Second-day Sectional thoughts
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- February
- 18
First off, congratulations to Division I champions Fox Lane and Division II champions Nanuet. Fox Lane broke Mahopac’s three-year championship stranglehold while the Golden Knights repeated to become Division II’s first three-time champion (Ardsley owns the other two titles).
The bad news for Division I is that Fox Lane will be tough again next year with champions Steven Rodrigues (103), Joey Grippi (125), Luke Speno (140) returning, along with placefinisher Peter Grippi (96) and younger brothers, Tommy Grippi and Sam Speno.
Mahopac will also be tough with two-time sectional champion Justis Flamio (112) returning, along with placefinishers Jake Srednicki (96) and Steven Pagliuca (96). However, Mahopac will miss four-time champ Dominick Oddo.
Nanuet will be hard-hit, losing eight seniors to graduation, including two-time sectional champions Max Nau and Kevin Chee and titlist Bill Smith. The Golden Knights will be young, but they have a nice group back next year, led by sectional finalists John Morato and Greg Caneparo, Jesse Rahimzadeh, the third-place finisher at 103, and seventh-grader Anthony Calvano, who finished third at 96.
Keep an eye on Edgemont, led by two-time titlist Genta Murayama and champion Ray Wang, and don’t count out Ardsley with its triumverate of three-time titlist Penn Gottfried, two-time winner Danny Manley and sectional champ Derrick Longo. And Westlake will be right there once again also.
Best match of the day: tie – between 135-final won by Nyack’s Udit Thakur, 9-8 over Lakeland/Panas’s Joe Hauser on a reversal with four seconds in the match, and Tom Antonioli’s 4-2 overtime win over Pearl River’s John Coffey at 145. Antonioli rallied for a reversal with 10 seconds in regulation before getting the takedown 16 seconds in. While both for exciting for the crowd and victors, you also feel for Hauser (the crowd’s sentimental favorite) and Coffey.
Best run: North Rockland senior Cristian Garcia, who won the 285-pound title by pinning second-seeded Larry Pico (John Jay) in the semis and pinning top-seeded Sawyer Solis of R.C. Ketcham in the final.
For you dad: John Jay senior John Swertfager and Fox Lane freshman Steven Rodrigues were the 189-pound and 103-pound Division I champions. Swertfager, who finished third in the section in 2006, missed all of last season with a shoulder injury, but this year he was unstoppable and capped it with a title, joining his father/John Jay coach, Bill Swertfager as a sectional champion. Father gave son a huge hug following the match. Rodrigues won but his father, Fox Lane assistant Anthony Rodrigues was more excited, jumping up and down in the final seconds, knowing his son was about to be crowned champion.
Best reaction: tie, between Nyack’s Zeke Stambovsky, New Rochelle coach Jim Guccione and the guys (fans) from Dobbs Ferry. Following his 171-pound title, Stambovsky jumped in to the arms of Nyack coach Vic Myers. Now Stambovsky has a definitive height advantage on Myers so his feet were practicing touching the ground with this leap. … Guccione is usually pretty subdued in victory following a match, but after Tom Antonioli’s overtime takedown to win the 145-pound title, Guccione could not contain his excitement, jumping up and down like a big kid. … After Dobbs Ferry’s Sean Paul won the 171-pound Division II title, he walked over to the crowd and was mobbed by a multitude of Dobbs Ferry guys.
Worst call: Yonkers’ Chris Hernandez being penalized a point, to decide the match, in his 135-pound semifinal with Lakeland/Panas Joe Hauser. It was in the decisive 30-second extra period. Hernandez was hit for a point because he drove Hauser a bit too far off the mat. I didn’t agree with the call, but I missed what happened next. Here is what “Quagmire” posted:
Ok, let’s get down to what really happened during the 135 lb. semi-final match between Hauser and Hernandez. Did anyone witness what happened between the refs after Tom Cunngiham and Wayne Carol made that call??? The two refs proceeded to HIGH FIVE one another and Wayne slapped Tom on the butt as he walked off the mat. How inappropriate was that? This match was stolen away from Hernandez. Then they have the audacity to taunt him with that type of behavior? Completely INAPPROPRIATE!!! Why would these two refs be celebrating a call like that? They should be disciplined for that type of disgusting behavior.
Sorry to see you graduate: Mahopac’s Dominick Oddo and Harrison’s Mark Arcara will graduate in June, unfortunately for Section 1. When this duo departs, they take with them seven sectional titles, Oddo has four and Arcara owns three (that’s one more than the combined total of his father, Frank, and his uncle, Joe), and currently 312 wins, Arcara has 161 and Oddo owns 151. With Arcara’s win he joins former Harrison great and Section 1 hall of famer, Frank Nocito with three sectional titles. Oddo became the 10th Section 1 wrestler to win four sectional titles, joining a group consisting of Phil Donnelly (Pearl River), Griff Powell and P.J. Bory (Suffern) and David Colagiovanni (Mahopac), to name a few.
Great venue for wrestling: As much as I enjoy going to Clarkstown South for a wrestling tournament, can we please have the Goldstein Center at Pace University for both days in 2009. It is a great venue for wrestling sectionals and deserving for the wrestlers, coaches and fans.
Can we wait any longer? Now, we all have to go through wrestling withdrawals with three weeks! Yes, three weeks. The New York State Championships, which are usually two weeks after sectionals, will be held in three weeks in Rochester (March 8-9). Geez!
Thank you: To Section 1 Wrestling Chair Eric Romanino and his “posse” this weekend for helping me out with bracket sheets, results and bout cards. This list includes former Beacon wrestling coach and excellent Math teacher, Dave Ryley, Beacon baseball coach Bob Atwell, former Mahopac coach Joe Mahoney, Valhalla AD (I can’t get used to saying this) and former Dobbs Ferry coach Jamie Block, Sara (doing PA at Pace) and two of Beacon’s finest softball players, Megan and Jackie, who kept passing me all of the bout cards today and keeping us all sane. And a thank you to former Clarkstown South coach John Laurenzi, dubbed the ‘Living Legend’ by Dave Ryley on Saturday, and the Clarkstown South wrestling parents for doing a great job with everything Saturday.
This entry was posted
on Monday, February 18th, 2008 at 12:01 am by Tony Pinciaro. 
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hey tony, howcome states are 3 weeks after sectionals this year?
what is the main hotel where the wrestlers will be staying and where exactly is the wrestling going to be held?
That news about the refs is both creepy and out of this world. It’s bad enough that they blew the call and they should never determine the outcome of a match on an unnecessary and highly questionable call.
Tony,
My wife and I watched the Hernandez vs Hauser match. I didn’t sgree with the call either. But as posted by someone else, neither did my wife or I see the ref’s high five each other.
Lopez had to have stitches. He was hit by Dibetta after the match. Dibetta ff all his points from the start of sections that he received plus 10 team points. What a disgrace.
Hey Just a fan –
My name… find another. FYI, I was there saw the call and did see the refs smiling.
To begin with,congradulations to all the wrestlers/coachs who work so hard at this often relentless sport. There was some outstanding performances. However the disappointments included:1. Hernandez call. While the refing was overall sound this call highlighted a season of concern in the quality of some of our refs(I did not see the behavior described above) 2.The metals. please tell me the trophies are in the mail. The metals just seem to diminish the weight of the accomplishment 3.Dibetta. Im hoping he is spending this day mitigating the results of his behavior. I hope it was his simple his bad moment. We all have them.
