Tag Archives: Wantagh wrestling

Weekend Notes: Dake Earns OW, Nick Kelley Wins Bronze in Reno and More From Around the State

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Dake vs. Caldwell, Phototrens.com

The first ever-wrestling event at Madison Square Garden captured a lot of headlines this weekend.  While Cornell and Hofstra both went 0-2, Big Red senior Kyle Dake earned the Outstanding Wrestler Award after his victories over #3 Tyler Caldwell of Oklahoma State and #13 Zach Toal of Missouri.  Dake controlled both matches, earning a reversal and riding time in each.  Also going undefeated on the day for Cornell was returning NCAA champion Steve Bosak, who made his season debut.  The 184-pounder picked up two victories against ranked opponents – #7 Mike Larson of the Tigers and #13 Chris Chionuma of the Cowboys.

For the box scores and descriptions from Cornell and Hofstra, see here and here.

Kelly vs. Ndiaye, Phototrens.com

Fans in attendance in New York City were able to watch some top level high school action in addition to the college duals as the placement matches of the PSAL Holiday tournament took place on Sunday at MSG as well.

Long Branch (NJ) took the team crown at the event, with champions at 138 (Nick Menkin), 145 (Nick George), 160 (Jake George) and 220 (Vincent Roselli).  In second place was Section 2’s Columbia, followed by the PSAL’s Brooklyn Tech.

One of the most anticipated finals happened at 113 pounds where two-time state champion Kyle Kelly of Chenango Forks took on 2012 state runner up Cheick Ndiaye of Brooklyn International.  Kelly jumped out to an early lead and looked like he might get the pin but Ndiaye fought his way back into the match.  However, Kelly closed out a 6-4 victory in a battle between two wrestlers who will be among the top contenders at 113 in Albany in Division I and II, respectively.

Kelly’s teammate Jake Green captured first place in a challenging 126-pound field.  Green topped Grand Street’s Keanu Thompson 4-2 in the title bout with multiple time All-American Travis Passaro of Eastport South Manor grabbing third.  (Thompson defeated Passaro in Saturday’s semifinals).

Outstanding Wrestler honors went to Tottenville’s Santo Curatolo, who won at 120 pounds by first period fall.  That was one of three quick pins for Curatolo in the event.  His other victory was a 13-1 major.

The silver medal team from Columbia had a pair of champions, including heavyweight El Shaddai Van Hoesen, who pinned all four of his opponents and was only pushed into the second period once.  His teammate Angelo Kress had a similar experience at 152 pounds – four matches and four falls.

The other champions were: John Busiello of Eastport South Manor (99), Noah Malamut of Poly Prep (106), Saidyokub Kahramonov of New Utrecht (132), Adis Radoncic of RKA (170), Matt Roberts of Monsignor Farrell (182) and Kevin Tynes of Brooklyn Tech (220).

For full brackets, see here.

Outside of New York City . . .

While the focus of many wrestling fans was on the Big Apple, there was plenty of quality wrestling featuring New York wrestlers around the state and even in the Pacific Time Zone.  Here are a few notes from the weekend:

Wantagh saw its first dual action of the season at the David Bloom Memorial event.  The Warriors went 4-0, defeating New Rochelle, Sachem North, East Islip and one of Rhode Island’s top squads, Cumberland.

In one of the significant results of the day, Wantagh’s 182 pounder James Corbett continued his strong start to the season with a 5-2 victory over Gio Santiago of Sachem North, the 2012 Suffolk County champion who was sixth at the state tournament.  Corbett had a solid 32-6 season a year ago while wrestling at 160, 170 and 182 pounds and took fourth at the Section 8 tournament.  Now 7-0 with five pins and a technical fall, he’ll be a wrestler to watch in the upperweights this season.

Barbaria, Photo by BV

In a matchup of wrestlers with a great chance to travel to Albany in February, New Rochelle’s Nick Barbaria, an All-State wrestler at 99 pounds a year ago, picked up a quality win over NHSCA All-American Kyle Quinn, 5-3 at 113.

And Further Upstate . . . 

