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Due to an unforeseen and unavoidable school issue, the MAWA district qualifier scheduled for April 4th at Middletown High School has been cancelled.

Cody Ruggirello – Hofstra, 149 (Valley Central)  4X Eastern States Classic Champion
Prelims: #14 Ruggirello dec 9-7 over Hunter Steiber (Ohio State)
Round 16: #3 Davis Habat (Edinboro) maj dec 12-2 over #14 Ruggirello
Consies: #14 Ruggirello wbf 2:04 over Kyle Langenderf (Illinois)
Consies: #14 Ruggirello maj dec 8-0 over Garrett Schaner (Stanford)
Blood Round:  #14 Ruggirello vs. #8 Alex Richardson (ODU)…winner is an AA!

Russell Parsons – Army, 157
Prelims: #1 Isaiah Martinez (Illinois) tech 18-2 Parsons
Consie: Aaron Walker (Citadel) dec 8-4 SV-1 over Parsons ….Russell is out

Coleman Gracey – Army, 165
Prelims: #14 Gracey dec 9-5 over Adam Fierro (Cal St Bkfld)
Round 16: #3 Isaac Jordan (Wisconsin) dec 9-6 over #14 Gracey
Consies: Clark Glass (Oklahoma) dec 6-2 over #14 Gracey …Coleman is out

Brian Harvey – Army, 174
Prelims: #6 Logan Storely (Minnesota) dec 11-9 over Harvey
Consies: Harvey maj dec 12-3 over Ryan Wolf (Rider)
Consies: #5 Blaise Butler maj dec 13-5 over Harvey …Brian is out

Bryce Barnes – Army, 197
Prelims: #5 Scott Schiller (Minnesota) dec 7-2 over Barnes
Consies: #12 Tim McCall (Wisconsin) dec 5-1 over Barnes…Bryce is out

William Smith – Rutgers, 285 (High Point, NJ)
Prelims: #1 Nick Gwiazdowski (NC State) dec 8-2 over Smith
Consies: Smith maj 8-0 over Jacob Kettler (George Mason)
Consies: Smith maj dec 12-2 over #15 Ross Larson (Oklahoma)
Consies: Ty Walz (Virginia Tech) dec 5-1 over Smith…Will is out

NCAA Qualifiers Who Competed in the
Eastern States Classic

Dominick Malone – Stanford, 133 (Wyoming Seminary) 2012 ESC Champ @ 126
Prelims: Cody Brewer (Oklahoma) wbf 3:28 over Malone
Consies: Malone maj dec 11-0 over Ian Nickell (Cal State Bakersfield)
Consies: #14 Rossi Bruno (Michigan) wbf 1:26 over Malone…Dom is out

Steven Rodriguez – Illinois, 141 (Fox Lane, Section 1) 2011 ESC Champ @ 130
Prelims: #6 Nick Dardanes (Minnesota) dec 8-4 over Rodrigues
Consies: Rodriguez dec 11-4 over Tyler Small (Kent State)
Consies: #12 Joey Ward (North Carolina) maj dec 12-3 Rodriguez …SRod is out

Kevin Jack – NC State, 141 (Danbury, CT) 2012 & 2013 ESC Champ @ 106, 120
Prelims: Jack dec 6-3 over #5 Dziewa (Iowa)
Round 16: Jack dec 6-5 over #12 Joe Ward (North Carolina)
Quarters: Jack dec 10-8 over #4 Devin Carter (VA Tech)…Jack in semis…he’s an AA!!
Semis: Jack vs. #1 Logan Stieber (Ohio State)

Chris Perez – Princeton, 149 (MacArthur, Section 8) DNP @ 2012 ESC
Prelims: #8 Alex Richardson (Old Dominion) dec 8-6 over Perez
Consies: Perez med fft over Gabe Moreno (Iowa Sate)
Consies: Perez dec 10-6 over Ken Theobold (Rutgers)
Consies: BJ Clagon (Rider) dec 7-5 over Perez…Chris is out

Brian Realbuto – Cornell, 157 (Somers, Section 1) 2011 ESC Champ @ 135
Prelims: #2 Realbuto maj dec 9-0 over Oliver Pierce (Arizona State)
Round 16: #2 Realbuto tech fall 17-0 over  Anthony Collica (Oklahoma State)
Quarters: #2 Realbuto dec 11-9 SV-1 #7 Ian Miller (Kent State)…on to semis!!
Semis: #2 Realbuto vs. #3 Dylan Ness (Minnesota)

