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1000 Islands Duals: Superior Wins the Jr High Event; Buffalo Wrestling Club Takes Second in the HS Division

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It was a bit of deja vu for the Superior Wrestling Academy team at the 1000 Islands Duals – in a very good way.

A year after winning the Junior High title at the summer event, Superior did it again, capturing first place with a 4-0 record on the opening day of competition in Clayton, New York.

Superior Wrestling Academy, Courtesy of Gary Ferro

The team began with a pair of dominant performances – topping Lockport and Midlakes. The semifinals round was a bit of a different story, as Nazareth, Pennsylvania pushed the squad to the limit in a 31-28 battle.

According to Gary Ferro, who coached the team along with Ed Schafer, Superior trailed going into the last three weights.  However, back-to-back falls by David Crow and Brandon Cousino at 155 and 165 pounds provided an insurmountable lead going into heavyweight.  (Superior forfeited at the unlimited class throughout the event).

“We faced Nazareth last year too and both times it was definitely our toughest match,” Ferro said. “They have an excellent team and it went back and forth, but our guys came through at the end.  Those two pins were huge.  [David Crow] was losing 4-0 but came back to get the pin.  Then [Brandon Cousino] followed with another one.  It was a great win to get us to the finals.”

The championship bout was less suspenseful, with Superior putting together a double-digit victory over Delaware Valley to finish first.

“The kids enjoyed coming back and taking a second championship and it was definitely exciting for us coaches too,” Ferro said. “Ultimately, for us, it’s about putting the kids on the mat in the summer and seeing them continue to get better. 1000 Islands Duals is the place to go to do that.  It’s amazing to see the wrestlers dedicating their time at this time of year.  That’s something we get excited about.”

Leading the way for Superior were undefeated wrestlers Ethan Ferro (75), Brian Courtney (105) and Mike Venosa (119) as well as Michael Gonyea (82) and David Crow (155), who both finished with one loss.

“We really enjoyed the tournament,” Ferro said. “We’ll be ready for next year and we’ll be looking to three-peat.”

(It was a good weekend overall for Superior, as the High School squad went 4-1 with the lone loss coming in a 32-31 match versus Northeast Elite, a top 8 placer.  The squad, coached by Ferro and Mark Friske, won the Blue Bracket).

Buffalo Wrestling Club in the Finals Again

In the High School action, another New York team made the finals – Buffalo Wrestling Club.  According to coach Keith Maute, the squad just missed out on the title for the second consecutive year at the 1000 Islands Duals.

“We were second last year too,” Maute said. “Last year against Bound Brook (NJ), it came down to the last match.  This year, it came down to criteria.”

Indeed, the championship dual between Buffalo Wrestling Club and Doughboy ended in a 27-27 deadlock.  However, the Massachusetts team was declared the winner using the tiebreakers.

The Buffalo WC squad, which Maute said was made up of wrestlers from the Cobra Wrestling Academy, cruised through the first three meets of the event, losing just a handful of matches along the way.

In the semifinals, however, things got more difficult in an eight-point triumph over Northeast Elite.

According to Maute, his group jumped ahead in the lightweights, but the opposition fought back to within five heading into 195 pounds.  A victory by James Empfield at that weight in the ultimate tiebreaker was crucial, as was another win at 220 by Tyler Hall to clinch a spot in the title match.

That championship dual followed a similar pattern initially.  Once again, the Buffalo WC built up an early advantage.  In fact, the squad led 27-4 going into 160 pounds, fueled by a number of grapplers who went undefeated throughout the tournament – Dane Heberlein (100), Kellen Devlin (130), Cody McGregor (137) and Dakota Gardner (145/152).  In addition, Troy Keller (107), Tito Colom (115), Danny Graham (145/152) and the previously mentioned Empfield (195) each lost only one bout during the weekend, according to Maute.

However, Doughboy responded to 23-point deficit by capturing the remainder of the matches, resulting in the 27-27 score.

“Doughboy was a tough team,” Maute said. “We were winning big, but then we got beaten up top where they were very strong. It was tough, but the guys wrestled well and it was a good tournament overall.”

Superior Wrestling Academy – Jr High Championship Team (provided by G. Ferro)
75-Ethan Ferro
82-Michael Gonyea
90-Drew Schafer
98-Trent Nadaeu
105-Brian Courtney
112-Tanner Cook
119-Mike Venosa
127-Emerson Block
135-Josh Shamp
145-Jake Ginter
155-David Crow
165-Brandon Cousino
Unlimited- None
Buffalo Wrestling Club (Cobra) High School (provided by K. Maute)
100-Dane Heberlein
107-Troy Keller/Hector Colom
115-Tito Colom/Michael Wisniewski
123-Drew Marra
130-Kellen Devlin
137-Cody McGregor/Freddy Eckles/Maulo Wawior
145-Dakota Gardner
152-Danny Graham
160-Lucas McKeever/Garrett Smead
170-Richie Jones
185-Marques Buchanan
195-James Empfield/Tyler Hall
220-Alex Jones
285-Nick Jones
Superior Wrestling Academy High School (provided by G. Ferro)
100-Trent Nadeau
107-Tanner Cook
115-Mike Venosa
123-Dandre Norman
130-Blake Jackson
137-Freddy Eckles
145-Laken Cook
154-Vinny Romeo
162-Jordan Torbitt
172-James Lukaszonas
185-Mark Friske
197-Ben Honis
220-Landry Cook
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Superior Wins Ragin Raisins Duals as NY Teams Celebrate Father's Day Weekend

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Photos courtesy of Adam Burgos

Quite a few fathers spent the majority of the holiday weekend inside a gymnasium at Mercyhurst University. And loved every minute of it.

“For me, it’s the best Father’s Day there can be,” said G2 World Wrestling Academy coach Adam Burgos. “I wouldn’t trade it for a tie, a dinner out, a gift card to Home Depot or any other typical gift. None of that compares to being with my son, watching him do something he loves. And then spending time with the rest of my family later in the day.”

Burgos and his squad competed at the Ragin Raisins Duals June 15 and 16, along with quality teams from New York, Pennsylvania, Illinois and Ohio. The event featured 12 squads in both the youth and high school divisions and saw some great competition on Saturday and Sunday.

Capturing the title in the youth bracket was the Empire State’s Superior Wrestling Academy Black. The group went 7-0 over the weekend, earning a 37-21 decision over Ragin Raisins Green in the title bout to win gold.

“We had a very, very competitive all New York team of mostly Superior wrestlers,” said coach Gary Ferro, who led the group along with Ed Schafer. “They put their hearts into it. With each win, the kids kept getting more excited. It was very exciting, with a NY vs. PA final. It was intense and the crowd got into it.”

In the championship round, the first four bouts were decisions, with the Ragin Raisins taking a 9-3 lead. Next on the mat for Superior at 78 pounds was Ethan Ferro, who was set to take on an opponent who had defeated him at the Empire Duals earlier in the spring.

This time, it was different, as Ferro took a sizable lead before recording the pin to tie the dual score at 9 and swing momentum toward New York.

“It was very big for him because it’s an older kid who already beat him this year,” Ferro said of his son. “It meant a lot to him and it really helped the team. It was a great Father’s Day present.”

Superior took over from there, pulling ahead by double digits on the way to victory.

It was the closest match of the event for Superior Black, as the team outscored its opponents by a combined 327-45 in the first six duals. The closest meet prior to the championship was a 31-point victory.

That kind of dominance often comes from a balanced lineup, and that was the case over the weekend. According to Ferro, a number of wrestlers went undefeated – Stevo Poulin (61 pounds), Drew Schafer (84), Dillan Palaszewski (90), Dane Heberlein (98), Mike Venosa (115), Tyler Barnes (135) and Frankie Gissendanner (147). In addition, Ferro said that Jace Schafer (56), Greg Diakomihalis (66), Hammond Raes (106) and Emerson Block (125), all tallied 6-1 records.

At the high school level, one of the host squads, Ragin Raisins Pink, came out on top, besting Lake County, Ohio for the championship.

