There are openings at the following weights on the New York State Cadet Freestyle National team which will compete June 14-15 in Daytona Beach, Florida:
88 Pounds, 138 Pounds, 145 Pounds, 182 Pounds, 195 Pounds, 220 Pounds, 285 Pounds
If you are interested, please contact Coach Anthony Servidone (aservidone@yahoo.com) or Dean Zenie (rdzenie@aol.com)
Connor Lapresi was looking to not only win, but win quickly at the New York State Junior Freestyle championships in Binghamton. After all, he wanted to get back home to attend the prom on Saturday night.
Lapresi delivered, earning a technical fall in the 145-pound finals, 6-0, 7-0 over Rocco Russo.
The future Bucknell grappler wasn’t the only wrestler to win by tech in straight periods in the championship round.
Matt Morris of ATWA did the same at 120 pounds, as did Troy Seymour at 170 and Renaldo Rodriguez-Spencer at 138. The Cheektowoga star began his match with a big five-point throw which quickly ended the first period of his 5-0, 6-0 triumph.
Like Rodriguez-Spencer, Burke Paddock, William Koll and Kevin Thayer collected gold medals at the state championships in Albany this February. The trio also won it all on Saturday.
Paddock edged state medalist Alex Smythe 1-0 in the first period before taking the second 6-0 at 160, while Koll was in control the whole way in his 4-2, 7-0 victory against Jordan Maynard at 132 pounds.
Photo by BV
In a back and forth match featuring a number of big moves, Thayer dropped the opening stanza to Beat the Streets grappler Nigel Williams 9-3, but bounced back from a deficit in the second to win 7-6. Thayer then grabbed the decisive final period, 7-0.
In another bout that went three stanzas, Isaiah Zimmer lost period one to state runner up Tim Schaefer of Team Ten. However, Zimmer scored late in the second and third periods to pick up the 182-pound crown.
At 195, fellow Section 4 wrestler Reggie Williams bested Thomas Murray in a clash of All-State wrestlers. Williams won a thrilling match earlier in the day against 2013 state bronze medalist Gio Santiago, coming back from a sizable deficit.
The final two matches flew by, as both were decided by fall in less than two minutes in favor of wrestlers from the Mohawk Valley Wrestling Club. At 220, Joe Nasoni got his hand raised while Brad Lucas did the same at 285.
Also capturing a title by pin was Ascend’s Simon Greebel, who got the fall in the second after dropping the first stanza 2-0 to Paul Smoot at 126.
Coming out on top in the first match of the championship round was Josh LoGuidice at 106. Next up was John Twomey of Vougar’s Honors Wrestling, who was the victor at 113. Twomey topped state medalist Golan Cohen in straight periods to take gold.
In Cadet action on Saturday, a number of champions were crowned in Greco Roman. To see all the champions and placewinners in Cadet Greco, see below. (The results from Junior Freestyle are below as well).
For the brackets, see http://www.trackwrestling.com.
CADET GRECO
CADET GR – 88 Results
1st Place – Justin Lopez of Yonkers
2nd Place – Oscar Lainez of Middle Town
3rd Place – David Ciciarelli of Mohawk Valley Wrestling Club
4th Place – Darwingh Alvarez of Beat the Streets New York City
CADET GR – 100 Results
1st Place – John Luke Destefano of Beat the Streets New York City
2nd Place – Shane Gibbons of Massapequa
3rd Place – Maxim Pasichnik of BTS PS 186
4th Place – Devin Cohan of The Quarry Wrestling Club
CADET GR – 106 Results
1st Place – Parker Kropman of Titan World Wide Wrestling Club
2nd Place – Sean Miller of Ascend Wrestling Club
3rd Place – Dean Raymond of Team Worldwide Wrestling Club
4th Place – Josh Bourne of Long beach
5th Place – Kyle Aslanian of Edgemont Wrestling Club
6th Place – Joseph Marino of Beat the Streets New York City
CADET GR – 113 Results
1st Place – Max Tempel of Section 2
2nd Place – Evan Barczak of rock hard wrestling
3rd Place – Taylor Picciano of Kings Park Wrestling
4th Place – John Kalinoglu of Massapequa
5th Place – Brandon Goddeau of ATWA
6th Place – Jacob Lehr of Team Worldwide Wrestling Club
CADET GR – 120 Results
1st Place – Nicholas Casella of Vougar Honors Wrestling Inc.
2nd Place – Noah Handy of Mohawk Valley Wrestling Club
3rd Place – Donny McCoy of New York Super Six Wrestling A
4th Place – Matthew Krause of Ascend Wrestling Club
5th Place – Ramel McIntosh of Beat the Streets New York City
6th Place – Brandon Santiago of Beat the Streets New York City
CADET GR – 126 Results
1st Place – Ian Lupole of Section 4
2nd Place – Christian Briody of Ascend Wrestling Club
3rd Place – Michael Berkowitz of Vougar Honors Wrestling Inc.