Thanks for the info sec one fan. It is fitting that Dibetta loses all his section points and his school loses 10 team points. However, I feel the punishment needs to be more severe. He should be suspended from his spring sport. He will be lucky if there are no criminal charges, what he did was an assault. Lopez had a great day on Saturday and is headlines in the Journal. The next day he gets punched in the face AFTER winning a match. It requires 9 stitches and he has to forfeit his next match due to the injury, all this and not one word of it in The Journal News? When a wrestler assaults an opponent AFTER losing let’s just act like nothing happened???
That’s horrible. He cost JJ the team title and got himself in some big trouble. I’m sorry to hear that.
FYI, the dibetta incident didnt cause us the team title , even with dibetta’s points fox lane would have still lead by couple points with their 4 champions, finalist and 3rd and 6th place finishers
This is just part of the system…We watch our children grow up through pee wee leagues to Little Leagues and whatever else. Many parents sit on the sidelines or in the stands and want the organizations not to keep score. They believe this is good for thier kids. Nobody wins and nobody loses. There is no reason to excel. While in the long run when thier child is a sub who doesn’t play or gets very little playing time at the next level they complain that the system is wrong. Now when the kid loses a big match or game he or she doesn’t know how to handle and loses control. If we keep saying it was only a mistake and it won’t happen again. We are just fooling ourselves.
Does anyone know if any videos are up of the sectional finals and where to find them?
I dont think anyone said it cost you the title. However it did make you team look bad.
I want to know how the refs get picked to do sectionals? since some of the sections top refs were not here this weekend. The calls made by some of the refs as a whole was just sicking in the fact that they decided so many matches that could have changed the out come of the whole tournament.
To fan:
The refs at Sectionals are the best we have and many of them are very quality referees. The biggest issue with the refs is the lack of supply. If we had more people signing up to be refs, we wouldn’t have this problem.
So, to all the people who moan and groan about the referees, do something about it. Instead of complaining, sign up to be a ref. Or, if your schedules do not allow it, help the sport by encouraging others to become referees.
Does anyone know when we hear about the Wildcards?
I’d imagine Ramos and Coffey would be strong candidates. Trumm needed to take at least 3rd and have Lopez win it all to even be eligible (neither of which obviously happened).
Any other strong candidates?
This year the “Strength of Section” criteria is in place and Section 1 kids get 0 points vs a guy from Section 5 getting a +10.
We had a lot more WCs last year than I would have thought. I guess we will find out soon how much strength of section impacts our guys.
Most sections have their sectional tournament next weekend. After that, I would imagine it being by the end of February before we knew the wild cards.
Mezger= got totally beat physically then mentally. Then the behavior that he exhibited was that of a spoiled 5yr old. Curse his own coach then the Refs and Photographer, run off and pout.. He should not have been able to stand with the other medal winners.
Class act Flamio, Ahearn , Rose . Sean Paul.. Cisco Reyes(Tony , i was the first to tell you about this Soph )
Refs tough job , pretty well handled but if we can let the wrestler’s decide their fate on the mat and not with judgement calls. And never accept the behavior listed above
As for teams that carry with class Edgemont, Putnam Valley & Nyack
Thats my two cents
DiBetta is the JJ team captain, not a good choice for his teammates to look up to. DiBetta should start with a personal apology to Mike Lopez. He also has to hope the John Jay AD has not taken notice of his violent behavior.
I am wondering why the kid from John Jay would say Brian did lose us the title. Like that was the point of the topic.
FYI the point of the topic was his behavior and the coaches lack of response to it after besides a slap on his ass like he had a tough loss and that was it. Pleaseeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee. Grow up what he did was a disgrace to all wrestlers.
correction Brian did not lose us the title
Random Thoughts:
1. The Hernandez Call = Tom Cunningham, the official, needs to swallow his whistle on that call. What a fun and exciting match it was and what a horrible ending to the bout. And yes, Wayne Carrol, a referee who works predominantly in Section IX, did indeed high five and pat Tom on his rear afterwards. It was inappropriate to say the least. He could have simply said something on the side to Tom to let him know he agreed and left it at that but instead, this action only inflamed an already upset kid and his coach. I spoke to quite a few coaches in the building following the bout and did not find one who agreed with that call.
2. Brian DiBetta = What a shame to see a decent career end in such a poor act of sportsmanship. And as said, it really screwed Lopez who did not even have the opportunity to compete for 3rd in his last Section appearance. Coach Swertfager was livid and I’m sure Brian was and will be spoken to by the staff. But it did cast a poor light on JJ-CR’s program.
3. Wild Cards = As stated above, we won’t really know until the rest of the sectioons finish their tournaments. If the top seeds hold up, then we have a better shot of getting a few in. But if the seeds do not hold up and a top kid battles back to place 3rd, it could cost some of our better kids. Trumm can not earn a spot but Ramos and Coffey have a strong chance of earning a spot because it based on 3 criteria: won-loss differential (difference between total wins and losses this season), previous place finishes in the section or state, and points for the section based on past performance for which our kids will get none. Rose may also have a shot although it looks as if Section XI may have at least one and possibly 2 wild cards at this weight.
4. Section I = Assuming the wild card will be with us in the future, it is imperative that our kids come toether as a section. We are in the bottom 3 groupings in the state based on our performance the past 6 years which means our kids up for the wild card received 0 points. The better we do, the better it is for our kids in the future. Forget Rockland/Westchester/Dutchess/Putnam – it is time to think of us as a team, a Section I team.
5. Overall sportsmanship = How many times did we see headgears thrown, kids slap a hand instead of shake hands, storm off the mat, and just make a scene in general? This pattern has been with us in Section I for a few years now and it seems to be getting worse. For those who want to make an excuse: grow up!! Please do not give me “He really worked so hard and because he didn’t reach his goal, it is okay to act immature.” Go and watch the qualifying tournaments in Sections IX, XI, VIII, or IV for example. I’ve been to them all, and quite recently, and you do not see their kids act this way nearly as much as we do in Section I. And what do those sections have in common? They always seem to perform highly at the state level as opposed to us. Perhaps their coaches are also a bit more mature and know how to act as role models. I really don’t know. But it is really getting to be embarassing and needs to stop.
6. Officials = Each coach rates the officials they see during the year on a scale of 1-10 and the highest rated officials are then selected to work the tournament. Wether we like them or not, based on the numbers, these were the best.
7. All-Section Place Finishers: Ending my observations on a good note, I did like the introductions and parade. The parade looks as if it is modeled after what is done at the D-I National Tournament; having each side of the arean cheer was fun because each side tried to out do the other. I also liked having the names and records read right before they wrestled rather than at the start. It was fresh in our minds and with them running out they were like gladiators preparing for battle.
Hey Now, well said especially you comments on the sportsmanship issue. It is a pattern that needs to be addressed. Everyone wants it bad. Not everyone throws headgear, storms off the mat not shaking hands hits another wrestler etc. I also like the parade of finalists as well
as the announcement of the wrestler and their records as they came in. Great job by the head table.
Here is the answer to a few questions posed on this post:
I am not sure why the state championships are being held three weeks after sectionals. I was told that was when the Blue Cross Blue Shield Arena is Rochester was available.
In regards to Brian DiBetta, he did not lose the team title for John Jay. The points he accumulated did not add up to the 13.5-point difference between Fox Lane and John Jay.