Placing in the top six for New York were Cobra (third), Superior Black (fourth) and G2 (sixth). G2’s team actually defeated the eventual champions earlier in the competition, 37-23, but finished third in the pool on criteria.

On the youth side, the Empire State was also very well represented as all three squads placed in the top six – Superior Black (first), Super Six (fifth) and Superior Gold (sixth).

The weekend wasn’t only about wrestling, however. On Saturday evening, the Superior wrestlers and their families went to a campground and had a picnic with around 80-90 people.

“It was just a good time, a great time to bond,” Ferro said. “It made it a really special Father’s Day weekend. We love wrestling, so this weekend was a great present.”

Courtesy of Adam Burgos, a number of videos from the event are available, including coach Jason Locke of Ragin Raisins previewing the event, wrestler interviews and a number of heartfelt Father’s Day messages. (Match videos to come).

For the full playlist, see Ragin Raisins Video Link

Here’s a number of wrestlers with Father’s Day wishes:

And event organizer Jason Locke

 

Final Standings – Youth Bracket

1 Superior Black (NY) 37
2 RR Green (PA) 21
3 Gladiator Swords (PA) 34

4 AWC (OH) 22
5 Super 6 (NY) 41
6 Superior Gold (NY) 15
7 Gladiator Shields (PA)45

8 RR Pink (PA) 18
9 Mt Men (PA) 41
10 Lancaster (PA) 19
11 RR Tye Dye (PA)

Final Standings – High School Bracket

1 RR Pink (PA) 29
2 Lake County (OH) 26
3 Cobra (NY) 84

4 Superior Black (NY) 0
5 AWC (OH) 25
6 G2 (NY) 18
7 Excelsior United 35 (NY)

8 North Shore Edge (IL) 29   9 Falconer (NY) 35

10 Roughnecks 9 (NY) 11 RR Purple (PA) 29
12 Superior Gold (NY) 27

Youth Champions – Superior Wrestling Academy Black Roster (as provided by Gary Ferro)

56 – Jace Schafer
61 – Stevo Poulin
66 – Greg Diakomihalis
72 – Brennan Roe
78 – Ethan Ferro
84 – Drew Schafer
90 – Dillan Palaszewski
98 – Dane Heberlein
106 – Hammond Raes
115 – Mike Venosa
125 – Emerson Block
135 – Tyler Barnes
147 – Frankie Gissendanner
160 – Brandon Cousino
180 – Ryan Flaitz
Alternate-Brian Sharkey

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

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

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

But he did more than go undefeated himself.

Diakomihalis, Photo by BV

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Haas, Photo by BV

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

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

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

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

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

With any further additions or changes, please comment below.

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

Second Place

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

Third Place

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

Fourth Place

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

Fifth Place

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

Sixth Place

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

Seventh Place

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

Tony Kuhn, Open 220 (Sanborn)

Eighth Place

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Courtesy of the Empire Nationals Website

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

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

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

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

Division I

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

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

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

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

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

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

Division 2

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

115 Pounds
Mason Lazorchak (Cannonball, NJ)

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

Division 3

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Division 4

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

230 Pounds
Nick Jones (Cobra, NY)

Division 5

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Division 6

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

101 Troy Keller and Dylan Arena

108 Tito Colom

115 Michael Wizniewski

122 Ryan Burns and Nick Gaiser

128 Kellen Devlin

134 Cody McGregor and Freddy Eckles

140 Matt Kloc

147 Danny Graham

154 Jude Gardner

162 Nathan Schwab

172 Matt Weber

184 Anthony Liberatore and Marques Buchanan

197 Matt Booth

222 Marshall Taylor and Mike Ziolo

285 Matt Montesanti and Nick Jones

At the Second Annual NYWAY State Championships Over 900 Wrestlers Compete; Cobra Wrestling Academy Takes Team Title

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According to Cobra Wrestling Academy Executive Director Keith Maute, Sunday was a great day.

The fact that he got married was the obvious and most important reason for that sentiment.

But Maute admitted that he took glances at his phone at points during the day for another reason – to check on how his wrestlers were doing at the NYWAY State Championships in Elmira.

The Cobra grapplers gave him a wedding present as the Buffalo-area club captured the team title by a slim two-point margin over Journeymen a year after finishing second in a close race behind G2 World Wrestling Academy (third in 2013).

“I’m really excited that we won,” he said. “I’m really excited for the kids, our club and our section. Last year we lost by a point or two and this year we’re on the flip side of that.  The fact that it was a tight team race makes it exciting for everyone.  It’s really nice to have 20 kids in the finals and another bunch of All-State kids.”

Cobra was led by 10 champions and 10 second placers**, as well as another six bronze medalists.  The champions were: Cooper Gronowski, JJ Lucinski, Justin McDougald, Tyler Bartolomei, Hector Colom, Jacob Brewer, Tito Colom, Jake Weber, Carson Alberti and Dane Heberlein.  The last two, Alberti and Heberlein, won this event last year as well.

But taking the championship this season was a bit different than doing so in the inaugural NYWAY event in 2012.  The tournament had over 930 participants this weekend as opposed to 640 a year ago and had representation from the all corners of New York this time, something that wasn’t quite the case before.

“We were extremely happy with the number of wrestlers we had and especially that we had a cross section from across the state,” said NYWAY President Clint Wattenberg. “We had at least 50 kids from each of the eight regions.  Every region had some champions and it was really a unifying event across the state.”

Courtesy of NYWAY

Making Wattenberg equally excited was the quality of the competition.  For example, a pair of state silver medalists – Vincent DePrez of G2/Hilton and Connor Lapresi of the Finger Lakes Wrestling Club/Lansing squared off in a match won by DePrez in sudden victory in the semifinals in the high school division.  (It was a good weekend to be named DePrez as all four brothers – Vincent, Anthony, Louie and Sam – took first at the event).

In addition to DePrez and Lapresi, many others who competed at the Times Union Center in late February also took part. In fact, the 113-pound bracket in Division 6 included All-Staters Ryan Hetrick and Kelan McKenna as well as Eastern States champion Chris Cuccolo. And none of those accomplished wrestlers came out on top; instead it was 30-plus match winner Blake Abbey of Corning (who won this tournament at 103 pounds in 2012).

Similarly, the younger divisions featured wrestlers who have placed and won prestigious youth tournaments across the country.  Some of those picked up their second straight NYWAY State championship, including (in Division 2) Waverly’s Bryce Bailey, G2’s Jayden Scott, the previously mentioned Carson Alberti and Lockport’s JR Leuer; in Division 3 Stevo Poulin of Journeymen and Myles Griffin of Mexico and in Division 4 Journeymen’s Michael Gonyea and Dillan Palaszewski as well as Orion Anderson and Benny Baker.  (Repeat gold medalists in Divisions 5 and 6 were Dandre Norman of Edge, Andrew McFarland of Carthage and the previously discussed Dane Heberlein and Blake Abbey).

Courtesy of NYWAY

For the full list of placers from first to fourth in each division and weight, see here.

While this weekend’s action at the First Arena in Elmira represented the largest event on NYWAY’s calendar, Wattenberg stressed that the second-year organization is much more than just a state championship tournament.

“It was a great, but it’s only a small part of our mission,” Wattenberg said. “We’re dedicated to creating continuity and direction for New York wrestling.  It’s all about the lifecycle of developmental wrestling and tying it all together at the youth, high school and college levels.  We want to find out where we’re losing people and try to help fill those gaps.  We think one of the critical pieces of the development puzzle in New York is in modified wrestling.  That’s why having Division 5 (middle school and some freshmen) as our biggest division at this event was encouraging.  New York continues to lose modified programs or have the mat time cut down significantly.  We feel that this is a role we can fill in the state, helping develop wrestlers that aren’t getting what they need through modified programs.”

Of course, it’s no secret that wrestling is losing more than the modified level.  The IOC’s decision to drop the sport from the 2020 Olympic Games is fresh on the minds of fans and Wattenberg said all $600 of total proceeds from the sales of programs will be donated to the ‘Keep Wrestling in the Olympics’ movement.

