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

Posted on July 3, 2012 by Urgent Doctor

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Results

GRECO

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

FREESTYLE

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Team New York Earns 6-2 Record at Greco Junior National Duals

Posted on June 28, 2012 by Urgent Doctor

Team New York went 6-2 overall on Wednesday and Thursday at the Greco Roman Junior National Duals in Oklahoma City to capture third place in the Bronze/Copper pool.

Columbia-bound Connor Sutton led the way with a perfect 8-0 record at 160 and 170 pounds while two other wrestlers, Uniondale’s Dante Salkey (5-0) and Cheektowaga’s Renaldo Rodriguez-Spencer (4-0) were also unbeaten in the competition. Also picking up at least five victories for the Empire State were Santo Curatolo (7-1), Jessy Williams (6-2), Matt Greene (5-2) and Sutton’s future Ivy League teammate Chris Loew (5-2) of Wantagh.

The squad compiled 3-1 records on both days of the competition. On Wednesday, the New Yorkers scored convincing wins over South Dakota (55-14), Utah (32-16) and North Dakota (37-23) and a one-point setback to Oklahoma Red (32-31), which led to a third place finish in Pool B. That performance put the Empire State team into the Bronze/Copper Pool for Thursday’s action.

The team got off to another strong start on Day 2, with a 39-20 triumph over Missouri before falling against California. However, the group rebounded to win a three-point dual with Texas before defeating North Dakota for the second time at the event, this time for third place in the Bronze/Copper bracket.

The Empire State squad will return to the mat on Friday as the Freestyle tournament begins.

Full Results

Pool B:

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Clemente and Merkin Earn All-America Honors at Kids Nationals in Utah

Posted on June 27, 2012 by Urgent Doctor

Only two New York wrestlers made the trip to Orem, Utah for the Kids Freestyle and Greco Roman Nationals this week, but the pair made a big impact in the Schoolboy competition, with Joseph Clemente finishing in the top four in both styles at 136 pounds while Leonard Merkin grabbed seventh in Greco action before coming within one victory of placing in Freestyle in the 128-pound bracket.

The event began with Greco on Tuesday and both Empire State wrestlers ended the day on the podium.

At 136 pounds, Clemente took fourth, notching a pair of pins along the way. The LaSalle wrestler opened with a fall over Trey Waltz of Arizona in less than a minute before dropping his next bout to eventual champion Ashton Seely of Utah. Clemente followed with his second pin over Haydn Maley, before falling in the third place tilt against Hayden Bates of Oregon.

On the same day, Merkin compiled a 4-2 record in Greco on the path to seventh at 128 pounds. Bronze medalist Nicholas Vestal of Florida defeated Merkin in Round 1, but the Brooklyn grappler responded with three consecutive victories, including falls against California’s Sergio Leal and Michael Peters of Illinois. After New Mexico’s Clayton Arellano downed Merkin in the consolations, the outstanding New York City middle school wrestler finished his day on a high note with a pin of Ricardo Gonzalez of the Golden State for seventh.

On Wednesday in Freestyle, Merkin once again faced a tough first round task, this time squaring off with eventual finalist Owen Webster in a three-period affair won by the Minnesota grappler. Merkin rebounded after the setback, racking up two dominant wins over New Jersey’s Michael Ilic and California’s Ronnie Guerrero before dropping his final match to Idaho’s James Fisher in the “Round of 12”.

Meanwhile, Clemente opened with two bonus point victories before dropping his semifinal match. He battled back, however, notching a first period pin over New Mexico’s Kyle Snelling and a 5-0, 7-0 technical fall over Wisconsin’s Jordan Meyer to capture third.

Cadet and University Nationals – Results for New York Wrestlers

Posted on June 2, 2012 by Urgent Doctor

After redshirt seasons, a pair of two-time NCAA qualifiers, Ian Paddock of Ohio State and John-Martin Cannon of Buffalo returned to the mat this weekend and took sixth at the University Nationals Freestyle event in Akron, Ohio.

