Pre-Season Rankings are out!!!!

How do we know that the wrestling season has officially started???  Simple….because SectionIXwrestling.com’s pre-season rankings are out!  For the first few weeks of the season, we will be doing a combined D1 and D2 ranking.  We will do separate D1 and D2 team rankings throughout the entire season.  Let the debates begin!!!

 

Preseason Rankings

Wt.                   1st                             2nd              _           3rd_____   ___4th_____
 99           Vespa(MW)                  Daly (MV)                  Cuccolo(PB)            Smoot(MW)        
106          Raccioppi(MV)            Sweeney(Corn)         Booth(PJ)                Sebesta(Wall)
113           Stramiello(PB)            Krieder (Corn)          Bastone (NFA)        Baum (MW)
120          Ginley (War)                Bolger (VC)               Rambrose(MV)       Jackson (Midd)
126          Hodes (RV)                  Januszkiewicz(NP)  Gomez (Mont)         Clark (VC)
132          Corradino(War)          Dimler (RV)               Robles (PB)             Brown (Midd)
138          Connolly (War)           Murphy (MW)           Morse (RV)              Muller (PJ)          
145          Wierzbicki (War)        Roth (Corn)               Voelker (MW)         Cuilty (NFA)
152          Sauschuck (PJ)            Sommer (RV)            Weston (PB)            Edwards (PJ)
160          Bedross (War)              Sause (PB)                 DeCarlo (PJ)           Vandercliff (MW)
170          Casey (Wash)                Nelson (Midd)          Martinez (Lib)        Mayo (MV)
182         Sannella(MV)                Milano (MW)           Mentz (Saug)           Sliter (War)
195          Leavell (War)                Hassan (VC)             Gagnon (Corn)        Merenyi (Gosh)
220         Gorelov (War)               Edmond (King)       Hanlon (MV)           Winters (Wall)
285         Stanley (Saug)              Stauble (King)          Cheeks (NFA)         Corcoran (Eld-Fall)

Archived Rankings: (printable Word document…includes full names and grades)

Pre-Season Rankings

Army’s Thome Takes Home Title At Body Bar

Army junior Jordan Thome won four matches on Saturday enroute to earning the 133 lb. title at The Body Bar Invitational.  Thome defeated Chris Dardanes from the University of Minnesota by a 9-8 score to capture the crown.  He won his other three bouts by the scores of 12-0, 7-0, and 5-4.  James Raftery (157), Coleman Gracey (165), and Michael Gorman (184) all earned 6th place honors for the Black Knights who finished 7th out of 12 teams.  Host Cornell took the team title with Kent State and the University of Virginia rounding out the top 3.  Virginia is coached by 1995 Middletown graduate Steve Garland.

UVA Head Coach and 1995 Middletown graduate Steve Garland

Other locals at the Body Bar included Lock Haven’s Matt Parlier (Port Jervis, 2009) who went 1-2 at 197 lbs. and Dingmans Ferry, PA native Joe Stanzione who placed 5th at 133 wrestling for Cornell. 

Final Brackets for The 2011 Body Bar Invitational

WRESTLING SEASON BEGINS TODAY

Warwick's Mitch Wightman and Minisink Valley's Kyle Diesel met in both the Section 9 and state finals last year! Could you be next?

November 14, 2011…the day is finally here!  Today is the day for which so many of you have been waiting…today marks the first day of practice for the 2011 – 2012 wrestling season!  SectionIXwrestling.com would like to wish good luck to all of the wrestlers, parents and coaches as we embark on this new season.  The New York State Wrestling Championships take place on February 24th and 25th in Albany, NY.  Wrestlers….your journey to Albany begins today!  Make it happen!

 

** New Weight Classes For The 2011-2012 Season**
                     99, 106, 113, 120, 126, 132, 138, 145, 152, 160, 170, 182, 195, 220, 285

MW Grad Franco Takes 6th at Binghamton Open

Hofstra University red-shirt sophomore Jamie Franco placed 6th at 133 pounds in 2011 Binghamton Open held on Sunday in the West Gymnasium on the campus of SUNY Binghamton.  Franco, a 2009 Monroe Woodbury graduate, went 4-3 on the day.  Hofstra returns to action on Sunday, 11/20, in a home match against Wisconsin.  To view the  completed bracket for the 2011 Binghamton Open, click on the link below. Congratulations Jamie and keep up the good work!

