Author: Mike Carey

Super 32 Challenge Weekend

Onteora’s Austin Weigel to Battle for Belt at 170; Pine Bush’s Andrew North Entered at 106

The Super 32 Challenge has become the toughest preseason wrestling tournament in the country.  Every year, approximately 1500 of the top wrestlers from across the country make the trip to Greensboro, NC to test their skills against the best of the best.  Onteora senior Austin Weigel (pictured) and Pine Bush junior Andrew North are the only two Section 9 wrestlers making the journey.  Weigel qualified for the event via his 2nd place finish at a qualifying tournament in Shippinsburg, PA were he dropped a hard fought 7-5 decision in the finals to PA state champion Garrett Peppelman. 

Like every other weight class at the Super 32, 170 pounds is loaded.  Some of the “big guns” registered include Cody Wiercioch (2X PA state champ), Zach Epperly (3X VA state champ), Brett Harner (3X state place winner in PA), Nick Vonegidy (2X NC state champ), and Peter Renda (PA runner-up who is nationally ranked).

North’s competition at 106 will be just as fierce.  Many of the favorites at this weight will come from the the Northeast.  PA stud Luke Pletcher leads the way but he will be joined by other Intermat ranked wrestlers including Nick Suriano (NJ), Luke Karam (PA), Kyle Bierdumpfel (NJ), and Gage Curry (PA).

Best of luck to Austin and Andrew! 

Betsy Veysman from newyorkwrestlingnews.com has put together an excellent article which highlights all of the New York wrestlers entered in the event.  Intermat’s Josh Lowe has provided an outstanding weight-by-weight breakdown of the Super 32.  Links to both articles are below.

     New York Wrestlers at the Super 32            Intermat’s Weight-By-Weight Breakdown

 

Empire State Games Returning in 2013

For many years The Empire State Games was a “staple” of summer wrestling for New Yorkers.  Budget cuts led to the cancellation of the event a few years ago…but now they’re back.  The Empire State Games (ESG) will return next year in Rochester, NY from July 24-28.  Put this event on your calendar as it promises to be a blast.  Below is a link that will direct you to the ESG Wrestling homepage.  More details will be come available as the event nears. 

                                               Empire State Games – Wrestling

Warrior Elite Pre-Season Prep Course

The Warrior Elite Wrestling Club will be starting its “Pre-Season Prep Course”.
October 12-November 16

Lead by former Division 1 Wrestler and Expert Grappling Champion, Heath Macaluso, the course will run 6 weeks on Friday nights from 6:30-7:30pm.

His workouts are non-stop with highly diverse training to ensure his students get in great shape, drill the important offensive & defensive techniques, and get a lot of live wrestling time.  His goal is to give Warrior Elite grapplers an edge when entering the season.  The 6 Week Program is only $99.

The Course is open to all wrestlers from all schools, ages 5-18. 

His Mixed Martial Arts facility is packed with tons of Core training equipment and the Only true OCTAGON in the area.  “Kids love grappling in the Octagon”, says Macaluso.  “It just adds an interesting twist. Makes kids wrestle more aggressive”.  The course also pushes proper strategy when battling your opponent.  “Kids do the right things at the wrong times.  Most of the younger kids can read a time clock or know the score.”  He goes on to say his training is very diverse, very consistent, focusing on fundamental and not flashy stuff.  “I’ve been able to bring kids from no wins to champion using a system covering all aspects of a match. And then we drill, drill, drill.”

Pre-Season Prep
1)       Drills
2)       Speed, Strength Training
3)       Live Wrestling
4)       Wrestling in the Octagon!

Starts October 12, ends November 16th.
Friday Night Mayhem 6:30-7:30pm
Former Division 1 Wrestler Coach Heath Macaluso
And great Guest Coaches to get a jump start on your 2012-2013 Season.

 

Hudson Valley Challenge Results

Section 9 Has 12 Finalists…Booth, Milisci, and McGuire Win Titles

Rebounding after a disappointing showing at last year’s event, Section 9 Wrestling made a convincing statement at Sunday’s 2012 Hudson Valley Challenge held at Port Jervis High School.  A dozen Section 9 wrestlers made it to the finals and three locals were crowned champion of their weight class.