4th Place – James Lamson of Watertown
5th Place – Cole Simmons of New York Super Six Wrestling A
6th Place – William Yee of Brooklyn
CADET GR – 132 Results
1st Place – Leonard Merkin of elite wrestling academy
2nd Place – Mike D`Angelo of Ascend Wrestling Club
3rd Place – Freddy Eckles of Buffalo Grapplers
4th Place – Damani Burns of Newburgh Wrestling Club
5th Place – Christopher Ladd of Sachem 3 Style Wrestling Club
6th Place – Bruce Cipollone of Mohawk Valley Wrestling Club
CADET GR – 138 Results
1st Place – Samuel Ward of Ascend Wrestling Club
2nd Place – Jilling Frank of Lindenhurst
3rd Place – Zachery Bendick of Team Worldwide Wrestling Club
4th Place – Marc Paez of Long beach
5th Place – Steven Prinston of Beat the Streets New York City
6th Place – Eugene Khalabudnyak of Beat the Streets New York City
CADET GR – 145 Results
1st Place – Gino Titone of Connetquot Wrestling Club
2nd Place – Jordan Bushey of Cellar Dwellers
3rd Place – Jason Hoffman of Journeymen Wrestling
4th Place – Kevin Parker of Journeymen Wrestling
5th Place – Thomas Wightman of Section 9
6th Place – Jason Colon of Mohawk Valley Wrestling Club
CADET GR – 152 Results
1st Place – Jesse Porter of Journeymen Wrestling
2nd Place – William Marcil of ATWA
3rd Place – Karl Weisner of Farrel
4th Place – John Vouzonis of Ascend Wrestling Club
5th Place – Dylan Studer of Team Worldwide Wrestling Club
6th Place – Elijah Vasquez of Beat the Streets New York City
CADET GR – 160 Results
1st Place – Zafar Iskandarov of Beat the Streets New York City
2nd Place – Vance Cuffie of Beat the Streets New York City
3rd Place – Jacob Ashcraft of Journeymen Wrestling
4th Place – Andy Cummings of Journeymen Wrestling
5th Place – Phillip Gray of Team Dynamic
6th Place – Ryan Wilcox of The Quarry Wrestling Club
CADET GR – 170 Results
1st Place – Jacob Woolson of Mohawk Valley Wrestling Club
2nd Place – Dakota Wolley of Genesee Valley Wrestling Club
3rd Place – Paul Brachfeld of Massapequa Park
4th Place – Madhur Karki of Titan World Wide Wrestling Clu
5th Place – Steven Walters of Beat the Streets New York City
CADET GR – 182 Results
1st Place – Colby Staley of ATWA
2nd Place – James Campbell of Titan World Wide Wrestling Club
3rd Place – Joe Sabia of Journeymen Wrestling
CADET GR – 195 Results
1st Place – Aidan Mathews of Dark corner
2nd Place – Tyler Hall of Section 6
CADET GR – 220 Results
1st Place – Khaled Abdoun of Journeymen Wrestling
2nd Place – James Bethel of Dark corner
3rd Place – Elijah Sampo of Mohawk Valley Wrestling Club
4th Place – George O`Mahony of Massapequa
5th Place – Albi Miraka of Beat the Streets New York City
6th Place – Marc Diaz of Beat the Streets New York City
CADET GR – 285 Results
1st Place – Peter Strassfield of Southampton High School Wrestling
2nd Place – Garyn Huntley of Veritas
3rd Place – Victor Palmer-Ortiz of Mohawk Valley Wrestling Club
4th Place – Kyle Kanige of Center
5th Place – Jake Lanzillo of Averill Park
JUNIOR FREESTYLE
JUNIOR FS – 106 Results
1st Place – Joshua LoGiudice of JOURNEYMEN WRESTLING CLUB
2nd Place – Dolan Mccolgan of Beat the Streets New York
3rd Place – Nico Riccio of Journeymen
JUNIOR FS – 113 Results
1st Place – John Twomey of Vougar Honors Wrestling (VHW)
2nd Place – Golan Cohen of Titan
3rd Place – Noah Malamut of Poly Prep High School Wrestlin
4th Place – Matthew Stallone of Sachem 3 Style Wrestling Club
5th Place – Tyler Aslanian of Edgemont Wrestling Club
6th Place – Chris Cuccolo of Pine Bush
JUNIOR FS – 120 Results
1st Place – Matt Morris of ATWA
2nd Place – Daniel Murray of Vougar Honors Wrestling (VHW)
3rd Place – Steven Sewkumar of Ascend Wrestling Club
4th Place – Ryan Burns of Cobra Wrestling Academy
5th Place – Michael Carr of Team Worldwide
6th Place – Kyle Kelly of Team Worldwide
JUNIOR FS – 126 Results
1st Place – Simon Greebel of Ascend Wrestling Club
2nd Place – Paul Smoot of Rock Hard Wrestling
3rd Place – Cheick Ndiaye of Beat the Streets New York City
4th Place – Timothy Johnson of Vougar Honors Wrestling (VHW)
5th Place – Dillon Stowell of F-10
6th Place – Richard Antonacci of Ascend Wrestling Club
JUNIOR FS – 132 Results
1st Place – William Koll of Finger Lakes Wrestling Club
2nd Place – Jordan Maynard of JOURNEYMEN WRESTLING CLUB
3rd Place – Blake Retell of Journeymen
4th Place – Travis Alexander of Ascend Wrestling Club
5th Place – Ryan Snow of Section 3
6th Place – Kyle Maddock of Westhampton Beach High School
JUNIOR FS – 138 Results
1st Place – Renaldo Rodriguez-Spencer of Buffalo Grapplers
2nd Place – Sean O`Hagan of Sachem 3 Style Wrestling Club