Spencerport won the Batavia Christmas Tournament on Saturday by almost 30 points over Blairsville, Pennsylvania.  Leading the way for Spencerport were champions Kaleb Pascoe (99), Brandon Barrett (113), Trent Englauf (182) and Collin Pittman (195).  Elmira was third as Sean McGinley took first at 285 and Charlie Kennedy (120) and Curtis Grant (138) earned second.  Royalton Hartland also made its presence felt with a trio of champions – Cameron Swick at 106, Drew Hull at 152 and Alex Jensen at 182.

Schaefer, Photo by BV

The Alexander Green and Gold Tournament in Section 5 showcased a number of state title contenders.  Warsaw won the event by a wide margin, with Rush Henrietta second and Fairport third.

Among the champions were All-State grapplers Corey Hollister of Perry (113), Dan Reagan of Lewiston Porter (145), Warsaw’s Burke Paddock (160) and Most Outstanding Wrestler (182) Tim Schaefer and Zack Bacon of Hornell (220).  For more detailed results, see here.

Koll and Lapresi Impress In Pennsylvania . . .

Lansing took 23rd at the King of the Mountain tournament at Central Mountain High School in the Keystone State . . . and the Bobcats did it with only two wrestlers entered in the event.  2011 state champion Will Koll dominated his way to the 126 pound title, with pins in his first four bouts before notching a 7-4 decision over Ryan Easter in the championship match.  2012 state titlewinner Connor Lapresi made his mark at 138, putting up bonus points in his first four matches before dropping a 7-2 decision in the title bout.

Kelley, Porter Place at the Reno Tournament of Champions in Nevada

Two Section 2 schools, Shenendehowa and LaSalle, headed out West with a handful of their starters to meet some out of state competition at the Reno Tournament of Champions.

Kelley, Photo by BV

Leading the way for the New Yorkers was Nick Kelley, who took third place at 138 pounds.  He began the event on a roll, winning his first four matches by fall, including an 16-second pin in his initial contest.  In the semifinals, Kelley lost an 8-6 match in overtime, however, he came back to dominate his next bout 11-4 to take the bronze.

Also making the podium for the Plainsmen was Jesse Porter at 132 pounds.  Porter entered the tournament as the 14th seed, but made an impressive run, winning his first two matches before dropping a 1-0 decision to eventual third place finisher Robbie Rizzolino of Easton, Pennsylvania. Porter responded with four victories in the wrestlebacks, including three pins.  He won his seventh place tilt 5-2 over Zack Edwards of Broken Arrow High in Oklahoma.

Two Shenendehowa grapplers came within one victory of the medal stand, but took different paths to get there.  182 pounder Levi Ashley dropped his opening match to bronze medalist Ian Baker of California.  However, he quickly rebounded, capturing five straight in the consolations before Brock Warren of Broken Arrow ended his run.  Meanwhile, David Almaviva, the ninth seed, won his first two contests before losing to Tanner Bailey of Broken Arrow. He rallied with two wins in the wrestlebacks.

Zach Joseph went 3-2 for Shenendehowa at 152 pounds while Corey Ali (2-2) and Kevin Parker both took the mat at 120 for the Plainsmen.  Freshman Joseph Clemente turned in a solid showing for LaSalle, with a 3-2 mark at 138 pounds while his teammates Mark Pelton (152), Paul Andreoli (152) and Eric Rider (126) also competed.

Shenendehowa took 21st place as a team in a field of more than 110 squads.  Canon McMillan (PA) took the gold overall.

For the full Reno Tournament of Champions bracket, see here.

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For more results from the weekend, see here.

To report results, e-mail newyorkwrestlingnews@gmail.com

 

 

 

 

Weekend Recap: From Cornell and Army in Vegas to the Nittany Lion to High School Action, Including the Andersen and the Return of Vespa and Paddock

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For the second consecutive year, Kyle Dake was atop the podium at the prestigious Cliff Keen Invitational in Las Vegas.  The three-time NCAA champion eased his way through the tournament, pinning his first two opponents and then outscoring his foes 32-4 in his remaining three matches.

Kyle Dake, Photo by BV

Dake wasn’t the only finalist for the Big Red, which took third as a team behind Ohio State and Missouri with six total placers.  Also making the finals was freshman Nahshon Garrett, who continued his strong start in a Big Red singlet with a runner up finish to #4 Alan Waters of the Tigers.  The two will meet again in a few weeks in New York City at the “Grapple at the Garden” event.