Cannon, the former Brockport High School standout, made the podium at 79 kg while Warsaw’s Paddock competed at 66 kg in his return from injury.

A third Empire State grappler, David White (55 kg), took sixth while representing Binghamton. White transferred to the CAA institution after beginning his college career at Army.

The highest placer from New York in the University freestyle tournament was Pittsford’s Kyle Borshoff, currently an assistant coach at his alma mater, American University. Borshoff earned bronze at 70 kg, losing only to eventual champion Ian Miller of Kent State in three periods.

The remaining medalists from the Empire State were Edinboro’s Ernest James (5^th at 120 kg), a pair of 7^th place finishers in Cornell’s Chris Villalonga (66 kg) and Columbia’s Jake O’Hara (70) and Kyle Frey (8th at 120 kg), who represented the Finger Lakes Wrestling Club.

In the FILA Cadet competition, Christopher Cuccolo, who is in his sophomore year at Pine Bush High School, earned two medals in the Buckeye State. He was third in the Greco action on Friday in the 39-42 kg bracket and later in the weekend was the runner up in Freestyle.

For the full list of placers from the University and FILA Cadet Nationals, see below:

University Nationals – Freestyle

55 kg:

David White (Binghamton), 6th

66 kg:

Ian Paddock (Ohio State, Warsaw HS), 6th

Chris Villalonga (Cornell), 7th

70 kg:

Kyle Borshoff (DCAC, Pittsford), 3rd

Jake O’Hara (Columbia), 7th

79 kg:

John-Martin Cannon (Buffalo), 6th

120 kg:

Ernest James (Edinboro, Longwood HS), 5th

Kyle Frey (Finger Lakes Wrestling Club), 8th

University Nationals – Greco

60 kg:

Dmitry Ryabchinsky (NYAC/USOEC), 3rd

Oliver Lopez (NYAC), 4th

63 kg: Jason Chudzinski (New York), 3rd

66 kg: James Hogan (ATWA), 4th

70 kg: Elijah Sullivan (NYAC/Columbia), 3rd

FILA Cadet Nationals – Greco

39-42 kg: Christopher Cuccolo, 3rd

63 kg: Renaldo Rodriguez-Spencer, 3rd

FILA Cadet Nationals – Freestyle

39-42 kg: Christopher Cuccolo, 2nd

NYWAY Providing $$$ For Out of State Trips: Any New York Team Can Apply

Posted on May 31, 2012 by Urgent Doctor

Looking for some assistance for your team to travel to an event outside New York? NYWAY (New York Wrestling Association for Youth) may be able to help.

G2 World Wrestling Academy co-owner Adam Burgos has been all over the Empire State as well as Ohio and Virginia this spring for various competitions, but although he was interested in attending the Grand River Rumble in Michigan in July, an event that boasted over 45 teams from 10 states a year ago, it didn’t seem viable.

However, Burgos will indeed be heading to the Wolverine State in the summer with an All-Star Empire State squad with the help of NYWAY, which offered to subsidize the trip.

“Because of NYWAY the trip will cost $225,” he said. “That’s for two nights of hotels, a singlet, t-shirt, shorts and entry into the dual meet and individual tournaments. NYWAY is making a significant contribution – it would probably cost several hundred dollars more otherwise.”

About to enter its second year, NYWAY said from the start that one of its main objectives was to reinvest funds within the Empire State to enrich wrestling locally. Part of that process is opening up more opportunities for New York grapplers to see both new competition and new surroundings with trips outside of the state.

“Our goal is to take the money raised through membership and tournament fees and put it back into New York wrestling,” said State President Clint Wattenberg. “One way we’re doing that is supporting kids that want more experience in the offseason; who want to travel and represent New York and NYWAY in areas they might not be able to go to otherwise. We’ll be able to make things more affordable and remove some of the barriers for the kids to get this experience.”

To that end, NYWAY has set up a form on its website (nyway.org) where any club team can apply for up to $500 in funds to take a team trip. Wattenberg’s desire is for every applicant to receive some assistance from the organization.

