Shenedehowa dominates at U-E Duals; MW places 3rd!

Section 2 wrestling powerhouse Shenendehowa absolutely dominated the competition en route to capturing the title at the U-E Duals this past weekend.  Over the years, this tournament has developed the reputation of being the unofficial dual meet championship for New York State.  Shenendehowa rolled over perennial state power Spencerport (Section 5) by a score of 47 to 22 to win the title.  Section 9 was very well represented at U-E this year having Warwick, Monroe Woodbury, and Minisink Valley all entered in the tournament.

Monroe Woodbury, currently ranked #7 in the state, made a strong case for cracking the top 5 for the next NYSSWA poll as the Crusaders finished in 3rd place.  Monroe finished 3-1 for the tournament with their only loss coming to Shenendehowa.  Vinny Vespa, Tom Murphy, and John Vandercliff all finished 4-0 for MW.

Warwick, still battling through some illness and injury, managed to go 3-2 for the weekend and finished 6th.  The Wildcats posted victories over Chenango Forks (Section 4), Long Beach (Section 8), and Sayville (Section 11).  Warwick’s losses came to John Glenn (Section 11) and Brockport (Section 5) who finished 4th and 5th respectively.

Minisink Valley received a very tough draw being pooled with eventual champion Shenendehowa and 5th place Brockport.  The Warriors wrestled hard; however, they finished 1-4 for the tournament and failed to place.  The biggest bright spot for Minisink came from their smallest wrestler.  Minsink 99 pounder Gerard Daly finished the weekend 4-0 and posted convincing victories over a few state-ranked wrestlers.  Against Shenendehowa, Daly pinned Kevin Parker in the third period.  MW’s Vespa also pinned Parker later in the tournament.  Daly’s most impressive match, however, was his dismantling of Steven Sewkumar from Long Beach.  Sewkumar is considered by many to be one of the top two or three 99 pound wrestlers in the state.

Overall, it was a great couple of days for Section 9 wrestling…. not only at UE, but at all of the weekend tournaments. What better way to get ready for this coming weekend …The 10th Annual Eastern States Wrestling Classic!!!

 

Some Weekend Tournament Highlights

Led by tournament MOW Ethan Stanley, Saugerties finished third of 14 teams at the Oneonta tournament on Saturday.  After defeating a very tough Billy Holden from BGA in the second round, Stanley squared of with undefeated and state-ranked James Merritt from Owego in the finals.  Stanley was thrown to his back and down 5-0 before staging a comeback and eventually pinning Merritt at the 2:26 mark of the second period.  Biko Skalla(106),Chris Farrell(182), Keoni Nakapaahu(220) finished 2nd for Saugerties.  Click here for all of Saugerties individual results.

Aaron Barkstrom (126) and Ricky Treu (145) won individual titles as Red Hook placed second out of 12 teams at the Ravena tournament.  Red Hook at Ravena  Austin Weigel of Onteora also won the title at 160 pounds.

Ian Morse (138) and Paul Sommer (152) earned first place honors as Rondout Valley finished seventh as a team at The 31st Stan Elinsky Tournament at Deposit.  Also placing for Roundout Valley were John Hodes (2nd @ 120), Donavan Li (4th @220), Rudy Aguilar (4th @ 285), Eric Morse (5th @ 126), and Jonathan Nace (5th @ 113).

Cornwall defeated host Middletown by a score of 37-34 to cap off a perfect weekend going 6-0 as a team and winning the team title at the 2012 Middie Duals.  Check out the below links for team results as well as all individual results.
             Middie Duals Team Results      Middie Duals Individual Results

Pine Bush’s Jordan Robles (132) and Chris Weston (152) both finished second in the extremely competitive Shoreline Classic Wrestling Tournament held in New Rochelle on Saturday.  Also placing for Pine Bush were Johnny Stramiello (4th @ 106), AJ North (5th @ 99), and Patrick Sause (6th at 160).

Goshen’s results at the Roy C. Ketcham Duals (includes results against New Paltz, Highland, and Wallkill):  Arlington 63 Goshen 15         Brewster 75 Goshen 6
Colonie 73 Goshen 6     Goshen 45 East Ramapo 36      Goshen 48 New Paltz 36
Highland 54 Goshen 36      JJEF 65 Goshen 24             Ketcham 69 Goshen 18
Wallkill 62 Goshen 17  

 

 

Preview: Warwick, Monroe and Minisink at the UE Duals

Jon "Bones" Jones: Former Union Endicott wrestler, 2005 NYS Champ, and current UFC Light Heavyweight Champion

The Union Endicott (UE) Duals has become the unofficial dual meet state championship tournament for New York.  All three of Section 9’s top-10 state-ranked teams (Warwick, MW, and MV) will be attending.  Let’s take a look at some of the potential highlights for the upcoming weekend.

Third-ranked Warwick will compete in Day 1 pool matches against Long Beach (Section 8), John Glenn (Section 11), and Chenango Forks (Section 4) on Saturday.  Marquee match-ups for Warwick may include Justin Corradino taking on Oral Allen from Long Beach at 120lbs and Shane Connolly squaring off against James Dekrone of John Glenn at 138.  