And last, we don’t need everyone jumping on DiBetta like we did last week with Mr. Grippi. I am quite sure that coach Swertfager spoke to DiBetta about what happened.
tony, can u give a summary of the finals matches at sections like uve dont the past couple of years instead of just who won and who lost
Hey Now
Excellent post. Thank you. I think your suggesting that section I is developing a culture of poor sportsmanship. Culture is derived from many components. I would suggest that parents/coachs and other wrestlers do a better job in managing their losses. After all,when you lost your opponent has already taking something from you…why give them more:your emotion. That said we do see some excellent examples of class. Mike Ahearn is one example.There were others. I hope your right about Mike Rose,he deserves a shot.
If anyone knows Dibetta he does not have a mean bone in his body. He is a nice kid. I wonder how he was profoked to do this.
I have to include Fox Lane is the group of class acts. You cannot find a classier or more of a gentleman than Joe Amuso. He exemplifies what “a Man” is. I don’t like to make judgements but the only athletes on his team, that I do see make character mistakes are the ones who have been trained by Deighl. I will not say this is the sole reason for the behaviors (because parents should have the ultimate influence on a kids behavior) but after watching all of “Deighls kids” I have noticed a trend. Is winning becoming more important that value and ethics in high school sport?
Just an observation
To KDOG,
First of all, its Degl.
2nd, many Fox Lane guys go to Degl’s.
3rd, making a generalization like that is unfair and inaccurate.
kdog:
maybe one of the reasons you’ve noticed this is because degl kids tend to care alot more about winning, and theres a very lucid trade off between the will to win and what you would call “value” and “ethics”. I think all of the kids who go to FL that won section titles yesterday were degl kids. Tell me…what celebrations were unethical? How were they exceptionally demonstrative in there reaction to there accomplishments? After winning a section title,an individual is usually ecstatic with the except of few individuals who have won it previously. I observed NO character mistakes in any of the Foxes performances. Rodriguez, Grippi, Speno, and Cook all won in style and got off the mat in style.
Wrestling is the hardest sport there is. When someone works as hard as dibetta did during his high school tenure to have his shot at 3rd place taken away from him by the same ref the screwed over hernandez, tempers are going to raise up. I am not saying what dibetta did was right in anyway but lets drop all these poor lopez comments. If he wants to say something he will. he handeled getting slapped (thats right not punched)in the face with class. he had no retaliation. I believe that is because he like dibetta has worked hard to get to the spot he was at, and understood that dibetta lost it. This is one of the reasons why section 1 wrestling is a joke to the rest of the state we are not physical enough. again i am not saying it is right what dibetta did but leave it to coach swertfager and the rest of the staff to punish him.
JoJo says DiBetta was provoked?? That is why he punched Lopez after the match was over and he had lost another match? To say this behavior is acceptable is really scary!
Tony, you cannot compare what Mr. Grippi did to what Brian DiBetta has done. Mr. Grippi did not purposely injure a wrestler.
To anyone reading this how would you feel if Mike Lopez was your son, you brother, your teammate or friend? His high school wrestling career ends with a punch to the face after winning a match. Would you say please stop “jumping” on Brian DiBetta?
dibetta’s loss was due to the ref? please explain
Lopez was not slapped, he was punched. The cut required 9 stitches.
Tony
You know what, I’m sick of your complacency with regards to poor sportsmanship. Mr. Grippi (and other similar incidents) are exactly why Dibetta thought that type of behavior would be OK. You are supposed to be, like it or not, some sort of voice of reason and right or wrong people believe what you write and are swayed by your stance on events.
You really should stand up once in a while. What are you afraid of? Unfortunately Dibetta and a very poor call against Hernandez were a huge part of the tournament and as long as people like you continue to condone that type of behavior we WILL NEVER PROGRESS AS A SECTION!!!!!!!
Dispicable, disgraceful, and embarrassing. What an un-necessary black eye to a great program and from what I understand a very sportsmanlike coach in Bill Swertfager.
That kid should be made an exmple of. Just like Grippi should not have been there to watch his sons this weekend. I guarantee if he were banned this weekend he would never repeat what he did at divisionals. If Dibetta does not receive severe punishment, it WILL happen again and someone elses dream of states will vanish or worse. That boy Lopez should not accept any apology from Dibetta. He stole part of Lopezs life! He very well could have won MOW on top of a possible section championship and instead had to spend the finals in the emergency room. Although obviously not to the same degree but it is like a drunk driver apologizing after he crashes into someone and hurts or kills them. He is not sorry that he did it, just sorry that it hurt someone and he got in trouble.
Don’t feel bad for Dibetta. Don’t tell me what a good kid he is. Don’t tell me how it is so out of character for him. If thats what you think you WRONG. He is not a good kid because good kids don’t ever do things like that and anyone who tells you that is a bad judge of character. Kids make mistakes, they don’t assault people!
He has also taken some of the enjoyment away from everyone who went to enjoy a great day of wrestling and from all the wrestlers who won and lost with dignity.
DiBetta’s actions cast a pall on a program I thought I respected. The kids in the program have obviously been taught great technique. Life skills instruction appears to be significantly lacking.
I was by the scoring table during the Hauser-Hernandez match. The interaction between the refs wasn’t a celebration of the outcome, it was a confirmation between the two refs that the call was indeed warranted. The call was a judgement call but it just goes to show you that the wrestler that consistently initiates the action and is aggressive usually gets the benefit of the judegment calls.
“He very well could have won MOW on top of a possible section championship and instead had to spend the finals in the emergency room”
He was going for third place—no way he was gonna win the section or get mow.
If you want to make some good points, stick with the facts.
JJ Alum
No way you can be an alum… your to stupid to graduate!
His hard work entiltles him to act that way?????????? Oh my God…
And as far as Degl is concerned there may be a connection. I know he has worked hard with some of these kids but judging by his reactions to losses from his students I can certainly see where the line of wanting to win crosses over into a disturbing level of poor sportsmanship. His type of coaching is not for everyone. There is certainly a place for people like him but not every child can handle that type of pressure. Many of the Degl disciples that lost handled it with class but an unsettling number of boys handled it poorly.
Cauli hit it on the head
JoJo
Your assumption is that DiBetta was provoked.
That is absolutely untrue & unacceptable.
He may have been trained to win & in this case he did not, so instead of “taking his loss on the chin” as he should have, he lashed out at his opponent with a tournament ending punch to Lopez’s face.
He ended Lopez’s chances of success & his own – he also diminished his value to his own team.
I have said in the past that when you learn how to lose you will learn how to win & he has a problem with both.
The only & I mean only provocation was DiBetta’s own ego.
You are only adding to an improper cultural myth that says “He’s a good person” so that excuses his actions.
Wrestling is not a violent sport – no matter what you may read or hear.
It is, however, the most difficult sport to train for & the most physically & emotionally draining of all sports.
Kids go to all day & sometimes multiple day tourney’s, they rise early to make it to weigh ins, they wrestle a match & may have to wait hours till the next match – last years’s R.C. Ketcham tourney ended around midnite.
This is not the first time this young man has had either temper tantrums or lashed out at his opponent after a match.
He’s had a series of simlar incidents over the past few years just ask Luke Speno.
About 12 years ago at a peewee tourney in Ardsley a punch was thrown by a brother of a wrestler at the father of another wrestler- that young man was arrested on the spot.
DiBetta should suffer either criminal or civil penalties for his poor choice & he should not be allowed to participate in any other Varsity sports.
If he cannot learn from this incident I feel sorry for him.
I think this kid Dibetta deserves a second chance. Even Mike Tyson got a second chance. The big question is how did John Jay lose the section title I thought they were a lock.
D-2 coaches and wrestlers were all part of an outstanding section tourney. Thanks to Westlake for hosting a well run first day and to Jamie Block for organizing our little schools tournament.