3rd Place – Jay Oakes of ATWA
4th Place – Devon Hoyte of Beat the Streets New York City
5th Place – Anthony Messina of Sachem 3 Style Wrestling Club
6th Place – David Rodriguez of Port Richmond HS
JUNIOR FS – 145 Results
1st Place – Connor Lapresi of Finger Lakes Wrestling Club
2nd Place – Rocco Russo of New York Super Six
3rd Place – Sean McKenna of MVWC
4th Place – Codie Gilllette of Saranac
5th Place – Saidyokub Kahramonov of Beat the Streets New York City
6th Place – James McLean of Genesee Valley Wrestling Club
JUNIOR FS – 152 Results
1st Place – Kevin Thayer of Veritas
2nd Place – Nigel Williams of Beat the Streets New York City
3rd Place – Vinny Romeo of Titan World Wide
4th Place – Shaquille Jones of Beat the Streets New York
5th Place – Marc D`chiutiis of Beat the Streets New York City
6th Place – Derrick Rice of Beat the Streets New York City
JUNIOR FS – 160 Results
1st Place – Burke Paddock of Team Ten
2nd Place – Alexander Smythe of New York Super Six
3rd Place – Chris Koo of Ascend Wrestling Club
4th Place – Matt Fisher of MVWC
5th Place – Cody Nichols of Veritas
6th Place – Connor Lawrence of Journeymen
JUNIOR FS – 170 Results
1st Place – Troy Seymour of ATWA
2nd Place – Liam Bass of Westhampton Beach High School
3rd Place – Konstantin Parfiryev of Beat the Streets New York City
4th Place – Connor O`Gallagher of Rocky Point
5th Place – David Bunn of Copiague
6th Place – Michael Urso of W.T. Clarke High School Wrestl
JUNIOR FS – 182 Results
1st Place – Isaiah Zimmer of Team Worldwide
2nd Place – Tim Schaefer of Team Ten
3rd Place – Cedrick Stephens of Beat the Streets New York City
4th Place – Jake Webber of New York Super Six
5th Place – Austin Weigel of Journeymen
6th Place – Marcus King of Beat the Streets New York City
JUNIOR FS – 195 Results
1st Place – Reggie Williams of Team Worldwide
2nd Place – Thomas Murray of Askren WC
3rd Place – Giovanni Santiago of Sachem 3 Style Wrestling Club
4th Place – Levi Ashley of JOURNEYMEN WRESTLING CLUB
5th Place – Nathanael Rose of Beat the Streets New York City
6th Place – Maleke Cunningham of Beat the Streets New York City
JUNIOR FS – 220 Results
1st Place – Joe Nasoni of MVWC
2nd Place – Luke McKee of ATWA
3rd Place – Sam Eagan of Empire/Titans
4th Place – Javaughn Grant of Beat the Streets New York City
5th Place – Rafael Rokosz of Southhampton HS
6th Place – Aaron Gondola of Beat the Streets New York City
JUNIOR FS – 285 Results
1st Place – Brad Lucas of MVWC
2nd Place – Nolan Terrance of Massena
3rd Place – Matthew Abbott of Team Worldwide
4th Place – Quasar Hampton of Beat the Streets New York City
5th Place – Mason Cross of New York Titans
6th Place – Ben Newcomb of Titan
Thayer, Photo by BV
While many New Yorkers wrestled at the Northeast Regionals in Freestyle and Greco over the weekend, a large group traveled South to Maryland to compete for folkstyle titles at the MAWA Eastern Nationals.
The Empire State grapplers brought a lot of hardware back home, with 17 wrestlers making the finals, including nine champions. Many familiar faces captured gold, including 2012 or 2013 All-Staters such as Port Jefferson’s Matteo DeVincenzo, Mexico’s Theo Powers, Walt Whitman’s Joe Calderone, Johnson City’s Reggie Williams and Unatego’s Kevin Thayer and Ryan Marszal. In addition, at the Midget level, Norwich’s Troy Spratley won it all at 62 pounds, while Nassau County lightweight Peter Pappas did the same at 105 pounds in the Intermediate competition. Meanwhile, Johnny Miller of Shirley took the crown in the Open division at 142 pounds.
A number of other wrestlers who stood on the podium in Albany this year earned silver, including Norwich’s Tristan Rifanburg, Stony Point’s Matt Caputo and Johnson City’s Zach Colgan. Joining them in the runner up position were Nolan McGregor of Hornell and Braiden Woodward of Canisteo in the Bantam class, Connor Hamilton of Forestport in Intermediate action and Elite competitors Richie Burke of Ithaca and Conner Halladay of Chenango Forks.
For the full list of New York placers, see below:
Champions
Troy Spratley (Norwich), Midget 62
Peter Pappas (Plainview), Intermediate 105
Matteo DeVincenzo (Port Jefferson), Advanced 100
Theo Powers (Mexico), Advanced 105
Ryan Marszal (Unadilla), Advanced 171
Joe Calderone (Huntington Station), Elite 118
Kevin Thayer (Otego), Elite 160
Reggie Williams (Johnson City), Elite 220
Johnny Miller (Shirley), Open 142
Second Place
Nolan McGregor (Hornell), Bantam 48
Braiden Woodward (Canisteo), Bantam 56
Connor Hamilton (Forestport), Intermediate 220