In addition, a portion of every online NYWAY transaction this season has been allocated to the President’s Fund, which is dedicated to strengthening and advancing college wrestling.  According to Wattenberg, that money will be “spread around to not only strengthen current programs in New York but to encourage additional schools in the state to start new wrestling programs.”

The link with the college level of wrestling wasn’t hard to see over the weekend.  On Saturday night, Cornell All-Americans Kyle Dake, Steve Bosak and Mike Nevinger attended the event, signing autographs and talking with participants and fans.

Meanwhile, some of their peers were on the mat – as referees.

Photo by John Drew

“It’s core to our mission to reintegrate college wrestlers into youth wrestling to help the next generation,” Wattenberg said. “Having a group of officials being college age wrestlers, along with veterans as the head officials, helps keep that development cycle going and makes the wrestling community stronger.  That’s the reason we like to stick to that format, but we are trying to integrate some other experienced officials as well.  As a whole, the feedback on the structure and set up of the tournament was positive.”

And so the second NYWAY season came to a close with Cobra standing on the top step.   While Maute kept tabs on the day’s events from his wedding, he expects to be in attendance in 2014 to help his club defend its crown.

“This tournament grew so much in just one year,” Maute said. “It’s awesome that there were almost 1000 kids there this year. Hopefully next year it will be 1300 wrestlers or even more.”

—————————————————————————

Wattenberg wished to thank the NYWAY Board of Directors, especially the state tournament committee (Kristine Maslin, Adam Burgos, Kevin Lucinski, Mel Cutrie) for their time and dedication and for making decisions with “best intentions to provide opportunities and create a level playing field.”  He also wished to thank Eric Padelford for setting up the technology portion of the event, especially on short notice.

 

**Some of the Cobra wrestlers, according to Maute, weren’t listed under Cobra in the brackets

NYWAY State Championships – Top Placewinners for Each Division and Weight

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The following is the list of top finishers in all Divisions and Weight Classes for the 2013 NYWAY State Championships. Over 925 wrestlers participated in the event in Elmira, New York, with representation from all around the Empire State.

We will provide a full recap of the event, so please check back.

Full brackets and results can be found at http://www.trackwrestling.com. (Search for NYWAY)

Division 1 – 37 Pounds
1st Place – JJ Lucinski of Lockport Kids Club
2nd Place – Zoey Jewett of General Brown Mighty Lions
3rd Place – Russell Maddox of Tioga
4th Place – Decklan Mckee of Waverly

D1 – 40
1st Place – Caleb Cole of Unatego
2nd Place – Cooper Mower of Ilion
3rd Place – Cameron Granger of Waverly
4th Place – Gary McDowell of Unattached

D1 – 43
1st Place – Cooper Gronowski of COBRA WRESTLING ACADEMY
2nd Place – Lucas Mason of Canisteo
3rd Place – Aiden Shufelt of Unattached
4th Place – Mason Brown of Phoenix

D1 – 46
1st Place – Gavin Bob of Canisteo
2nd Place – Kolton Kelly of Camden
3rd Place – Aidan Gillings of Newfane
4th Place – Quinn Hoppel of LOWVILLE WRESTLING CLUB

D1 – 49
1st Place – Rylan Padleford of NY Titan Wrestling Club
2nd Place – Chase Nevills of Copenhagen
3rd Place – Nathanial Higgins of IHC Cavaliers
4th Place – Jackson Koppers of Unattached

D1 – 52
1st Place – Ryder Machado of Underground
2nd Place – Caden Bellis of Unattached
3rd Place – Tavian Camper of Copenhagen
4th Place – Evan Fort of Gowanda

D1 – 56
1st Place – Zak Ryder of Underground
2nd Place – Kieran Cullen of Journeymen
3rd Place – Brady Lynch of Indian River Pee Wee Wrestling
4th Place – Te`Shaun Matthews of NFPC

D1 – 60
1st Place – Cade Allen of Canisteo
2nd Place – Shey Williams of Lockport Kids Club
3rd Place – PJ Duke of Unattached
4th Place – Jaylon Yearwood of Union Endicott

D1 – 65
1st Place – Isaac Gibson of South Lewis
2nd Place – Ryan Burton of Underground
3rd Place – Ryley Monica of SOUTH JEFFERSON
4th Place – Gage LaPlante of Tonawanda

D1 – 75
1st Place – Elijah Diakomihalis of G2 World wrestling Academy
2nd Place – Dominic Dunstan of NWAA
3rd Place – Mason Maring of Unattached
4th Place – Rocky Files of Central Square

D2 – 43

1st Place – JR Leuer (Lockport Kids Club)

D2 – 46
1st Place – Jayden Crumpler of NFPC
2nd Place – Landon Machado of Underground
3rd Place – Xavier Dejesus of Unattached
4th Place – JR Leuer of Lockport Kids Club

D2 – 49
1st Place – Bryce Bailey of Waverly
2nd Place – Trevor Tufano of Unattached
3rd Place – Michael Santore of Journeymen
4th Place – Joseph Florence of Thorobred

D2 – 52
1st Place – Colin Bradshaw of Phoenix
2nd Place – Jake Daly of Brockport
3rd Place – Garrett Skeens of Waverly
4th Place – Logan Reynolds of Gouverneur

D2 – 55
1st Place – Braidon Woodward of Canisteo
2nd Place – Myles Gronowski of COBRA WRESTLING ACADEMY
3rd Place – Ethan Dibble of Thorobred
4th Place – John Chamberlain of IHC Cavaliers

D2 – 58
1st Place – Carson Alberti of Unattached
2nd Place – Joey Rumola of Unattached
3rd Place – Tristan Petretti of SWR
4th Place – Teddy Raes of Midlakes

D2 – 61
1st Place – Carter Schubert of Superior
2nd Place – Dominck Algieri of Blue Wave
3rd Place – Trent Reid of COBRA WRESTLING ACADEMY
4th Place – Maddox Browning of Gowanda

D2 – 64
1st Place – Caden Granger of Waverly
2nd Place – Rocco Camillaci of G2 World wrestling Academy
3rd Place – Andrew Filip of Underground
4th Place – Anthony McMillen of Unattached

D2 – 67
1st Place – Brady Unger of Unattached
2nd Place – Trayton Tupper of Gouverneur
3rd Place – Aaron Briones of SOUTH JEFFERSON
4th Place – Anthony Cooper of Midlakes

D2 – 70
1st Place – Jayden Scott of G2 World wrestling Academy
2nd Place – Matthew Mahoney of Unattached
3rd Place – Josh Durant of The Square
4th Place – Bryson Vabdunk of Whitney Point Youth Wrestling Club

D2 – 75
1st Place – Nicholas Rogers of IHC Cavaliers
2nd Place – Zachary Duessler of IHC Cavaliers
3rd Place – AJ Fricchione of Underground
4th Place – Brian Bielec of COBRA WRESTLING ACADEMY

D2 – 80
1st Place – Ethan Gallo of Unattached
2nd Place – Sam Ricci of Victor
3rd Place – Evan Day of Hoosick Fall Wrestling Club
4th Place – Kevin Daskavitz of Lockport Kids Club

D2 – 88
1st Place – Colton Simpson of LOWVILLE WRESTLING CLUB
2nd Place – Jake Whitmore of Indian River Pee Wee Wrestling
3rd Place – Gabriel Monroe of Thorobred
4th Place – Simon Lingle of Newfane

D2 – 100
1st Place – Hunter John of Gowanda
2nd Place – Frank Carino of RPEEWC
3rd Place – Aidan Pendergrast of Unattached
4th Place – Tyler Beeman of Unattached

D2 – HWT
1st Place – Ryan Stein of NY Titan Wrestling Club
2nd Place – Logan Ramadan of Grand Island
3rd Place – Matthew Jansen of Midlakes
4th Place – Bryce Benedict of Gowanda

D3 – 51
1st Place – Andrew Brown of Unattached
2nd Place – Lucas Randisi of Superior
3rd Place – Austin West of LOWVILLE WRESTLING CLUB

