The coaches and athletes of the Edgemont Wrestling program would like to wish all of our parents, fans and alumni a very happy holidays and extend our best wishes for a happy and healthy New Year!
We hope to see you in 2015 as we continue working hard to develop Section and State Champions!
Watch our guys prepare to win their 5th League Championship in six years with a dual meet victory over Woodlands High School!
Cliffton Wang wins his second consecutive Section 1 Championship.
It was supposed to be a re-building year.
Everywhere you looked – rankings, online forums, casual conversation in the Section 1 Wrestling community – you would hear it: “Edgemont lost a lot to graduation last year.” “They’re gonna be way down this year.” “Who do they even have left besides Aslanian and Wang?”
The highest anyone projected Edgemont to finish was a distant 5th place, well behind Nanuet, Pearl River, Pleasantville and Putnam Valley.
The Panther grapplers obviously weren’t listening.
Edgemont marched into the Section 1 Championships this weekend with its youngest, least-experienced line-up in recent memory and proved to the doubters that hard work, belief in themselves and their training and a refusal to accept the low expectations of others is what ultimately dictates their results.
Edgemont finished third overall in the team standings in what can only be described as a total team effort:
“Without question, this is the single best team effort in a Sectional Tournament that we have had in my 13 years coaching at Edgemont,” said Coach Pete Jacobson. “Everyone in our line-up contributed and the rest of our team that didn’t compete did a tremendous job the past two weeks preparing our starters for the battles they would face. I credit the hard work of our student-athletes, their buy-in to our system and close family-like atmosphere of our team for the results. I’ve never had such a tight-knit group of wrestlers.”
Congratulations to Edgemont’s twelve Sectional Placefinishers!
Cliffton Wang wins his second consecutive Section 1 Championship.
From LoHud Wrestling Blog.
Posted 24 February 2015, 12:03 pm by Vincent Mercogliano
One of the few D2 wrestlers to repeat this season was Edgemont’s Cliffton Wang. And, believe it or not, he now has two section title trophies on his mantel with two more years to go. I often get asked about D2 wrestlers who could compete for titles in D1, and Wang certainly falls into that category. In fact, he didn’t have a single loss to a Section 1 opponent this season. As he mentions below, Wang’s older brother Ray was a three-time champ who took third in the state as a senior, and incredibly, Wang will have a chance to surpass his brother’s feats. Don’t be surprised if he earns All-State honors this year. I think he has as much of a chance as any D2 wrestler. “I’m looking for bigger things,” Wang told me after winning his second section title. “It’s an exciting journey.”
Here is more from Cliffton:
Year: Sophomore
Weight class: 152 in D2
How did you get started with wrestling? My brother Ray, who was a three-time section champ and third in the state, got me started with wrestling in second grade and has been coaching me ever since.
What is it that you love about the sport? What I love about wrestling is that only you can control your success. I also love how it’s a team sport and an individual sport at the same time. You have your teammates and coaches to help you along the way, but only you can control how much time and effort you put into the sport.
What is the most challenging part about it? Everything about it. The weight cutting, the six minutes of hard wrestling, learning the techniques, and more. That’s why it’s such a great sport.
What have been some of the keys to your success this season? The mental goal to get up on the podium in Albany and also the extra practice I do in the training room and up at ISW.
How would you describe yourself on the mat? Scrambly, and aggressive.
And off of it? Smart, friendly and talkative.
Which is your favorite sports team? None.
Favorite movie? Wolf of Wall Street.
Favorite food? Pasta.
What is the best part about winning a section title? Having the opportunity to achieve my goals up at Albany.
Hey guys… just wanted to share some pics from our trip so far!
Enjoy!
2015 Section 1 State Team
Cliff and Pete – Last practice in Westchester
Bags packed! Ready to head to Albany!
Next stop Times Union Center.
Welcome to Albany
The Arena
Great workout at the arena! Almost down to weight! Cameo appearance by Coach Tyler’s yellow shoes!
Section I Team Meeting
02/25/2015, 5:15pm EST
By NYWN
We’re just a few days away. For each of the Division 2 brackets, we took a look at the returning placers and qualifiers, a first round match or two that we look forward to watching and a few other thoughts on the class.
Our Division 1 preview can be found here.
Please note that there have been changes to the brackets since the original versions were posted. For the most recent brackets, go to www.trackwrestling.com and search for “2015 NYSPHSAA State Championships.”
If you haven’t yet entered our prediction contest, feel free to do so here.
Don’t forget to visit our site during the state championships!
Returning NYS Placers: Frank Garcia (Norwich, 4), Dakota Gardner (Fredonia, 6), Andrew Shomers (Lewiston Porter, 6)
Returning NYS Qualifiers:
Cliffton Wang (Edgemont, 1), Josh Griffith (Warsaw, 5), Mike Dusold (Locust Valley, 8)
Right Off the Bat: Ralph Oswald of Hampton Bays had an emotional run to the Section 11 title. After losing his father earlier in the week, Oswald put together an outstanding performance to punch his ticket to Albany. He’ll meet a wrestler we think will make a podium push – Mike Dusold of Locust Valley – in the opening round. In addition, Israel Byler of Addison enters with a lot of momentum. He registered a number of wins over NYS qualifiers in the past few weeks of the season, including Warsaw’s Josh Grifffth twice and will take on Colby Davendonis of Hoosick Falls, a wrestler who lost just twice this year (both in overtime).
Keep an Eye On: Edgemont’s Cliffton Wang is back as a sophomore and is a medal contender, as are other 10th graders, Madison Hoover of BGAH andCaleb Beach of South Jefferson.