At a glance, it would appear that Monroe Woodbury received a very favorable draw being pooled with host Union Endicott (Section 4) and Half Hollow Hills West (Section 11).  Section 6’s Clarence was originally in the pool, but has decided to pull out of the tournament.  That being said…there are typically no easy matches at UE.  Union Endicott is ranked 20th in NYS and has some outstanding wrestlers.  AJ Voelker taking on UE’s Richie Lupo at 145 could be war!  HHHW is also not without it’s heavy hitters as Tyler Grimaldi is one of the best 160 lb. wrestlers in the state.

Of the three S9 teams, Minisink Valley appears to have drawn the “short straw.”  The Warriors have been pooled with Shenedehowa (Section 2), Brockport (Section 5), Johnson City (Section 4).   Shenendehowa, the top-ranked team in New York State, has already beaten Warwick 60-15 earlier this year.  Warwick, however, was not at full-strength at the time and Minisink is young, tough, and rapidly improving…matches aren’t wrestled on paper.  This pool may contain some true, highlight-reel matches.  Watch as undefeated Warrior Gerard Daly takes on Shenedehowa’s Kevin Parker at 99 pounds and Minisink’s 106 pounder Michael Raccioppi puts his 22-0 record on the line against defending Section 5 champion Barton Peters III of Brockport. 

The four teams that win their respective pools during Day 1 advance to a championship bracket on Sunday.  It the top 4 seeds were to advance, the semifinals would pit Monroe Woodbury against Shenedehowa and Warwick would take on perennial state powerhouse Spencerport (Section 5).  Good luck to all three Section 9 teams…go for the gold!!!

New NYS Team Rankings Released…Warwick #3, Monroe Woodbury #7, and Minisink Valley #10

The New York State Sportswriters’ Association has released their NYS Team Rankings #2 and Section 9, once again, is very well represented.  Warwick holds onto their position as the 3rd ranked team in the state.  Monroe Woodbury and Minisink Valley, meanwhile, have improved their standing.  Monroe, previously ranked #8, improved by one position and is now the 7th ranked team in NYS.  Minisink Valley also improved by one slot and the Warriors are now ranked #10.  Thank’s right….Section 9 now has 3 of the top 10 ranked Division 1 (large school) wrestling teams in New York State!  Great job guys!  Click for complete list.

In Division 2 (small school), Red Hook and Onteora have both been dropped from the top 20.  The season, however, is only about half over, so they have plenty of time to get back on the list! 

***Congratulations Section 9 Wrestling!!!***

Wednesday’s Results

Results from Wednesday 1/4 as the come in:

MV 54 PJ 26  Raccioppi(MV) beats Booth(PJ) 4-3…Sauschuck(PJ) pins Fennell(MV)
MW 46 PB 22 Smoot(MW) defeats Stramiello(PB) 16-11 … Cuccolo(PB) pins Vespa(MW)
Washingtonville 64 Monticello 11  Milisci(Wash) majors Evans(Mont)
NFA 51 VC 14  Bastone(NFA) pins Campbell(VC)…Cuilty(NFA) returns, beats Florio(VC)
Cornwall 59 Wallkill 14  Storer(Corn) dec Sebesta(Wall); Johnson(Corn) dec Crespi(Wall)
Chester 42 TriValley 36  TriValley 48 Liberty 21  TriValley splits in 1st ever home duals!
Onteora 53 Tuxedo 30 Onteora’s Leighton and Weigel both record falls
Onteora 49 Ellenville 27  Ellenville 43 Tuxedo 30  Ellenville splits tri-meet 
Saugerties 75 Goshen 9 Merenyi(Gosh) dec. Farrell(S) 9-3; Stanley(S) remains unbeaten
RV 78 Millbrook 0    RV 63 Burke 6  Rondout Valley pounds opponents
Red Hook 51 New Paltz 30   Red Hook 52 Eld-Falls 23  Red Hook sweeps tri-meet

10th Annual Eastern States Wrestling Classic is January 13 & 14…100 Teams Entered!!!

The field is nearly set for the 1oth annual Eastern States Wrestling Classic (ESC).   The tournament takes place on Friday, January 13th and Saturday, January 14th in the Paul Gerry Fieldhouse on the campus of SUNY Sullivan in Loch Sheldrake, NY.  As of this moment, there are a mind-blowing 100 teams entered in this year’s event including squads from NY, PA, CT, and VA! 

Already considered one of the most challenging tournaments in the country, the Eastern States Wrestling Classic just seems to get tougher and tougher every year…this year’s event is certainly no different!  Take a look below at just a few of the teams making their inaugural ESC appearance at this year’s tournament.

Wyoming Seminary:  8th ranked team in the US; 4 wrestlers ranked top 20 in nation 
Wantagh:  NY power from Long Island; ranked #42 in the country and co-#1 in NY
Phoenix: Coached by 2X NCAA Champ Gene Mills; ’11 NYS Champ Nick Tighe is at 126
Iroquois: Coached by ’03 NYS Champ & VC grad Pat Lloyd; ’11 NYS Champ Kloc @ 145

                2012 ESC Teams                    Fan Info Packet                ESC Past Champions

Busy Week Ahead for Section 9 Wrestling!!!

