UE Duals, Shoreline, and More This Weekend … Eastern States Classic 
Just Around The Corner!!!
It’s go time! The holidays are behind us and wrestlers have their (much appreciated) 2-pound growth allowance. For the teams that want to claim that they are among the best in NY….we bring you the UE Duals. For the individual wrestlers who believe that they can “make some noise” in Albany….what better place to prove it than the Shoreline and the Eastern States Classic!!! Below is a brief preview of these and a few other events that are now upon us in this crazy stretch of wrestling!
UE Duals
The Union Endicott Duals has earned the reputation as the unofficial NYS dual meet championship. This title has come with considerable argument over the past few years as several powerhouse teams have not been able to attend the event. This will not be the case this year! Of the 15 teams that are scheduled to compete in the tournament this year, 14 of them are either ranked in the top-10 or appear on the honorable mention list of the most recent NYSSA Team Rankings.
Section 9 is fortunate enough to have 2 teams competing at the UE Duals this weekend. Monroe Woodbury (ranked #5 in NYS) and Minisink Valley (#10) will lay it on the line against the best teams in the state. Good luck to both squads!
For an excellent preview of the UE Duals, check out Betsy Veysman’s article on newyorkwrestlingnews.com.
Shoreline Invitational
A handful of Section 9 teams will take the short trip to New Rochelle to take part in the always competitive Shoreline Invitational. Fans can anticipate a few showdowns that could prove to be “previews” of medal matches for the state tournament in February. Of note, 3X Section 9 champion Johnny Stramiello could lock horns with Walt Whitman’s Joe Calderone if both wrestlers make it to the 113 pound final. The 120 pound weight class is clearly the deepest in the tournament with Alex Delacruz (Ossining), Mike D’Angelo (Commack), and John Muldoon (Pearl River) occupying the top 3 seeds.
The following Section 9 wrestlers have received top-4 seeds for this weekend’s Shoreline:
Chris Cuccolo, Pine Bush #1 @ 99 Tom Wightman, Warwick #1 @ 138
Johnny Stramiello, Pine Bush #2 @ 113 Chris Weston, Pine Bush #1 @ 160
Joe Ginley, Warwick #2 @ 126 Connor Leavell, Warwick #1 @ 182
AJ Aeberli, Warwick #3 @ 132 Chris Giordano, Warwick #4 @ 195
Other Tournament Involving Section 9 Teams
According the the OCIAA website:
Washingtonville and Goshen will be at the Roy C. Ketcham Tournament
Onteora will attend the Petrides Tournament on Staten Island
Saugerties will compete at a tournament in Oneonta.
The Eastern States Classic Is Only One Week Away!!!
The Eastern States Classic, without question, has become the most difficult individual wrestling tournament in NYS. Many of the arguments over who is the best wrestler at a given weight class will be settled next Friday and Saturday on the campus of SUNY Sullivan. Unlike the NYS Championships in February, the Eastern States Classic does not separate Division 1 and Division 2 schools. As of right now, there are 114 teams represented including teams from NY, MA, CT, and VA. We will get to see 13 state champions and 81 state place winners get after it!!!
Yours truly has been invited to appear as a live guest, Saturday 1/5 at 10:00 am EST on TakeDown Radio hosted by Scott Casber, to provide a preview of this year’s Eastern States Classic. To listen to the interview, go to www.takedownradio.com. Scott’s interview with me will begin at 10:00 am EST and will last approximately 15 minutes.