Norwich’s Frank Garcia has just one loss as a senior – to Jakob Restrepo of Sachem East in the Eastern States title match. He is already a two-time finalist who collected his first NYS championship at this weight a year ago. But repeating won’t be easy. A pair of Section 6 wrestlers who have both taken silver in Albany during their careers will be in the hunt. 2014 finalist Andrew Shomers of Lewiston Porter won the showdown with Dakota Gardner of Fredonia last weekend and another clash in the state semis seems like a good possibility. Both are tough, but we’ll take Norwich back-to-back with Rifanburg and Garcia.
Sophomore Cliffton Wang made his mark in Albany.
Cliffton Wang had something to prove at the New York State Championships last week in Albany’s Times Union Center.
It was the Edgemont sophomore’s second trip to the State Championships after failing to place in the tournament last year at 138 pounds to end his freshman campaign.
This year was different.
After winning his 2nd Section 1 Championship with a decisive pin over Pleasantville’s Tom Marrone two weeks earlier, Wang punched his ticket to Albany and locked his focus on finishing his season strong.
He did just that in Albany. Up two weight classes from last year at 152 pounds, in a bracket heavy with seniors, Cliffton fought through the tournament to finish 7th in New York State. He ensured himself a place in Edgemont history and continued the Panthers’ streak of having at least one wrestlers finish in the Top 7 in New York State every year for the past eight years – a statistic unmatched by any other team at Edgemont and any other wrestling program in Section I.
“Cliffton’s success is 100% the product of his consistent hard work and commitment. It’s really a lifestyle for him – 365 days a year – consistently making choices on and off the mat that get him closer to his goals. I couldn’t be prouder of how he competed. He’s a model of our Panther Tough values,” said Edgemont coach Pete Jacobson.
After mounting a thrilling come-from-behind run in his first bout against Brooklyn International’s Zafar Iskandarov, Cliffton eventually lost the bout in triple overtime. A potentially disheartening way to start his tournament, and putting him in the difficult position of losing in the first round and having to wrestle all the way back into the placement rounds.
Cliff would not be deterred. “He wrestled every match fiercely and aggressively,” Jacobson said. “He was clearly focusing on executing his game plan each match and the work he had put in to shore up his weaknesses was also very apparent.”
The result was clear – Cliffton did not lose a single bout in the tournament by more than two points. He even registered a win by pin over Northen Adirondack’s Collin Labombard – a rare feat at this level of competition.
“Cliffton proved to New York this weekend that he is capable of beating anyone in the State. With two more years remaining in his high school career, the sky is really the limit for what he can accomplish.”
Cliffton however remained focused on the present. When asked about his plan moving forward, he replied: “Take a few days off then get back to training.”
There are fewer and fewer situations for adolescents in today’s complex world where there is a clear and direct correlation between sustained hard work and achievement.
For the student-athletes that make up the Edgemont Panther Wrestling Team, this is certainly NOT the case.
Wrestling is not an easy undertaking. It doesn’t come naturally for many and it takes a lot of time and effort to see appreciable results. While this goes “against the grain” for many, those that put in that effort and see those eventual accomplishments, earn far more than accolades. They take with them one of the most fundamentally important lessons that will drive their successes for the rest of their lives:
If you dream big, keep working hard and refuse to give up on yourself, you can accomplish anything.
With the day-in and day-out grind of the wrestling season, the hard work is readily apparent – it’s the results that are sometimes hard to see.
That’s what makes our post-season so important. It’s a measuring stick for many. A chance to look back to where they were three months ago, twelve months ago or eight years ago and admire the view from a new height!
With that said, we’re proud to announce the post-season accolades received by this year’s Panther Wrestlers!
All-League:
120 lbs – Kyle Aslanian ‘16
126 lbs – James Hammond ‘151
145 lbs – Brian Evans ‘15
145 lbs – Max Worobow ‘16
160 lbs – Cliffton Wang ’17
220 lbs – John Lee ‘15
All-League Honorable Mention:
106 lbs – Andrew Williams ’17
113 lbs – George Mellor ‘17
113 lbs – Lucas Bayuelo ’18
160 lbs – Frankie Sayegh ’18
220 lbs – Lou Russo ’17
Sectional Place Finishers:
106 lbs – Andy Williams ’17 (6th)
113 lbs – George Mellor ’17 (3rd)
120 lbs – Kyle Aslanian ’16 (Finalist)
132 lbs – James Hammond ’15 (6th)
145 lbs – Brian Evans ’15 (3rd)
145 lbs – Max Worobow ’16 (4th)
152 lbs – Cliffton Wang ’17 (Champion)
152 lbs – Sam Charnizon ’15 (5th)
170 lbs – Frankie Sayegh ’18 (4th)
170 lbs – Chance Moore ’15 (6th)
285 lbs – John Lee ’15 (Finalist)
285 lbs – Lou Russo ’17 (5th)
All-Section:
120 lbs – Kyle Aslanian ‘16
152 lbs – Cliffton Wang ‘17
285 lbs – John Lee ‘15
All-Section Honorable Mention:
113 lbs – George Mellor ‘17
138 lbs – Brian Evans ‘15
145 lbs – Max Worobow ‘16
170 lbs – Frankie Sayegh ‘18
NYS Top 7:
152 lbs – Cliffton Wang ‘17
League Coach of the Year:
Pete Jacobson
Hey guys… just wanted to share some pics from our trip so far!
Enjoy!
2015 Section 1 State Team
Cliff and Pete – Last practice in Westchester
Bags packed! Ready to head to Albany!
Next stop Times Union Center.
Welcome to Albany
The Arena
Great workout at the arena! Almost down to weight! Cameo appearance by Coach Tyler’s yellow shoes!