D3 – 55
1st Place – Jace Shafer of Superior
2nd Place – Gavin Henrikson of Blue Wave
3rd Place – Antoine Walker of COBRA WRESTLING ACADEMY
4th Place – Evan Hewett of Underground

D3 – 59
1st Place – Dante Geislinger of Unattached
2nd Place – Andy Lucinski of Lockport Kids Club
3rd Place – Joe Scheeren of Journeymen
4th Place – Mason Drew of Unattached

D3 – 62
1st Place – Stevo Poulin of Journeymen
2nd Place – Majai Coubles of Brockport
3rd Place – Micah Roes of LOWVILLE WRESTLING CLUB
4th Place – Ryan Daly of Brockport

D3 – 65
1st Place – Myles Griffin of Mexico Wrestling Club
2nd Place – Darren Ketcham of RPEEWC
3rd Place – Mason Bush of Ilion
4th Place – Lucase Riley of Elmira

D3 – 68
1st Place – Zach Redding of RPEEWC
2nd Place – Nicky Fea of Unattached
3rd Place – Drake Dille of Elmira
4th Place – Ryan Nugent of Newfane

D3 – 71
1st Place – Jalen McCarty of Waverly
2nd Place – Logan Sciotto of RPEEWC
3rd Place – Aidan Cullen of Journeymen
4th Place – Marek Bush of Ilion

D3 – 75
1st Place – Brock Del Signore of Journeymen
2nd Place – Ethan Ferro of Thorobred
3rd Place – Joshua Post of Thorobred
4th Place – Jacob Payne of Falconer Wrestling Club

D3 – 80
1st Place – Justin McDougald of COBRA WRESTLING ACADEMY
2nd Place – Dean Shambo of Mexico Wrestling Club
3rd Place – Ethan Stotler of Waverly
4th Place – Jason Pittman of G2 World wrestling Academy

D3 – 85
1st Place – Anthony Rasmussen of SOUTH JEFFERSON
2nd Place – Mitchell Tyler of Gouverneur
3rd Place – Jacob Scibek of Unattached
4th Place – Joseph Dixon of NFPC

D3 – 90
1st Place – Ian Bogardus of Fulton Wrestling Club
2nd Place – Adam Hermanson of Copenhagen
3rd Place – Peter Marion of Blue Wave
4th Place – Ryan Martin of Brockport

D3 – 95
1st Place – Keagen Case of Adirondack Wrestling Club
2nd Place – Hunter Mckenna of Journeymen
3rd Place – Bryson Solomon of NFPC
4th Place – Cuinn Burlingham of Fulton Wrestling Club

D3 – 100
1st Place – Hunter Edwards of DAWGS
2nd Place – Husdons Evingham of Canisteo
3rd Place – Duncan Zubrzycki of Copenhagen
4th Place – Brock Johnson of Falconer Wrestling Club

D3 – 110
1st Place – Zackery Goolden of Canton
2nd Place – Noah Kennedy of Thorobred
3rd Place – Kody Miller of Union Endicott
4th Place – Tyler Pelech of RPEEWC

D3 – 125
1st Place – Christopher Alberti Iii of The Square
2nd Place – Brandon Fafulovic of Unattached
3rd Place – Matthew Woodworth of Fulton Wrestling Club
4th Place – Colton Briggs of NY Titan Wrestling Club

D3 – HWT
1st Place – Benjamin Bowen of Carthage Wrestling Association
2nd Place – Sean Prunty of Unattached
3rd Place – John Robyck of Elmira
4th Place – Christopher Geer of Thorobred

D4 – 60
1st Place – Tyler Bartolomei of COBRA WRESTLING ACADEMY
2nd Place – Logan Lauck of Unattached

D4 – 65
1st Place – Greg Diakomihalis of G2 World wrestling Academy
2nd Place – Mike Alberti of Unattached
3rd Place – Dawson Mower of Ilion
4th Place – Dylan Allman of Journeymen

D4 – 70
1st Place – Michael Gonyea of Journeymen
2nd Place – Nathan Lehr of Unattached
3rd Place – Max Kropman of G2 World wrestling Academy
4th Place – Bradley Cheek of Canisteo

D4 – 75
1st Place – Christian Kee of Mexico Wrestling Club
2nd Place – Ryan Burgos of G2 World wrestling Academy
3rd Place – John Tyler of Unattached
4th Place – Matthew Muhlbauer of Tonawanda

D4 – 80
1st Place – Orion Anderson of Unattached
2nd Place – Dylan Callahan of Journeymen
3rd Place – John Worthing of Owego Youth Wrestling
4th Place – Owen Kissell of COBRA WRESTLING ACADEMY

D4 – 85
1st Place – Dillan Palaszewski of Journeymen
2nd Place – Kyle Greene of South Lewis
3rd Place – Wyatt Smith of Midlakes
4th Place – Malachy Farrell of G2 World wrestling Academy

D4 – 90
1st Place – Benny Baker of Unattached
2nd Place – Cory Day of COBRA WRESTLING ACADEMY
3rd Place – Matthew Reese of Elmira
4th Place – Tyler Mitchell of G2 World wrestling Academy

D4 – 95
1st Place – Sam Deprez of G2 World wrestling Academy
2nd Place – Zachary Lawrence of Journeymen
3rd Place – Connor Greiner of Underground
4th Place – Jack Bokina of RPEEWC

D4 – 100
1st Place – Hector Colom of COBRA WRESTLING ACADEMY
2nd Place – Taylor Philpotts of vvs youth wrestling
3rd Place – Deven Lampron of DAWGS
4th Place – Jonathan Lillie of SOUTH JEFFERSON

D4 – 105
1st Place – Kadden Brown of Indian River Pee Wee Wrestling
2nd Place – John Carl Petretti of SWR
3rd Place – Vincent Catanzaro of COBRA WRESTLING ACADEMY
4th Place – Nathan Elliot of Penn Yan

D4 – 112
1st Place – Dylan Greer of Pine Bush
2nd Place – Charlie Mahon of Elmira
3rd Place – Eoghan Sweeney of Journeymen
4th Place – Lance Evans of NFPC

D4 – 120
1st Place – Tyler Barnes of Journeymen
2nd Place – Connor Fredericks of Titletown FC
3rd Place – Korey Brown of Indian River Pee Wee Wrestling
4th Place – Gabe Mastrangelo of Marcellus

D4 – 130
1st Place – Brennan Slater of Norwich
2nd Place – Steven Hark of Ken-Ton
3rd Place – Micah Kelly of LOWVILLE WRESTLING CLUB
4th Place – Gaven Thornton of Canton

D4 – 140
1st Place – Raymond Leach of Unattached
2nd Place – David Mirabella of Ken-Ton
3rd Place – Richie Snyder of Hornell
4th Place – James Bundy of Owego Youth Wrestling

D4 – 155
1st Place – Steven Daskavitz of Lockport Kids Club
2nd Place – Dominic Salerno of Thorobred
3rd Place – Roger Weber of Indian River Pee Wee Wrestling

D4 – 170
1st Place – Harrison Williams of Unattached
2nd Place – Dominic Brown of Ken-Ton

D4 – HWT
1st Place – James McVay of NWAA

D5 – 75
1st Place – Matthew Garland of SOUTH JEFFERSON

D5 – 81
1st Place – Jacob Brewer of COBRA WRESTLING ACADEMY
2nd Place – Lucas King of Unattached
3rd Place – Drew Shafer of Superior
4th Place – Seth Kerscher of Ken-Ton

D5 – 87
1st Place – Dylan Walker of Unattached
2nd Place – Trent Nadeau of COBRA WRESTLING ACADEMY
3rd Place – Jeffrey Gress of Unattached
4th Place – Oscar Lainez of Unattached

D5 – 93
1st Place – Dane Heberlein of COBRA WRESTLING ACADEMY
2nd Place – Connor Day of COBRA WRESTLING ACADEMY
3rd Place – Aj Burkhart of Waverly
4th Place – Ian McKenna of vvs youth wrestling

