Jamie Franco Earns Spot at 125; Ruggirello Falls Short In Upset Bid In Hofstra Wrestle-Offs
After wrestling for the past three seasons at 133 pounds, Monroe Woodbury graduate Jamie Franco dropped down to 125 and has earned the starting spot for his senior campaign. Franco, a 2X NCAA tournament qualifier, had his hands full in his final wrestle off bout squeaking out a 1-0 victory over Kyle Krasavage, a true freshman from PA. Valley Central grad Cody Ruggirello almost pulled off an upset at 149 losing by a 5-3 score to Ohio State transfer Cam Tessari who finished 4th in the country in 2012. Ruggirello, however, will likely start for the Pride until the second semester when Tessari will be officially eligible to compete.
Army Wrestle-Off Results; Warwick Grad Connolly loses 3-2 at 149
The Army Black Knights kicked off their season with the annual Black Gold Scrimmage which serve as the teams wrestle-offs for the 2013-2014 season. Army sophomore Shane Connolly, a 5X Section 9 champion from Warwick Valley High School, came within a takedown of earning a starting spot when he lost 3-2 to Ryan Bilyeu at 149 pounds. Click here for a link to an article including complete results from the Army Wrestling website.
Super 32 Results; Former Section 9 Wrestlers Cuccolo and Rambarose Compete In Event Dominated By PA Grapplers
Pine Bush resident and current St. Benedicts Prep, NJ wrestler Chris Cuccolo went 6-2 for the weekend and came within a two matches from placing at 106. After winning his first match by pin, Cuccolo dropped his second bout 3-2 before reeling off 5 straight wins in wrestlebacks! Former Minisink Valley wrestler Mason Rambarose went 2-2 at 132. Rambarose, whose family moved to CT last year, lost his opening bout 6-0 but bounced right back to win his first two consie matches before being eliminated in his 5-2 loss to BC Laprade from VA. Great job both guys!
Overall, the Super 32 was once again dominated by PA wrestlers. 14 of the 28 finalists were PA natives with 8 of the 14 champs hailing from the Keystone State. NY had two finalists and crowned one champion as Yianni Diakomihalis from Section 5 Hilton HS won the title at 106. For full results and a recap of this year’s Super 32 Challenge go to www.intermatwrestle.com.