Tristan Rifanburg (Norwich), Advanced 152
Richie Burke (Ithaca), Elite 135
Matt Caputo (Stony Point), Elite 145
Zach Colgan (Johnson City), Elite 160
Conner Halladay (Chenango Forks), Elite 171
Third Place
Brody Oleksak (Afton), Midget 75
Elijah Rodriguez (Norwich), Junior 74
Trentyn Rupert (Newark Valley), Junior 166
Derek Spann (Boonville), Advanced 105
Holden Pelton (Adams), Advanced 135
Josh Burge (Beaver Dams), Advanced 171
Nick McShea (Highland Mills), Advanced 189
Simon Greebel (Woodmere), Elite 130
Codie Nichols (Otego), Elite 152
Nate Silverthorn (Watertown), Open 158
Brian Slattery (Mount Sinai), Open 295
Fourth Place
Max Morris (Norwich), Bantam 52
Andrew Brown (Norwich), Midget 50
Haiden Burns (Bainbridge), Midget 80
Lucas Scott (Binghamton), Midget 134
Micah Roes (Lowville), Junior 62
Corey Connolly (Shirley), Junior 91
Benjamin Bivar (Sidney), Intermediate 120
Troy Feniger (Stony Point), Elite 135
John V. Hoke (Nanuet), Open 158
Jason Lichtenstein (Middletown), Open 295
Fifth Place
Bryson L. Terwilliger (Hornell), Junior 58
Chandler Merwin (Walton), Junior 70
Ryan Burgbacher (Medford), Junior 86
Evan Barsczak (Central Valley), Advanced 115
Howie Nolan (Bermus Point), Advanced 160
Brett Johnson (Cornwall), Elite 145
Shaquille Faison (Shirley), Open 295
Sixth Place
Hudson Evingham (Bolivar), Midget 105
John DeRidder (Westbury), Intermediate 90
Zachary Floitz (Canisteo), Intermediate 105
Michael Bryden (Delhi), Intermediate 115
Jacob Robinson (Hornell), Intermediate 175
Thomas Cox (Deer Park), Advanced 93
Dylan Wood (Trout Creek), Advanced 120
Kobe Garrehy (Binghamton), Advanced 125
Riley Hanrahan (Unadilla), Advanced 189
Colton W. Arcangeli (Burdett), Advanced 285
Ian Ammons (Fairport), Open 177
Seventh Place
Lucas Riley (Pine City), Midget 66
Caleb Galloway (Hornell), Midget 75
Scott Barnhart (Walton), Midget 134
Sam Wolf (Warsaw), Junior 91
Kiegan Brown (Endwell), Intermediate 105
Dean Raymond (Deposit), Advanced 105
Caleb Beach (Rodman), Advanced 120
Corey McCormick (Johnson City), Advanced 130
Matt Gund (Bethpage), Advanced 135
Anthony Rundell (Lisle), Open 125
Eighth Place
Mason Drew (Hornell), Midget 58
Bryce Bracchy (Delhi), Midget 85
Bradley A. Cheek (Canisteo), Junior 70
Caleb Robinson (Franklin), Junior 74
Gianno Silba (Newark Valley), Intermediate 90
Dakota Coffey (Walton), Intermediate 128
Bobby Pease (Medford), Advanced 105
Ryan O’Rourke (Boonville), Advanced 110
Paul Smoot (Monroe), Elite 125
Nick DiDio (Tomkins Cove), Elite 171
Christopher Rundell (Jenksville), Open 135
A day after the Freestyle competition, wrestlers hit the mats for the Northeast Regional Greco Roman tournament. For results from Freestyle, see this link.
For more on Greco, please keep reading.
At the Junior level, New York featured six champions and a slew of additional placers. Taking titles were Matthew Morris (120), Jay Oakes (145), Burke Paddock (160), Roland Zilberman (195), Paul Herrera (220) and Quasar Hampton (285). The lengthy list of other medalists in the Junior competition and in the younger divisions are below.
At the Novice level, Nathan Lehr took gold at 80 pounds with a technical fall in the title bout over Jackson Gray of Pennsylvania after placing third in Freestyle. Shavail Bond was also first at 130 while Daniel Butavicius grabbed fourth at 85 pounds.
In Schoolboy action, Mack Berkowitz made the top two for the second straight day at 136 pounds. After earning runner up status in Freestyle on Saturday, he took first in Greco after pinning silver medalist Jack Wimmer of Pennsylvania in less than a minute and picking up a technical fall over third placer Ian Edenfield (also from the Keystone State). Joining Berkowitz near the top of the standings were second placers Brendan Ryan at 144 pounds and Vito Smolyak at 160.
Photo by BV
2013 New York high school state placer John Busiello of Eastport South Manor led the way in the Cadet competition with a championship at 106 pounds. He wasn’t the only Empire State grappler to shine in that bracket, as Sean Miller (third) and John Luke DeStefano (fourth) also performed well at 106.
Leonard Merkin was also a titlewinner at Cadet 138 pounds. He dropped the first period of his finals bout against Jonathan Ross but rebounded to win the last two stanzas 6-2 and 6-0 to finish on top. Earning second were Jesse Porter at 152 pounds and Logan Brunick at 145. Also at 145, Gino Titone collected bronze.
For the full list of New York placers, see below:
For full results, see http://www.trackwrestling.com.