“I hope that any club that is trying to arrange a trip goes to nyway.org and applies,” Wattenberg said. “The form is very short, and we have a committee of board members that will be taking a look at all the applications. We’re trying to give every team that applies some funding and if a team is taking several trips and there are funds left over, we’ll definitely take a look at that as well.”

Michael Laporte and his son Matthew were beneficiaries last fall when Laporte led a team of New Yorkers on a subsidized journey to Northern California for a dual meet event and an individual tournament.

“The excitement the kids felt about getting on that plane and going to California was amazing,” Laporte said. “Getting to wrestle seven or eight matches on top of that just made it even better.”

Then-11-year old AJ Burkhart was a member of that team as well.

“It was an overwhelming and incredible experience for AJ that we are so glad to have been a part of,” his mother Dana Harbst-Burkhart said. “Wrestling that caliber of competition was incredible.”

Burkhart will be part of the team Burgos will be coaching at the Grand River Rumble, a squad that represents at least six different clubs and several areas around the state. He believes the benefits on the mat will be significant, as they were for the California trip.

“From a wrestling perspective, traveling to events like these gets rid of the big fish, small pond atmosphere,” Burgos said. “You can have a ton of success locally, but at national events, you see talent you wouldn’t normally see and you can better see how you’re developing and what you need to do to reach your individual goals. At the youth level, I think it’s more about experience than wins and losses but getting those experiences against the best competition is imperative.”

But both Harbst-Burkhart and Burgos emphasized that these trips have advantages that go well beyond the wrestling mat.

“The friendships that AJ made on the trip to California are what it’s really all about,” Harbst-Burkhart said. “Even though it was a New York team, he didn’t know a lot of the kids before. After the wrestling was over, we were able to see some of California and it was pretty awesome. We saw Alcatraz. We have a picture with the whole team in NYWAY singlets with the Golden Gate Bridge in the background. AJ still talks about the trip and he will for years to come.”

Burgos agreed.

“There’s a camaraderie built with the kids and the families,” Burgos said. “And you see new places and have a vacation that builds memories you take with you for a lifetime. That’s so much of the value of these trips.”

While the team going to the Grand River Rumble is comprised of many of the top placers at the NYWAY State championships in March, Wattenberg emphasized that the opportunities for travel will not be limited to only the most successful grapplers.

“We will be sending some of our top level kids to national competitions,” he said. “For example, we will have a team going out to California like we did last year. But we are looking to get our not-yet-elite wrestlers out of state experience in places like New Jersey, Michigan and Ohio and we might do some exchange programs with Canada in some of the Olympic styles. We are also working on our novice division as we want there to be chances for kids across the spectrum to compete in ways that will challenge them appropriately.”

Those who have been through these travel experiences before believe others should take advantage.

“It’s great to get kids more involved and provide opportunities that they might not otherwise have,” Harbst-Burkhart said. “We feel privileged to have been a part of it and I hope NYWAY can continue to provide these opportunities so that many other kids can benefit the way we have.”

To view the Travel Team Application form, please visit: http://www.nyway.org/nyway-travel-team-funding-application/

Please contact Clint Wattenberg at clintwattenberg@nyway.org with any questions.

Listen to Clint Wattenberg talk about NYWAY’s funding for clubs

–Betsy Veysman

X-Cel is for Excellence: Long Island Team Captures Pop and Flo National Duals Championship

Posted on May 22, 2012 by Urgent Doctor

By Betsy Veysman

The most nervous moments for Team X-Cel coach Nick Garone this past weekend, during which the squad captured the championship at the Pop and Flo National Duals, didn’t take place on the mat. Instead, his most nervous moments took place on the water during the team’s celebration.

“The guys dove into the lake after the event,” he said. “It was pretty great to see how excited they were. I took the easy way out, paddling out in a boat. They were messing with me, telling me they were going to tip me over. I begged them not to. It was a lot of fun, which is what the weekend was all about.”