Section I Team Meeting
Edgemont Wrestling is proud to announce its 2014-2015 Post-Season Team Award winners! In addition to the MVP and Coaches’ Award sponsored by the E-Club, Edgemont Wrestling annually presents these awards at our Post-Season Wrestling Banquet.
Here’s a quick description of our team awards.
Sean Ross Award – Named after wrestling Class of 2006 alumni and current coach, Sean Ross. This award is given to the Ultimate Teammate – always supportive and always doing whatever he can to help the team – qualities that Sean always exemplified as an athlete.
Captains’ Award – Chosen by the current captains, this award is given to the most dedicated, hardest-working freshman or sophomore during the past season
Eric Kantor Award – Named after Edgemont’s first-ever wrestling coach and long-time program supporter, Eric Kantor. The award is given to the student-athlete who best exemplifies the qualities of good sportsmanship at all times throughout the season.
George DiChiara Award – Named after Edgemont’s longest-tenured Head Coach, George DiChiara. This award is given to the student-athlete who best exemplifies the characteristics Coach DiChiara strived to teach on a daily basis – Class, Character and Competition.
David Rice Award – Named after wrestling Class of 2008 alumni, David Rice. Dave went from a barely .500 record his junior year to Section Champion, Sectionals Most Outstanding Wrestler and All-State his senior year. This award is given to the wrestler who has shown the most improvement since his last season.
Panther Award – Given to the wrestler who best demonstrates an ability to overcome adversity with mental toughness and resiliency.
MVP – Cliffton Wang ’17
Coaches’ Award – Brian Evans ’15
Academic Award – Cliffton Wang ’17
Sean Ross Award – James Hammond ’15
Captains’ Award – Georgie Guarnieri ’18
Eric Kantor Award – Kyle Aslanian ’16
George DiChiara Award – Max Worobow ’16
David Rice Award – Sam Charnizon ’15
Panther Award – Andy Williams ’17
Sean Ross ’06
Sean Ross began wrestling for Edgemont in the 7th grade. A friend of his was joining the junior high team and, although he was not entirely sure of what he was getting himself into, he figured he might as well try it out. Sean admits he was a little bit “dorky” and lacked confidence at this stage of his life. But one event would lay the foundation for all of that to change.
“I remember the first match,” recalls Sean. “I had never really wrestled before and I actually won. It was the hardest thing I had ever done at that point in my life. I was so exhausted and worn down. Physically, I felt awful but I was proud of myself that I had won. It was a pretty great feeling.”
Unfortunately he only won one more match that season, which was discouraging for the first-timer. “Afterwards I remember being like, ‘Wow, I never want to do this again.’”
But the memory of his first victory and the pride he felt kept Sean committed to wrestling and, upon entering the 9th grade, Sean, who’s twin brother David also wrestled, began his tenure on the varsity Panther team.
“In 9th grade, I still wasn’t actually sure what I was doing and lacked overall confidence. But I always remembered how it felt to win that first match. I always went to practice and paid attention and tried really hard. I may not have been very good at sports but I kept at it.”
This was also the first year coaching for current Head Coach Pete Jacobson. He, too, remembers the overall lack of confidence and shyness in the twins. “In the beginning, sometimes it was even tough to communicate with them. But they were out there everyday trying to improve.”
“There were a lot of times when I wasn’t sure if I was going to keep doing it or not,” remembers Sean. “But the coaches were always there and supportive. They were always trying to do everything possible to make us the best wrestlers we could be. But ultimately it was up to us to to go out on the mat with confidence and wrestle the match. Once that sank in I definitely think there was a turning point. I realized I cant be a shy kid anymore. I have to step up and be more confidant and go out of my way to improve and not just be satisfied with going through the motions.”
The summer before Senior year, Sean and David took the initiative and attended one of the country’s premiere wrestling camps run by J Robinson, head coach of the University of Minnesota’s wrestling team. The camp is an intensive, 28-day program. “The camp is not designed to just make you a better wrestler, it is designed to make you a tougher person,” Coach Jacobson commented.
Sean Ross ’06 competing his senior year.
The transformation had begun to take form. The brothers were named captains that season and Sean just missed placing in the Section. At the time, a Panther had not placed in the Sections since Anthony DeMaio in 1992.
Gaps in accomplishments and accolades for the Edgemont Panthers are few and far between these days, and Coach Jacobson recognizes Sean and David’s year as “one of the first classes of positive change towards what we have been able to accomplish in recent years.”
High school came to a close and it was time to attend college. As an underclassman in high school, many doubted that Sean could successfully handle living away from home in a college setting.
Sean proved his doubters wrong.
In 2010, Sean graduated Cum Laude with a B.S. degree in Biology from the State University of New York College at Geneseo. Sean attributes his hard working habits to never being satisfied, an attitude he learned from his days with the Panthers.
“That’s the best message I learned in wrestling. You can go through life and be average and accept things. But if you want to be successful you have to push yourself and do things above and beyond what the average person does. That lesson is really what helped me to get where I am today.”
But Sean was not done yet. His next goal was veterinary school. With top programs offering around one hundred spots to thousands of applicants, Sean did not immediately get in to the schools he applied to. While he built up his resume back home, he decided to return to a familiar arena and give back to a program that had given him so much.
“It was a no-brainer bringing Sean on to our coaching staff,” Coach Jacobson admits. “Having had the pleasure and the honor of coaching him for four years in high school, I knew first-hand what he got out of the wrestling program here and what he had to offer as a role-model for our student-athletes.”