In wrestling there will always be excitment and disappointment. I had to watch two of my favorite wrestlers battle it out for a section title at 119lbs, happy for one and sad for the other. The hardest thing I had to do this year was to tell my 189lbs wrestler he could not finish the day, that was a heartbreaker.
The young man from Westlake that lost his cool at 145lbs, I’m sorry for your disapointment but you have to learn to man up and accept that you lost. I faced disapointment to finish my high school career many years ago and took that pain to college wrestling and finally got what I was searching for. Don’t let the loss in the finals end your career if you truly love to wrestle, good luck.
I hold a high level of respect for my fellow coaches of the D-2 programs and look forward to working with them to bring home some All State D-2 wrestlers and maybe that elusive STATE CHAMPION! See you at practice Thursday.
There is absolutely no correlation between John Degl’s coaching and Brian DiBetta punching Lopez. John teaches guys wrestle physically and legally during the match. This is very similar to the style coached by Dan Gable, Tom/Terry Brands and other top level wrestling coaches. He also expects an intense work ethic and strong desire to win. This should not be confused with a lack of integrity or sportsmanship.
Also, there is no link to John Jay’s coaching and that act.
Wrestling is a physical sport. I have been around the sport for 15 years and there are occasional fights. Quite frankly, it happens in all sports and it’s legal in hockey. Punching someone is completely unacceptable, but it comes down to the individuals temperament. Should we blame DiBetta’s kindergarten teacher for this act today?
The only person to blame is Brian DiBetta. He has never been coached by Bill Swertfager or John Degl to do anything but wrestle well. His act was inexcusable regardless of his age, but he is a kid and he’ll learn. In the meantime, Brian will be punished appropriately.
Every time I start reading these forums I get disappointed about the criticism people cast. Everyone on here must be perfect…somehow, I don’t imagine that is true. This is what I get for missing Sectionals and having to read the blogs to get updated.
Zeke:
I take exception to your comment that “Degl’s kids care more about winning.” That comment seems as if you have bought into a philospohy he is preaching but do not pass judgement on who “cares more” based on how one acts after a match. I am quite sure that all the finalists cared a great deal about wining. Did you not care as much last year when you lost?
I’d also like you to clarify the following statement you made: there’s a very lucid trade off between the will to win and what you would call “valueâ€? and “ethicsâ€?. Are you suggesting it is one or the other? Do you believe you need to “trade” your values and ethics in order to win?
Lastly, I did not see any poor displays of sportsmanship from the winning wrestlers. I believe the concern of the wrestling public is focused on those who do not know how to properly handle themselves when they do not achieve their goal. How one handles themselves is ultimately up to each individual wrestler but a parent and coach needs to be a voice of reason and enlightenment so that the athlete sees the bigger picture and that is that we do not always get what we want and one needs to learn how to handle a set back with grace and dignity. If a coach is not teaching that along with the skills needed to be successful than they are doing a disservice to the athlete.
Beac –
Thank you for what I believe to be is a compliment, but I doubt if the readers are looking at me to be:
“Some sort of voice of reason and right or wrong people believe what you write and are swayed by your stance on events,” as you wrote in your comment.
Do I condone what Brian DiBetta did? No, I do not. Do I condone poor sportmanship? No, I do not. My parents didn’t like it when I was a poor sport and I won’t tolerate it from my two children.
With that being said, my job is not to pass judgement on someone else’s kid. I will not criticize a student-athlete because I am not perfect. I was a kid once myself and I did stupid things that I am not proud of, in regards to sports.
Beac, if this response does not suffice, feel free to call me at 696-8234 to discuss it further.
beac-
as i read more and more of what you say it angers me because I am starting to realize more and more that you are just a complete moron. So let me just try to clarify some things. First Dibetta did not take part of Lopez’s “life” away. All Dibetta did was SLAP, yes it was a slap not a punch, Dibetta’s palm connected with Lopez’s face. From what i heard, the cut was not even caused by Dibetta’s slap but by the cement mixer Dibetta had hit on him just moments before the incident. Also how could Lopez dream’s of a sectional championship be taken away when it was a consolation semi-finals match and the highest lopez could have placed was third, you moron. I also seriously doubt that Lopez speant hours in the emergency room. Also you other idiots that say Lopez should press criminal charges are ridiculous. Its a wrestling match which in many cases isn’t that far from fighting anyway. I think most of you have some sort of grudge against john jay and want to see some kid go down badly. I am not saying what Dibetta did wasn’t wrong because it was and there probably will be consiquences but there is no reason for you people to escalate it into something it is not by bringing the law into it and people like Beac are just complete morons (telling tony he should be verbally bashing dibetta on here) are just making the issue much more than it is.
the Beac on this thread is an imposter. I’m the real Beac. find another name loser
this is all rather silly. we should be talking about the quality of wrestling that went on rather than sportsmanship. Sportsmanship is just that there were two exceptionally bad sports. But the fact of the matter is none of the bad sports will be representing section 1 at states. None of the wrestlers who won let a referee decide weather or not they won. Lets develop more good wrestling in section 1 worry less about the referees and the rare acts of poor sportsmanship because i guarantee come march if we dont suck it up and do better at states than we did last year the concern will immediately return to how do we breed more champions because nobody will have an answer when the answer is pointing to somewhere nobody wants to acknowledge… ISW
some awesome things that happened…......
Fox lane had 5 finalists and four champions i’m not sure but isn’t that some kind of record it is for Fox lane HS anyone know the record for section 1?
Joey Grippi defeated a 3rd place winner a runner up and a champion for his title
Luke speno defeated a champion for his title
Udit Thakur congratulations you did awesome
Tom Antonioli had a reversal in the last ten seconds of the match to win which shows real heart and determination where other wrestlers might have already broken and stopped wrestling.
Some unfortunate events happened but we’re certainly not so negative as to let them outweigh the glaring accomplishments of so many wrestlers lets give credit where credit is due.
-cook
75% of large school champions.
+17/30 total champions.
+Many more finalists
+loads of all section
__
= luck maybe, maybe not
Are those the stats of the ISW wrestlers?
I’m starting to think that perhaps blogging is a more violent sport than wrestling is.
Which of course wrestling is—a violent sport that is. Anyone who thinks it isn’t isn’t watching. All you have to do is consider the blood, the sweat, the ligament tears, gashes from head butts, broken bones, hyperextended joints, etc. etc. The only matches that don’t involve violence are matches between terribly mismatched wrestlers where we get to watch the latest “take down clinic” until mercifully there’s a tech fall way before the end of the third period. For any match between skilled and well trained wrestlers, even where one is more dominant, what you have is hand to hand combat. That’s what the sport is. Controlled violent combat between two individuals. Something most of us cannot do, but love to watch when it is done with skill and heart. The officials are supposed to control the violence by making fair calls and stepping in when necessary. The scorers are supposed to run the clocks properly and keep score. The coaches are supposed to be advocates for their players. The players are supposed to go out there and wrestle all out, hard, giving everything they have and more in order to CONQUER THEIR OPPONENT. They are supposed to beat him. Sometimes they can’t stop when the whistle blows.
We ask our children to engage in this emotionally charged, extreme, and yes violent sport and then we damn them for their mistakes? What nonsense. Leave it to Brian’s parents and coaches to deal with his situation. Don’t hide behind your screen names to state “facts” you’ve heard from someone else and state opinions about people you know absolutely nothing about. Don’t talk about criminal and civil liability when you obviously have absolutely no knowledge whatsoever of the law. If you did, you would know what you are saying is irresponsible.