Dylan Booth of Port Jervis defeated Dylan Lynn of Tuxedo by a score of 10-2 at 113 in an all S9 final to earn his title.  Booth punched his ticket to the finals with a 9-1 major decision over Liam Mathis of Old Lyme, CT.  Lynn gained his finals birth by pinning Logan Losito of Wallkill in the semis.

Washingtonville senior Mark Milisci captured the 152 pound weight class with an impressive 4-2 victory over Jimmy Devine of Columbia.  Milisci was able to wrestle in the finals after defeating Tom Murphy from SIR wrestling in NJ by a 3-2 margin.

NFA junior Kyle McGuire pinned all three of his opponents en route to capturing the 195 pound title.  Two of McGuire’s victories came against fellow Section 9 wrestlers Elliot Marzano (Kingston) who finished second and Josh Conklin (Port Jervis) who placed fourth.

The other Section 9 wrestlers who made it to the finals were Chris Cuccolo (Pine Bush) 106, Justin Clavell (Washingtonville) 120, Ryan Ferro (Warwick) 132, Brett Johnson (Cornwall) 138, Austin Weigel (Onteora) 170, Randy Wilson (Port Jervis) 182, and Sam Weinger (Washingtonville) 220.  Congratulations to all of the wrestlers who competed in this year’s event and special thanks to The Friends of Section 9 for organizing the tournament.  Great job!

                                                            Final Brackets

Elem 1-3                       Elem 4-6                         Middle School                      High School

West Point Wrestling Club Has Started!!!

West Point Wrestling Club
Practice Every Monday and Wednesday
Arvin Gymnasium, West Point, NY

Grades 7-12 practice from 7:15 – 8:30
Season 1:  October 1 – November 14 (14 sessions)
Cost: $200 all sessions, $125 per month, or $20 per session

Season 2:  March 4 – April 15 (22 sessions)
Cost:  $275 all sessions, $125 per month, or $20 per session

Grades K-6 practice from 6:30 – 7:30
Season 1:  January 7 – May 15 (38 sessions)
Cost:  $300 all sessions, $75 per month, or $20 per session

WPWC Staff:
Joe Heskett – Army Head Wrestling Coach, NCAA champ & 4X AA at Iowa State
Paul Young – Army Assistant Coach, 3X NCAA qualifier for Indiana
Dan Mitcheff – Army Assistant Coach, NCAA All-American at Kent State
Enock Francois – Army Volunteer Assistant & Head Club Coach, 3X NAIA All-American 

                                                  www.westpointwrestlingclub.org

2012 Journeymen Classic Results

Weigel 3-0 Wins His Pool….Stramiello and Raccioppi Record Wins

Onteora senior Austin Weigel won all three of his matches and won the 170B pool at the 2012 Journeymen Classic on Sunday.  Weigel began his day with a 5-3 decision of NJ state qualifier Daesean Brown.  In his second match he defeated fellow NY wrestler John Messinger (Section 1) by a 12-8 margin.  Weigel capped of his perfect day with a inj. def. (2:17) victory over Dale White of John Jay East Fishkill.  White, a returning NYS placewinner, is considered one of the top wrestlers in the state.  White dropped a 1-point decision to 2X state champion Jimmy Kloc in the finals of last year’s Eastern States Classic.  Weigel was leading White by 4 or 5 points at the time of the injury default.  Congratulations Austin!!!

Pine Bush junior Johnny Stramiello went 1-2 on the day and finished 3rd in the 120B pool.  In his first match Stamiello, a 3X Section 9 champion, dropped a 6-2 decision to Blake Retell of NY (Section 2).  Retell is also a 3X NYS qualifier.  Stramiello bounced back with an impressive 3-1 victory over MD placewinner Morgan Way.  In his final bout, Stramiello lost a heartbreaking 7-5 overtime decision to VA placewinner Josue Beltran.  Ahead by two points with only a few seconds left, Stramiello stopped wrestling when he mistakenly responded to the whistle of a referee on an adjacent mat.  Beltran took advantage of Stramiello’s error and recorded a match tying reversal as time expired.  Betran then scored a takedown in OT for the victory. 