Novice Placewinners
Novice – 80 Results
1st Place – Nathan Lehr of New York
Novice – 85 Results
4th Place – Daniel Butavicius of New York
Novice – 130 Results
1st Place – Shavail Bond of New York
Schoolboy Placewinners
Schoolboy – 120 Results
3rd Place – Ryan Doyle of New York
Schoolboy – 136 Results
1st Place – Mack Berkowitz of New York
Schoolboy – 144 Results
2nd Place – Brendan Ryan of New York
Schoolboy – 160 Results
2nd Place – Vito Smolyak of New York
Cadet Placewinners
Cadet – 94 Results
4th Place – Brian Kelly of New York
5th Place – Austin O`Reilly of New York
Cadet – 100 Results
4th Place – Nicholas Forte of New York
Cadet – 106 Results
1st Place – John Busiello of New York
3rd Place – Sean Miller of New York
4th Place – John Luke Destefano of New York
Cadet – 138 Results
1st Place – Leonard Merkin of New York
Cadet – 145 Results
2nd Place – Logan Brunick of New York
3rd Place – Gino Titone of New York
Cadet – 152 Results
2nd Place – Jesse Porter of New York
Cadet – 160 Results
3rd Place – Zafar Iskandarov of New York
Junior Placewinners
Junior – 113 Results
2nd Place – Alpha Diallo of New York
Junior – 120 Results
1st Place – Matthew Morris of New York
4th Place – Bryan Arroyo of New York
Junior – 126 Results
3rd Place – Rashid Powell of New York
4th Place – Joseph Paterno of New York
Junior – 132 Results
2nd Place – Cheick Ndiaye of New York
Junior – 145 Results
1st Place – Jay Oakes of New York
Junior – 152 Results
2nd Place – Trevor Hoffmier of New York
Junior – 160 Results
1st Place – Burke Paddock of New York
Junior – 170 Results
3rd Place – Konstantin Parfiryev of New York
4th Place – Justin Yodice of New York
Junior – 182 Results
3rd Place – David Bunn of New York
4th Place – Cedrick Stephens of New York
Junior – 195 Results
1st Place – Roland Zilberman of New York
2nd Place – Nathanael Rose of New York
Junior – 220 Results
1st Place – Paul Herrera of New York
2nd Place – Richard Duermeyer of New York
3rd Place – Allan Michael Rios of New York
4th Place – Patrick Ennd of New York
Junior – 285 Results
1st Place – Quasar Hampton of New York
2nd Place – Mark Ifraimov of New York
3rd Place – Jeffrey Urbina of New York
4th Place – Matthew St. Onge of New York
Who ended the 2012-13 campaign in the national rankings? We took a look at the most recent postings by Intermat, Flowrestling, Amateur Wrestling News and WIN to see which New Yorkers were included. The rankings by the former two sites were updated after the NHSCA/Flowrestling events, while the others are from before those tournaments occured.
A number of wrestlers were named on one or more of the websites, with sophomore Nick Piccininni of Ward Melville, junior Burke Paddock of Warsaw and senior Tyler Grimaldi of Half Hollow Hills West ranked in the top 20 at their weights by all four of those publications.
Piccinnini, Photo by BV
Piccininni, a two-time state champion, is Flo’s #7 113 pounder in the nation. He ranges from #15-18 on the other sites. He is also a top 30 recruit in the Class of 2015 according to both Intermat and Flo.
Grimaldi and Paddock ensured that the Empire State is well represented in the 160-pound standings. Paddock ranges between #10 (Intermat) and #15 (Flo) and is also a top 100 recruit in the class of 2014, according to Intermat and Flo. Meanwhile, Grimaldi is #12 by both Intermat and WIN and #14 and 16 on the other sites.
While not in the top 20 at their weights at this point, Intermat believes both Greene’s Christian Dietrich and Hilton’s Yianni Diakomihalis are among the elite wrestlers at their grade levels. In addition, Flowrestling ranks Diakomihalis and Eastport South Manor’s Adam Busiello among the country’s best at the junior high level.
For the full list of rankings, see below: (Please comment with any changes or additions).
SENIORS
Zach Bacon (Hornell) #17 at 220 (Intermat), #18 at 220 (AWN)
TJ Fabian (Shoreham Wading River) Top 100 Senior recruit (Intermat), #9 at 126 (Intermat), #12 at 126 (Flo)
Tyler Grimaldi (Half Hollow Hills West) Top 100 Senior in the Nation (Flo), #12 at 160 (both Intermat and WIN), #14 at 160 (AWN), #16 at 160 (Flo)
Mike Hughes (Smithtown West) #18 at 285 (Intermat)
Nick Kelley (Shenendehowa) #13 at 138 (WIN)
Nick Tighe (Phoenix) #17 at 138 (AWN)
Zack Zupan (Canastota) Top 100 Senior in the Nation (Intermat and Flo), #8 at 182 (Intermat), #16 at 182 (AWN), #15 at 182 (Flo)
JUNIORS
James O’Hagan (Seaford) #20 at 285 (Intermat)
Burke Paddock (Warsaw) Top 100 Junior in the Nation (Intermat and Flo), #10 at 160 (Intermat), #11 (WIN), #13 (AWN), #15 (Flo)
Renaldo Rodriguez-Spencer (Cheektowoga) Top 100 Junior in the Nation (Intermat and Flo), #13 at 132 (Intermat), #18 at 132 (Flo)
Corey Rasheed (Longwood) Top 100 Junior in the Nation (Flo), #13 at 152 (Flo), #16 (WIN)
SOPHOMORES
Nick Piccininni (Ward Melville) Top 50 Sophomore in the Nation (Intermat and Flo), #7 at 113 (Flo), #15 (Intermat), #17 (WIN), #18 (AWN)
FRESHMEN
Christian Dietrich (Greene) Top 20 Freshman in the Nation (Intermat)
JUNIOR HIGH
Adam Busiello (Eastport South Manor) Top 50 Junior High Wrestler in the Nation (Flo)
Yianni Diakomihalis (Hilton) Top 10 Junior High Wrestler in the Nation (Intermat and Flo)
**AWN Rankings are from March 14; WIN rankings are from April 2, Flo and Intermat rankings more recent
Many of the nation’s top wrestlers descended upon Las Vegas this weekend for the U.S. Open. New York wrestlers certainly made an impact, with placers in both the men’s and women’s freestyle and Greco Roman competitions. In addition, the Empire State had success in the FILA Juniors tournaments that also took place in the same location. (For more on the Juniors competition, see here.)
Perrelli, Photo by BV
Going all the way to the finals was former Cornell All-American Frank Perrelli at 55 kg. Perrelli entered the event as the #7 seed, but won his first three bouts over Britain Longmire, Zach Sanders and Ben Kjar to earn his spot in the championship contest. In that match, top seeded Obe Blanc came out on top.
Also making the podium in freestyle were a number of coaches with ties to New York. At 66 kg, Columbia assistant Adam Hall took fourth while American assistant Kyle Borshoff (a former Section 5 star) grabbed seventh. In that same bracket, Army graduate Philip Simpson was sixth.