In short, get a life, and support the Section 1 wrestlers who are going to States. That’s my opinion, and I have the guts to put my name to it.
Cook-Monster –
Well said. All the best to you in Rochester.
One thing though, how could you spell Luke’s last name with a small s? You better watch he doesn’t throw you a beating in the room.
I’d like to see Diana Frosts reaction if someone punched her kid in the face. Knocking out his teeth or permanently damaging his eyesight. Its all good when its someone elses kid.
If nothing changes, nothing changes.
Wake up. Look at the facts. Look at Data. it can be manipulated but it doesn’t lie.
PS. about the blogs,
I actually loathe them but they can be addictive. I would much prefer to have the hypocrites and cowards just show up and fight it out like the old west. Never happen now-a-days.
Cauli alludes that Bill should teach character. He should stay inside his glass house. He should not be talking about character. Take the stye out of your eye first big shot. Have another cold one at your computer and look in the mirror before you cast aspersions on the classiest man in town. Better yet instead of typing about stuff get off your ass and do something. Contribute. Didn’t see you at any meetings to help section one in general. Don’t see poster all over Portchester supporting and promoting the sport of wrestling. You are sad. Too bad for you.
Why don’t you have the guts to use your own name?
Tony , thanks for all your coverage over the past few years , my sons h.s. wrestling career is done and we move on to baseball , it’s been an amazing ride i’ve met alot of wonderful people along the way , gained a great respect for all the wrestlers and coaches and will be a fan forever . I wish all the wrestlers going on to the states all the success in the world , i’m sure that they’ll represent the section well.
Tony Raimone
Well said, Ton Raimone. Tony Pinciaro’s coverage has been great. And I keep coming back even though my son’s high school career was over last March at States. We mourned the loss until we realized we could come watch “our team” and “our section” compete even though our son was off at college. This year I got to the see Harrison Cook win and it made me so glad to see him do it. Congratulations Harrison. And all the rest of you. Work hard, and make us proud at States.
These blogs are funny. Some of you get so wrapped up and small incidents which seem to then take on a life of their own.
As for the JJCR wrestler…you are all making it sound like he cold-cocked the Brewster wrestler in the face in the middle of the mat? Again, I was not there but I am sure there was security there and I have not read anything about security stepping in so perhaps it is getting blown out of proportion?
As for the Hernandez-Hauser match, I found this rule on line, not sure if it is HS or college:
“Going out of the wrestling area, or FORCING an opponent out of the wrestling area, by either wrestler at any time as a means of avoiding wrestling, is a technical violation. (1pt)
So for those of you that were there (I was not) did Hernandez “force his opponent” out of bounds as a means of avoiding wrestling??? If he did, then it is 1pt for the other wrestler. Case closed.
The rule seems to be in the rule book for a reason and I am sure it is never a popular call. If nobody wants it called, then it should be taken out of the rule book.
You are all SO focused on the negative. There are 30 young men who have reached their goal of winning a section championship, and 95% of what we get to read about here are about two incidents that surely cannot have been the focus of this wonderful 2-day tournament.
I think I need to stick to reading the newspaper for the facts.
No Hernandez was driving a shot as his opponent was fighting a take down this lead to both going out of bounds. Terrible call. Even if it is a arguable call,a good ref would not make the call that decides the match.
Tony…It has been a long time since Sect 1 has had a State Champ. And if I am correct, it was before everyone was going to and paying for specialized coaching. People are paying big money to have thier kids trained by specialist in every sport now. When Sect 1 wrestling was at its peak guys like Ronnie Tompkins in Peekskill, Bob Bernaducci in Irvington and Kenny Calao in Ossining among others had open gyms for these kids to workout in from the end of wrestling season to the start of the following year. And all you needed was a USA wrestling card. They also ran kids tournaments in the ares and nobody stormed out of the gym after a loss. Sportsmanship was taught by these gentlemen. I think every kid should be held responsible for his actions. Unfortunately some real good kids make mistakes.
observer, this was in overtime rideout so no one could have been going for a take down. It was a questionable call the ref will say its by the book, fans will say ref swallow the wistle. referees arent there for the fans, thanks god considering every 5 seconds people were screaming stalling even when the period was only 10 seconds deep. Alot of parents new to the sport screaming and yelling, doesnt make for a great day.
TONY! me and jackie like our shout-out!
by the way i love your blog..
i think we ran a good tournament this weekend. =]
Read_between_the_lines:
Why you chose to attack me personally is either an indication of extra testosterone running through your system or total ignorance of my involvement in Section I wrestling over the past ten years.
I still don’t get how throwing a punch at anyone is excusable during a wrestling match. I know I was embarrassed when our 96 pounder threw his headgear in the 5/6 placing match. And yes, I consider that act to be a reflection of our program. It is something on which we will work.
Tom Josephson
Joe b, what are you saying? The coaches today don’t teach sportsmanship? I don’t think that’s the case. Are you saying the coaches years ago had practices where they had handshaking drills and proper headgear placement after a match? I am as sure as you that people did storm out of the gym. There’s a certain passion in all athletes in all sports that causes them to get upset. You see it all of the time in professional sports. Guys throw their ball caps, kick dirt on umpires, climb into the stands and punch fans. Yet somehow, back in the day, the coaches were superheros and no one was every out of line. Only today since the inception of a specialized club, are kids now storming out of the gym. And how does an open mat compare to specialized coaching? I am sorry to say, but your point is meaningless.
Old Fan who was Sect 1 last State Champ. Just because you pay hundreds of dollars to get kids special training. It doesn’t make them champs. These guys did it for nothing. For the love of the sport. Of course there are some kids that get upset. But if you are an old fan. Tell me who did these kind of things that are happening now back when we had STATE CHAMPS in Sect 1
I don’t think you can blame anyone (including coaches and parents) for Dibetta’s violent behavior on anyone but Dibetta himself. He is a high school senior and it is now time to suffer the consequences of his actions. He’ll pay for his actions, we’re just not sure how yet.
Mrs Frost, you’re a great writer and it sounds like you know a lot about wrestling but it’s time you turned off the computer and picked up a nice non-violent book. Maybe a book about Mahatma Gandhi?
Dear Westchester Wrestling Fan,
Thank you for the compliment, and your concern for my well being. However, I am by nature combative, though I choose to use words. And while I admire pacifists like Gandhi, I’ll pass on your suggestion as I prefer the blood sports, like blogging.
And again, why hide behind your screen name?
Would an injustice occurred had the referee in the Hauser-Hernandez not called the penalty point?
On one hand we talk about an unfortunate situation where a wrestler did not follow the rules and question his coaching and upbringing. Then we talk about an official who should not call what he determines to be an infraction because of when it occurred in the match. That is a contradiction.
I did not see either match in question but if indeed Hernandez drove Hauser out of bounds, when failing to do so would have caused him to lose position, the call was correct, regardless of when it occurred in the match.
To make a statement that the official should not call an infraction when he interprets one occurring because of the match situation is not appropriate. Should that occur, the official is not doing their job.
Okay, the last state champ although questionable was CJ Rodrigues in 2005. I am sure he got special training. Then it was Mazzurco. Mazzurco went to Degls and paid for special training there. Before that, there were no options. Go out to PA…go out to NJ. There are specialized clubs everywhere. Thats how it works now. Thats the only way it works now. Over the last 8 years, its hard to find a state place finisher that didn’t get specialized training. Do you at least agree that people are people and these coaches were not superheros that prevented all improper behavior. Do you fantasize that when you were young, prices were reasonable, politicians were noble, and children respected everyone.