It was also about winning, something the team did in all five of its duals, concluding with a 25-24 triumph over New Jersey’s Apex in the title match. The squads ended the meet deadlocked at 24, but X-Cel earned the crown by virtue of capturing eight of the 15 bouts.

It was a victory that the team felt was for more than just the wrestlers and coaches that made the trip upstate.

“We weren’t just trying to win it for the guys who were there,” said heavyweight Dante Salkey, who went 5-0 on the weekend. “We went out to make a statement about Long Island wrestling. We knew that we were in Lake Placid, a place where history was made. We wanted to bring some of Long Island’s best, upset the top seed (Apex) and win it all. We wanted to show how tough our wrestling is.”

Some of Long Island’s best started things off on the right foot in the finale. A pair of state champions from Section 11, Sean McCabe (130) and Maverick Passaro (135), propelled the squad to a 6-0 lead. McCabe controlled his bout with Apex’s Matt Caputo (an Empire state resident) in a 9-3 decision.

Passaro followed by notching a takedown with less than 30 seconds to go to garner a come-from-behind victory over Richie Lewis. Passaro’s late heroics didn’t go unnoticed by his coach, especially since the Eastport South Manor senior rebounded from a bonus point loss in the previous round.

“That kid’s a champion,” Garone said. “In the semis, he was beaten by a high score. Some guys can’t let that go. It’s like a fighter who gets knocked out – their next fight is the hardest of their life. Maverick got over it. He showed fortitude and heart to bounce back and wrestle with confidence and get that late score. What a great match he wrestled.”

Apex responded with a pair of victories, a decision at 140 and a pin at 145, to take a 9-6 advantage.

In stepped John Glenn’s James Dekrone against a familiar foe, NHSCA National Champion Lenny Richardson. The two have had some tough, close matches in the past and this was no different. After neither competitor scored in neutral in the opening stanza, Dekrone rode his opponent for the entire second period. In the third, it looked like Richardson might return the favor, but Dekrone broke free for an escape and got his hand raised in a 1-0 result, knotting the score at 9.

“It was an unbelievable match,” Garone said. “I knew it would be exciting. Richardson is so dangerous and scary from every tie up and James is a pressure wrestler that keeps coming after you. James just wrestled a perfect match when we needed it.”

X-Cel continued putting points on the board with victories in the next two bouts. At 160, Nicky Hall topped Brandon Keena and at 170 Dylan Palacio bumped up to face All-American Tony Pafumi and came away with an overtime triumph.

“We changed things around a little bit because I thought it gave us an edge,” Garone said. “I knew Nicky Hall was capable of winning at 160 and I thought Palacio could win at either 160 or 170. Obviously, it could have backfired because Pafumi is tough and hardnosed. Dylan’s match came down to OT and we were biting our fingernails. But both Nicky and Dylan got the job done. I thought Dylan might be upset about the change, but he told me it was fine; he’d do whatever it took for the team to win. They were both team players.”

It was a short-lived 15-9 lead for the Empire State group. Apex came out on top in the next three matches and moved ahead 18-15 as the 285 pounders took the mat.

Dante Salkey attacked his opponent, Mike Spencer, almost immediately, scoring off a low single to move ahead 2-0. He extended his lead early in the second with an escape and another takedown before withstanding a comeback attempt by his opponent, New Jersey’s fourth place finisher in 2012, for a narrow victory. After Salkey’s fifth win of the weekend, the score was tied again.

“I knew going in that we were down by the three and I had to get the win,” Salkey said. “I didn’t want it to come down to the last few guys; I wanted to make sure I did my part. I felt that I was a lot quicker than [Spencer], so I went to my offense for the first half of the match. It got closer than I wanted late in the match, but it worked out in the end.”

“Dante was unbelievable the whole weekend,” Garone added. “I get a big grin on my face when I think about it because he’s so funny. He was the team jokester, keeping everyone loose and relaxed by making everyone laugh. On the mat, he wrestles like a lightweight, taking a lot of shots and moving well. I think he could be very, very good at the next level because he’s really nimble on his feet for a big guy. He made huge contributions to the team.”