In addition, a pair of coaches notched seventh place (Hofstra’s Dan Vallimont at 74 kg and Army’s Enock Francois at 84 kg) while Duanesburg High School graduate (and current North Carolina State grappler) Nick Gwiazdowski was also seventh, at 120 kg.
In Greco, a pair of former New York high schoolers – Dmitry Riabchinsky of New Utrecht and Jason Chudzinski of Colonie – placed in the lightweights. Riabchinsky was fifth at 55 kg while Chudzinski took eighth at 60. Meanwhile, Army graduate Jon Anderson picked up bronze at 74 kg.
In women’s action, Carlene Sluberski recorded a third place finish at 51 kg while Jenna Burkert was fourth at 59. Joining them on the medal stand was Mary Westman, who was sixth at 72.
U.S. Open
Men’s Freestyle
55 kg: Frank Perrelli (NYAC/FLWC, Cornell graduate) – 2nd place
66 kg: Adam Hall (NYAC, Columbia assistant coach) – 4th place
66 kg: Philip Simpson (Army WCAP, Army graduate) – 6th place
66 kg: Kyle Borshoff (DCAC, Pittsford) – 7th place
74 kg: Dan Vallimont (Blue & Gold WC, Hofstra assistant coach) – 7th place
84 kg: Enock Francois (West Point WC, Army assistant coach) – 7th place
120 kg: Nick Gwiazdowski (NYAC, Duanesburg) – 7th place
Greco
55 kg: Dmitry Riabchinsky (NYAC/USOEC, New Utrecht) – 5th place
60 kg: Jason Chudzinski (USEOC, Colonie) – 8th place
74 kg: Jon Anderson (Army WCAP, Army graduate) – 3rd place
Women’s Freestyle
51 kg: Carlene Sluberski (NYAC, Fredonia) – 3rd place
59 kg: Jenna Burkert (NYAC, Rocky Point) – 4th place
72 kg: Mary Westman (Jimmie Wrestling Club, Cattaraugus) – 6th place
As he looked back at his high school career, Johnny Vrasidas said what was most memorable was the leap he made from his freshman to sophomore seasons for St. Anthony’s.
“I went from being a backup and sitting all season to winning my first Catholic State title,” he said. “That was huge – making so much progress. I got to go to the state tournament for the first time and winning a match there was a building block for me.”
On Thursday, Vrasidas said he was ready to become part of another building process. The standout senior committed to Sacred Heart University, a wrestling team that is looking to make a jump in its second year under head coach Andy Lausier.
“Sacred Heart is almost like a new program, really getting a new start,” he said. “Coach Lausier talked to me about what he’s trying to build and I want to be part of it. I had a great visit there and I’m happy to spend the next four years there with a really good group of recruits.”
The class assembled by Lausier has a strong New York presence. In fact, according to Intermat’s recruiting list, seven of the 11 wrestlers heading to the Connecticut school next fall are from the Empire State. That list includes several grapplers Vrasidas already knows, including his current teammate Nick Allesandrini and Shoreham Wading River’s Zak Mullen and TJ Fabian.
Photo by BV
“Having those wrestlers going was definitely a factor for me,” Vrasidas said, noting that he was also strongly considering Hofstra and American. “Knowing someone like TJ [Fabian, the NHSCA Senior Nationals champion at 126 pounds] will be in the room will be a huge motivation.”
Motivation wasn’t a problem for Vrasidas coming into his senior campaign. After finishing one win short of All-State status in 2012, he was determined to end his career with a spot on the podium.
“When I lost my last match at the state tournament as a junior, I knew I was so close,” he said. “I literally started training right away. I went to all the clubs on Long Island and wrestled some of the best kids in the state. I did some freestyle. I started lifting weights. I realized what I had to do to get to that next level. It was two or three practices a day – going to school, going to school practice, then club practice and then to the gym to lift. Some nights I didn’t get home until 11, but that’s what you have to do to become a champion.”
He was favored to win his third straight CHSAA championship – and he did that. But after a 22-14 record as an 11th grader, Vrasidas brought a 34-1 mark into Albany and although he was the eighth seed at 170 pounds, he fully expected to do far better than that.
“My expectations were that I would be a state champion,” he said. “I wrestled at clubs with some of the top guys at that weight and I knew I could compete with them. I lost in the Summer Heat tournament to Carlos Toribio in a pretty close match where I felt I made some stupid mistakes. I expected to win the whole thing.”
He started off with a 7-6 decision over Kyle McGuire of Newburgh and then was set to meet another familiar face – top seeded Danny McDevitt of Wantagh. Vrasidas said they practiced together in the offseason.
“I went into the match really focused,” he said of wrestling McDevitt. “I thought if I could just get past him, I could win it all. He was the favorite but I went in there and wrestled my match.”
He certainly did that, taking an 8-2 decision in the process of handing McDevitt his only loss of the campaign. After a pin in the semifinals over Monroe Woodbury’s AJ Voelker, Vrasidas squared off with Toribio in the title bout.
The Brentwood senior came away with a 4-3 triumph, sending Vrasidas to a state silver medal.
“I wasn’t happy, but it’s something I have to accept,” Vrasidas said. “I wish I came out on top but I didn’t wrestle the match I wanted to.”
However, the performance did put him on the medal stand for the first time in New York. And a few weeks later, he picked up another honor – on the national level.
At the NHSCA Senior Nationals in Virginia Beach, Vrasidas took eighth place at 170 pounds.