In a year’s time, Sean was accepted to the University of Minnesota School of Veterinary Medicine where he continues to work on his degree today. “The work ethic that I received through wrestling gave me what I needed to get here and do well. As an undergrad you get loads of work, but no matter how much work I ever had, no matter how many all-nighters I had to pull in a row, I knew nothing was going to be as demanding as some of those wrestling practices, or even a single wrestling match. So I knew I was prepared.”
Sean is a bright example of a young, shy, student athlete that lacked confidence developing into a determined, hard working person both on the mat and in life. But he is not the only one who goes through this transformation. In fact, every year during the post-season awards ceremony, one wrestler receives praise for being the Ultimate Teammate. The recipient is always supportive and always doing whatever he can to help the team. The recipient exemplifies the qualities of the award’s namesake: The Sean Ross Award.
George Mellor, left, took third place in the section, while Kyle Aslanian placed second. SCARSDALE INQUIRER/JOHN MEORE PHOTOS
From The Scarsdale Inquirer (PDF of full article).
By Todd Sliss
Feburary 20, 2015
Edgemont wrestling has been competing to win a Section 1 Division 2 team title for several years, but the title has eluded the Panthers. This winter there was no way Edgemont was going to compete. Or so the outside world thought.
Putnam Valley won the team title with 233 points. Pearl River was runner-up with 224. Both teams had four champions. With only one champion, Edgemont took third place with 210 points. Nanuet took fourth at 195, Pleasantville fifth of 14 teams at 170 points. After the first day of competition at Westlake on Friday, Feb. 13, the Panthers trailed only Pearl River 110-102. Putnam Valley sat in fourth with 87 points.
“I think overall everyone wrestled amazingly for the team, definitely exceeded my expectations,” junior Kyle Aslanian said. “We came into this tournament with 17 guys and most of them were first-year wrestlers and most of the first-year wrestlers were underclassmen. For having as many guys placing as we did is amazing. I think everyone pulled their weight this year more than I expected.”
Edgemont had five wrestlers in the top three, which earned them All-Section. Sophomore Cliffton Wang won at 152 pounds, Aslanian was the runner-up
at 120, senior John Lee the runner-up at 285, sophomore George Mellor third at 113 and senior Brian Evans third at 145.
Also placing were junior Max Worobow fourth at 145, freshman Frankie Sayegh fourth at 170, senior Sam Charnizon fifth at 152, sophomore Lou Russo fifth at 285, sophomore Andy Williams sixth at 106, senior James Hammond sixth at 132 and senior Chance Moore sixth at 170.
Edgemont coach Pete Jacobson came up with some telling facts and statistics following his young and inexperienced team’s remarkable team finish.
Another year, another title
Wang repeated as champion and he’s catching up to older brother Ray, who won three titles for the Panthers and placed third in the state as a senior in 2009-10. Proud older brother was watching from the front row at sectionals and younger bro expressed his excitement in Ray’s direction following pinning Pleasantville’s Thomas Marrone in the finals in 3:40.
“Just like last year I felt like I came too far to lose and I’m trying to build a legacy here,” Wang said. “I really improved on getting more aggressive on
my feet, a lot better than last year. Last year I didn’t shoot at all in the finals. On top I did really well riding. Overall I think I’ve improved a lot.”
Like many young first-year state wrestlers, Wang did not fare too well, but it was a tremendous learning experience freshman year.
“I have been here before, so it gets a little less nerve-racking,” Wang said. “I just have to do my own thing, wrestle hard and not be afraid of anybody. I’m really excited about going to states this time. Last year I wasn’t ready for it.”
From the day he left the Times-Union Center in Albany last winter, Wang has been preparing for his return Feb. 27-28.
“He’s ready to go,” Jacobson said. “He was ready to go six months ago. There are very few people in the state that I would say Cliffton can’t hang with. I don’t know if there’s any. He showed that at Eastern States even when he didn’t win. He gets better every time he wrestles because he works hard. In his mind he has to get better every day. It’s not acceptable to him to leave practice unless he feels he got better from the day before. That’s 365 days a year with him. It’s a lifestyle. He lives that lifestyle.”
Kyle’s close call
The one that got away from Edgemont was defending champ at 106 pounds Aslanian, who won his 100th career match in the final dual meet of the season against Rye Country Day School’s Arthur Nahashim. Aslanian, at 113 pounds this year, had the misfortune of Pearl River dropping down from large schools to small schools this year, which meant an old nemesis, James Kelly, also a defending champ from last year, would be in his bracket.
Aslanian had faced Kelly as an eighth-grader and freshman and despite competitive matches, was 0-3. They had not seen each other since the Edgemont Tournament in 2012-13.
With 50 seconds left in the second period of the finals, Aslanian trailed Kelly 5-0. With 10 second left, Aslanian got a reversal and with two seconds left back points to trail only 5-4. Aslanian was unable to score in the third, falling 6-4.
“Kyle got beat in a couple of positions by that Pearl River kid,” Jacobson said. “That kid is real solid on his feet. Kyle wrestled great on bottom, great on top. It was the little positioning that was the difference in the match. He was right there with him and I know he knows he’s right there.”
Aslanian was disappointed, but gracious in defeat. For him it was another learning experience. “There are a few positions from neutral that I think if I just fix those small mistakes where he got two points I think that would have helped a lot, would have probably been a gamechanger,” Aslanian said. “I think from top I did really well. I think I need to get that fine-tuning to get turns off when I get crosswrists.”
Aslanian was hoping to get a wild card to states, since he feels he has unfinished business there from last year. He is the first alternate and would replace Kelly or one of the four wild cards from around the state should any
of them drop out.
“I still want to win a state title,” Aslanian said. “Even though I didn’t win here it’s still possible for me to win if I get that wild card. I’ll be training as hard as I usually do, not changing too much, maybe going a little bit harder, working the positions I didn’t do well on today and just wrestle hard.”
