Author: Mike Carey

North and Weigel Notch Wins But Are Eliminated On Day 1

Congratulations to Pine Bush junior Andrew North and Onteora senior Austin Weigel for competing admirably in one of the toughest high school wrestling tournaments in the country, The Super 32 Challenge.  Although they were eliminated on Day 1 of the tournament and did not place, both wrestlers recorded multiple victories competing against some of the toughest wrestlers in the nation. 

North began his day in style with a 1:30 pin over Aslan Kilic of Georgia.  In his next match, North lost a hard fought 4-0 decision to Spencer Lee of Pennsylvania.  Lee went on to win his next two matches and is in tomorrow’s quarterfinal round.  In his first consolation match, the Pine Bush junior grinded out a 2-1 victory over Georgia’s Logan Sims.  North’s tournament came to an end when he lost a heart-breaker 3-2 over fellow New Yorker Nick Barbaria.  A junior who wrestles for Section 1’s New Rochelle, Barbaria finished 6th in the state at 99 pounds last year.

Onteora’s Austin Weigel also started his day with a victory notching a 4-3 victory over Mitchell Hensley of Indiana.  In Weigel’s next tilt, he was defeated 7-1 by Matt Gancayco of Maryland.  Weigel bounced back with two consecutive victories in the consies, a 5-2 decision over Delaware’s Aaron Dennis and a 6-4 victory over fellow New Yorker Johnny Vrasidas.  Weigel was eliminated from medal contention when he was pinned by PA stud Colton Peppelman in the first period.

Piccininni and Brady Only New Yorkers In Quarterfinals

In one of the biggest stories of Day 1, defending NY state champion Nick Piccininni (Ward Melville, Section 11) defeated Zahid Valencia of California at 113 pounds.  Valencia is the #1 ranked wrestler in the country at 106 pounds.  Piccinnini also pinned NJ state qualifier John Amato during Day 1 action.  Shayne Brady of Section 3’s Carthage HS is the only other NY wrestler to advance to the quarterfinal round.  Wrestling at 182 pounds, Brady will have to meet Pennsylvania’s Jacob Taylor in his quarterfinal bout.  Brady was a state runner-up at 170 last year. 

 

 

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

Clinic Will Feature Former NCAA Champ Mitch Clark

 

Check Out This Awesome Promo For Their Upcoming Clinic!

http://www.flowrestling.org/video/656149-Journeymen-Wrestlings-NY-States-Fall-Clinic

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 16^th.
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.

 

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
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

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

 

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