All-American Mike Nevinger made the medal stand for the second year in a row in Vegas, as he took fourth at 141.  Chris Villalonga and Stryker Lane were both unseeded coming into the event, but both earned sixth place spots (at 149 and 285, respectively), while Jace Bennett took seventh at 197.

Joining the Cornell grapplers on the podium were a pair of Army wrestlers.  Nationally-ranked Daniel Young took eighth at 149 while Paul Hancock was seventh at 165.  The Black Knights stood 24th in the team standings.

Former Suffolk county standout Steven Keith of Harvard was fifth at 141 while Johnson City’s Pete Capone notched fourth at heavyweight for Ohio State.  For full brackets, see here

Cornell, Buffalo Each With Three Placers at the Nittany Lion Open

Photo by BV

The Cliff Keen Invitational wasn’t the only significant college tournament this weekend.  On the East Coast, Penn State hosted the Nittany Lion Open, an event with some brackets of more than 60 entrants.  A number of wrestlers representing Empire State teams impressed, with Mark Lewandowski of Buffalo taking second at 165 pounds behind last year’s NCAA champion, David Taylor.  Lewandowski’s teammates Max Soria (seventh at 125) and Wally Maziarz (eighth at 157) also placed.

For Cornell, Billy George and Joe Stanzione were both fourth, at 197 and 141, respectively while Ryan Dunphy took seventh at 149.

For the Finger Lakes Wrestling Club, Brian Realbuto continued his stellar year on the mat, making the semifinals before being disqualified. Mark Grey took sixth at 133, winning four straight after a second round loss in sudden victory to eventual runner up Jimmy Gulibon.  In the fifth place contest, Nassau’s Anthony Abidin, headed to Nebraska next year, defeated Grey, 9-3.

Former Duanesburg star Nick Gwiazdowski continued his successful redshirt campaign, taking first at heavyweight with a convincing major decision over Penn State’s Jimmy Lawson in the title bout.

For full results from the Nittany Lion Open, see here.

High School Weekend Watch – Andersen Tournament

In the high school ranks, there were a number of quality events throughout the state.  One was up North in Section 3, as the Bill Andersen Tournament was host to squads from Sections 2, 3, 4, 5 and 10.  When the brackets were released, fans were intrigued by the possibility of returning state champion Zack Zupan of Canastota meeting Christian Dietrich, an All-State wrestler from Greene who missed all of last season with injury.  The match came to fruition in the 182-pound finals, but there wasn’t much drama. Zupan notched a number of takedowns in a 13-5 victory.

Brandon Lapi, Photo by BV

Two-time state champion Kyle Kelly of Chenango Forks looked strong at his new weight, capturing the title at 113 pounds with two pins, followed by major decision in the finals.  Other New York state tournament veterans such as multi-time placer Brandon Lapi of Amsterdam and four-time qualifier Isaiah Perry of Massena earned gold at 132 and 138, respectively.

Section 4 power Greene showed that it will be very tough in the middle to upperweights with finalists in four straight weights, starting at 152. All-State wrestler Dan Dickman began the run with the title at 152, edging Tommy Quinlan of Fayetteville-Manlius in a 6-5 decision.  Mike Beckwith (160) didn’t have any close matches as he earned two pins and didn’t give up any points in his other contests while Joel Roselle (170) also had a pair of falls (and a technical fall) in addition to a 1-0 title bout victory over Daniel Smith of South Jefferson.

Smith and South Jefferson finished atop the team standings, led by a host of top three placers, including champions Jared Carroll (99) and Caleb Beach (106).  In addition, Jon Crast was second at 132 while Antonio Diaz was the runner up at 220.  In bronze position were Ryan Charlebois (195) and Trevor Cowles (160).

For full results see here.

Returns for Vespa and Paddock

Seeing the names Vinny Vespa and Aaron Paddock in the box scores from events this weekend was a welcome site.  Aaron Paddock recorded a fall at 170 in Warsaw’s meet with Campbell-Savona.

Meanwhile Vespa wrestled at 99 pounds for Monroe Woodbury, taking MOW honors at the Carlucci Duals at SUNY Purchase.  Monroe Woodbury won the title at the event with a finals victory over Section 1 power Fox Lane.  For a detailed account of that event, see here.

