dec 0-1,1-1,2-1
160 – Connor Sutton (New York) over Bryce Fish (North Dakota) Pin 0:37
170 – Troy Seymour (New York) over T.J. Poole (North Dakota) Dec 3-0,1-0
182 – Chris Loew (New York) over Kip Jangula (North Dakota) Dec 2-0,0-6,3-0
195 – Levi Ashley (New York) over Briley Crissler (North Dakota) Dec 3-0,3-1
220 – Brandon Larson (North Dakota) over Soslar Gularov (New York) Pin 7-5,1:18
285 – Tommy Sease (North Dakota) over Unknown (Unattached) Forf

Bronze/Copper Pool – 
Match #1 Round 1: New York defeated Missouri 39-20
100 – Jesse Dellavecchia (New York) over Unknown (Unattached) Forf
106 – Nick Cassella (New York) over Matthew Barmann (Missouri) Dec 2-1,6-0
113 – Andrew Wallace (Missouri) over Kyle Kelly (New York) Dec 3-0,9-1
120 – Santo Curatolo (New York) over Noah Teaney (Missouri) Dec 1-3,5-1,1-0
126 – Lemuel Johnson (Missouri) over James Ronca (New York) Dec 1-0,3-0
132 – Tate Robinson (Missouri) over Jessy Williams (New York) Dec 2-1,3-1
138 – Quinton Murphy (New York) over Grant Leeth (Missouri) Dec 3-1,7-0
145 – Matt Green (New York) over Michael Cutberthson (Missouri) Dec 9-3,6-5
152 – Brennan Johnson (Missouri) over Leland Slawson (New York) Dec 3-1,1-0
160 – Connor Sutton (New York) over Trevor Engle (Missouri) Dec 7-0,1-0
170 – Burke Paddock (New York) over Morgan Fitzgerald (Missouri) Dec 7-0,1-0
182 – Chris Loew (New York) over Michael Boyd (Missouri) Dec 4-0,4-0
195 – Bryce Mazurowski (New York) over Daltan Sweet (Missouri) Pin 4-0,0:19
220 – J`Den Cox (Missouri) over Soslar Gularov (New York) TF 7-0,6-0
285 – Dante Salkey (New York) over Jimmy Sellers (Missouri) Pin 6-0,1:14

Match #2 Round 2: California defeated New York 45-15
100 – Sean Nickell (California) over Jesse Dellavecchia (New York) Dec 6-0,3-0
106 – Joey Cisneros (California) over Nick Cassella (New York) TF 6-0,5-0
113 – Matt Morris (New York) over Daniel Ruiz (California) Dec 2-0,0-8,5-1
120 – Zahid Valencia (California) over Santo Curatolo (New York) Dec 1-0,2-0
126 – Tom Yozzo (California) over James Ronca (New York) Dec 2-1,6-0
132 – Jessy Williams (New York) over Adrian Panduro (California) Dec 3-0,5-0
138 – Elijah Davis (California) over Quinton Murphy (New York) 0-1,Inj
145 – Richard Martinez (California) over Matt Green (New York) Pin 1-2,0:44
152 – Mike Longo (California) over David Almaviva (New York) Dec 8-3,6-4
160 – Connor Sutton (New York) over Miguel Ruiz (California) Dec 7-1,1-0
170 – Lukas Basham (California) over Burke Paddock (New York) Dec 5-4,3-0
182 – Chris Loew (New York) over Zach Hanson (California) Dec 2-0,0-3,2-0
195 – Mason Kumashiro (California) over Tim Schaefer (New York) Pin 1-0,0:43
220 – Daniel Chaid (California) over Bryce Mazurowski (New York) Dec 5-0,1-0
285 – Hildev Manzur (California) over Unknown (Unattached) Forf