Diana, If your son’s opponent last year punched him in the face after a match and opened a cut that needed 9 stitches would you say, “boys will be boys”? Even though it put him out of the section tournament? Are you that forgiving? If so you’re a better person than I am, that’s for sure.
FrostFree
joe b –
Section 1’s last state champion was Joe Mazzurco in 2000. Joe had a large supporting cast including his brothers, John Degl, and Will Carano (Putnam Valley coach).
I did not see the Lopez/Dibetta issue, but I am sure that it is being handled by both the coaches and the league. No one on this blog is in a position to play judge and jury, so let the powers that be do their job. As far as the Hernandez/Hauser, I did see that match. It was a tough call, as it did appear Hernandez pushed Hauser out and based on the rule westchestwrest quoted above, the point was deserved. In any case, it is over and replaying it again and again in the blogs will not change anything. Lopez, Hernandez, and Hauser are all excellent wrestlers who should be congratulated for their outstanding seasons and showings at the sectionals. Conversation over!
Dear Frost Free,
Your screen name suggests you would like to prevent me from speaking my mind. Is that the case? If so, why hide behind a screen name? Feel more comfortable for you? Meanwhile, I did not ever suggest that my standard is “boys will be boys.” Obviously you’re reading something into what I’ve written that is not there. My point is we should focus on the Section 1 winners who are going to States and not get caught up in this stupid blame game. It doesn’t help anyone. The specific individuals involved in the matter can handle it all by themselves without your help, especially since you don’t seem willing to stand up and be accountable for your own words by putting your name to them. And by the way, keep my son out of it, thank you. He’s certainly not involved.
Old Fan. How long has Degl been around. I am not knocking any of these guys. I wish they were around when my kid wrestled 85/86 to 89/90. I remember Sect 1 having as many as 4 or 5 State Champs in the same season. I have been out of wrestling for awhile and have just gotten back into it since I retired. I am just surprised at what I see. I went to a match and one kid was crushing his opponent and when he got ready to pin the kid he perked up and waved to his friends in the stands before finishing off his opponent. One of the parents of the kid was so upset at his antic she actually let out a gasp. Sportsmanship just isn’t what it use to be. And when I was young a double feature was 10 cents and my mother would give me $10.00 to get a new shirt and pair of pants for school. Ther was AB Davis and Edison Tech and the St Louis Browns.Tthe Football Giants played in the Polo Grounds and $2.50 got you into MSG for an NBA triple header. Knicks/Celtics, Syracuse/Rochester and Detroit/Philly. Those were the good old days
Congrats to all the boys who worked so hard and gave it there all, regardless of how they finished! Good luck to those that move on to Rochester.
Wrestling is a very passionate sport. I do not excuse the bad behavior. I do think there is a difference to someone “losing their cool� and a history of bad sportsmanship.
Refs- we have our share of bad performances by refs this year. I do think it is job that should be evaluated, and firing if necessary. But overall, they have done a good job. Specifically, the ref with the short flat top (sorry don’t know his name). I thanked him for the job he has done and the energy he puts into it. The boys and the sport deserve that and he delivers it too.
Tony-thank you for the blog – I haven’t read all, but do read them from time to time. I do think on this format it is appropriate for some to stay anonymous. I do agree that critiquing young kids so harshly is absurd. I wonder how many glass houses really exist in this area (section 1).
I do like having Division I and II, but top six in D II is a bit too gracious. Top three absolutely!
Also either two divisionals taking top six or eight, but four taking four takes away from the quality on day one.
Just some thoughts.
Thank you for the opportunity and I am already looking forward to next year.
Mike Burke
First, Tony, great coverage this year and a great blog. However I would never put my real name on here, some of these people are NUTTS.
Next, THE REF MADE THE CORRECT CALL IN THE HERNANDEZ-HAUSER MATCH. These are both great kids. Too bad someone had to loose. Remember that both the semis and the final at 135 went to overtime. The weight class was very tough, Trumm the handsdown favorite went out early and Udit won the whole thing. Udit who? From where? Well now we all know him, that is why they wrestle the matches on the mat and not on a blog. Strange things can happen at sectionals. To Udit, great tournament kid, I will be routing for you in Rochester.
DI BETTA: In all my years of watching this sport that is the worst thing I have ever seen.
That said, for any of you bloggers to blame this kids conduct on John Degl or Coach Swertfagger is just horse hockey.
Di Betta is to blame for his conduct and will have to face the music, someone should be arresting this kid for assault etc.
Congrats to Fox Lane and esp Coach Amuso!! Amuso is a class act. Watch him in the corner or after one of his 4 kids won championships, that is how a coach should act.
To see how a coach should not act just look a New Ro’s Guccione. The display he put on after the 145# final was a disgrace, he acted like a total clown. The man shows no respect for his wrestlers opponents, he maybe a very good coach but his overall conduct at matside is bush league.
In closing, good luck to all section one wrestlers at the States.
The Observer,
Although you make lots of good points, and it’s your choice to post anonymously, if you choose to do so then there’s no reason for any of the rest of us to take the criticisms you post about other, such as the NewRo coach, seriously. We don’t know where you’re coming from. Seriously, if you want people to credit what you have to say, everyone, be willing to identify yourselves. If your goal is to make Section 1 better, stand up and be counted.
Dear Mrs. Frost,
The name “FrostFree” was not to stop you from speaking your mind, I was not expecting you to do that. It was to make you smile. Now I am not sure if there is anything in this world that would bring a smile to your face. It’s late; please try to get some sleep before you start hating more people on Tuesday morning.
Please, never say it’s okay for one boy to punch another in the face unless it is in a boxing ring and they have gloves on. This behavior is not to be condoned. Even you cannot gloss over it.
I know you need to get the last word in, knock yourself out. 32% of the blog entries are yours, try to raise the percentage.
Tony
I cannot believe that I am reading notes from writers that diminish what Dibetta did as in “only a slap”.
Next thing they’ll be writing is that it was only 9 stitches.
It should have been “only nothing”
He stole the rest of Lopez’s tourney.
Maybe he’s been overlooked by his coaches because again “maybe” they needed his talent on the mat.
There was a Luke Speno incident last year where Dibetta could not control himself during the match or did we forget that one.
Now you’ll allow him to play Lacrosse with a stick in his hand.
Sorry Tony, but we may allow forgiveness but I for one will not forget.
This is a sport which conotes “Sportsmanship” where was that by this man/child yesterday.
It was a great tourney even with some of the off the wall antics by a few & I for one will miss your bald pate till next season.
Good luck to all those that represent Section 1 up in Rochester I am sure they will represent us well both on & off the mat.
Is the next step to talk Dibetta out for a public hanging? How many years in jail should he serve? We should start him with a life sentence and maybe offer parole after 10 years.
Let’s be serious here. He is not a vicious animal that should be cast from society. This is all being overblown. He made a mistake and he was, and will be, punished as he should be under the systems in place.
Also, is it a clear fact that the push/punch/slap caused the stitches? I thought there was uncertainty about whether or not the wrestling move caused the damage. It doesn’t make what he did right, but people are hung up on the damage. If the moved caused the cut, the push/punch/slap did not.
i said that earlier
Yes this is the last year that Zeke and Cook should be posting stuff on this blog trying to make themselves seem smart by using big words and making no sence. You 2 always talk about sportsmanship but both of you especially Zeke dont show it at all!
TO Joe B.