D5 – 99
1st Place – Derek St. James of G2 World wrestling Academy
2nd Place – Hammond Raes of G2 World wrestling Academy
3rd Place – Dylan Arena of COBRA WRESTLING ACADEMY
4th Place – Jordan Walker of Unattached

D5 – 105
1st Place – Theo Powers of Pheonix
2nd Place – Brandon Gould of Finger Lakes Wrestling Club
3rd Place – Parker Kropman of G2 World wrestling Academy
4th Place – Vincent Falvo of COBRA WRESTLING ACADEMY

D5 – 111
1st Place – Tito Colom of COBRA WRESTLING ACADEMY
2nd Place – Michael Venosa of Superior
3rd Place – Max Tempel of NY Titan Wrestling Club
4th Place – Jacob Smeader of Unattached

D5 – 118
1st Place – Andrew McFarland of Carthage Wrestling Association
2nd Place – Kobe Garrehy of Finger Lakes Wrestling Club
3rd Place – Zachary Burke of Unattached
4th Place – Anthony Argentieri of COBRA WRESTLING ACADEMY

D5 – 125
1st Place – Louie Deprez of G2 World wrestling Academy
2nd Place – Nicholas Gaiser of COBRA WRESTLING ACADEMY
3rd Place – Madison Hoover of Unattached
4th Place – Jacob Peru of Falconer Wrestling Club

D5 – 132
1st Place – Nathan Grubham of Finger Lakes Wrestling Club
2nd Place – Grant Frederick of Unattached
3rd Place – Luke Rogers of General Brown Mighty Lions
4th Place – Sean Galla of Titletown FC

D5 – 139
1st Place – Aj Aeberli of Unattached
2nd Place – Kevin Parker of Journeymen
3rd Place – Jordan Kayes of Prescott
4th Place – Tim Holden of Fulton Wrestling Club

D5 – 146
1st Place – Tyler Green of Unattached
2nd Place – Collin Flynn of Fulton Wrestling Club
3rd Place – Ethan Wormuth of Unattached
4th Place – David Crow of Thorobred

D5 – 153
1st Place – Jason Hoffman of Journeymen
2nd Place – Adam Gullo of COBRA WRESTLING ACADEMY
3rd Place – Michael Spallina of COBRA WRESTLING ACADEMY
4th Place – Dylan Gifford of Unattached

D5 – 160
1st Place – Gavin Kovalik of General Brown Mighty Lions
2nd Place – Addison Grosbeck of NY Titan Wrestling Club
3rd Place – Kenneth Dean of Byron-Bergen
4th Place – Jordan Ringer of Gowanda

D5 – 170
1st Place – Travis Race of Fulton Wrestling Club
2nd Place – Mike Daskavitz of COBRA WRESTLING ACADEMY
3rd Place – Jonathan Duryea of Elmira
4th Place – Chase Toal of Byron-Bergen

D5 – 185
1st Place – David Hernandez of NFPC
2nd Place – Christopher Singleton of Unattached

D5 – HWT
1st Place – Zachary Gifford of Unattached
2nd Place – Alex German of Unattached
3rd Place – Nick Jones of COBRA WRESTLING ACADEMY
4th Place – Thomas Randall of South Lewis

D6 – 113
1st Place – Blake Abbey of Unattached
2nd Place – Kelan McKenna of vvs youth wrestling
3rd Place – Christopher Cuccolo of Pine Bush
4th Place – Ryan Hetrick of COBRA WRESTLING ACADEMY

D6 – 119
1st Place – Dandre Norman of EDGE
2nd Place – Ryan Burns of COBRA WRESTLING ACADEMY
3rd Place – Christopher Meloni of Unattached
4th Place – Tristan Canova of Unattached

D6 – 126
1st Place – Nick Garone of Unattached
2nd Place – Eric Januszkiewicz of Unattached
3rd Place – Mitchell Woodworth of Fulton Wrestling Club
4th Place – Gabe Naviasky of NY Titan Wrestling Club

D6 – 133
1st Place – Richard Burke of Finger Lakes Wrestling Club
2nd Place – Shawn Widrick of LOWVILLE WRESTLING CLUB
3rd Place – Jack Welsh of Unattached
4th Place – Alec Rowsam of Unattached

D6 – 139
1st Place – Sean Romanski of NY Titan Wrestling Club
2nd Place – Hobie Strassner of G2 World wrestling Academy
3rd Place – Danny Murphy of Unattached
4th Place – James Matias of RPEEWC

D6 – 145
1st Place – Vincent DePrez of G2 World wrestling Academy
2nd Place – Jamiel Stapleton of Unattached
3rd Place – Connor Lapresi of Finger Lakes Wrestling Club
4th Place – Austin Hulse of Unattached

D6 – 152
1st Place – Anthony DePrez of G2 World wrestling Academy
2nd Place – Skylar Kropman of G2 World wrestling Academy
3rd Place – Jimmy Devine of NY Titan Wrestling Club
4th Place – Brian Westerdahl of COBRA WRESTLING ACADEMY

D6 – 162
1st Place – Trevor Allard of Mexico Wrestling Club
2nd Place – Mark Stucke of COBRA WRESTLING ACADEMY
3rd Place – Dan Woughter of Finger Lakes Wrestling Club
4th Place – Kyle Ross of Falconer Wrestling Club

D6 – 172
1st Place – Jake Weber of COBRA WRESTLING ACADEMY
2nd Place – Danny Khomitch of Byron-Bergen
3rd Place – Joseph Russo of Unattached
4th Place – Garrett Davis of NY Titan Wrestling Club

D6 – 184
1st Place – Andrew Cole of Ogdensburg Youth Wrestling Association
2nd Place – Rob Cuomo of Unattached
3rd Place – Douglas Els of Unattached
4th Place – Marquis Buchanan of COBRA WRESTLING ACADEMY

D6 – 198
1st Place – James Bethel of Unattached
2nd Place – Tim Flower of Unattached
3rd Place – Chris Tangora of NY Titan Wrestling Club
4th Place – Jake Pehnollow of Falconer Wrestling Club

D6 – 220
1st Place – Connor Calkins of Unattached
2nd Place – David McKee of Unattached
3rd Place – Sean Ferguson of RPEEWC
4th Place – Adam Groesbeck of NY Titan Wrestling Club

D6 – 288
1st Place – Dylan Ashwood of Indian River Pee Wee Wrestling
2nd Place – Alex Ruiz of Clarence Wrestling Club

Finalists as Freshmen, Mark West and Eric Lewandowski Prepare for One Last Title Run

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In 2010, a pair of freshmen met for the 96-pound state championship.  Mark West of Hauppauge capped off an undefeated campaign with a 2-1 victory over Lancaster’s Eric Lewandowski and it looked like the duo would be fixtures on the New York state podium for years to come.

“Mark was intense from the time he was in the youth program,” said Hauppauge head coach Chris Messina. “To be honest, we weren’t surprised that he was a state champion that early. We knew him and his work ethic and what he was capable of, especially competing against guys mostly his own age at 96 pounds. Look at his record and the guys he beat, it was a great year.”

The record shows that it was indeed a great year.  West’s 43-0 mark included wins over eventual state champions or finalists Kyle Kelly, Dylan Realbuto, Drew Longo, Justin Cooksey, Trey Aslanian and Mark Raghunandan as well as other placers such as Sayville’s Matt Leshinger and Walt Whitman’s Joe Calderone.

Lewandowski’s title bout appearance wasn’t shocking to those around him, either.

“It didn’t surprise me when Eric went to the state finals as a freshman,” said Keith Maute, Executive Director of Cobra Wrestling Academy and head coach at Niagara County Community College, who has worked with Lewandowski since he began wrestling in elementary school. “I thought all year he’d be at least top four.”

The success hasn’t stopped for either wrestler since the 2009-10 campaign.  West went a combined 76-11 in his sophomore and junior seasons while Lewandowski compiled an 83-18 mark over the same time frame.  But neither made it back into the top six at the Times Union Center.