Match #3 Round 3: New York defeated Texas 31-28
100 – Alex Minor (Texas) over Jesse Dellavecchia (New York) Dec 3-2,6-0
106 – Nick Cassella (New York) over Joseph Gomez (Texas) Dec 1-0,6-1
113 – D`Andre Brumfield (Texas) over Kyle Kelly (New York) Dec 1-0,5-1
120 – Santo Curatolo (New York) over Cody Moss (Texas) Dec 7-0,2-0
126 – Jacob Rubio (Texas) over James Ronca (New York) Dec 2-0,2-0
132 – Jessy Williams (New York) over Gus Kortemeir (Texas) Pin 7-0,0:46
138 – Renaldo Rodriguez-Spencer (New York) over Colton Stowe (Texas) TF 7-0,7-0
145 – David Almaviva (New York) over Jack Ohlabor (Texas) TF 7-0,7-0
152 – Oliver Pierce (Texas) over James Mclean (New York) Pin 7-0,0:25
160 – Connor Sutton (New York) over Travis Bradford (Texas) TF 6-0,7-0
170 – Burke Paddock (New York) over Julius Holmes (Texas) Dec 4-0,6-0
182 – Greg Wilson (Texas) over Tim Schaefer (New York) Dec 1-0,1-0
195 – Chris Loew (New York) over Cody Lindberg (Texas) Dec 2-0,1-0
220 – Nick Mabry (Texas) over Unknown (Unattached) Forf
285 – Ivan De Leon (Texas) over Unknown (Unattached) Forf

Match #4 3rd Place Match: New York defeated North Dakota 48-17
100 – Jesse Dellavecchia (New York) over Austin Rust (North Dakota) Forf
106 – Kael Knowlen (North Dakota) over Nick Cassella (New York) TF 9-0,6-0
113 – Matt Morris (New York) over Adam Blees (North Dakota) Dec 6-1,1-0
120 – Santo Curatolo (New York) over Thomas Walton (North Dakota) Forf
126 – Jordan Sherer (North Dakota) over James Ronca (New York) TF 6-0,6-0
132 – Jessy Williams (New York) over Patrick Freeman (North Dakota) TF 7-0,6-0
138 – Renaldo Rodriguez-Spencer (New York) over Weston Dobler (North Dakota) Forf
145 – Ryan Blees (North Dakota) over Matt Green (New York) Dec 1-0,4-3
152 – David Almaviva (New York) over Shane Undem (North Dakota) Dec 1-0,6-3
160 – Connor Sutton (New York) over Bryce Fish (North Dakota) Dec 1-0,3-0
170 – T.J. Poole (North Dakota) over Troy Seymour (New York) Dec 0-1,5-0,1-0
182 – Tim Schaefer (New York) over Drew Kary (North Dakota) Forf
195 – Chris Loew (New York) over Briley Crissler (North Dakota) Dec 7-3,2-0
220 – Soslar Gularov (New York) over Unknown (Unattached) Forf
285 – Dante Salkey (New York) over Tommy Sease (North Dakota) Forf

FREESTYLE

Pool B – 
Match #1 Quarterfinal: New York defeated Indiana 38-23
100 – Jesse Dellavecchia (New York) over Ethan Briggeman (Indiana) Pin 1-1,0:48
106 – Jake Sinkovics (Indiana) over Nick Cassella (New York) Dec 5-5,4-2
113 – Stevan Micic (Indiana) over Kyle Kelly (New York) TF 8-0,9-3
120 – John Aslanian (New York) over Terrence Kennedy (Indiana) Dec 8-1,5-2
126 – Dylan Realbuto (New York) over Nathan Carmichael (Indiana) Dec 2-0,3-0
132 – Renaldo Rodriguez-Spencer (New York) over Levi Moss (Indiana) Dec 6-0,3-4,3-1
138 – Tommy Forte (Indiana) over Jessy Williams (New York) Dec 4-0,1-0
145 – Josh Farrell (Indiana) over David Almaviva (New York) Dec 0-1,1-0,2-0
152 – Brian Realbuto (New York) over John Tatum (Indiana) TF 7-0,6-0
160 – Brian Harvey (Indiana) over Connor Sutton (New York) Dec 3-1,6-3
170 – Burke Paddock (New York) over Austin Neibarger (Indiana) Dec 0-2,2-0,7-1
182 – Riley Lefever (Indiana) over Tim Schaefer (New York) Dec 1-2,3-2,3-1
195 – Chris Loew (New York) over Jeff Dixon (Indiana) Pin 7-0,1:48
220 – Soslar Gularov (New York) over Ian Early (Indiana) Dec 6-3,0-1,4-1
285 – Dante Salkey (New York) over Georgio Blades (Indiana) TF 7-0,6-0