Battle at the Beach

In the weekend preview, we spoke about the Battle at the Beach taking place despite severe damage to host Long Beach High School.  (The event was moved to Lynbrook High).

Dan McDevitt, Photo by BV

Wantagh won the event convincingly, with an improved Hewlett squad taking second and Syosset grabbing third.  NHSCA Nationals All-American Kyle Quinn of the Warriors earned Most Outstanding Wrestler honors after defeating Long Beach’s Steven Sewkumar in an exciting 113-pound final.  Also capturing titles for the Warriors were Jonathan Loew at 99 pounds, Chris Araoz at 132, Vinny Turano at 138, Nick Vines at 145, returning All-Stater Dan McDevitt at 170 and James Corbett at 182.  Turano and McDevitt beat teammates in the finals –  Matthew Langan and Richard Grillo, respectively.

Several other wrestlers stood out.  Vito Arujau made a successful debut for Syosset at 106, dominating his way to the title.   According to NYWN contributor Irwin Loew, 160-pound winner Tim Davidson of Kellenberg had a stellar day on his way to the top of the podium.  Other champions were: Mike Petrone of South Side (120), Simon Greebel (Hewlett, 126), Konstantin Parfiyev (James Madison, 152), Dan Choi (Syosset, 195), Matt Mott (Lynbrook, 220) and Lester Enriquez (Hewlett, 285).  For more results from this event, see below.

Team Scores

1. Wantagh 357.5

2. Hewlett 210.5

3. Syosset 200

4. Clarke 150.5

5. Long Beach 133.5

Championship Finals

99 – Jonathan Loew (Wan) TF Alex Vargas (Syo) TF 18-2 3:46
106 – Vito Arujau (Syo) pinned Jack Nicholas (Syo) F 1:06
113 – Kyle Quinn (Wan) dec. Steven Sewkumar (LB) 6-4
120 – Michael Petrone (SS) md. Tyler Constantine (Clk) 12-1
126 – Simon Greebel (Hew) dec. Joe Hoffman (Clk) 4-1
132 – Chris Araoz (Wan) TF Charlie Curcio (Lyn) 16-0
138 – Vinny Turano (Wan) dec. Matt Langan (Wan) 7-3
145 – Nick Vines (Wan) dec. Rob Rosenberg (Hew) 3-2
152 – Konstantin Parfiryeva (Mad) def. Michael Tropiano (EM) by dflt
160 – Tim Davison (KM) pinned Joe Truono (Clk) F 0:48
170 – Dan McDevitt (Wan) TF Rich Grillo (Wan) 16-0
182 – James Corbett (Wan) TF Cedrick Stephens (Win) 15-0
195 – Dan Choi (Syo) pinned Zamarr Allen (LB) F 3:19
220 – Matt Mott (Lyn) pinned Enndy Nunez (Clk) F 0:35
285 – Lester Enriquez (Hew) dec. Mark Ifraimov (Mad) 7-0

Most Outstanding Wrestler: Kyle Quinn (Wantagh, 113)

Most Falls, Least Time: Matt Mott (Lynbrook, 220) – 4 in 7:19

 

For details on more of the high school action this weekend, see here.

To report results, please e-mail newyorkwrestlingnews@gmail.com

 

Weekend Watch: "Battle at the Beach" Goes on Despite Severe Hurricane Damage, Plus Andersen Tournament and the Cliff Keen Invite in Vegas

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While the first tournament of the season is always something to look forward to, it’s a little more special for some of those headed to the Lynbrook High School this weekend.

“The start of competition is exciting every year,” said Long Beach head coach Ray Adams. “But this year, it’s definitely a little more exciting than usual.”

That has a lot to do with Hurricane Sandy and its aftermath, as Long Beach was one of the many communities devastated by the storm.

“Every kid was impacted in one way or another,” Adams said. “We had kids whose homes were destroyed, who lost cars, clothes, heat and so much more.  Families were displaced.  Not a good situation at all.”

Long Beach High School also suffered significant damage to the gym, wrestling room, team uniforms and much more.

It was unclear whether the ninth annual Long Beach “Battle at the Beach” would be held.