For West, it’s been a combination of injuries and stacked weight classes.   In 2011, he looked to be in good shape to get a ticket to the big dance, but in the bronze medal match at 112 pounds in Section 11, he suffered a concussion and had to injury default.  As a fourth place finisher, a bid to the state event wasn’t in the cards.

And then as a junior, the Hauppauge grappler competed in arguably the toughest Sectional tournament bracket in all of New York at 120 pounds.  The top three finishers, Matt Leshinger of Sayville, TJ Fabian of Shoreham Wading River and Sean McCabe of Connetquot all made the medal stand in Albany.  In fact, McCabe, who topped West 3-1 in the third place bout in Suffolk, became the state champion.

“It was difficult because Mark beat all the guys who finished ahead of him at some point that season,” Messina said. “He was right there with all of them. We felt that if he got to states, he would do well but it was a matter of getting there.”

He didn’t get a spot in the field, but West did travel to Albany to support his teammates and take in the experience.

“Mark’s been up there in Albany every year,” Messina said. “He was right by Nick’s [Mauriello, the fourth place finisher at 132] side, trying to help. He was a frustrated to not be on the mat, though.”

“It was upsetting to have to watch,” West added. “After a big year as a freshman, I wanted to make it back again. People expected so much and not making it out of the Section after all the work I put in, it was really upsetting.”

So coming into this season, West knew it was his last chance to get back on the floor at the Times Union Center.  He also knew it would be far from easy.  At 126 pounds, he would once again face Fabian and several other All-State caliber competitors such as Huntington’s Corey Jamison and Islip’s Brad Wade to earn top billing in Section 11.

He did what he always does, according to Messina — got back to work at a feverish pace.

“He’s really intense,” Messina said. “He’s one of the toughest, meanest kids I’ve ever seen or coached and I mean that in a good way. Mark goes so hard; he tears most guys up.  Hurt or not, he doesn’t let up.”

That’s a good thing because injury struck during his semifinal bout at the Eastern States against Dylan Realbuto of Somers [in a 5-4 loss].

Photo by LISportsshots.com

“It wasn’t a new injury,” Messina said of his shoulder issue. “He tweaked it against Realbuto and we made the decision to scratch him from the third place match.  He really wanted to wrestle.”

He wasn’t only held out of the bronze bout.  West was restricted from any activity for about a week and a half, according to the coach, and then resumed only cardio to keep his weight in check.

In fact, West didn’t go live at all from Eastern States until the League qualifier.  He only began to drill two days prior to that tournament.

“Holding him out wasn’t an easy task,” Messina said. “He was furious. When he returned, we had to slow him down. It was like he wanted to make up for lost time.“

West took out his frustration on his opponents, pinning his way through the League 4 event (plus a forfeit).

He then came into the Section 11 championships with a shoulder brace and a lot of confidence and he wrestled that way, looking dominant in a bracket where dominance wasn’t really expected from any wrestler given the quality of the competition.

In his first three contests, he recorded a technical fall and a pair of majors, including over Islip’s Brad Wade, a wrestler ranked in the state, in the semis.

“We were a little worried that he would lose his conditioning, but he came back so much stronger,” Messina said. “With those wrestlers in the bracket, it’s like picking your poison. They’re all tough. But Mark took it to another level. He told me he felt really good and he was focused – all business.”

“It was pretty hard to not be able to do anything for that amount of time,” West added.  “But it worked to my benefit. I had lots of time off to rest and heal everything.  I think it was an advantage.”

Photo by LISportsshots.com

He finished off a controlled, 5-2 victory over Jimmy Leach of Eastport South Manor to claim his second Suffolk crown and a trip to the biggest tournament of the year.  In the process, he received more hardware.

“With the terrific performances from so many wrestlers, Mark getting Most Outstanding Wrestler and Champion of Champions is really a credit to him,” Messina said. “He was shocked to say the least. I actually got a smile from him.”

Why not smile? For the first time since his freshman campaign, Mark West was returning to the state capital to compete.

“He’s done a terrific job,” Messina said. “He just focused on winning this county title.  He didn’t think about Fabian or Jamison or Wade.  He just got it done.  There’s so much pressure to win if you’ve won before, especially when you were young.”

Lewandowski can relate, but his journey has been different.  He has been back in Albany the past two years after his silver medal as a ninth grader.

“Early in my freshman year, we were paying a lot of attention to state rankings,” Lewandowski said. “I thought I could do really well. I expected to go in and win. I came up a little short, but it was a good experience to have early in my career.”

The next season, Lewandowski made a leap in weight, moving up to 119 pounds.  He had a solid season, followed by a 1-2 performance at the Times Union Center.

Lewandowski in 2010, Courtesy Bob Koshinski

“I knew 96 wasn’t the toughest weight class,” Lewandowski said. “And I knew moving all the way to 119, I was in for a test with kids who were stronger, better and older. It was a little harder than I thought. It was actually a little shocking to get beaten on because I was used to winning.”

The following year, his junior campaign, brought about another jump – up to 132 pounds.  Lewandowski once again won over 40 matches, including two in the state capital.  However, in the placement round, he dropped a 4-3 decision to eventual fourth place medalist Nick Mauriello [West’s teammate] to come up one match short of the medal stand. (His other loss in Albany was to champion Jamel Hudson of St. Anthony’s).

“I really thought he was going to place last year,” Maute said. “But I think that last loss made him very focused on this year.  I definitely think he’ll be in the mix to win it all.”

He has looked sharp for much of the campaign.  At the Eastern States, he took sixth after being tantalizingly close to the finals.

After a pin and a technical fall in his first two matches, Lewandowski won an exciting 9-7 bout against Fox Lane’s Tom Grippi in the quarterfinals at SUNY Sullivan.  In the semis, he led top-seeded Beau Donahue of Westfield, Virginia until a very late two points gave his opponent a 2-1 victory.

“He was right there at Eastern States,” Maute said. “There might have been five seconds left when he gave up those points. Eric hates losing.  He doesn’t handle it the best.  But those losses [including a 4-3 setback to Shenendehowa’s David Almaviva in the consolation semifinals] will help him now for one last shot.”

Photo by Josh Conklin

Lewandowski, whose brother Mark wrestles at Buffalo, said the fact that this is his last tournament with Lancaster has hit him.  And it’s led him to increase his workload, trying to get in additional lifts or runs after practice to “get that little extra that could make the difference.”

“I’m ready to go six minutes plus any overtime or whatever it takes,” he said. “I’m ready for it all.  Obviously, before the season started my goal was to win the state title and it’s still my goal now. I’m getting toward the end and I can see the finish line in sight.  I just have to go out there and take advantage of the opportunity.”

That’s the same sentiment expressed by West.

“This year I’ve pretty much been wrestling with no regrets,” West said.  “It’s my last year so I don’t want to hold back.  I want to wrestle like I have nothing to lose.“

The two keep in touch, seeing each other at the Eastern States and in Albany.

“I see Mark a couple of times a year and talk to him a lot,” Lewandowski said. “He’s a good kid and I try to keep up on how he’s doing. He’s a really tough wrestler.  He’s had a hard time at his Sectionals the past few years, but right now he has the same goal as everyone else.  There’s just one more time to get there.”

Indeed, for both West and Lewandowski and Class of 2013 wrestlers all around New York, this week represents the last chance.

Mark West and Eric Lewandowski battled for the ultimate New York wrestling trophy as freshmen in 2010.  With West at 126 and Lewandowski at 145, they won’t meet again in Albany this weekend.  However, both look to take the mat on Saturday night, three years later, and leave the sport as champions – the way they expected to as ninth grade finalists.

“It would mean the world to me if I won another state title,” West said. “I came into high school winning a state title and it would be the greatest thing in the world to leave that way.”

—————————–

Lewandowski wished to thank his coaches and family, as well as his longtime practice partner Steve Michel.

West spoke highly of all his coaches and family, and specifically thanked his father.

G2 World Wrestling Academy Wins 3rd Annual Jr Comet Winter Classic; See Full Results

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The following are the results from the 3rd Annual RH Jr. Comet Winter Classic. This competitive youth tournament featured a number of NYWAY State champions and other wrestlers who have placed at events both inside and outside the Empire State.