Match #2 Semifinal: Wisconsin defeated New York 35-25
100 – Jesse Dellavecchia (New York) over Ian Gioacchini (Wisconsin) Dec 5-0,6-0
106 – Nick Cassella (New York) over JJ McClelland (Wisconsin) Dec 6-0,4-5,2-1
113 – Bill Prochniewski (Wisconsin) over Matt Morris (New York) Dec 4-0,1-0
120 – John Aslanian (New York) over Phillip Opelt (Wisconsin) Dec 3-0,5-4
126 – Andrew Crone (Wisconsin) over Dylan Realbuto (New York) Dec 9-2,7-2
132 – Gabriel Grahek (Wisconsin) over Renaldo Rodriguez-Spencer (New York) Dec 5-4,0-6,1-1
138 – Quinton Murphy (New York) over Mitchell Friedman (Wisconsin) Dec 6-0,5-4
145 – Jarod Donar (Wisconsin) over David Almaviva (New York) Pin 0-5,4-3,0:22
152 – Brian Realbuto (New York) over Ryan Gartner (Wisconsin) Dec 3-4,2-0,6-0
160 – Nick Becker (Wisconsin) over Connor Sutton (New York) Dec 7-1,7-3
170 – Matt Gray (Wisconsin) over Burke Paddock (New York) Dec 6-0,1-0
182 – Jacob Morrissey (Wisconsin) over Chris Loew (New York) Dec 6-2,4-2
195 – Bryce Mazurowski (New York) over Robby Chubb (Wisconsin) Pin 1:18
220 – Justin Karkula (Wisconsin) over Soslar Gularov (New York) Pin 3-4,0:57
285 – Newton Smerchek (Wisconsin) over Dante Salkey (New York) Dec 1-1,1-0

Match #3 Cons. Semi: New York defeated Minnesota Blue 39-23
100 – Jesse Dellavecchia (New York) over Alex Haynes (Minnesota Blue) Dec 4-2,8-2
106 – Aaron Dick (Minnesota Blue) over Nick Cassella (New York) Dec 6-0,1-0
113 – Ty Johnson (Minnesota Blue) over Kyle Kelly (New York) Pin 5-11,7-1,1:54
120 – John Aslanian (New York) over Tanner Johnshoy (Minnesota Blue) Dec 10-4,1-1
126 – Dylan Realbuto (New York) over Tone Fuenffinger (Minnesota Blue) Dec 5-4,4-4,4-0
132 – Renaldo Rodriguez-Spencer (New York) over Roman Wundrow (Minnesota Blue) TF 6-0,8-2
138 – Quinton Murphy (New York) over Mitchell Lexvold (Minnesota Blue) Dec 7-3,6-4
145 – David Almaviva (New York) over Wayne Voss (Minnesota Blue) Dec 6-0,4-3
152 – Leland Slawson (New York) over Sam Begin (Minnesota Blue) Dec 4-0,2-1
160 – Burke Paddock (New York) over Luke Schmit (Minnesota Blue) Dec 4-2,2-0
170 – Troy Seymour (New York) over Unknown (Unattached) Forf
182 – Tim Schaefer (New York) over Clay Broze (Minnesota Blue) Dec 2-0,2-4,2-1
195 – Bryce Mazurowski (New York) over Alexander Mond (Minnesota Blue) Dec 6-0,1-0
220 – Soslar Gularov (New York) over Tony Reurink (Minnesota Blue) Dec 5-1,6-0
285 – Jerrad Nieland (Minnesota Blue) over Dante Salkey (New York) Pin 0:50

