The Rams are coming off of a top 10 finish in the section, but lost four section-placers. Having graduated so many key pieces, Clarkstown North will have to rely on its young talent to develop quickly this season. Rams’ coach Tony Mellino sent me the following information: How did your… Read More →
Sorry for the lack of activity over the weekend, but I just got back from vacation well-rested and ready to get the 2011-12 season started. The final weight class certifications should be coming out tomorrow, so I’ll be finalizing my preseason weight class rankings once I get a chance to… Read More →
Today’s paper included my full wrestling previews for the 2011-12 season. I wrote two feature stories for the preview. The first focused on Somers and the Realbuto brothers (pictured above), who are focused on challenging Fox Lane for a team section title in Division 1. The second was on defending… Read More →
Although the Indians are out of our coverage area, I told RC Ketcham coach Joe Warren that I would gladly post his team preview. The Indians are certainly a team of interest in Section 1, especially after placing 10th in the section last season. Warren, who is entering his eighth… Read More →
After making positive strides last season, the Titans enter the 2011-12 campaign looking to fill some big holes in their lineup. The wrestlers who put East Ramapo on the map are gone, but coach Ryan Kearns seems to be confident that the program is developing towards becoming more of a… Read More →
I know that I said I wouldn’t be posting this weekend, but I lied. I missed you all too much. I’m up in Glens Falls for some fall sports state championships, and had a few minutes of free time, which I’ve been using to work on my wrestling preview (which… Read More →
The biggest tournament of the first few weeks of the season is the Section 1 Dual Meets, which gives every team in the section a chance to see how they stack up in the early going. Fox Lane won the Section 1 duals last season, and then went onto win… Read More →
For my final practice stop of the week, I checked out defending Rockland county champ North Rockland. This post will conclude my round of team visits, so tomorrow I’ll go back to posting the team previews that I’ve been receiving from coaches. I’ll also be posting the brackets for the… Read More →
I spent my afternoon in Rockland today, checking out defending Division 2 champ Nanuet and defending county champ North Rockland. I’ll post the recap of my visit with the Red Raiders tomorrow, and tonight I’ll give you my thoughts on the Golden Knights. Nanuet lost four state qualifiers from last… Read More →
To spread things out a bit, I decided to post my Fox Lane report today. Later this afternoon, I’ll be making my final two stops of the week at Nanuet and then at North Rockland. For updates on those visits, follow me on Twitter @vzmercogliano. The Foxes lost big names… Read More →
While many of Somers’ top wrestlers from last season have returned, there was certainly a different feel surrounding the Tuskers when I visited their practice today. With coach Dennis DiSanto gone after 27 seasons, William Von Tobel is stepping in with some big shoes to fill. Von Tobel was a… Read More →
My second stop on Monday was at Edgemont to see how first-year head coach Peter Jacobson and his team were handling the transition after 22 seasons with George DiChiara at the helm. Jacobson inherited a team loaded with talent after coming on strong to finish second in the section in… Read More →
In honor of the first official day of wrestling practice in Section 1, I put together a story that ran in today’s paper. It provides a brief look at some of the top contenders, and also touches on the major weight class changes that will be implemented this season. Pictured… Read More →
My first round of practice stops today featured a whole bunch of sweat and optimism. First I visited New Rochelle to see how one of the top Division 1 schools in the section is shaping up, and then I headed over to Edgemont to check out the team that many… Read More →
As many of you know, Monday is the first official day of practice for wrestling teams around Section 1. To get everyone prepped for the season, I plan on diving in head first and stopping by a few practices this week. My tentative plan is to pay two teams a… Read More →
The Mounties established themselves as one of the strongest tournament teams in the section last season by placing third at sectionals. Aside from defending champion Fox Lane, Suffern had just as many high-end wrestlers as any team in the area. But gone are state qualifiers Nick Oliveto, Asher Kramer and… Read More →
A slight change of plans for today. I had originally planned on running the East Ramapo preview, but there is one last bit of information that I need to get first. Instead, we’re going with Irvington. The Bulldogs have moved up the ranks in Division 2, and hope to continue… Read More →
The Indians are undergoing a regime change for the fifth time in the past 10 seasons, but there is some optimism that they finally got it right on this one. Dennis DiSanto has come over after 27 successful season at Somers, and he hopes to bring some stability to what… Read More →
The defending Division 2 champs looked poised for another run this season, just don’t tell that to coach Carmine Serra. Out of the four section champs that Nanuet had in 2010-11, only one is returning for this season, but there is still plenty of depth (led by two-time state qualifier… Read More →
New Rochelle enjoyed a season to remember in 2010-11, as super heavyweight Malcolm Allen went from wild card entry to state champion to give coach Jim Guccione his first ever state title. Allen is gone, but just about every other key member of the Huguenots is back. If all goes… Read More →
Sorry for the delay on these previews. Things got crazy over the weekend with all of the fall playoffs. I’ll get back at it with new previews everyday this week. First up is John Jay. The 2009-10 Division 1 section champs took a bit of a step back last season,... Read More →
Westlake ended up finishing the season strong in Division 2, led by section champ Tony Ferranti. Ferranti is gone, but the Wildcats have some talent coming back. Here are coach Joseph Bucello’s words. He is entering his third season as Westlake’s head coach: How did your team do last season? Dual… Read More →
Next up for our preseason team previews is Clarkstown South. The Vikings were a half-step below the likes of county rivals Suffern and North Rockland last season, and hope to close that gap this season. They lost some key pieces, but return some wrestlers with upside. Here is the information… Read More →