Minisink Valley sophomore Michael Raccioppi went 1-2 for the day but was able to finish 2nd in the 125C pool.  Raccioppi dropped an opening round 4-1 decision to fellow NYS qualifier Corey Ali from Shenendehowa.  In his next match, Raccioppi hit a “text book” lateral drop and pinned NJ state qualifier Peter Ottaviano at the 2:41 mark.  In his final match Raccioppi lost a hard fought 4-2 decision to eventual pool winner Connor Muli of New Jersey.  Ali, Raccioppi, and Ottaviano all finished 1-2 however Raccioppi was awarded 2nd place in the pool via “quality win” criteria (pin over Ottaviano).

Congratulations to Austin, Johnny, and Michael.  It’s a considerable achievement just to be entered into an invitational of this caliber.  The three of you represented yourselves, your families, and the entire Section 9 wrestling community with honor.  Great job guys! 

For complete tournament results, click below.

                                                      2012 Journeymen Classic Results

 

2012 Journeymen Classic Takes Place on Sunday!!!

Section 9’s Stramiello, Weigel, and Raccioppi Ready To Go

Hey all of you wrestling junkies out there!  Are going through wrestling withdrawal like I am???  I have the cure…hop in your car on Sunday and head up to Niskayuna High School to watch the 2012 Journeymen Classic.  Last year’s inaugural event was a huge success and this year’s event should be even better!  Some of the best wrestlers from NY, NJ, PA and New England are competing as well as a few die-hards from as far away as VA, NC, and MD.  Flowrestling will be on hand to cover what promises to be one of the toughest and most exciting preseason wrestling tournaments in the country.

The Journeymen Classic is an upper level tournament…it’s not open to just anyone who feels like entering a wrestling tournament.  Hundreds of wrestlers applied for an entry however only the most credentialed wrestlers were accepted.  Section 9 was fortunate enough to have three of our very best earn the right to compete.  Three-time Section 9 champion Johnny Stramiello is entered at 120 pounds.  Stramiello, a junior from Pine Bush, placed 6th in NYS last season.  Onteora senior Austin Weigel is entered at 170 pounds.  Weigel was the D2 champ at 152 last season on was one victory away from placing at the state tournament.  Weigel has already qualified for the Super 32 tournament.  In the qualifying event, he lost in the finals by a score of 7-5 to PA state champion Garrett Peppelman.  Minisink Valley sophomore Michael Raccioppi is the final Section 9 entry.  He will be competing at 125 at the Classic.  Raccioppi was a state qualifier last season going 1-2 at the state tournament and also placed 7th at last year’s Eastern States Wrestling Classic.  Best of luck to all three wrestlers!!!

Here is a brief list of some of the most decorated wrestlers entered in the 2012 Journeymen Classic:
Tommy Aloi (106) – from VA, finished 2nd at NHSCA Junior Nationals
Brent Fleetwood (113) – from DE, nationally ranked by Intermat and Flowrestling
Nick Piccininni (113) – Will the defending NYS champ get a shot at Fleetwood???
Michael Bedard (120) – NC state champ is also a Fargo All-American
Michael Cefolo (120) – NJ state champion
Kevin Jack (120) – CT state champ was also 1st at the Eastern States
Sean Peacock (130) – Can the NYS champ stay with the NJ studs entered at 130?
Scott Delvecchio (135) – NJ state champion
Nick Kelley (140) – Shenendehowa senior was a Fargo All-American
Colby Dean (145) – 3X Virginia state champion
Jonathan Schleifer (160) – NJ junior was the NHSCA sophomore national champ
Chris Chorzepa (170) – CT native was the New England HS champion
Pete Renda (182) – PA stud is nationally ranked!!!
Jesse Webb (285) – VT junior is a 2X NHSCA champion

Renzo Gracie Wrestling Program

Wrestlers who are looking to get a jump start on their competition may want to consider trying to sharpen their skills at The Renzo Gracie MMA Academy’s Wrestling Program.  The Gracie Wrestling Program, located in the Appliance City Plaza on Route 211 in Middletown, is run by two top-notch wrestling coaches, Drillmaster’s Ron Jones and the Marine Greco-Roman Team Coach Keith Byard.  For more information go to RenzoGracieMMAAcademy.com.