Match #4 3rd Place Match: New York defeated Indiana 44-22
100 – Jesse Dellavecchia (New York) over Ethan Briggeman (Indiana) Dec 3-2,2-1
106 – Nick Cassella (New York) over Jake Sinkovics (Indiana) Pin 0:24
113 – Stevan Micic (Indiana) over Matt Morris (New York) TF 6-0,7-0
120 – John Aslanian (New York) over Terrence Kennedy (Indiana) TF 6-0,10-2
126 – Dylan Realbuto (New York) over Nathan Carmichael (Indiana) Dec 7-0,2-2,4-1
132 – Renaldo Rodriguez-Spencer (New York) over Levi Moss (Indiana) Dec 6-0,3-7,1-0
138 – Quinton Murphy (New York) over Tommy Forte (Indiana) Pin 6-6,0:00
145 – Josh Farrell (Indiana) over David Almaviva (New York) Dec 4-2,3-0
152 – Matt Green (New York) over John Tatum (Indiana) Pin 1:32
160 – Brian Harvey (Indiana) over Burke Paddock (New York) Pin 1-2,6-0,1:12
170 – Troy Seymour (New York) over Austin Neibarger (Indiana) Dec 0-2,4-0,1-0
182 – Chris Loew (New York) over Riley Lefever (Indiana) Dec 3-6,3-1,2-1
195 – Bryce Mazurowski (New York) over Jeff Dixon (Indiana) Pin 1:33
220 – Soslar Gularov (New York) over Ian Early (Indiana) Dec 2-5,3-2,1-0
285 – Georgio Blades (Indiana) over Dante Salkey (New York) Dec 4-3,0-1,1-0

Bronze/Copper Pool – 
Match #1 Round 1: New York defeated Texas Blue 34-31
100 – Alex Minor (Texas Blue) over Jesse Dellavecchia (New York) Dec 4-2,7-2
106 – Nick Cassella (New York) over Joseph Gomez (Texas Blue) Dec 3-2,4-1
113 – Dammion Heard (Texas Blue) over Kyle Kelly (New York) Dec 8-1,3-1
120 – John Aslanian (New York) over Cody Moss (Texas Blue) Pin 7-0,0:53
126 – Jacob Rubio (Texas Blue) over Dylan Realbuto (New York) TF 8-1,7-0
132 – Renaldo Rodriguez-Spencer (New York) over Gus Kortemeir (Texas Blue) Dec 6-5,6-0
138 – Quinton Murphy (New York) over AJ Hinkle (Texas Blue) TF 9-2,8-1
145 – Jack Bass (Texas Blue) over David Almaviva (New York) Dec 5-0,4-2
152 – Oliver Pierce (Texas Blue) over Matt Green (New York) Dec 3-0,1-0
160 – Connor Sutton (New York) over Travis Bradford (Texas Blue) TF 7-0,7-0
170 – Troy Seymour (New York) over Julius Holmes (Texas Blue) Dec 1-3,7-0,1-0
182 – Greg Wilson (Texas Blue) over Tim Schaefer (New York) Inj
195 – Chris Loew (New York) over Cody Lindberg (Texas Blue) Pin 2-3,5-2,1:41
220 – Levi Ashley (New York) over Nick Mabry (Texas Blue) Dec 10-2,5-1
285 – Ivan De Leon (Texas Blue) over Unknown (Unattached) Forf

Match #2 Round 2: GA Black defeated New York 31-28
100 – Adam Flatt (GA Black) over Jesse Dellavecchia (New York) Dec 1-0,4-3
106 – Nick Cassella (New York) over Trae Green (GA Black) Dec 3-2,7-0
113 – Hunter Kelley (GA Black) over Matt Morris (New York) TF 1-2,6-0,6-0
120 – Griffin Higginbotham (GA Black) over John Aslanian (New York) Dec 2-0,4-0
126 – Dylan Realbuto (New York) over Madison Martin (GA Black) Dec 5-4,0-7,4-2
132 – Renaldo Rodriguez-Spencer (New York) over Kamaal Abdushshakur (GA Black) Dec 5-1,6-0
138 – Ryan Mosley (GA Black) over Jessy Williams (New York) Dec 1-5,4-0,7-0
145 – David Almaviva (New York) over Taylor Lujan (GA Black) Dec 1-0,7-0
152 – Matt Green (New York) over Cody Dickerson (GA Black) Pin 0-1,1:38
160 – Hunter Gamble (GA Black) over Burke Paddock (New York) Dec 2-0,0-6,2-1
170 – Jason Grimes (GA Black) over Troy Seymour (New York) Dec 0-1,1-1,1-0
182 – Glenn Climmons (GA Black) over Chris Loew (New York) Dec 4-0,5-1
195 – Boyce Cornwell (GA Black) over Bryce Mazurowski (New York) Dec 4-2,6-0
220 – Chance McClure (GA Black) over Levi Ashley (New York) Dec 4-3,2-1
285 – Soslar Gularov (New York) over Maverick Way (GA Black) Dec 2-0,3-0