“We knew we couldn’t have it at our school,” Adams said. “But we really still wanted to keep the tournament going to start off the season.  We knew a lot of teams would be looking forward to coming.  We are thankful to Lynbrook coach Richie Renz and Athletic Director Tom Graham who have done so much.  They stepped up and offered to run it there.”

While the tournament will be in a new location, it will still have the same tough competition.  In addition to Long Beach and Lynbrook, a number of Long Island squads will be in attendance, including one of the state’s best teams – Wantagh.  They will be joined by East Meadow, Clarke, South Side, Syosset and Hewlett. Representatives from the PSAL will also make the trip, including Eagle Academy, Wingate and a PSAL All-Star team as well as the CHSAA’s Kellenberg.

The full entry list hadn’t been submitted at the time of the interview, but Adams pointed to the 113-pound class as one that would feature many accomplished wrestlers.  Adams mentioned the possibilty of Long Beach’s Steven Sewkumar, Wantagh’s Kyle Quinn and Syosset’s Nick Rondino competing in that bracket, among others.

“Practice has been really good for the kids after everything that happened,” Adams said.  “It helped get everyone back with their friends and into a normal routine again. We’ve been traveling about 20 minutes to Calhoun every day to practice and everyone is working really hard.  We’ve been trying to make the best out of the situation.  We can’t wait to get the season started.”

In addition to the Battle at the Beach, there are a large number of high quality high school tournaments taking place this weekend as wrestling season kicks into high gear, including one not too far away at MacArthur which will include teams from Sections 1, 8, 9, the CHSAA and PSAL.

In fact, there are too many events to mention.  However, one to keep an eye on is the Andersen Tournament at Cicero North Syracuse High in Section 3, featuring not only several strong programs in that Section, such as the host school, Canastota, Fulton and South Jefferson, (among many others), but also squads from Section 2 (Amsterdam), 4 (Chenango Forks, Greene, Windsor, Elmira), 5 (Canandaigua, Rush-Henrietta) and 10 (Massena, Canton-Potsdam).

Zack Zupan, Photo by BV

Among the many storylines will be tournament debut of defending state champions Kyle Kelly and Zack Zupan at new weight classes and the start of a new era at Fulton under Chris Stalker after the departure of longtime coach Mike Connors.  In addition, fans will have a chance to watch Christian Dietrich of Greene, who accomplished a rare feat when he was All-State as a seventh grader in the middleweights (152 pounds).  After missing a full year due to injury, Dietrich made a successful return this week up at 195 pounds, with a pin against Dryden in just over a minute.

College Action

On the college scene, the biggest tournament of the weekend takes place in Nevada.  Two of the Empire State’s squads, Cornell and Army, will participate in the 32-team Cliff Keen Invitational, which features close to 70 ranked wrestlers this year.

Kyle Dake was the champion in Vegas a year ago at 157 and will look to repeat at 165.  In the 2011 version of the competition, the Big Red also had finalists at 125 (Frank Perrelli) and 184 (Steve Bosak).

Cornell’s new starting 125 pounder, Nahshon Garrett, is off to a 13-0 start in his freshman campaign and will look to go deep into the tournament in a class featuring six of the nation’s top 20.  With Bosak not ready to return to the lineup yet, former Palmyra Macedon star Craig Scott will look to keep the Big Red on the podium at 184 and improve upon his 10-2 rookie record.

Both Mike Nevinger and Chris Villalonga have placed at this event in the past and will aim to do so again, at 141 and 149 pounds, respectively.  The Big Red captured the tournament title in 2010.

Army will take part in the Cliff Keen for the second consecutive year.  The Black Knights will be led by nationally-ranked 149 pounder Daniel Young and 184 pounder Collin Wittmeyer, who has compiled a 10-5 record to date.  In his rookie campaign, Bryce Barnes has picked up nine wins at 197 pounds, matching the victory total of 165 pounder Paul Hancock.

In other Division I action, both Hofstra and Binghamton will be looking for their first ‘W” of the season when the Pride take on Penn, Lehigh and Drexel and Binghamton faces Oklahoma.  Meanwhile, Buffalo will participate in the Nittany Lion Open in Pennsylvania.