Fans of Section 9 wrestling have an outstanding week of high school wrestling about to unfold in front of them.  Below I have highlighted a few of the upcoming matches and tournaments.  For your convenience I have also “linked” a complete, printer-friendly schedule for the entire week ahead. 

Tuesday 1/3 – Goshen @ Cornwall
Wednesday 1/4   PJ @ MV … Alumni Night 6:30 start…Booth vs Raccioppi
                                                     Muller/Sauschuck vs Fennell, Edwards/DeCarlo vs Mayo???
                               VC @ NFA …Cambell vs. Bastone???
                              MW @ PB …Vespa vs Cuccolo, Smoot vs Stramiello, Murphy vs Robles
                                                       Vandercliff vs Weston, Milano vs Sause???
Friday 1/6 and Saturday 1/7… Middie Duals …Middies, PJ, Corn, King and Tri-Valley
Saturday 1/7 and Sunday 1/8…UE Duals…Warwick, MW, and MV
                                                         Russ Cordell Invitational…Saugerties’ Ethan Stanley to face
                                                                   Owego’s James Merritt (17-0)!!!!
                                                         Shoreline Tournament at New Rochelle….Pine Bush

Complete Printable Schedule
 1-2-2012 to 1-8-2012

***Mark your calendar…The Eastern States Wrestling Classic is less two weeks away!!!  This years event wil take place on Friday (1/13) and Sat (1/14) at SUNY Sullivan in Loch Sheldrake, NY.*** 

Rankings #5….Who’s Dropping…Who’s Not???

Happy Holidays to you and your families!  Can it be true?  Is the Eastern States Classic less than two weeks away?  Are Warwick, Monroe Woodbury, and Minisink Valley all going to the UE Duals this weekend?  Time to get serious boys and girls!  Rankings #5 are up…let’s get it on!!!!

Remember that rankings are announced live, every Monday night, on the Section 9 Wrestling Talk Show at http://www.kjbroadcasting.com/ at 7:00 PM.  The show is archived for on-demand listening within 24 hours of original airing.

Wt.          First                       Second                        Third                     Fourth___
99
         Daly (MV)               Vespa (MW)              Cuccolo (PB)               Rivera (NFA)    106       Stramiello (PB)      Raccioppi (MV)        Ingraham (High)       Bastone (NFA) 113        Kreider (Corn)       Smoot (MW)             Rambrose (MV)        Vargas (Mont)   120       Corradino (War)   Jackson (Midd)        Hodes (RV)                Mongiello (Wash)    126       Brown (Midd)        Derham (NFA)         Andreakis(Wash)      Johnson (Corn)      132       Murphy (MW)        Roth (Corn)              Dimler (RV)               Robles (PB)           138       Connolly (War)      Morse (RV)              Milisci (Wash)            Curley (MW) 
145       Wierzbicki (War)    Muller (PJ)              Voelker (MW)           Fennell (MV)   152        Sauschuck (PJ)      Weston (PB)            Sommer (RV)            Vandercliff (MW)
160       Bedross (War)        Edwards (PJ)          Milano (MW)             Weigel (Ont)
170       Casey (Wash)          Sause (PB)               DeCarlo (PJ)              Mayo (MV)          182       Sannella (MV)        Hasan (VC)              Sakac (War)               Seth (MW)
195       Edmond (King)      Kelly (MW)              Leavell(War)             Giese (Corn)
220      Goreloz (War)        Winters (Wall)         Ortiz (Midd)              Vasco (MW)
285      Stanley (Saug)        Stauble (King)         Cheeks (NFA)            Corcoran (El-Fa)
 

               *** Printer-friendly version with full names and classes***
Week 5 Rankings

Sauschuck 2nd, Port Jervis Finishes 8th at 22-Team Christmas City Holiday Tournament at Bethlehem Catholic

Port’s Sauschuck battles Bethlehem Catholic’s  Todora in the 152lb. final of the 44th Annual Christmas City Wrestling Tournament.

Led by Bret Sauschuck’s second place performance, Port Jervis finished 8th out of 22 teams at the 44th Annual Tony Iasiello Christmas City Tournament held at Bethlehem Catholic High School.  With their 10 finalists and 7 champions, host Bethlehem Catholic High (Becahi) ran away with the team title with 308 points. Palmerton finished second with 125.5 points, followed by Wallenpaupack (114.5), Southern Lehigh (114) and Wyoming Valley West (110). Bethlehem Catholic is a national wrestling powerhouse; they are currently ranked 12th in the country by Intermat.  Sauschuck lost in the finals 9-4 in a hard fought match with Ryan Todora of Becahi.

Along with Sauschuck’s stellar tournament, Port Jervis also had 3 other wrestlers place in the top 4 in their weight class.  Dylan Booth suffered his first defeat of the season but wrestled back to a third place finish at 106 pounds.  At 145 pounds, Dylan Muller finished 3rd and at 170 pounds, Dan Decarlo earned 4th place honors.