Dylan Palacio – Cornell, 165 (Long Beach, Sect. 8) 2011 & 2012 ESC Champ @145, 152
Prelims: #12 Palacio maj dec 14-4 over Troy Reaghard (Pitt)
Round 16: #5 Bo Jordan (Ohio State) dec 7-2 over #12 Palacio
Consies: #12 Palacio dec 8-6 over Dakota Freisth (Wyoming)
Consies: #4 Nick Sulzer (Virginia) dec 7-6 over Palacio…Dylan is out

Tyrel White – Columbia, 165 (Whitehall, S2/Wyoming Seminary) 5th 2012 ESC @ 138
Prelims: Mike England (Missouri) dec 3-2 over Tyrel White
Consies: Connor Brennan (Rider) dec 4-2 over Tyrel White … Tyrel is out

Nick Gwiazdowski – NC State, 285 (Duanesburg, Section 2) 2011 ESC Champ @ 215
Prelims: #1 Gwiazdowski dec 8-2 over William Smith (Rutgers)
Round 16: #1 Gwiazdowski maj dec 14-1 over #16 Evan Knutsen (North Dakota State)
Quarters: #1 Gwiazdowski maj dec 11-3 over #8 Jimmy Lawson (Penn State)…on to semis!
Semis: #1 Gwiazdowski vs #5 Connor Medbery (Wisconsin)

 

The Friends of Section 9 held their annual end of the year awards banquet on Sunday night at Kuhl’s Highland House in Middletown.  The top 4 D1 and top 2 D2 wrestlers in each weight class were recognized for their outstanding 2014-2015 wrestling season.  There were also several “special” awards given out.  A complete  list of all the award winners is available by clicking on the below link.  Some of the winners included:

Wade Harris, Red Hook – Cpt. Stephen Leslie Most Courageous Wrestler
Gunnar DeYong – John Bell Section 9 Lifetime Achievement Award
Sal Interdonato – Friends of Section 9 Person of the Year
Frank Tschan Team of the Year – Minisink Valley – finished #1 in NYS
Friends of Section 9 Coach of the Year – Kevin Gallagher, Minisink Valley
Mark Faller Coach of the Year, Championship Tournament Team – John Gartiser, MW
Troy Bouzakis Senior Wrestler of the Year – Michael Raccioppi, Minisink Valley
Troy Bouzakis Senior Wrestler of the Year – Da’mani Burns, Newburgh Free Academy
D’Aliso Scholarship – Quinn Zsido, Cornwall
DeCapua Scholarships – Matt Lopez (MV), Mike Raccioppi (MV), Da’mani Burns (NFA), Hunter Curreri (PJ), Alec Guevara (Wallkill), Thomas Wighman (Warwick)

2015 Section 9 Banquet Award Winners

Perhaps the most important announcement of the evening came at the very end when Wallkill Coach Jeff Cuilty announced the launch of a brand new training opportunity right here in Section 9 – The Friends of Section 9 Wrestling Club!  A thriving wrestling club is something that is sorely missing in our region.  As a wrestling community, we need to embrace the concept of working together during the off season.  The purpose of this club is not to replace any of the team-based clubs that exist in Section 9.  They are also important and should continue.  The FS9 Wrestling Club will serve as an additional training option to allow wrestlers to improve individually by training with other top-notch wrestlers from around the Section!  If you need some evidence of the effectiveness of working together during the off season, take a quick look at the top 5 Sectional teams at this year’s NYS wrestling championship.

Section 11 – Ascend Wrestling Club (and others)
Section 8 – Vougar’s Honor Wrestling
Section 5 – G2 Wrestling Academy
Section 1 – Iowa Style Wrestling
Section 9 – ????

Training together works for all of the other top wrestling sections around the state.  If we give it a chance, it will work for us as well.  Steel Sharpens Steel!!!

FS9 Wrestling Club Flier
Registration Form

NCAA Division III Championships
Saugerties grad James Bethel, Minisink Valley grad Kyle Diesel, and Delaware Valley (PA) grad Cary (CJ) Palmer will all compete in this year’s DIII Championships being held in Hershey, PA.  Bethel, the #6 seed, wrestles at 285 for SUNY Oneonta.  The freshman is 36-4 this season and has not lost since November.  He has avenged all 4 of his losses this season and hopes to keep his momentum going throughout the weekend.  Bethel, who finished 3rd in NYS at 220 last season, does not turn 18 until Monday!  Diesel wrestles at 174 pounds for Wilkes University. The red-shirt junior is 23-8 on the season and is making his second trip to the national tournament.  Diesel finished 2nd in NYS as a senior for Minisink Valley.  Palmer, who wrestles for Hunter College, is the #5 seed at 141. He is 31-1 for the season and definitely has the potential to open some eyes this weekend.