Also making big contributions were lightweights Jay Rodriguez (105) and Nick Piccininni (113), who came through with wins over Nick Suriano and Joe Travato, respectively to push X-Cel’s lead to 24-18.

Apex fought back, however, capturing the matches at 120 and 126 to deadlock the score until criteria declared the Long Island squad the winners.

“Going to criteria – that’s a true testament to what kind of dual it was,” Garone said. “That’s what you pray for, a battle like that. The Apex coaches had to like how they fought back and tied it by winning the last two matches. My hat is off to those guys over at Apex. They do a great job with those kids every year. They’re a great club.”

Garone also tipped his hat to several others he said played important roles in X-Cel’s achievement.

“Finally we can tell people that Long Island can compete with the best in the country and have proof. I really want to thank Darren Goldstein, my right arm, who would do anything for us and Steve Hromada for helping us train. Anthony Abidin really helped us out, getting the guys warmed up, which is harder for us old guys,” he said, laughing. “All the coaches who had someone represented should be appreciated – they do a great job with the wrestlers for most of the year. Most importantly, I need to thank the guys we brought. Every one of them is great. But they put their egos aside and were willing to do what was best for the team. That’s not typical for a bunch of studs. We had a great time.”

That was a sentiment echoed by everyone involved.

“It felt amazing,” Salkey said. “We had so much fun, celebrating in the lake and on the ride back home. We knew we were good coming in and we thought we could win it, but the competition was good too. We wrestled our best and walked away with the title for us and for Long Island wrestling.”

Team X-Cel, 2012 Pop and Flo National Duals Champions

105 – Jay Rodriguez

113 – Nick Piccininni

120 – Pat Skinner

125 – Travis Passaro

130 – Sean McCabe

135 – Maverick Passaro

140 – Tommy Dutton

145 – Louis Hernandez

152 – James DeKrone

152 – Sam Schwartzapfel

160 – Dylan Palacio

160 – Nick Hall

170 – Zac Mullen

182 – Dylan Seybolt

182 – Colin Gironda

195 – Nick Weber

220 – Kenny Drew

285 – Dante Salkey

Finals: Team X-Cel Over Apex (NJ), 25-24

130 Sean McCabe decision Matt Caputo, 3-0 NY

135 Maverick Passaro decision Richie Lewis, 6-0 NY

140 Jason Estevez decision Thomas Dutton, 6-3 NY

145 BJ Clagon pin Louis Hernandez, 9-6 NJ

152 James Dekrone decision Lenny Richardson, 9-9

160 Nicky Hall decision Brandon Keena, 12-9 NY

170 Dylan Palacio decision Tony Pafumi, 15-9 NY

182 Brian Loughlin decision Dylen Seybolt, 15-12 NY

195 Tyler Rios decision Colin Gironda, 15-15

220 Eric McMullen decision Ken Drew, 18-15 NJ

285 Dante Salkey decision Mike Spencer, 18-18 NY

105 Jay Rodriguez decision Nick Suriano, 21-18 NY

113 Nick Piccinnini decision Joe Travato, 24-18 NY

120 Luis Gonzalez decision Pat Skinner, 24-21 NY

126 Joe Oliva decision Travis Passaro, 24-24 NY

NY Wins on Criteria*, 25-24

*(Most matches won, X-Cel 8, Apex 7)