 

To report results of weekend events, please contact: newyorkwrestlingnews@gmail.com

 

National Champion Chris Araoz of Wantagh Chooses Columbia

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Photo courtesy of the Araoz family

 

By Irwin Loew

Chris Araoz, the reigning NHSCA Junior Nationals champion from Wantagh announced today that he will be attending Columbia University of the Ivy League in New York City next year.  Araoz will be joining forces with head coach Carl Fronhofer, a former NCAA finalist at Pittsburgh, as well as his former high school teammate Chris Loew (now a freshman at Columbia) and Suffolk County standout Matt Leshinger of Sayville, who made his decision a few weeks ago.  Wantagh has had a good run over the last several years, sending wrestlers into Division I programs such as Harvard, Hofstra, Binghamton and Edinboro.

Araoz went on several recruiting visits and was looking at West Point, University of Pennsylvania and Princeton.  He had several reasons for choosing Columbia, including feeling very comfortable with the diverse coaching staff of Fronhofer (NCAA finalist), Roman Fleszar (two-time All-American at Hofstra), Adam Hall (two-time NCAA All-American at Boise State) and Hudson Taylor (three-time All-American at Maryland).  He loved the feeling of being in the Big Apple and that he will be close to home and to his brother who attends Fordham in the Bronx.  And, he felt that getting a Columbia education and competing in New York will be a great experience.

After placing second at the Section 8 tournament as a junior, Araoz had a great offseason, capturing the national title at 120 pounds at Virginia Beach. With that performance, he became the first Wantagh wrestler, as well as the first Section 8 and Nassau County grappler to achieve this feat. Keep in mind, this comes from a program that graduated current Ohio State head coach Tom Ryan, a former All-American at Iowa under the legendary Dan Gable.

After that championship, Araoz continued to work extremely hard this offseason, attending practices at the Wantagh 3 Style Wrestling Club several times per week under the tutelage of current head coach and Hall of Famer Paul Gillespie and assistant Reggie Jones, who was recently voted in as a National Hall of Fame member.  He also wrestles at the Ascend Wrestling Club with Craig Vitagliano.

Araoz competed at Fargo over the summer and more recently wrestled at the Iron Horse Invitational in New Jersey where he finished with two wins and two losses in a bracket that contained four nationally-ranked wrestlers.  He also won three matches at the Super 32 Challenge.

Gillespie holds Araoz in very high esteem, saying that he loves the intensity of his senior co-captain, who is as focused as any wrestler he has coached over the last 30 years.  He emphasized that Aroaz works hard seven days per week and is the first one in the room and the last one out.  The coach further stated that Araoz is very coachable and picks up everything, and finished by saying that he wished he had a hundred more kids like Araoz.

Araoz has been an important part of Wantagh’s team success during this career.  During his tenure as a Warrior, the team finished first in the New York State tournament, was crowned the Dual Meet champions in 2011-12 and won three out of the last four Section 8 titles in Division I.  On an individual note, Araoz will be one of the favorites to win a state championship at 132 pounds this year.

The newest Columbia recruit acknowledged wrestlers that came before him and set the bar high at Wantagh (and who also come back to visit and help) such as Paul Liguori, Steve Bonanno, Joe Barbato, John Greisheimer, Nick Fitzmaurice and Chris Loew.

He would like to compete at the next level at either 133 or 141 pounds.

Araoz answered some questions about his commitment . . . and a few other topics.

What were the main reasons you chose Columbia ?

Chris Araoz (CA): It’s the fourth best school for academics in the nation.  I loved being in New York City and I really liked the team and the coaches.

What stood out to you on your official visit? 

CA: The first thing I did when I got there was watch the team lift and they were all really into it and worked together well. Also, I loved that it was only an hour train ride to get there from my home.

What were some of the other schools you seriously considered?

CA: West Point, Princeton, and UPenn.

What weight do you expect to wrestle in college?

CA: Either 133 or 141

Are there any particular workout partners you look forward to wrestling with in college?

CA: I definitely look forward to wrestling with assistant coach Adam Hall.

Did the fact that several other NY wrestlers you may know picked Columbia have an impact on your decision?

CA: Not really.  For the most part, I knew people on all the teams I was looking at, but it is nice to know that there are some other New York guys on the team.

After the County finals [Araoz finished second and didn’t receive a bid to the state tournament], what did it mean to you to win the NHSCA Nationals?

