Essex Junction Tournament
Jan 24 -
Guilderland crowned three
champions and placed five more to take 3rd place at the Essex
Junction tournament held in Vermont this past weekend. The
Dutchmen saw some quality out-of-state competition in the 27 team
tournament, with schools representing New York, Vermont and Maine in
attendance.
Senior captain Matt Cubillos stole the show at 130 lbs, where he
pinned hometown favorite and nationally ranked Jordan Gray of Essex.
Cubillos looked disappointed after a blowout major decision in the
semifinals, as did Gray, the defending New England States Champion.
But both seniors looked more than ready for the rare, in-season
contest against such high level opposition.
Scoreless at the end of a first period standoff, Gray won the coin
toss and selected the bottom position. A quick escape was
scored by the hometown favorite, and both wrestlers were back on
their feet. It appeared that a crucial takedown would be
landed in the second period, as both wrestlers opened up to attempt
more leg attacks. However, Cubillos literally threw Gray
off guard with a massive underhook toss that put the #1 seed flat on
his back late in the second period. He needed little time in
securing the fall, to the shock of the home crowd. Cubillos
was named the tournament's Most Outstanding Wrestler, and a classy
Gray, who will be attending Stanford in the fall on a wrestling
scholarship, approached all Guilderland coaches after the meet to
shake hands.
Not to be outdone, fellow captain Devan Van Auken delivered another
M.O.W. worthy performance at 215. The senior entered the
weekend as the #1 seed and was practically unchallenged on his way
to the top of the podium Saturday night. Van Auken scored a
major decision and a fall on his way to the finals, where he pinned
Grant Gebo of Whitehall late in the second period.
Junior Captain Euegene Sellie reached a career milestone by
defeating fellow New Yorker Travis Beayon of Whitehall, 5-3.
It was the first tournament title of Sellie's career, and the win
helped to vault Guilderland ahead of Whitehall in the overall team
standings. Congratulations, Eugene.
Sophomore Kevin Bates won a grueling overtime match in the semis to
make the 112 lb final. He finished in second place after
losing to Chris Lash of Essex, who will be shooting for his first
Vermont state title this year.
Matt Hart and Travis
Wolanski placed third
in their respective weight classes of 135 and 119, losing close
semi-finals matches, but each finishing the tournament with a solid
win. The bonus points scored by each wrestler proved to be
crucial in a tight race for third place in the team score.
Brendan Ruddy also finished third in his 189 lb weight class, but
his controversial semi-finals match could be described as "tough to
swallow," at the very least. Many in the crowd, including
fellow coaches and local
wrestling fans, were stunned when Ruddy was penalized for stalling
4 times
in what appeared to be an aggressively wrestled
match.
At one point Ruddy was penalized twice within eight seconds, and all
four of the opposing wrestler's points were scored via penalties.
Ruddy ultimately lost the contest 4-3, after a 2 point penalty in
the closing seconds of the match.
Ruddy did not let the setback phase him, as he ran a clinic on his
remaining opponents to claim third place.
(Photo by Chris Preston)
Freshman Zach Wacksman and Junior Matt Miller
got themselves on the podium the hard way, after losing early
decisions on the first day. Both wrestlers battled back to
claim 5th place and end the tournament with a win. Senior Greg
Reinhart battled injury but attempted to stay in the tournament to
help his team in the points race. Reinhart, Christian Kernozek,
Ben Moon , and Kevin McCarthy all contributed to the team score to
help the Fightin' Dutchmen capture third place.
Team Champions Massabesic and runners up Noble High School were
Maine State Champions and runners up, respectively, in 2008.
Congratulations to all wrestlers on a successful tournament.
Keep up the hard work as we start preparing for the last stretch of
the season!
KM