Match #3 Round 3: Pennsylvania defeated New York 36-28
100 – Jacob Lizak (Pennsylvania) over Jesse Dellavecchia (New York) Dec 5-0,2-1
106 – Ethan Lizak (Pennsylvania) over Nick Cassella (New York) TF 7-0,6-0
113 – Dominic Forys (Pennsylvania) over Kyle Kelly (New York) TF 6-0,6-0
120 – John Aslanian (New York) over Justin Cummings (Pennsylvania) Dec 0-6,1-0,1-0
126 – Josh DiSanto (Pennsylvania) over Dylan Realbuto (New York) Pin 0:31
132 – Zain Retherford (Pennsylvania) over Renaldo Rodriguez-Spencer (New York) Dec 5-4,8-2
138 – Jessy Williams (New York) over Bobby Harmon (Pennsylvania) TF 7-0,6-0
145 – David Almaviva (New York) over Tyrel White (Pennsylvania) Dec 1-0,0-1,3-2
152 – Matt Green (New York) over Arthur Watkins (Pennsylvania) Dec 5-0,4-0
160 – Burke Paddock (New York) over Kyle Carson (Pennsylvania) Pin 7-0,1:29
170 – Connor Sutton (New York) over Sam Dickey (Pennsylvania) Pin 1:18
182 – Addison Knepshield (Pennsylvania) over Chris Loew (New York) TF 6-0,8-2
195 – Dennis Atyeh (Pennsylvania) over Levi Ashley (New York) Dec 7-1,3-3
220 – Jake Hart (Pennsylvania) over Soslar Gularov (New York) Dec 3-1,2-0
285 – Brooks Black (Pennsylvania) over Unknown (Unattached) Forf

Exhibition – 
New York defeated Ohio 41-24
100 – Peyton Gutierrez (Ohio) over Jesse Dellavecchia (New York) Dec 6-0,2-1
106 – Nick Cassella (New York) over Luke Nace (Ohio) Dec 0-6,6-0,5-1
113 – Matt Morris (New York) over Brandon Kahlenbeck (Ohio) Dec 6-1,4-2
120 – John Aslanian (New York) over Brad Taton (Ohio) Dec 6-0,5-0
126 – Dylan Realbuto (New York) over Zachary Alvarado (Ohio) Dec 5-1,5-1
132 – Renaldo Rodriguez-Spencer (New York) over Zane Nelson (Ohio) Dec 6-0,5-4
138 – Neil Roff (Ohio) over Jessy Williams (New York) Dec 4-4,3-3
145 – David Almaviva (New York) over Unknown (Unattached) Forf
152 – Nick Weininger (Ohio) over Matt Green (New York) Dec 2-1,4-2
160 – Connor Sutton (New York) over Eric Sullivan (Ohio) Pin 0:57
170 – Tommy Kimbrell (Ohio) over Troy Seymour (New York) Pin 2-0,1:07
182 – Chris Loew (New York) over Lane Louivie (Ohio) Dec 3-2,6-5
195 – Levi Ashley (New York) over Unknown (Unattached) Forf
220 – Soslar Gularov (New York) over Ian Czanik (Ohio) Pin 0:18
285 – Chase Henderson (Ohio) over Unknown (Unattached) Forf