John Lee made the finals at 285 pounds. SCARSDALE INQUIRER/JOHN MEORE PHOTOS
Late-comer Lee
Lee was the team’s third finalist and had some unique circumstances. Lee is a first-year wrestler who only had 18 matches coming into sectionals, but benefited from a small six-man bracket at super heavyweight. As the second seed he had a bye in the semifinals.
Lee was slated to wrestle as a junior, but tore his ACL during football. As a senior he decided to honor his commitment to give the sport a try.
“Wrestling is one of the hardest things I’ve ever done,” Lee said. “Many times I wanted to quit, but I was just glad to come to sectionals and even though I lost in the finals, I’m glad I stuck through it.
“Coming in here as a senior, even though I was strong, I was big, I just didn’t know some of the moves you really needed to know. Sometimes they got the better of me, just like today, but it was difficult because there’s a lot of pressure put on the coaches and they definitely care a lot. This group of guys are definitely one of the most dedicated and hardest working kids I’ve worked with and it’s a privilege to say I was part of the Edgemont wrestling team.”
Lee worked with other firstyear wrestlers Lou Russo and Kofi Keteku, who also came from football, along with the coaching staff, most notably fellow big-man Matt Lee, a 2007 Edgemont graduate.
“They definitely got me ready,” Lee said. “I only had 18 matches, but I had all the practices with the coach and all the one-on-one time. They put in a lot of hours with me and I’m 100 percent appreciative.”
In the finals, Lee was pinned 1:01 into the match by Irvington’s Adam Kreiger, a much heavier opponent compared to the svelte Lee.
“Because there were only six kids, I got the full first day off,” Lee said. “It gave me a lot of time to prepare and think and come into today with the right mindset. I wrestled well in my first match and got myself to the finals. Adam’s a great wrestler, great kid, worked hard, big kid, definitely got the best of me, but I wish him the best of luck at states.”
All-Section honors
A finally healthy Evans didn’t end his final year with the title he wanted, but to take third place — unfortunately over teammate Worobow — and earn All-Section honors was a proud moment.
“It’s obviously not the result I wanted — I worked hard all year — but for me, personally, it proves something to me that I wrestled back hard and came back and took third,” Evans said. “It’s not what I wanted, but I got the team points and at the end of the day it’s about the team.”
Evans was oft-injured over the years and had a big moment by winning the Edgemont Tournament last month in a match that showed his growth and maturity in the face of adversity. Since that moment he had the best wrestling month of his career.
“Brian’s the hardest working senior on our team,” Jacobson said. “He really fought this whole tournament. When he started to lose his composure, which is something he’s dealt with, the toughest battle he fought was reigning himself back in. His semifinals against Pleasantville was circled on his sheet. He didn’t win, but I think my proudest moment ever of him as a coach was that match because he was dealing with some things and things weren’t going his way. He dug deep and almost pinned the kid in the third period, had him on his back when he was losing. He knew he had to give it a shot and he went for it. He powered through from there.”
Edgemont wrestling likes to build champions and men, and that’s what happened with Evans.
“Wrestling for Edgemont is probably the best decision I’ve ever made in my life,” Evans said. “I love Pete. He’s the best guy. I was crying after my match. I don’t know what I’m going to do without him in college. But it changed me as a person. It made me better with my work and made me an all-around mentally tougher person.”
What Evans wants to leave behind is that the journey is the most important thing.
“I hope that the young guys realize that when you lose it’s bitter and it sucks and you want to quit, but you’ve got to stick with it,” Evans said. “In the end you know it’s hard, but every second that you wrestle is worth it. It’s the best sport on earth.”
Mellor rounds out Edgemont’s All-Section team. In his final match of the tourney, Mellor topped Josh Rucker of Woodlands 3-1 for third place.
“He beat a kid who had beaten him twice this season,” Jacobson said. “We thought we were going to see this kid in the thirdplace match. We had it circled. We’ve been working for the last two and a half weeks on a game plan to beat this kid and he executed the game plan to a T and it worked. When he lost to this kid the kid controlled the match both times, but for a high school kid to lose twice like that and then not back down and accept the status quo, that’s a huge thing.”
Wrestling roundup
Frankie Sayegh wrestled well as a freshman. SCARSDALE INQUIRER/JOHN MEORE PHOTOS
Cliffton Wang made Edgemont proud last week as he travelled down to Virginia Beach to be Edgemont’s first representative in the NHSCA Sophomore Nationals.
Wrestling at 160 pounds, up one weight class from where he competed this past season, Cliffton faced the nation’s toughest sophomores and came away with a 3-2 record and perhaps more importantly the experience of wrestling in a national tournament under his belt.
Ciffton began his tournament in the Round of 32 against eventual 4th place-finisher Avery DiNardi of New Jersey where he grinded out a 3-2 decision, advancing to the Round of 16. His next opponent was Delaware’s Zeke Marcozzi, just coming off a 3rd place finish at 160 pounds in the Delaware State Championships. Cliffton controlled the match and worked to a fall at 2:27.
In the quarterfinals, Cliffton came up against Angel Solis from California’s Lemoore High School. It was a battle but Solis came out on top 7-0, dropping Cliffton into the consolation bracket.
There Cliffton met fellow New Yorker Shawn Mosca from Wheatley High School in Nassau County. Cliffton dominated the match enroute to a 12-0 major decision.
Finally Cliffton wrestled eventual All-American Shane Sosinsky of Northern Highlands High School in New Jersey. Sosinsky secured a 4-0 victory, ending Cliffton’s tournament.
Cliffton had a tremendous season and will no doubt reach even greater heights in his remaining to years!