Recent history lesson,
Amuso never has had a state champ, Coloa never did anything for free (his Florida trips where very expensive and he had wrestlers eating a Mickey D’s for training food) and was fired for cheating. Berno inherited his one state champ.
The NYAC was where specialized training took place and it was free if you new about it and had the balls to get slaughtered without any coaching until you paid your dues with blood and tears.
C.J. RODRIGUEZ NORTH ROCKLAND 2005
JOE MAZZURCO MAHOPAC 2000( very specialized training and a very smart coach JM)
CHAD CAROS SUFFERN 1997
GRIFF POWELL SUFFERN 1996-97(transfer student)
MORGAN CAREY HORACE GREELEY 1995( all on his own and Bill Swert was his real coach, Colao inherited him)
JULIUS SMITH OSSINING 1994(stud)
P.J. BORY SUFFERN 1993(stud great suffern program)
MIKE QUAGLIO J.J.E.F. 1992( Wealthy and highly specialized coaching)
JOHN DEGL MAHOPAC 1991( lucky beat future olympian)
CHRIS MATTEOTTI SUFFERN 1991 ( Stud /super suffern program)
JUAN CARLOS GARCIA SLEEPY HOLLOW 1990-91 (Super stud)
EMILO COLLINS TAPPAN ZEE 1990 didn’t know him
DAVID HIRSCH CLARKSTOWN SOUTH 1990 didn’t know him
CARLOS JIMINEZ SLEEPY HOLLOW 1989 didn’t know him
ANTHONY ALBERTI HENDRICK HUDSON 1989-90 didn’t know him
MARCEL COOPER NYACK 1988 (GOD LIKE look at his dad at 80 yrs old)
BILL SWERTFAGER HORACE GREELEY 1978 didn’t know him
To say open mats helped these guys is like saying the Yankees are good because of Yankee stadium.
No basis in fact.
They won because they were tougher and worked harder, it was not because of the local coaches and open mats. I know for a fact most of them made very regular visits to NYAC and wrestled former world and national champions. Some of them went on, Hirsch (NCAA CHAMP DI) Collins 3x NCAA AA DI, greatness in college, not from local open mats. OPEN MATS ARE A FAILURE. Most kids socialize there. They get in groups of three-five and hardly even train. JJCR is an exception they have a structured open mat/ coached practice every monday and South has something similar I hear. These two are the only free options localy, the other open mats are not very helpful. AND JJCR and South are still just not enough to bridge the gap w/ LI and upstate kids who have ex- D1 cocaches like Johnson City and Patrovich on LI. come on wake up.
If you want to be successful in a modern era get with the times. Wax philosophic for fun, revel in the yesteryears but don’t try to say those coaches could actually contribute to the success of CHAMPIONS. Colao for sure ruined Scott Rowe and Corey Carter, two superstars. He surely ruined many more I am not aware of. He was a hindrance not a help. Amuso never sought challenges for his studs and has archaic skills but he is a great coach and motivator. He has stood the test of time and despite just recently winning his second section title in 37 yrs, his 1st took 34 or something like that, he has really helped and molded many young men. He is a class act and should be respected.
You just made me puke when you mentioned Colao in the same paragraph.
Joe B seems like a nice guy. He is still working on his understanding of economic history and inflation, cut him some slack on the Section 1 wrestling history.
class act: john coffey loses after winning 40 consecutive matches… no laying on the mat…
There are many things I would like to comment on regarding the sectional tournament, but unfortunately I am a college student and have a lot of work to do at the moment.. After reading all of these posts the one issue i do want to address is the Hauser- Hernandez match. IMO it was the most exciting match of the day, and I want to address this issue because I was so appalled at the call that was made that I couldn’t constrain myself from the mats edge. The match was in OT ride out.. Hauser stood up and hernandez dropped to a single leg. By rule hernandez must return hauser to the mat within about 5 seconds.. if he doesnt he is hit for stalling. Hernandez dropped to a single and like a good wrestler immediately switched to a double leg and began to drive Hauser to the mat. Hauser then began to scramble and Hernandez continued to try to drive him to the mat causing both wrestler to go out of bounds. At NO POINT in that given situation was Hernandez INTENTIONALLY trying to drive Hauser out of bounds. He was merely doing what he was trained to do and what I would have done in the given situation: drop to a single, cut to a double, and drive. The rule that was given from the rule book is correct. It would have been correct if Hernandez had a single leg up in the air and intentionally walked Hauser out of bounds. The fact that he was driving on a double is totally different.
In short, the call was unwarranted, and the match should have been decided by the wrestlers.
I also want to commend Hernandez for wrestling back so well because most kids would have packed it in after a call like that.
-Marc Zurla
The observer why is the new rochelle coach a clown for being excited when his wrestler won after years of finally winning the big one. This is a wrestler who has placed four years in a row and won this one beating another wrestler who was undefeated to come from behind and finally win in ot. He was a coach excited to see someone who has busted his ass finally win and for you to say he was a clown is just not right. He was not being disrespestful towards John Coffey. His excitment was all about his wrestler so you need to get over yourself.
‘’Berno inherited his one state champ’’.
get your info right before u make false statements.
Tony, You give us this forum to write and then you say if we disagree with you our entries will be removed. i.e. Entries that many wrestling fans have entered who are upset with Dibetta’s violent behavior.
You should mention that in your “about the author” section, “Only write entries that I agree with”
If you think about it there is a reason his name has been mentioned a lot. Don’t blame the writers.
Having all these comments about poor sportsmanship may be a great thing. Losing team pts and being ejected is one thing, but to know that your going to be bad mouthed and draged through the mud for everyone to see and read may cause people to think twice.
Read_Between_The_Lines:
One correction: Griff Powell always wrestled at Suffern; Chad Caros was the one who transfered in after winning a state title from somewhere upstate (I think from Section VI).
cookiemonster:
I’m not sure what the record is in Section I for most titles but Suffern had 2 state champions (Powell, Caros) and a 3rd (Farrison) all in one year. East Ramapo also had 3 kids place top 6 in one year (Surin, Faist, and Touzin).
read_between_the_lines….Everybody has a right to thier own opinion about people. Apparently you have yours. However if you loathe these blogs as much as you stated on 2/18 @ 7:16. Don’t blog anymore. There is a good Wyatt Earp movie on tonight. Watch that instead or take a anger management course.
The Observer why would Gucciones reaction be the only thing you took away from that match. It was one of the best matches of the day. Why wouldnt Coffey be a good sport that is how it should be. Not the topic here you pointing out that Gooch is a clown. Be serious. His excitment had absolutely nothing to do with Coffey losing. It was all about his wrestler winning. Shame on you for not seeing this.
Read_Between_The_Lines you are a jerk. Sorry, but I have to call it like I see it. Get a life and stop trying to prove that whatever is better then whatever. I started my coaching career in section 3 and worked with many state champs. All of them worked hard with their teams and then wrestled freestyle and greco with the Mohawk Valley Club in the spring for about $75. You don’t need expensive clubs to win, you need heart, determination, guts, perserverence and not jerks like you.
I grew up going to open mats at WCC on friday nights, open mats at Irvington with Berno, Ardsley with Quilti, Ossining with Colao and Lakeland with Vitolo. Chris Balducci was not inherited, Berno is the reason that he was a state champion. As a kid he was at every open mat Berno ran, that comment makes you look like a total donkey.
Wrestlers if you want to get better wrestle more. Pay big bucks or go to open mats. There is plenty of opportunity to get better, Nanuet just had 11 make All Section with 3 champs, none of them have paid a cent to train anywhere else!
well said coach rogers, once again Zeke and Udit good job and good luck at states.
so now that were looking into the future….how about states?