“Last year at that tournament, I was one win away from being an All-American,” he said. “So I definitely went in wanting to be an All-American this time. I was really proud to do it because I’m only the second person ever in my school to accomplish that as a senior.”
Now it’s on to a new set of goals. One is to graduate with a degree in criminal justice from Sacred Heart. But before that, he’s looking to make an impact on the mat in the EIWA, something he hopes to do at 165 or 174 pounds.
“Coach Lausier said I should be looking to wrestle right away,” he said. “Going out there as a freshman should be a great experience.”
——————
Johnny Vrasidas wished to thank his parents for everything they’ve done for him, including all the hours of driving and traveling. He said he “wouldn’t be where I am right now if not for them.”.
For Renaldo Rodriguez-Spencer, it was time to take flight.
Trailing by a point with under 15 seconds to go in the NHSCA 138-pound Junior Nationals title bout on Saturday, the Cheektowoga junior knew he’d have to try something different as his previous offensive attempts had been thwarted by his opponent, Maryland’s Alfred Bannister.
“He was pretty low and I couldn’t get to a shot,” Rodriguez-Spencer said. “The obvious option was to go over the top. Once I decided to do it, I knew I had to hit it hard and do it strong.”
That’s what he did, using the “Flying Squirrel” to earn the winning takedown and a 4-3 victory over Bannister, a champion at this event the past two years and Intermat’s #14 ranked recruit in the Class of 2014. See it here.
The triumph made him a national champion at an event he hadn’t attended in the past. In fact, Rodriguez-Spencer, who enjoys wrestling the international styles in the offseason, wasn’t really considering attending the NHSCA event until his high school coaches persuaded him to do so.
Photo by BV
“I initially wasn’t planning to go,” he said. “I was going to get ready for the freestyle season, but my coach thought I could be a national champion and talked me into it. I’m glad I went, it was a good tournament overall and a good time.”
He certainly made the most of the trip, even playing some golf at a driving range in Virginia Beach.
But when it came time for competition, Rodriguez-Spencer was all business at 138 pounds (up from 132, where he was the 2013 Division II New York State Champion).
He majored his first two opponents and then doubled up fellow New Yorker Matt Caputo, 6-3. The Section 6 wrestler then showed his offensive explosiveness again in a 11-3 quarterfinal victory and in his 13-8 semis win over Brock Wingbermuehle, leading him to the title bout where he would win in dramatic fashion with the Flying Squirrel.
It wasn’t the first time he used the maneuver famously utilized by Greco star Ellis Coleman.
“I sometimes do it in practice and I think it did it twice during the year,” he said. “I know it’s there if I need it. It’s one of those moves that no one expects and I know it works.”
Those in attendance certainly appreciated it.
“I normally don’t hear much when I wrestle,” he said. “But I heard the crowd a little bit when I hit the move. And then once I got my hand raised, it was pretty loud.”
Beating an accomplished foe like Bannister and adding a new trophy to his collection made it a great weekend for Rodriguez-Spencer, but he said on Sunday that he already moved on.
“It’s nice to beat good opponents, but it doesn’t change much for me,” he said. “I went there to win and now it’s time to get back to practice to win more national tournaments.”
Photo by BV
Next on the schedule: the FILA Juniors, a freestyle and Greco event in which Rodriguez-Spencer has been successful in the past.
“My goals now are of course to win FILA Juniors in Las Vegas, make a World Team and finally win a Fargo national championship this summer,” he said.
He has placed at Fargo before, including a bronze showing in Greco in 2012.
But he emphasized that it’s time for him to take gold in North Dakota. Who knows, he could get to the top of the podium by going over the top of his opponents again, Flying Squirrel style.
A weekend full of national-level competition came to an end on Sunday, with many more trips to the podium for New York wrestlers.
Fabian, Photo by BV
TJ Fabian capped off his spectacular senior year by adding a national title to the state gold medal he earned in Feburary. The Shoreham Wading River wrestler won six matches in Virginia Beach, including a 10-4 decision over Pennyslvania’s Kyle Krasavage in the 126-pound championship bout at the NHSCA Senior Nationals.
He was joined on the medal stand by a number of other Empire State grapplers on Sunday, including fellow Long Islander Michael Hughes of Smithtown West, who was the runner up at heavyweight. For a full list of New York All-Americans at the Senior NHSCA competition, see below.
In addition, a number of Middle School and Elementary wrestlers put their talent on display at the FloNationals in Pennsylvania, with G2 World Wrestling Academy’s Ryan Burgos winning a national crown of his own at 75 pounds. Burgos pinned his way to the finals, where he captured an 8-4 decision over Jimmy Carmany of Ohio.
See below for more information on additional New Yorkers who placed at the event.
For the NHSCA Middle School, Freshman, Sophomore and Junior medalists as well as the FloNationals High School All-Americans, see this link.
NHSCA SENIOR NATIONALS
Champion:
126: TJ Fabian (Shoreham Wading River)
Second Place:
285: Michael Hughes (Smithtown West)
Fourth Place:
106: Steven Lee (West Babylon)
Fifth Place
106: Jake Yankloski (Wayne)
138: Nick Tighe (Phoenix)
170: Carlos Toribio (Brentwood)
Sixth Place
113: Mat Bradice (William Floyd)
126: Chris Araoz (Wantagh)
160: Troy Seymour (Peru)
170: Dan McDevitt (Wantagh)
Seventh Place:
113: Dillon Stowell (Gouverneur)
132: Matt Leshinger (Sayville)
152: Chris Koo (Great Neck South)
Eighth Place:
113: Steven Sewkumar (Long Beach)
126: Dylan Realbuto (Somers)
170: Johnny Vrasidas (St. Anthony’s)
FLONATIONALS – MIDDLE SCHOOL AND ELEMENTARY
Champion:
Middle School (MS) 75: Ryan Burgos
Third Place:
MS 126: Louie DePrez
Elementary 68: Greg Diakomihalis
Fourth Place:
MS 119: Matt Grippi
MS 135: Conor Melbourne
MS 145: Andrew Passaro
MS 157: Mike Spallina
Elementary 105: Hunter John
Fifth Place:
MS 145: Ray Cotto
MS 157: Jason Hoffman
Elementary 78: Ethan Ferro
Seventh Place:
MS 95: Sammy DePrez
MS 135: Josh Shamp
There’s going to be a lot of hardware headed back to New York. On Saturday, numerous Empire State wrestlers earned All-American status, including several who went all the way to the top.