Kyle Aslanian
Cliffton Wang
A big congratulations to junior Kyle Aslanian and sophomore Cliffton Wang, both named 1st Team Selections on the 2015 Journal News All-Star Team!
Full article from LoHud Wrestling Blog:
Of all of the award decisions that I had to make this season, the easiest was probably the Westchester/Putnam wrestler of the year. It’s not that there weren’t other guys who were deserving, but only one Section 1 wrestler went undefeated and won a state title this year. That would be Mamaroneck senior Youssif Hemida, who blew away the competition all season long and will be taking home the hardware in 2015.
Hemida’s story is incredible in the sense that he suffered a career-threatening neck injury prior to his junior season, but he fully recovered and put together a ridiculous senior season. To put it into perspective, he was only taken down once all year — and that was before the Eastern States and New York State tournaments. No one could touch him by the end of the season. At 6-foot-4 with tremendously long limbs, he’s built unlike most 220-pounders, and his athleticism is off the charts. These are the type of attributes that lead many to believe he’ll be a force in the NCAA at the University of Maryland for years to come.
CLICK HERE to read my full story on Hemida’s dream season.
The rest of the Westchester/Putnam all-stars…
Coach of the year — Dennis DiSanto, Mahopac: Since taking over the Mahopac program four years ago, DiSanto had been building for a year like this. The Indians jumped from 15th in the section last season to third overall in Division 1 this year, with two section champs in senior Ryan Delahanty and junior Mike DiNardo. DiNardo went onto take fourth in the state at 182 pounds, capping an incredible year for the soon-to-be National Wrestling Hall of Fame coach.
99 —
First-team: Justin Lopez, Jr., Yonkers
Second-team: Mikey Bruno, Fr., Putnam Valley
Honorable mention: James Bathon, Jr., Pleasantville; Luca Errico, 8th, Byram Hills; Garrett Semenetz, So., Mahopac
106 —
First-team: Kyle Sams, Fr., Putnam Valley
Second-team: Matt Kramer, Fr., John Jay
Honorable mention: Crew Fullerton, Fr., Mamaroneck; Jay Martins, So., Harrison
113 —
First-team: Satoshi Abe, So., Putnam Valley
Second-team: Jake Shore, Jr., New Rochelle
Honorable mention: Michael DaBramo, Jr., Scarsdale
120 —
First-team: Kyle Aslanian, Jr., Edgemont
Second-team: Frankie Barchella, Sr., Harrison
Honorable mention: Louie Cree, So., John Jay
126 —
First-team: Kevin Knox, Jr., Carmel
Second-team: Jordan Wallace, So., New Rochelle
Honorable mention: Jake Logan, 8th, New Rochelle; David Ortiz, Sr., Yonkers
132 —
First-team: Matt Grippi, Fr., Fox Lane
Second-team: Tom Schulze, Sr., Stepinac
Honorable mention: Fredy Guevara, Fr., Yonkers; Tom Kozal, Sr., Brewster
138 —
First-team: Grant Cuomo, Fr., Brewster
Second-team: Conor Melbourne, So., John Jay
Honorable mention: Chris Cornell, Sr., Mahopac
145 —
First-team: Brian Kershner, Sr., John Jay
Second-team: Lou Quintanilla, Jr., Pleasantville
Honorable mention: Nick McGill, Sr., Brewster
152 —
First-team: Cliffton Wang, So., Edgemont
Second-team: Alex Leone, Jr., Carmel
Honorable mention: Daniel Baruch, Sr., Scarsdale; Tom Marrone, Sr., Pleasantville; Joe Petrogallo, Sr., Brewster
160 —
First-team: Teddy Fleming, Sr., North Salem
Second-team: Ari Fay, Sr., John Jay
Honorable mention: Daniel Kraemer, Sr., Woodlands
170 —
First-team: Willie Messinger, Sr., Putnam Valley
Second-team: Nunzio Crowley, Jr., Eastchester
Honorable mention: Evan Frank, So., John Jay; Roger Ransom, Sr., Mamaroneck
182 —
First-team: Mike DiNardo, Jr., Mahopac
Second-team: Alex Melikian, Jr., Kennedy
Honorable mention: Peter Jones, Sr., Irvington; Dom Schepis, Sr., Harrison
195 —
First-team: Liridon Hasanramaj, Sr., Mahopac
Second-team: Jon Clune, Jr., Fox Lane
Honorable mention: Halil Gecaj, Fr., John Jay; Dan Mendoza, Sr., New Rochelle
220 —
First-team: Youssif Hemida, Sr., Mamaroneck
Second-team: Brock Cvijanovich, Sr., Horace Greeley
Honorable mention: Constantine George, So., Putnam Valley
285 —
First-team: Ryan Delahanty, Sr., Mahopac
Second-team: Stephen Kelley, Sr., Lakeland/Panas
Honorable mention: Mike Larm, Jr., Brewster
Dear Edgemont Wrestling Community,
We really need your help this week!
We have been named a finalist by the National Wrestling Coaches Association for their annual Best of Brand Awards in multiple categories including the “Added Value Video” category.
TODAY from 4-8 PM EST we’ll be entered in the first BATTLE ROUND of voting to advance in the “Added Value Video” category.
WE NEED YOUR HELP!
PLEASE spread the word and help us out!
If we win today we advance to Quarterfinals tomorrow; Semifinals on Wednesday and Finals on Thursday.
Let’s show the world we’re #PantherTough!
Two-time Section 1 Champion Cliffton Wang returns for his junior campaign.
Five home dual meets plus a refreshed field for the 34th Annual Panther Tough Invitational highlight Edgemont’s 2015-2016 schedule.