You know, in all this controversy over the Hauser/Hernandez call, the one thing I have not seen posted is kudos to Hauser. Whether you agree with the call or not, Hauser deserves alot of credit. Bumping up two weight classes and getting into the semifinals and ultimately the finals was AMAZING. I don’t know if the kid reads the blogs or not, but if so, no one has congratulated him for giving us one of the best matches, if not the best match of the day.
WAY TO GO HAUSER
YOU PROVED YOURSELF TO BE ONE OF THE BEST WRESTLERS IN SECTION 1
My top 5 matches from sections. Oddo vs burrow 2 both matches at sections were ot thrillers. Hauser vs thakur, hauser vs hernandez, shrednicki vs lil burrows, and coffey vs antonolli. A few others barbo vs lorenz, galea vs gilberti both matches, would have liked to see barbo vs schede and the cabibbos wrestle but that is a different topic.
Congrats to Brian Realbutto who is an 8th grader and walked through sections this year. there are great things to come for this young man in the future.
This is Brian DiBetta, and let me get a few things straight. I would first like to apologize for my actions and I know that there is no excuse for them. Reguarding the push after the match, it simply should not occured. IT is my senior year and I watched myself lose and my adrenaline was running high after the match. This is no excuse though. Regaurding Mike Lopez’s cut face I WANT TO GET THIS STRAIGHT. Mike Lopez was cut on the RIGHT side of his face during the cement mixer attempt toward the end of the match. In no way does this make my push after the match right. I feel the punishment has cost my team, but I want everyone to know my push at the end of the match DID NOT cause Mike Lopez to get stiches. It was an accidental incidnent during the match. I would like to apologize.
I forgave you a long time ago. You didn’t highlight enough that it was a “push after the match” and not a punch, but at least you set the record straight regarding the stitches.
Brian,
Glad to see that you manned up and apologized for your actions. It definitely wasn’t easy with what everyone has said about you on this blog. Trust me, I know that losing is never fun. I have lost some big matches in my career, and I was definitely not happy. But, I always believed that if you left it all on the mat then you should walk off the mat with your head held high. I think you have learned from you mistake.
For the record, I was 10 feet from the mat when the incident occurred. No punch was thrown. It was more of a slap or push. I could see the blood on Lopez’s face right before dibetta pushed him. So it is safe to say that the push did not cause the cut. However, like Brian said himself, there is no excuse for his actions.
sec1spec,
you are absolutely right. Hauser does deserve a lot of credit for what he accomplished this weekend. Both of those wrestlers bumped up from lower weight classes. Both wrestlers gave it their all and it was exciting to watch. Congrats to both wrestlers
Brian Dibetta says on his lacrosse video link that he was in AP english his junior year. Now read the entry from “Brian Dibetta” above.
Dibetta’s video lacrosse link below:
http://johnjaylacrosse.com/video/?id=9D9D779353371BF5E300D61BFF9972F1
Irvington’s Chris Balducci was state champ, I know it was the late 80’s possibly 88.
135 and 145 (D1) most exciting matches of the weekend – most quarter, semi, final and even consi were nail biting! By far the deepest weight classes – could have gone either way, any moment, any kid! Kudos to you wrestlers! Tough sport, tough kids!
For crying out loud, HS Wrestling Fan, give it up and let it go! Brian apologized, realizes what a mistake he made, and does not need you to put more salt in the wound.(no pun intended) ‘Must be nice to be so perfect…PLEASE stop the finger-pointing as Tony has asked all of us to do.
Mt Vernon had some great teams many years ago, and
had some great success in the state tourney as well.
I believe they had possibly 5 wrestlers go to states one year, and had 4 place top 6. I could be wrong
Just wanted to say that I wish we could talk more about the
Sectional Tourney and the upcoming States. Being that I live in Arizona, I never can see any of the matches, so I
depend on the blog and the Sec 1 chat board for info.
Can’t wait for videos of all the matches
cya
Well i bet all you guys who were saying how Brian should be brought up on charges feel sheepish right now.
BTW that’s why people dont use their real names most of the time. Because their info is not credible.
All of you should apologize to Brian or im gonna “Bring you up on charges”
just because brian did something stupid after a match doesn’t make him a bad person or reflect that john jay is a disrespectful wrestling program. their program has been beating the heads in of almost every other program (except fox lane, on occasion) for practically every season against every team in westchester, putnam, and rockland county. brian was pissed, and if you were a team captain of such a demanding program with such high expectation of their wrestlers, you’d probably do the same. it’s hilarious, however, that while all thought he punched the kid, it turned out to be a push and the stiches were from a move. honestly, its unbelievable how out of hand this all has gotten. i’ve been around the program since 7th grade and have seen dibetta wrestle since, he is an outstanding wrestler and this loss and this reaction in NO way reflects his career or the program which he is a part of. this does not make him a “bad kid” or mean he was raised incorrectly or isnt disciplined enough.
To John Jay Wrestler of the second post:
Dibetta’s actions did cause john jay the team title. He had 12 team points taken away and wouldve added 5 more for the fifth place that he would of gotten because of Trumm leaving. That makes 17 points which would leave the team scores at 187 John Jay, 183.5 Fox Lane. Not protecting Dibetta, but after watching his match on my friends camera, Lopez’s cut was on the opposite side of the face where dibetta hit him. The cut was from the previous move (standing cement mixer). I agree with are you serious?
Found this on youtube: We need more publicity like this:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N3kUADdWt_A
Lets let this thread die. There are so many things I want to say but won’t. Scottbillhenry, stop posting you are giving this thing fresh legs.
See you in Rochester
DO YOU KISS YOU MOTHER WITH THAT MOUTH. HE DELETED MINE POST AS WELL. ITS SELECTIVE I GUESS HOWEVER HE DID SAY HE WOULD IF THE TOPIC CONTINUES TO COME UP. I ONLY SAID SOMETHING BECAUSE OF THE TEAMMATES COMMENT. BUT YOU JS SHOULD NOT BE POST THAT TRASH HERE. NOT RIGHT. YOU COULD HAVE COME UP WITH SOMETHING MORE GROWN UP TO SAY.
wow js, you should be banned from this blog.
Best match:
to best match the best wrestleback match by far was gogatz vs swertfager in my opinion it was in the consi quarters to place at sectionals very good match, did you see it?
Does anyone know if John Jay High School is paying for lopez’s stitches cuase i know i wouldnt let my insurence cover it if i was lopez.
PLEASE STOP IT NOW!!! DOES “P” STAND FOR “PETTY”? ENOUGH ON THIS TOPIC.
To Mr. Me: Yes, I did see that match and you are 100% correct – it was a great consi match. Nice of you to point out some wrestlers that did not make it to the finals and surely would have wanted to…
If you say Dibetta is a great kid the entry is kept, if you tell the truth about him the entry is removed.
he made a mistake, everyone makes mistakes. one event doesnt mean ur a terrible person. if a murderer helps an old woman cross the street, it doesnt mean theyre automatically a nice person
1-hernandez got shafted.
also feal bad for trumm, poor lil guy
2-dibetta probly shouldnt have punched lopez, but it happens, wat are u gunna have him tared and feathered and banished form section1. i feal u son.
personally i was watching and i think he was allredi cut b4 the hit.
3-any sleepers, or people you dident think were gunna get a all-section spot?
4-who bench presses the most in section 1….just thought id throw that out there