CA: It meant everything. It gave me another chance to really show how I can wrestle and it felt good to win something big after such a disappointment.

Did you get a lot of recruiting attention after that win?

CA: Yes, almost all of the schools I considered contacted me after the tournament.

What are your goals for yourself in your senior season?

CA: To win a county, state, and national title.

What have you done over the spring and summer to prepare for this year?

CA: Just a lot of wrestling, big tournaments and lifting.

What areas do you think you’ve most improved on?

CA: I think my neutral wrestling has gotten way better since last season.

Who are some of the people who have most influenced your wrestling over the years?

CA: Definitely all of my coaches but also some of the older Wantagh guys like Joe Barbato [now at Harvard] and Steve Bonnano [All-American at Hofstra]. Both were former Wantagh wrestlers.

What’s something wrestling followers might not know about you?

CA: I lost almost every match I wrestled in 8th grade.

Any idea about what you’re interesting in studying in college?

CA: Probably Economics

Who are your favorite college wrestlers to watch now and why ?

CA: Kyle Dake and David Taylor because they’re so dominant and I’m really excited to see them go at it this year.

What was your most memorable high school wrestling event?

CA: When we beat MacArthur in my eighth grade season

What motivates you?

CA: I just love winning and knowing I had to work hard for it.

What type of music do you listen to before you wrestle?

Just about anything, but mostly rock or rap.

What was the last movie you saw?

Shooter

What was the last book you read?

Beowulf

What’s something people would not know about you?

I was voted biggest flirt in school.

 

Hernandez, Fabian, Dellavecchia, Calderone and Chambers Add Another Summer Title at Wantagh Tournament

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Louis Hernandez, Photo by PhotoTrens, http://www.phototrens.com

Louis Hernandez has spent the summer trying to not only win matches, but to win those matches convincingly.

“I like to be dominant and be in the driver’s seat,” he said. “I try to go out there and break my opponent.  I definitely don’t like to leave the match in the referee’s hands.”

This August, mission accomplished.

The Mepham junior won his second tournament in the past three weeks when he captured the 155-pound title at the Wantagh Summer event on Saturday after earning the championship at the Ken Lesser Memorial Summer Heat earlier in the month.  In those two tournaments five of his six wins were by bonus points and the other was a comfortable 8-2 decision.

“I’m really happy with the way I’ve been wrestling,” he said. “All my training is paying off.”

Hernandez has been motivated by the way his sophomore campaign ended.  He compiled an impressive 26-4 record but missed a chunk of the season in January.  When he returned to the lineup in February, he earned the Section 8 title and had high expectations for his first appearance in Albany.

“My goal before the season even started was to win counties and go All-State,” he said. “But I broke my rib the week before the state tournament. I still went and gave it everything I had.  Even though I didn’t do as well as I wanted to, I thought it was a good experience to compete there to get ready for next year.”

At the Times Union Center, Hernandez dropped a one-point decision to John Northrup of Rush Henrietta in his opening bout before recording a 17-1 technical fall over Richie Lupo of Union Endicott in the wrestlebacks.  In his next contest, eventual fifth place finisher Dale White came out on top, 8-5.

“He didn’t place but he wrestled well at states,” said Craig Vitagliano, who coaches Hernandez at Ascend Wrestling Club. “I think he put things in perspective and realized what he did despite being injured.  He’s been wrestling the whole spring and summer.”

Hernandez said he has followed a simple regimen throughout the offseason.

“Lift, run, wrestle,” he said. “That’s what I’ve been doing.  I work out in the gym in my basement, go out for a run and go to Ascend to practice. I am focused on learning and getting better.”

Vitagliano believes he’s on the right path.

“[Hernandez] is one of the most talented kids I’ve ever coached,” Vitagliano said. “He’s a natural who is physically mature for his age.  He’s extremely strong and athletic and great on his feet.  He also has that killer instinct.”

That killer instinct has served him well in his bonus wins in the past few weeks.  He hopes to keep piling up the victories as he puts himself to the test several more times before his high school season begins at either 145 or 152 pounds.

“I definitely want to go to Super 32 [in North Carolina] this year and try to be an All-American there.  I’ll also be going to Waterway Duals in Pennsylvania because there’s always some great wrestling in that state.  I want to get as much good competition to prepare for this season as I can because I’m hungry for a state title.  That was what I was thinking after my last loss at states – I’ve experienced states now and next year, I plan to win the whole thing.”