Mauriello, http://www.phototrens.com
At the NHSCAs in Virginia Beach, two ninth graders earned crowns as Hauppauge’s Chris Mauriello captured the 132 pound title and Whitney Point’s Jordan Torbitt joined him as a gold medalist at 152.
Later in the day, a pair of 2013 state champions – Renaldo Rodriguez-Spencer (138) and Corey Rasheed (152) added national titles to their resumes when they were victorious in the NHSCA Junior event. Also making it all the way to the finals were Reggie Williams (195) and James O’Hagan (285) in the 11th grade tournament and as well as a trio of freshmen – Kellen Devlin (120), Christian Araneo (182) and Edwin Rubio (285).
But that wasn’t all. The Empire State boasted some gold medalists in the Middle School competition as well – Mack Berkowitz at 127 and Travis Race at 165. (New York grabbed first in the team standings in both the Junior and Middle School competitions).
Tomorrow, two grapplers who stood atop the podium at the Times Union Center – TJ Fabian (126) and Mike Hughes (285) – will try to add their names to the list of champions when they take the mat in the finals of the Senior tournament.
Meanwhile, Virginia wasn’t the only place Empire Staters were showing off their skills. A number of New York wrestlers made the medal stand at the FloNationals, including runner up Nick Piccininni (113) and bronze medalist Tyler Grimaldi (160).
For more information on the placers at all of those events, see below.
FLONATIONALS
Second Place:
113: Nick Piccininni (Ward Melville)
Third Place:
160: Tyler Grimaldi (Hills West)
Fourth Place:
132: Nick Kelley (Shenendehowa)
170: Christian Dietrich (Greene)
Seventh Place:
152: Joe Mastro (Yorktown)
Eighth Place:
120: Travis Passaro (Eastport South Manor)
NHSCA NATIONALS
NHSCA JUNIORS
National Champions
138: Renaldo Rodriguez-Spencer (Cheektowoga)
152: Corey Rasheed (Longwood)
Second Place:
195: Reggie Williams (Johnson City)
285: James O’Hagan (Seaford)
Fourth Place:
220: Ryan Wolcott (Waverly)
Fifth Place
170: Adis Radoncic (RKA)
Seventh Place
106: Danny Murray (Brentwood)
120: Sean Peacock (Midlakes)
152: Derek Holcomb (Newark Valley)
Eighth Place
113: Bryan Lantry (Wayne)
NHSCA SOPHOMORES
Third Place
106: Kyle Quinn (Wantagh)
Fifth Place
106: Jesse Dellavecchia (East Islip)
Sixth Place
113: Nick Casella (Locust Valley)
138: Jakob Restrepo (Sachem East)
145: Brandon Aviles (Newfield)
160: Richie Jones (St. Joseph’s)
Seventh Place
113: Ben Lamantia (St. Anthony’s)
160: Trevor Allard (Mexico)
Eighth Place
132: Sam Ward (Locust Valley)
220: Vincent Feola (Whitman)
NHSCA FRESHMEN
National Champions
132: Chris Mauriello (Hauppauge)
152: Jordan Torbitt (Whitney Point)
Second Place
120: Kellen Devlin (Amherst)
182: Christian Araneo (Ward Melville)
285: Edwin Rubio (John Glenn)
Fourth Place
220: Owen Albanese (Canastota)
Fifth Place
170: Wil Hilliard (Phoenix)
182: Ricardo Dawkins (General Brown)
Sixth Place
106: Anthony Argentieri (Kenmore West)
Seventh Place
113: Andrew McFarland (Carthage)
132: Freddy Eckles (Lake Shore)
170: Sonny McPherson (Indian River)
NHSCA MIDDLE SCHOOL
Champions:
127: Mack Berkowitz
165: Travis Race
Second Place:
100: Hector Colom
Third Place:
85: John DeRidder
90: Dane Heberlein
100: Anthony Cirillo
154: Jeffrey Browne
Fourth Place
75: James Langan
85: Mitch Seaver
100: Benjamin Tepperman
Fifth Place
230: Larry Baker
Sixth Place
75: Riley Retell
105: Zachary Ancewicz
112: Hunter Dusold
180: Dominic Pistone
Seventh Place:
95: William Sims
142: Nick Bushey
Eighth Place
80: Christopher Rivera
90: James Trezza
100: Jacori Teemer
135: Nick Coppola
142: Richard Dawkins
NHSCA SENIORS – WRESTLING TO BE COMPLETED ON SUNDAY
Finalists:
126: TJ Fabian
285: Mike Hughes
Others All-Americans:
106: Steven Lee, Jacob Yankloski
113: Mat Bradice, Dillon Stowell, Steven Sewkumar
126: Dylan Realbuto, Chris Araoz
132: Matt Leshinger
138: Nick Tighe
152: Chris Koo
160: Troy Seymour
170: Johnny Vrasidas, Dan McDevitt, Carlos Toribio
New York Wrestling News 2012-2013 Archive 