Results:
DV Grad CJ Palmer is a DIII National Champ at 141!!!!
141 prelims: Palmer (Hunter)  dec Binion (North Central, IL) 5-2
141 quarters: Palmer (Hunter) dec Jones (NYU) 5-4…CJ in semis
141 semis: Palmer (Hunter) dec Loht (Messiah) 3-2…CJ knocks off #1 seed…finals next!
141 finals: Palmer (Hunter) dec Van Anrooy 4-2  SV-2…CJ is a National Champ!!!
174 prelims: Lefever (Wabash) dec Diesel (Wilkes) 8-6 – Lefever is #1 seed
174 consies: Diesel (Wilkes) maj dec Allen (Olivet) 11-1
174 consies: Thomson (Messiah) dec Diesel (Wilkes) 4-1… Kyle is out
285 prelims: Bethel (Oneonta) pin Peleg (Ursinus) :40
285 quarters: Bethel (Oneonta) dec Green (Trine) 9-2…James in semis
285 semis: Longendyke (Augsburg) dec Bethel (Oneonta) 8-4
285 consies: Bethel (Oneonta) wbf Maresh (Alma) 4:24
3rd Place: Roseberry (Del. Val) wbf Bethel (Oneonta) 5:14
Congrats to James Bethel…All American…4th in Nation

NY vs. NJ at Bergen Catholic to Support Pinning Down Autism
Now in its 5th year, The Pinning Down Autism All-Star Dual has become one of the most popular post season events in the region.  This year’s event is being held on Saturday 3/14 at 2:00 at Bergen Catholic High School in Oradell, NJ.  The wrestler representing 145 for Team NY  this year is Minisink Valley senior Michael Raccioppi!  Raccioppi, Minisink’s career wins leader, finished 2nd in NYS this year.

Results:
Ryan Burkett (NJ) dec Mike Raccioppi (NY) 1-0
NY 38 NJ 17

NYWAY D1 vs. D2 All-Star Match
For the 2nd consecutive year NYWAY will feature an all-star dual pitting D1 all stars vs D2 all stars as part of their state championship tournament up in Ithaca.  This event will be covered by FloWrestling!  Several Section 9 wrestlers will be competing in this year’s dual which will begin at 4:00 in he main gymnasium at Ithaca College.  Section 9 wrestlers who will be wrestling at the event are:

Results:
113: Pedro Rosales (Middletown) dec. TJ Philpotts (Herkimer) 6-5
145: Tristan Rifanburg (Norwich) dec Chris Truglio (Minisink Valley) 9-8
160: Alex Herringshaw (Holland Patent) dec AJ Aeberli (Minisink Valley) 7-5
182: Aaron Paddock (Warsaw) dec Kendall Elfstrum (Monroe Woodbury) 7-4
195: Jack Buell (Sherburne Earlville) dec Nick McShea (Monroe Woodbury) 9-6

Great Job to All Local Wrestlers Who Are Competed This Weekend!!!

Congratulations to Hofstra 149 pounder Cody Ruggirello, a Valley Central grad, as well as Army 174 pounder Brian Harvey for receiving wildcard births to this year’s NCAA D1 Wrestling Championships!

Sunday March 15, 2015
Kuhl’s Highland House
512 Highland Avenue Ext.
Middletown, NY 10940

Come join the Friends of Section 9 as we honor our top athletes, coaches, and others who have given their best towards improving Section 9 wrestling. Division 1 wrestlers who finished top 4 and Division 2 wrestlers who finished top 2 will be receiving awards at this year’s dinner.  (Plaques will NOT be issued to wrestlers who do NOT attend the banquet.)

$30.00 per person

Banquet registration will be done online this year. Every effort will be made to seat guests with their team but seating is limited.

To register go to:  TicketLeap.com

RESERVATIONS REQUIRED BY FRIDAY 3/13/15
no walk-ins will be permitted

Questions:
Marisa Stramiello
cell 845.467.3266   home 845.361.1366
marisa.studioayo@gmail.com

Update….

Congratulations to Army wrestlers Russell Parsons (157), Coleman Gracey (165), and Bryce Barnes (197) for qualifying for this year’s NCAA championships.  Army finished 10th as a team.  Valley Central graduate Cody Ruggirello, who wrestles 149 for Hofstra, came in 7th and will need a wildcard in order to get into the NCAAs.

Delaware Valley senior Matt Wagner finished 5th at 195 in the AAA division of the PA state tournament this weekend.  After high school Wagner will be attending the Air Force Academy where he will also wrestle.  Congratulations Matt!

High Point, NJ senior Jason Gaccione took 5th place at the NJ state championships!  Great job Jason!

Good luck to Army wrestling as well as Valley Central graduate Cody Ruggirello (Hofstra, 149) at this weekend’s EIWA Championships being held at Lehigh University.  Action can be followed live at www.flowrestling.org.