TJ Fabian, Photo by PhotoTrens http://www.phototrens.com

Hernandez wasn’t the only wrestler to win the title at Wantagh after finishing on top at the Summer Heat earlier in August.  The same could be said for a pair of East Islip grapplers, Jesse Dellavecchia (109) and Chris Chambers (198) as well as returning state placers Joe Calderone of Walt Whitman (123) and TJ Fabian of Shoreham Wading River (141).  All were dominant. Fabian and Calderone both had two pins while Chambers had a pin and a major and Dellavecchia outscored his opponents 26-1.

About 180 wrestlers took the mat at the tournament in four divisions – Youth, Middle School, High School and Open.  One of the organizers, Ray Handley Sr., was pleased with the event overall.

“We had wrestlers from a lot of different places – Albany, New Jersey and of course Suffolk and Nassau,” he said. “We lost the football players because of the timing, but the crowd was great and we got a lot of help to make it run well and end on time.  All the money we raised goes back into the program to help with the travel during the season. Our goal with the tournament is to get the wrestlers sharp in the summer and I think we saw some quality wrestling throughout the day, at all levels, from Youth to Open.”

 Championship Results – High School

102 CJ Archer (Rocky Point) over Jordan Richter (Longwood), 6-0

109 Jesse Dellavecchia (631 Elite) over Ryan Holzgruber (Ascend), 5-0

116 Gary Sidoti (Wantagh) over Paul Capobianco (VHW), 8-2

123 Joe Calderone (Walt Whitman) over Kevin Parker (Journeymen), Pin

129 Tyler Walsh (West Islip) Fft Travis Passaro (631 Elite)

135 Vinny Turano (Wantagh) over Chris Cataldo (5 Star), 18-2

141 TJ Fabian (X-Cel) over Brandon Aviles (Huntington), Pin

148 Ken Gallagher (VHW) over Brandon Mendez (Huntington), 5-4

155 Louis Hernandez (Ascend) over Chris Morrissey (Albany Titans), 18-3

163 Dennis Ferro (East Islip) over Matthew Russo (Apex), 7-2

173 Steve Schneider (Levittown) over Andrew Psomas (Lions), 5-0

185 James Corbett (Wantagh) over Kevin Rodriguez (Pat-Med), 3-2

198 Chris Chambers (East Islip) over Christian Araneo (Ward Melville), 14-0

223 Joe Marcantonio (Calhoun) over Larry Baker (Wantagh), Pin

Championship Results – Middle School

Dylan Rider (631 Elite) over James Langan (Wantagh)

John DeRidder (Wantagh) over Kyle Mosher (Gladiators)

Thomas Rohan (Wantagh) over Joe Conklin (Wantagh)

Johnny Devine (Albany Titans) over Albert Hernandez (Grand Avenue)

 

Elijah Rodriguez (Gladiators) over Tyrese Byron (Gladiators)

Harley Lopes (VHW) over Daniel Finkelstein (Jericho)

Caleb Wilson (Kensington) over John Hayes (Wantagh)

Championship Results – Open

Jamel Hudson (Quiet Storm) over Kevin O’Hagan (Sachem North)

Evan Wallace (Albany Titans) over Nick Miceli (X-Cel)

Elton Gonzalez (Fallout) over Chirs Dolon (Unattached)

Anthony Bonaventura (Warzone) over Brian Adriance (Albany Titans)

Steven Hromada (Rocky Point) over Carlos Torres (Fallout)

Christian Psomas (Lions) over Steven Vidal (Fallout)

Championship Results – Youth

Marco Codignotto (Wantagh) over Aidan Araoz (Wantagh)

Josiah Encarnacion (Wantagh) over Nico Berlingeri (Olympic)

Christian Encarnacion (Wantagh) over Bobby Moore (Wantagh)

Joe Moore (Wantagh) over Nicholas Killard (Wantagh)

CJ Andres (N Haledon) over Joe Russo (Wantagh)

Kyle Mosher (Gladiators) over Kerik Pollock (SEQKWA)

Stefan Major (631 Elite) over Jacob Tutuska (Brentwood)