Photo courtesy of Adam Burgos

Tournament Team scoring and results (10 wrestlers): 
(3pts – Champion, 2pts for second, 1pt for third)

1. G2 World Wrestling Academy – 27pts
2. Cobra Wrestling Academy – 25pts
3. Hornell Wrestling Club – 24pts
4. Canisteo Wrestling Club – 17pts
5. Power Cats Wrestling Club – 13pts.Honorable mention:
• Mexico Wrestling – 12pts
• Rush Henrietta Wrestling- 11pts
For full results by weight class, click here: 2012 RH Jr Comet Results

New York Teams Spend Successful Father's Day Weekend at Ragin Raisins Duals in PA

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It may not have been the traditional Father’s Day with special breakfasts and backyard barbecues, but it was a great weekend nonetheless for several New York wrestling dads at the Ragin Raisins Duals in Erie, PA.

For the combined Superior Wrestling Academy/Finger Lakes Wrestling Club (FLWC) Red and Gold teams, it was an opportunity for over 20 families to camp out and enjoy swimming and other activities in the great outdoors.

And of course, there was the action on the mat as well.

G2 World Wrestling Academy co-owner Adam Burgos said the fathers on his squad were happy with the present they were given.

“We had a great weekend of wrestling and as an added bonus the fathers at G2 received a second place finish from our wrestlers and sons,” Burgos said.

G2 earned runner up status in the youth division after facing Georgia’s undefeated Team Minion, which featured state finalists at every weight, in the championship dual. The Rochester-area squad went 6-2 overall on the way to the finals, despite yielding seven forfeits in each meet.

“We got pins when we needed to get them,” Burgos said. “We were fortunate the kids came through the way they did.  Everybody just battled and battled tough all weekend long.”

According to Burgos, Frankie Gissendanner and the Diakomihalis brothers, Yianni and Greg, all picked up seven wins for G2 while the Kropman trio – Parker, Cooper and Max –  registered five victories apiece.

Like G2, another Empire State squad compiled a 6-2 mark on the weekend – Superior/FLWC Red.

“We saw some really tough competition, which is what we wanted,” said coach Gary Ferro.  “Our only losses were to the first (Team Minion) and third (Ragin Raisins Green, PA) place teams and we beat the second place team (G2), which was a great win for us.  I’m really proud of the kids – they worked really hard and when you add in the fun we had camping together as families, it was a great, great experience.”

While the coach emphasized that the squad competed well throughout the lineup, he mentioned standout performances from Theo Powers (six wins at 108 pounds), Kelan McKenna (undefeated) and Ethan Ferro (seven victories at 68).

“There’s so much I could say about Theo,” Ferro said. “He showed mental toughness and stepped up against some very good competition throughout the weekend.  And I was very impressed with Kelan as usual.  He brought it like he always does.  Ethan had a big 10-5 win over a good kid from Journeymen who is a few years older than him.  He really enjoyed that one.”

While G2, Superior/FLWC and Journeymen all enjoyed competition in the youth division, Cobra Wrestling Academy entered teams in both the youth and high school brackets, taking fourth and fifth overall, respectively.

“We were looking to get some quality matches in and we definitely accomplished that,” said Cobra Executive Director Keith Maute.  “There was some great wrestling. We weren’t the only team missing guys, but we had to forfeit a lot of matches – 7 forfeits (in 20 weighs) on our youth team and five on the high school side.  That didn’t help, but the kids we did have obviously wrestled really well to make up for it.”

Maute noted that three of his grapplers — Carson Alberti, Kellen Devlin and Dakota Gardner —  went unbeaten on his younger squad, while Dylan Caruana and Nick Mitchell each lost a single bout in the high school division.

Also participating in the high school action were an additional trio of Empire State teams – Falconer, WRCL and Excelsior United.

“A few years ago, Cobra was the only New York team at this event,” Burgos said. “There were quite a few this year.  It’s great to see that even in the summer New York is sending teams out to compete and improve.  It was a phenomenal weekend.”

For dual-by-dual results, see below (NY teams in bold italics):

YOUTH DIVISION

ROUND 1

Superior/FLWC Red 60 – Mountain Grapplers 23

RRWC Green 57 – Journeymen 22

Team Minion 42 – AWC 37

G2 45 – RRWC TD 24

Cobra 61 – Superior/FLWC Gold 21

ROUND 2

Team Minion 63 – Superior/FLWC Red 22

AWC 62 – Mountain Grapplers 21

G2 36 – Cobra 24

Lancaster 46 – FLB 33

RRWC TD 58 – Superior/FLWC Gold 28

ROUND 3

RRWC Green 57 – Superior/FLWC Red 34

Lancaster 50 – Superior/FLWC Gold 31

Gladiator 50 – FLB 24

Journeymen 52 – Mountain Grapplers 22

Team Minion 51 – Cobra 16

ROUND 4

G2 37 – Lancaster 26

Journeymen 59 – Superior/FLWC Gold 21

Cobra 42 – FLB 21

RRWC TD 48 – Gladiator 42

RRWC Green 38 – AWC 34

ROUND 5

Cobra 41 – Lancaster 27

RRWC Green 52 – FLB 21

G2 38 – Gladiator 34

AWC 52 – Journeymen 31

Team Minion 81 – Mountain Grapplers 3

ROUND 6

Cobra 54 – RRWC TD 27

FLB 43 – Superior/FLWC Gold 26

Gladiator 46 – Lancaster 27

RRWC Green 63 – Mountain Grapplers 18

Superior/FLWC Red 42 – G2 22

ROUND 7

Gladiator 59 – Superior Gold/FLWC 18

G2 32 – FLB 12

Superior/FLWC Red 60 – Journeymen 16

AWC 44 – Lancaster 24

ROUND 8

G2 46 – Superior/ FLWC Gold 21

Lancaster 51 – RRWC TD 32

Gladiator 48 – Mountain Grapplers 38

Team Minion 54 – RRWC Green 36

ROUND 9

Team Minion 56 – J-Men 18

RRWC TD 48 – FLB 27

Superior/FLWC Red 40 – AWC 30

Cobra 42 – Gladiator 37

ROUND 10

Mountain Grapplers 45 –FLB 19

RRWC TD 39 – Journeymen 33

Superior/FLWC Red 48 – Lancaster 30

AWC 51 – Gladiator 28

ROUND 11

Team Minion 56 – G2 13

RRWC Green 51 – Cobra 26

 

HIGH SCHOOL

ROUND 1

AWC 63 – FLB 6

Lake Country 51 – RRWC Purple 15

Quest 43 – Cobra 12

ROUND 2

FLB 42 – Falconer 27

RRWC Purple 47 – WRCL 15

RRWC Pink 43 – House 15

ROUND 3

Alleghany Mountain 23 – House 22

Quest 46 – E United 9

Cobra 43 – WRCL 19

ROUND 4

Quest 33 – Lake Country 18

Alleghany Mountain 42 – Falconer 15

AWC 54 – House 6

ROUND 5

E United 38 – WRCL 19

RRWC Pink 52 – FLB 15

Cobra 40 – RRWC Purple 16

ROUND 6

Lake Country 49 – E United 3

RRWC Pink 54 – Falconer 9

AWC 50 – Alleghany Mountain 6

ROUND 7

Lake Country 49 – WRCL 6

RRWC Purple 42 – E United 16

AWC 83 – Falconer 3

Alleghany Mountain 30 – FLB 15

ROUND 8

Quest 52 – WRCL 9

AWC 34 – RRWC Pink 22

Lake Country 40 – Cobra 6

House 40 – Falconer 18

ROUND 9

Quest 45 – RRWC Purple 9

Cobra 28 – E United 12

House 30 – FLB 24

RRWC Pink 42 – Alleghany Mountain 12

ROUND 10

E United 24 – Falconer 24

Cobra 27 – House 18

WRCL 39 – FLB 21

Alleghany Mountain 35 – RRWC Purple 31

ROUND 11

E United 18 – FLB 6

Quest 42 – RRWC Pink 15

Falconer 36 – WRCL 24

AWC 31 – Lake Country 24

ROUND 12

Cobra 28 – Alleghany Mountain 19

RRWC Purple 43 – Lake Erie House 18

Quest 50 – AWC 12

RRWC Pink 30 – Lake Country 26

Alberti, Devlin Among Empire State Title Winners at Ohio Tournament of Champions

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By Betsy Veysman

At eight years old, Carson Alberti knows how to take charge.