2011 Binghamton Open Final Bracket

 

Black Knights Finish 4th at Oklahoma Gold Classic

The Army Black Knights wrestling team placed 13 wrestlers and finished 4th in the team standings at Saturday’s Oklahoma Gold Classic held at SUNY Brockport.  Junior Jordan Thome placed second at 133 pounds.  Daniel Young (149), Jim Raffert (157), and Collin Wittmeyer (174) all placed third for Army.  Click on the link below to read the full story from the Army Wrestling website.

Army Places 4th at Oklahoma Gold Classic

 

Warriors shine at East Stroudsburg Open; Biddle 3rd, Diesel 4th

Minisink Valley graduates Jeremiah Biddle and Kyle Diesel placed 3rd and 4th, respectively, at Saturday’s East Stroudsburg Open.  Biddle, a red-shirt senior, wrestles at 133 pounds for Division 1 Bloomsburg University.  The 2007 Minisink graduate was a 2X state qualifier in high school.  Diesel, a 174 pound true freshman, wrestles for Merchant Marine Academy.  Kyle finished second at the NYS high school championships this past February after losing in the finals to Warwick graduate Mitch Wightman.  It is the only time that two Section 9 wrestlers have met in a state final.  Congratulations to Jeremiah and Kyle for their outstanding performances!  Both of you have once again made Section 9 proud!!!  To view the completed brackets of The 2011 East Stroudsburg Open click on the link below.

2011 ESO Brackets

 

Intermat releases rankings, Section 1’s Realbuto #1 at 152

 Intermat Wrestling has released their pre-season high school rankings for the 2011-2012 season.  Somers High School (Section 1) senior Brian Realbuto was selected as the top 152 pound wrestler in the nation.   Realbuto, who will be attending Cornell University next fall, is a 2X New York State champion and also was a freestyle gold medalist in Fargo this past summer.   Pennsylvania dominated the rankings with 5 wrestlers grabbing top honors including sophomore phenom Chance Marsteller at 160 pounds.  Marsteller, who went undefeated last year in winning the state title as a freshman at 152 pounds, is already considered by many to be the best pound for pound wrestler in the country.  Below is a list of all of the Intermat #1 selections.   
                                                                                                      

Brian Realbuto (Somers HS)

106: Darian Cruz (Pennsylvania)                      
113: Jarred Brooks (Indiana)
120: Nick Roberts (Pennsylvania)
126: Jimmy Gulibon (Pennsylvania)
132: Mark Grey (New Jersey)
138: Nate Skonieczny (Ohio)
145: Jason Tsirtsis (Indiana)
152: Brian Realbuto (New York)
160: Chance Marsteller (Pennsylvania)
170: Taylor Massa (Michigan)
182: Jordan Rogers (Washington)
195: Devin Peterson (Wisconsin)
220: Josh Marchok (Illinois)
285: Brooks Black (New Jersey) (attends Blair Academy in NJ, but is a PA native)

Saugerties’ Bermudez reaches TUF 14 Finale

2006 Saugerties graduate Dennis Bermudez has reached the finals of the Spike TV reality series The Ultimate Fighter (TUF).  The winner of TUF 14 Finale will receive a contract to fight in the UFC.  Bermudez won his semi-final bout over Akira Corassani by forcing a first round submission via guillotine choke.  TUF 14 Finale takes place on December 3, 2011 at the Palms Casino Resort in Las Vegas, Nevada.  Good luck to Dennis….the entire Section 9 wrestling community will be rooting for you!

Port grad Zitone excelling at Centenary

Port Jervis graduate JD Zitone is currently a junior at Centenary College in Hackettstown,

Port Jervis graduate JD Zitone

NJ.  He is the #4 ranked 285 lbs wrestler in NCAA Division III.  JD finished his sophomore year with 21 victories and earned a trip to the NCAA DIII National Tournament via  winning the Metropolitan Conference.  JD just earned his first tournament championship of 2011 – 2012 season with a victory over #9 ranked Matt Mahon of Ithaca at the Ithaca Invitational.  Zitone tallied 5 victories including three by way of pin!  Congratulations JD….keep up the good work!