Panther grapplers open their season on Thursday, December 3rd in the preliminary rounds of the Section 1 Dual Meet Championships at Pleasantville HS. If the Panthers advance through the quarter and semifinal rounds, the championship finals will be contested on Thursday, December 10th at a location to to be decided.
“I’m excited about the competition schedule we’ve put together this winter for our student-athletes. They will be challenged at every turn, which is exactly what we need to prepare them to excel in the post-season. With a good mix of veterans and younger wrestlers, this is exactly the kind of schedule we need to build champions this year and in the future,” said Coach Pete Jacobson
The home slate kicks off with the Port Chester Rams on Tuesday, December 8th. Other home duals include the Harrison Huskies on Thursday, January 7th; the Croton-Harmon Tigers on Thursday, January 14th; and the Hastings Yellow Jackets on Thursday, January 28th.
Edgemont also plays host to this year’s incarnation of the Bronx River Cup – the annual cross-town rivalry match against the Scarsdale Raiders. While normally contested on a Friday evening late in January, due to scheduling conflicts, this year’s Bronx River Cup will be wrestled at Edgemont High School on Tuesday, January 26th at 4:30 PM.
The 34th Annual Panther Tough Invitational will feature 18 teams from Section 1, Section 9, Catholics and Connecticut, battling it out on Saturday, January 30th. This is one of the Section’s largest tournaments and is always competitive. Returning squads include: Croton-Harmon, Eastchester,Edgemont, Hen Hud, Irvington, Monticello, Mount Vernon, New Fairfield, Rye, Salesian, Westlake, Woodlands and defending champion, Yonkers. New entrants this year include Beacon, New Rochelle, Pawling, Port Chester and Stepinac.
Other highlights of the schedule include a return trip to the always-challenging Center Moriches Duals in Suffolk County on December 19th and 20th, where the Panthers square off in nine dual meets over two days against some of the toughest teams on Long Island. Additionally, the Ted Murphy Shoreline Classic on January 9th pits the Panther grapplers against the largest tournament field in Section 1. Finally, several selected wresters will compete in the Eastern States Classic on January 15th and 16th at Sullivan County Community College, billed as the toughest tournament in New York State; and in the Westchester County Championships on January 23rd at Yonkers High School.
The post season for the Panthers kicks off with the Section 1 Championships, hosted this year at Pearl River High School, on Friday and Saturday, February 12th and 13th. The New York State Championships are two weeks later on Friday and Saturday, February 26th and 27th, returning once again to Albany’s Times Union Arena.
| Thu | 12/3 | Section 1 Dual Meet Championships @ Pleasantville | 4:30 PM |
| Sat | 12/5 | Horace Greeley Duals | 9:30 AM |
| Sat | 12/5 | Hen Hud JV Tournament | 8:30 AM |
| Tues | 12/8 | Port Chester @ Home | 4:30 PM |
| Thur | 12/10 | Section 1 Dual Meet Championsip Finals (if team qualifies) | 4:30 PM |
| Fri | 12/11 | Yorktown JV Tournament | 4:00 PM |
| Sat | 12/12 | North Rockland Tournament | 9:00 AM |
| Sat | 12/12 | Mamaroneck Tournament | 9:30 AM |
| Wed | 12/16 | @ New Rochelle | 4:30 PM |
| Sat | 12/19 | Center Moriches Duals | 8:30 AM |
| Sun | 12/20 | Center Moriches Duals | 8:30 AM |
| Thur | 1/7 | Harrison @ Home | 4:30 PM |
| Sat | 1/9 | Shoreline Tournament @ New Rochelle | 8:45 AM |
| Sat | 1/9 | Clarkstown South JV | TBA |
| Tue | 1/12 | @ Irvington (LEAGUE) | 4:30 PM |
| Thur | 1/14 | Croton @ Home (LEAGUE) | 4:30 PM |
| Fri | 1/15 | Eastern States Classic @ Sullivan County C.C. | 10:40 AM |
| Sat | 1/16 | Eastern States Classic @ Sullivan County C.C. | 9:00 AM |
| Sat | 1/16 | Hen Hud Tournament | 9:00 AM |
| Wed | 1/20 | @ Woodlands (LEAGUE) | 4:30 PM |
| Sat | 1/23 | Westchester County Championships @ TBA | 9:00 AM |
| Sat | 1/23 | Herricks Tournament | 10:30 AM |
| Tue | 1/26 | Bronx River Cup vs. Scarsdale @ Home (Full Gym) | 4:30 PM |
| Thu | 1/28 | Hastings @ Home (LEAGUE) | 4:30 PM |
| Sat | 1/30 | Edgemont Panther Tough Invitational Tournament | 9:00 AM |
| Wed | 2/3 | JV Meet @ Rye Country Day | 4:30 PM |
| Fri | 2/12 | Section 1 Championships @ Pearl River | 4:15 PM |
| Sat | 2/13 | Section 1 Championships @ Pearl River | 9:15 AM |
| Fri | 2/26 | NY State Championships @ Times Union Center, Albany | 9:30 AM |
| Sat | 2/27 | NY State Championships @ Times Union Center, Albany | 9:30 AM |
Division 2 sectional wrestling championship at Westlake High School in Thornwood Feb. 14, 2015. (Photo: Frank Becerra Jr./The Journal News)
2015-16 Edgemont Panthers
Coach — Pete Jacobson
How many years have you been coaching at your current school? This is my 14th season at Edgemont and my fifth as head coach.
How did you team do last season? 3-1 in league; 6-12 overall. League champions. Third in Section 1 with 12 wrestlers placing in top 6 in the section.
Who are your top returning wrestlers? Cliffton Wang (Junior, two-time section champion); Kyle Aslanian (senior, 2014 All-State); George Mellor (junior, third in section); Max Worobow (senior, fourth in section).