Semifinals: Team X-Cel Over Dark Knights (PA), 42-22

105 Jay Rodriguez tech fall Tyson Klump, 5-0 NY

113 Nick Piccininni major Tyrone Klump, 9-0 NY

120 Zach Valley Valley major Pat Skinner, 9-4 NY

126 Travis Passaro dec Mason Bryne, 12-4 NY

130 Sean McCabe dec Chase Zemanak, 15-4 NY

135 Tyson Dippery tech fall Maverick Passaro, 15-9 NY

140 Chris Vasser pin Thomas Dutton, 15-15

145 Shyheim Brown dec Louis Hernandez, 18-15 PA

152 James Dekrone dec Zach Ross, 18-18

160 Dylan Palacio dec Garrett Peppelman, 21-18 NY

170 Elliot Riddick maj Zac Mullen, 22-21 PA

182 Dylen Seybolt pin Nick Sevi, 27-22 NY

195 Colin Gironda win by forfeit, 33-22 NY

220 Ken Drew win by forfeit, 39-22 NY

285 Dante Salkey dec Dawson Peck, 42-22 NY

Earlier Round Results

Round 1: Team X-Cel 65, Apex II (NJ) 0

Round 2: Team X-Cel 66, Iowa Style (NY) 3

Round 3: Team X-Cel 42, Triumph (NJ) 13

Cancer's Nightmare: Team VinnyV Ready to Battle

Posted on May 15, 2012 by Urgent Doctor

By Betsy Veysman

“There’s a theme with Vinny,” Michael Vespa said on Monday night about his 14-year old brother. “He finds a way to win. That’s the bottom line, no matter how bad it looks, he finds a way to win.”

That’s been true many times over the years. The freshman from Monroe-Woodbury High is a four-time youth New York state champion who also took third in the country at the NHSCA Middle School Nationals.

As a ninth grader wrestling varsity for the third straight time in 2011-12, Vespa went 31-8, was a Sectional runner up and qualified for the state tournament at 99 pounds while routinely weighing in around 94. Despite his hard work, however, the grappler often found himself struggling later in bouts with shortness of breath.

Less than two weeks ago, Vinny Vespa achieved a long-time goal when he took first place at the New York State Cadet Freestyle Championships in Binghamton to earn his spot on the Empire State squad going to the national championships in Fargo, North Dakota in July. He looked forward to the most prestigious event on the summer wrestling calendar, where the competition would be a notch higher than what he has seen before.

However, Vespa will have a far more challenging opponent to face before he steps on the mat again.

“I thought I was going to Fargo to represent New York at nationals,” he said. “I was really excited. But I was still having trouble with breathing so I went to the doctor after I won. That’s when they found the tumor.”

The tumor is believed to be Stage 4 Hodgkins Lymphoma.

“The tumor in Vinny’s lungs compromised his breathing more than 50%, according to the doctors,” his mother said. “We found it because of wrestling. He was having trouble after the first period. The doctor explained that once his respiration got up, he was basically working off one lung. We thought it was a few different things during the season — a new mouthpiece, asthma, bronchitis. Thank God we found it.”

After digesting the news, Vinny quickly moved into fighting mode.

“When he was diagnosed, he was crushed,” Michael Vespa said. “But he’s come back with such a vengeance, just like I knew he would. He’s the type of person that has always been really mature and dedicated. If he wants something, nothing will stop him. He’s really strong.”

Many would agree with that. His varsity coach Steve Fischbein says he’s the strongest pound for pound wrestler that he’s ever seen. At 94 pounds, he squats and deadlifts more than 225 pounds. The student with the 90 average in school also religiously follows the plans set out for him by trainer John Rahn. In fact, Michael Vespa said that even in his hospital bed, Vinny is making sure to follow his meal plans and drink his protein shakes.

He’s also finding other ways to make the hospital time tolerable.

“I’m keeping myself busy,” he said. “[On Monday] 15 people came and we had a little mini party. We went down to the lobby and had pizza and just hung out. I played mini golf at a course right outside the hospital with my mom.”

Vinny mentioned that his family has been great, but wanted to specifically mention his mother.

“She hasn’t left my bedside for the past seven days,” he said. “She’s my number one supporter.”

His extended wrestling family has been there too. That doesn’t include just his friends and teammates. It also includes grapplers from all over the country. Vinny started the @teamvinnyv twitter account on Sunday night and in one day had over 1220 followers.

“I knew I had a lot of support, but it’s been crazy,” he said. “It’s been amazing what the wrestling community has done. [NCAA champion] Bubba Jenkins retweeted something about me. [Former Olympian] Jeff Blatnick called me. It’s amazing how supportive people have been.”

He also singled out a phone call he received from one of his favorite wrestlers from the school he hopes to attend one day, Cornell University.