“Even though he’s young, he still likes to think that he’s running practice,” said Cobra Wrestling Academy Executive Director Keith Maute. “Even when we’re doing warmups with the high school kids, he calls out the routine and tells everyone what to do next.  It’s pretty funny.  He’s not at all intimidated by the older kids.”

He isn’t intimidated by his peers on the mat, either.

This weekend, Alberti added to his ever-growing trophy collection when he won the prestigious Ohio Tournament of Champions in the 52-pound Bantam division.

Alberti has become very familiar with the top of the podium after winning titles at the NYWAY State Championships, the Gene Mills Eastern Nationals and the Empire Nationals over the past month.  But despite all that success, he was targeting the crown in Columbus.

“One of his biggest goals was winning the Ohio Tournament of Champions,” Maute said. “He took third there last year.  The winner, Jake Craig from Smitty’s Barn in New Hampshire, was quite a bit better than him a year ago. With all the work he put in, he has moved up to another level.”

Alberti demonstrated that progress throughout the spring, but according to Maute, his improvement was most clear in his one loss.  Craig defeated him in the dual portion of the Empire Nationals, but unlike their three meetings last season (two pins by Craig), it was a nailbiter.

“Craig beat him pretty badly last year three times,” Maute said. “This time, he fell behind 5-0 and wound up losing 5-4.  He controlled most of the match, but there wasn’t enough time left.  Actually, Carson put [Craig] on his back and got a one-count as time expired.  One more second and he would have won the match.  It showed he’s come a long way.  It was a loss but it was actually a confidence booster for Carson.”

Alberti looked confident throughout the day in Columbus, taking his quarterfinal match by a 4-2 score but otherwise dominating the field.  Maute said Alberti notched major decisions in both the semifinals and finals.

According to Maute, this is only Alberti’s second full year of wrestling.  However, the coach marvels at how well the youngster soaks up the sport and picks up new skills with ease.

“You show him something and he understands it right away,” Maute said. “He just gets it.  Obviously there’s also a lot of natural ability there. He always seems like he’s having fun.  He trains hard and listens really well.”

One of the people he listens to is fellow member of the Cobra Wrestling Academy, eighth grader Kellen Devlin.

Like Alberti, Devlin took third the last time he competed at the Ohio Tournament of Champions, back in 2010.   In that tournament, Devlin lost a first round overtime battle with the eventual champion, Billy Bowlen of Pennsylvania, before winning at least eight matches in a row to grab the bronze.

This time, Devlin cruised through the bracket before winning a 2-1 bout in the finals over Kaleb Romero of Ohio.

“His matches weren’t very close until the last one,” Maute said.  “But he was in control of it. He got the takedown and the other kid wasn’t ever close to scoring.”

The victory continued a successful run for Devlin, who was the NYWAY State Champion at 120 pounds and the third place medalist at the NHSCA Middle School Nationals in Virginia Beach at 119.

“I knew he would do really well at nationals,” Maute said.  “To be honest, I was a little surprised he got beat because there aren’t many kids his age that can beat him.  That loss was the only one for him this season. He’s really gifted and really fun to watch.  When he’s in the room, I have him demonstrating the moves because he understands everything we’re trying to do.”

His spring success comes on the heels of a 34-5 campaign as an eighth grader for Amherst High School, where he won the Section 6 title and a bid to the State Championships in Albany.

“At states, he basically had his first match won but then made a mistake with about 20 seconds left on top where he got reversed to his back.  He controlled 5:40 of the match and wasn’t in any danger.  I almost felt that in his first time at states, he was a little nervous and it affected him.”

After that result, Devlin moved to the consolation bracket where he dropped a decision to top-seeded Mark Raghunandan, who had been upset in the first round.

“Kellen learned from it, I’m sure, and the next four years will be different,” he said. “He’s looked great.  He’s more than a great wrestler.  He is one of the idols for the little kids at our club.  They know he’s been there and they see how hard he works.  He’s really likeable and he plays around with the kids.  He and Carson have a good relationship.  I think Carson reminds Kellen of himself when he was little.  They’re pretty similar.”

Last Saturday, they were certainly similar in one way – both captured first place at the Ohio Tournament of Champions.

JR Colom of Dunkirk, new to Cobra, also took gold in the event in the Junior division at 90 pounds.

In addition, G2 Wrestling Academy was well represented in the Buckeye State, with Frankie Gissendanner (Junior 125 pounds) and Yianni Diakomihalis (Schoolboy 96 pounds) continuing their winning streaks with championships.  Stay tuned for more on them in the near future.

The Empire State put many wrestlers on the podium on Saturday.  See the full list below.

 

Champions:

Carson Alberti (East Aurora) Bantam 52

Kellen Devlin (Amherst) Schoolboy 120

Yianni Diakomihalis (Rochester) Schoolboy 96

JR Colom (Dunkirk) Junior 90

DJ Giancola (Niagara Falls) Open 175

Frankie Gissendanner (Rochester) Junior 125

Jason Goldman (Binghamton) Open 135

Trevor Hoffmier (Newark Valley) Cadet 140

Stevo Poulin (Schuylerville) Midget 52

 

Second Place:

Tito Colom (Dunkirk) Schoolboy 104

Greg Diakomihalis (Rochester) Junior 56

Troy Keller (North Tonawanda) Schoolboy 92

Kelan McKenna (New Hartford) Cadet 92

Carter Schubert (Marion) Bantam 52

Jake Silverstein (Smithtown) Junior 82

 

Third Place:

Cooper Kropman (Rochester) Midget 80

Anthony Orefice (Niagara Falls) Cadet 115

Randy Sisenstein (Johnson City) Open 145

Darren Snead (Niagara Falls) Open 285

 

Fourth Place:

Tim Barnard (Tonawanda) Cadet 136

Brock DelSignore (South Glens Falls) Midget 64

Richie Jones (Tonawanda) Cadet 152

Donny McCoy (Niagara Falls) Cadet 100

Dillan Palaszewski (Galway) Junior 79

Travis Race (Fulton) Schoolboy 160

Logan Ramadan (Grand Island) Bantam 95

Trent Reid (Sanborn) Bantam 56

 

Fifth Place:

Jahad Ali (Niagara Falls) Open 135

Justin McDougald (Niagara Falls) Midget 70

Leonard Merkin (Brooklyn) Schoolboy 126

 

Sixth Place:

Jake Ashcraft (Glenville) Cadet 152

Tyler Benjamin (Candor) Midget 100

Zach Bierfeldt (Limestone) Schoolboy 116

Ethan Ferro (Whitney Point) Midget 64

Jordan Kayes (Olean) Schoolboy 126

Parker Kropman (Rochester) Schoolboy 92

Willie McDougald (Niagara Falls) Junior 82

Frank Shomers (Niagara Falls) Elite 285

Bryson Solomon (Niagara Falls) Midget 85

Anthony Stewart (Addison) Junior 64

 

Seventh Place:

David Berkovich (Brooklyn) Junior 79

Ethan Gallo (Slate Hill) Bantam 80

Bryce Rowe (Ripley) Junior 95

Derek St.  James (Rochester) Schoolboy 88

Ethan Stotler (Waverly) Midget 70

Charlie Tibbits (Chadwicks) Midget 92

 

Eighth Place:

Shane Broad (Alden) Junior 64

Trey Duvall (Corning) Cadet 160

Jonathan Earl (Fulton) Schoolboy 116

David Fales (Corning) Junior 56

Bryan Ruggeri (Fairport) Elite 112