Who are the top wrestlers that you lost to graduation? Brian Evans (third in section); John Lee (second in section).
What is the strength of your lineup? Our experience. We have a lot of experienced wrestlers returning and some great leadership. We have a few younger wrestlers who should start to make a name for themselves this year as well.
What will be the biggest challenge for your team? Keeping our athletes healthy and peaking at the right time. Our guys work hard — we need to make sure they get the recovery they need to be mentally and physically at their best when it counts.
Will you host any tournaments? The 34th annual Panther Tough Invitational on January 30th. We’ll have 18 teams from Sections 1, 9, CHSAA and Connecticut.
Which team(s) is your top rival? Our annual rivalry match, The Bronx River Cup, versus neighboring Scarsdale will be wrestled on January 26th at Edgemont. It’s always a close, tightly-contested match. There’s a lot of pride on both sides.
What are your team goals for the season? We just had a team meeting to set our vision for the season as a team. I’m really excited about what came out of that meeting and the buy-in our student-athletes have to what we’re trying to accomplish here. Without getting into too many specifics, our main goal is to hold each other accountable (wrestlers and coaching staff) to push outside our comfort zone each day and never settle for anything less than our best efforts on any given day.
Edgemont Senior Kyle Aslanian looking for his 2nd trip to the podium in Albany.
The Elite 15
The best returning wrestlers from Westchester, Putnam and Rockland Counties
Kyle Aslanian, Edgemont — After earning All-State status as a sophomore, Aslanian lost a heartbreaker in last year’s 120-pound section final. That will provide plenty of motivation for his senior season.
Connor Breit, Nanuet — One of the most physically-gifted upper weights in the area won his first section title last season and is poised for big things as a junior.
Nunzio Crowley, Eastchester — Not only did the senior win his first section title last season, he went onto place fifth in the state at 170 pounds and thrust himself into this year’s state title conversation.
Grant Cuomo, Brewster — As a freshman, Cuomo took second in one of the deepest weight classes in Section 1. As a sophomore who already has 100 career wins, he’ll have an excellent shot at going much further.
Mike DiNardo, Mahopac — The senior overcame past injury issues last season, going onto win a section title and take fourth in the state at 182 pounds after entering the tournament unseeded.
Matt Grippi, Fox Lane — A two-time section finalist who already has 100 career wins entering his sophomore season, this should be Grippi’s year to finally earn a spot in the state tournament.
Kevin Knox, Carmel — After winning his first section title at 126 pounds last season, look for Knox to make a push for the podium in Albany as a senior.
Jake Kurzhals, Pearl River — No returning wrestler in Section 1 went as deep into last year’s state tournament. Kurzhals went to the state finals at 126 pounds and should be a title contender as a senior.
Stephen Lauro, Suffern — The Mounties graduated a few of their heavy hitters, but the senior returns as a defending section champ and clear leader of the pack.
Justin Lopez, Yonkers — A wild card entry into the state tournament last season, Lopez made a surprise run to place sixth in the state at 99 pounds and will enter his senior season as an established contender.
Conor Melbourne, John Jay — It was a disappointing finish for Melbourne, who placed third in the section at 138 pounds after a strong showing at the prestigious Eastern States Classic. He’ll be on a mission as a junior.
Adam Melikian, Lakeland/Panas — Melikian placed fifth at 182 pounds at Eastern States last season and has transferred from Kennedy Catholic to become a Rebel for his senior season.
Kyle Sams, Putnam Valley — After bursting onto the scene to win a section title as a freshman last season, Sams will be a known commodity with tons of upside as a sophomore.
Anthony Sulla, North Rockland — Not only did the senior win his first section title with a first-period pin last season, he also went onto place sixth in the state at 106 pounds.
Trey Wardlaw, East Ramapo — The senior surfaced out of a deep field at 99 pounds to win his first title last season and possesses uncanny strength for a lightweight.
The Next 15
Satoshi Abe, Jr., Putnam Valley
Romello Bradley, Sr., East Ramapo
Jack Chesman, Fr., Pearl River
Jon Clune, Sr., Fox Lane
Evan Frank, Jr., John Jay
Maxim Kutsepau, Sr., Clarkstown North
Mike Larm, Sr., Brewster
Alex Leone, Sr., Carmel
Sean McGarvey, Jr., Pearl River
Elijah Ngbokoli, Sr., Hackley
Peter Oliveto, Jr., Suffern
Jake Shore, Sr., New Rochelle
Jake Spreckman, Sr., Clarkstown South
Jordan Wallace, Jr., New Rochelle
Cliffton Wang, Jr., Edgemont
Preseason lohud wrestling rankings
The top teams from Section 1
Division 2 (small schools)
1. Putnam Valley — There is a razor thin margin between Put Valley and Pearl River. And while PR has more wrestlers returning who placed last season, the two-time champs are expecting a big boost from Noah Kelvas and Jared Eliopoulos, who missed sectionals due to injury.
2. Pearl River — The Pirates were just nine points behind Put Valley last season and bring back five of their sixth finalists from last season. It’s going to be very, very close.
3. Edgemont — The Panthers might not have quite as much firepower as the top two, but they’re not far off, either. Seven wrestlers return who placed last season.
4. Nanuet — Longtime coach Carmine Serra has retired, but the Golden Knights have a strong tradition and a handful of capable athletes coming back, which should keep them in the top five.
5. Pleasantville — The Panthers arguably had as much depth as any team in D2, but the lack of an individual champ kept them from cracking the top five and could be an issue again this season.
On the bubble: Hen Hud, Pawling, Woodlands