“[Three-time NCAA champion] Kyle Dake was out of the country at the World Cup,” Michael Vespa said. “But his first tweet when he got back to the United States had my brother in it. And then he called my brother in the hospital. It meant so much.”

The support will keep coming.

This Wednesday, local New York All-Star wrestlers will come together at Delaware Valley High School in Matamoras, Pennsylvania to face squads from the Keystone State and New Jersey. Vinny Vespa was scheduled to compete, but now $2 for each attendee will go to his family.

In addition, a takedown tournament titled “Victory 4 Vinny ” will be held at Monroe-Woodbury High School on June 30 from 8 am – 6 pm. The event will have elementary, middle school, high school and open divisions, with the possibility of a masters division as well. Registration will be $20 and all proceeds will go directly to the Vespa family. In conjunction with the tournament, will be a family fun day event with face painting, cotton candy and more.

Forever Fierce has donated over 1000 specially-designed T-shirts that can soon be purchased at foreverfierce.com. All proceeds will go to helping the Vespas.

Vinny is excited for these fundraising endeavors. He said he expects to be in the hospital for about another week and then will come home to continue his fight.

“Once you’ve wrestled, everything else in life is easy,” he said on Monday night, quoting the legendary Dan Gable. “That’s pretty much what I’m going by right now. I definitely think wrestling puts me in a better position. My trainer [Rahn] has helped me out so much this year. He helped me put on 20 pounds of mostly muscle and that will help me with what I’m going through.”

Michael Vespa believes his brother’s strength and will are the keys.

“In the semifinals at Sections he was wrestling a kid who pinned him at the beginning of the season,” Michael Vespa said. “He was down by a point with about 20 seconds left. I felt okay about it. Not for a split second did I doubt that he would win. Sure enough, with five seconds left, he got the reversal to win.”

He has a similar sense of confidence now in his younger sibling, whom he calls “Cancer’s Nightmare”.

“I guess the best way I can describe my brother is to say that he has more heart than anyone I’ve ever encountered,” Michael Vespa said. “So many people told me that if it had to happen to anyone, it might as well happen to him, because there’s no doubt he’ll get through it. I believe that. Not only that, but he’ll get through it and then go out and win a national title.”

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For an update on Vinny Vespa prior to the 2012-13 wrestling season, see here.

Stephen Dutton Receives Release from Lehigh; Considering Michigan and Hofstra

Posted on May 7, 2012 by Urgent Doctor

When he was going through the recruiting process, two-time NCAA qualifier Stephen Dutton developed a strong relationship with Donny Pritzlaff, then an assistant coach at Wisconsin. He strongly considered becoming a Badger, but ultimately decided that he didn’t want to move so far from home and chose to attend Lehigh.

However, wrestling for Pritzlaff (now at Michigan) is a possibility again as the former Rocky Point High standout recently received a full release from the Mountain Hawks.

Dutton will visit Ann Arbor this weekend and then choose whether to continue his career for the Wolverines or at Hofstra.

A number of factors went into the decision to leave Lehigh, according to Dutton’s father, Steve.

“Stephen had a tough year,” Steve Dutton said of his son. “He lost his lightweight coach [Jason Kutz] and also another workout partner when Frank Cagnina left. [Cagnina will wrestle for Nebraska next year]. He spent a lot of last year hurt. He decided it was best to move on.”

In addition to the connection to Pritzlaff, Mr. Dutton said Michigan is appealing for some other reasons.

“Michigan might be a good spot for him,” he said. “He’s wrestled with [Wolverine assistant] Sean Bormet and he feels confident that with the coaches and workout partners there, he can reach all his goals. Hofstra is also a possibility, especially because it is so close to home.”

Dutton compiled a 42-21 record in his two years with the Mountain Hawks, taking fourth place in the EIWA as a freshman and third as a sophomore. He qualified for the NCAA tournament in both of his campaigns, making the Round of 12 in his rookie season.

Mr. Dutton said that his son will likely make his decision within the next week.

–Betsy Veysman