Good luck to Delaware Valley, PA senior Matt Wagner and High Point, NJ wrestlers Dom Gallo, Jared Kobis, and Jason Gaccione in their quests for state titles this weekend!
PA States                                        NJ States

Minisink Valley, Monroe Woodbury, and Wallkill Voted Top 15 NYS
The New York State Sportswriters Association released their final team rankings shortly before last weekend’s state championships and the Section 9 wrestling community should be very proud!  Minisink Valley was selected as the #1 in NYS and they were honored prior to the state finals in Albany.  Monroe Woodbury, last season’s #1 team, was voted as the #2 team this year while Wallkill finished off an impressive season by finishing #14 in NYS!  Also recognized by the NYSSWA were Cornwall and Red Hook; both teams received honorable mention selections.              NYSSWA Rankings

MV and MW Also Ranked Nationally
InterMat Wrestling’s most recent national poll recognizes both Minisink Valley and Monroe Woodbury as top 50 teams in the country.  The Warriors currently sit at #39 in the InterMat rankings while the Crusaders are ranked 44th.  Great job guys…the Section 9 wrestling community could not be prouder!    InterMat’s Fab 50

Nine Section 9 Wrestler Make the Medal Stand
A very nice showing as nine D1 wrestlers from Section 9 placed in the top 6 in the state.  For the first time in recent memory, every Section 9 D1 wrestler won at least one match….nobody went 0-2!!! Our D2 guys did not make out quite as well but we did see two small school wrestlers (Morgans and Suleiman) make it to the blood round which is one match away from placing.  Congratulations to the Section 9 placewinners!
120 – Gerard Daly (MV) 3rd place and Vinny Vespa (MW) 5th place
132 – Da’mani Burns (NFA) 3rd place and Evan Barczak (MW) 6th place
145 – Michael Raccioppi (MV) 2nd place and Ryan Ferro (Warwick) 3rd place
152 – Thomas Wightman (Warwick) 4th place
160 – AJ Aeberli (MV) 5th place
195 – Nick McShea (MW) 2nd place

Sectional Results
Our D1 team had a very solid 5th place showing in the sectional race.  Below are the top 5 sectional teams from each division.

Division 1 1. Section 11 – 312.5 points 2. Section 8 – 178 points 3. Section 5 – 172.5 points 4. Section 1 – 141.5 points 5. Section 9 – 121 points

Division 2 1. Section 3 – 278 points 2. Section 4 – 213 points 3. Section 5 – 175 points 4. Section 6 – 167 points 5. Section 2 – 119.5 points

Team Race
Awesome job by Minisink Valley and Monroe Woodbury for finishing in the top 5 in the team race.  Congrats also to Warwick who came in 15th and NFA for finishing in a tie for 27th!  Below are the top 5 teams from each division.

Division 1 1. Hilton – 71 points 2. Minisink Valley – 52 points 3. Hauppauge – 49.5 points 4. Ward Melville – 48 points 5.  Monroe Woodbury – 46 points

Division 2 1. Mexico – 104 points 2. Locust Valley – 99.5 points 3. Warsaw – 65.5 points 4. Norwich – 54 points 5. Holland Patent – 49.5 points

Individual Honors and Other Tidbits
Division 1 MOW – Yianni Diakomihalis (Hilton, Section 5) – Yianni is now a 3X NYS champion and he is only a sophomore.  He is currently ranked 3rd in the nation at 120.  He also won this year’s Eastern States Classic.

Division 2 MOW – Jordan Bushey (Peru, Section 7) – Jordan has been absolutely dominating this season!  In the state finals he won via major decision over Trevor Allard – who is a defending state champ!  Bushey also won the Eastern States Classic by pinning Kevin Parker – this year’s D1 state champ!

Piccininni a 4X Champ – Congratulations to Ward Melville senior Nick Piccininni for winning his 4th state title this weekend.  He joins Troy Nickerson (5X), Jesse Jantzen, JP O’Connor, Alex Ekstrom, and Arik Robinson as the only NYS wrestlers to be crowned champion 4 times!

How Tough Is The Eastern States Classic You Ask??? – 11 of the 15 weight classes at the ESC were won by NYS wrestlers who are competing at the same weight for the state tournament.  Of those 11 wrestlers, 10 went on to be crowned NYS champions.  Only Edwin Rubio did not win and he lost in the state finals in the UTB.  In 4 weight classes, the Eastern States Classic finals was contested by two wrestlers who were crowned D1 and D1 state champions this weekend!
145 – Dutton & Rifanburg
152 – Restrepo & Garcia
170 – Parker & Bushey
195 – Araneo & Rose