The LoHud Wrestling Blog

Thanks to Tom Josephson, I have all of the scores from the first day of the Carlucci Dual Meet tournament at Purchase College. There were some very interesting results to come out, most notably an undefeated day for a resurgent Port Chester team and a near upset from Edgemont of… Read More →

At long last, we’ll have official matches today when the Port Chester Tournament at Purchase College kick starts the 2012-13 season at 4:30 p.m. This is always one of the more competitive tourneys of the year, with a deep field featuring some of the top teams in Section 1. Port… Read More →

I had the opportunity to take my first look of the year at this season’s weight class certifications today, and after hours of scouring through them, I’ve come up with some preseason rankings. Now, it’s very important to note that nothing about these rankings is official. None of these guys… Read More →

In an exercise that I’ve done in recent years for my baseball and boys soccer blogs, I’ve taken each division and come up with five categories to layout the preseason section title outlook. Before I release any power rankings, this is a great way to breakdown how I see the… Read More →

Last season was filled with accomplishments for Hackley, as the Hornets had two wrestlers win state titles and placed in the top three as a team at the private school state championships. And while coach Fran Stanek lost the most successful wrestler in school history in five-time state champ Justin… Read More →

Quick trivia question: Who was the last team to win a Division 2 section title before Nanuet went on its run? If you guessed Pleasantville, you are correct. The Panthers have fallen off a bit since winning a championship in 2009-10, placing 11th in the section last season. They return… Read More →

Here is the press release that I received for this week from the Iowa Style Wrestling club: NE Duals Both Penn Gottfried (Ardsley HS) of Columbia and Vincent Grella (Beacon HS) of Binghamton were able to stay in their home state of New York this weekend at Journeymen’s Northeast Duals…. Read More →

I exchanged emails with section coordinator Eric Romanino this week, who told me that I’ll be able to take a look at the weight class certifications on Nov. 29. But me being the antsy person that I am, I’ve been going through all of the sectional results from last season… Read More →

Everywhere you look in Rockland county, there are teams on the rise. Clarkstown South is certainly one of them, as the Vikings bring back nearly all of their significant pieces from last season. This is now a senior-heavy group with some guys who are ready to make names for themselves…. Read More →

Despite sending less wrestlers to sectionals than several other Division 2 teams, the Wildcats managed to take seventh place overall because two-thirds of the guys they sent placed. The good news is that four of the six that placed are back, but Westlake did lose its only champ in Dean… Read More →

What was considered to be a loaded Edgemont team last season may be even more stacked this year. The majority of the Panthers’ big pieces are back, and now one year better, which has brought on high expectations. After finishing second in Division 2 last season, the focus is clear… Read More →

For my the second straight practice visit on Monday, the room I walked into was missing a very familiar voice. Jim Guccione has been the vocal presence of New Rochelle wrestling for decades, but this is Eddie Ortiz’s team now. “It’s definitely strange,” Ortiz said. “Every year that I’ve been… Read More →

Walking into the Fox Lane wrestling room today, there were only a handful of people that I recognized. After winning four of the last five Division 1 section titles, it’s clearly a new era for the Foxes. “We don’t have murderer’s row,” new head coach Anthony Rodrigues said. “Some of… Read More →

I received a press release last night from Iowa Style Wrestling which updates the progress of local ISW wrestlers who are competing at the collegiate level: This week featured many former ISW wrestlers in some top tournaments. Although their high school wrestling years are over many NY wrestlers got another… Read More →

I’m hitting the old dusty trail once again today for a few more installments of our preseason practice stops. I’ll be visiting with some of the more intriguing teams in the southern portion of Westchester, where a couple of proud programs are breaking in new regimes. I’ll be starting my… Read More →

Last season was supposed to be a down year for Suffern after losing three state qualifiers from a strong 2010-11 squad, but the Mounties still managed to place in the top 10 at sectionals. They lose three of their four section placers from last year’s team, but this program has… Read More →

While Horace Greeley hasn’t been known as the strongest team in the section in recent season, this definitely looks like a team on the upswing. Coach Mike DeBellis has been working hard to build up the program, and this could be the season that they reap the benefits. After placing… Read More →

After winning the past two section titles in Division 2, it’s entirely possible that Nanuet may be putting its best lineup of the last few years on the mat this season. The Golden Knights don’t quite bring everyone back from the 2011-12 squad, but it’s pretty darn close. Nanuet qualified… Read More →

With its unexpected second place finish in the Rockland County Championships last season, Tappan Zee provided the rest of the Section 1 with concrete evidence that this is a program on the rise. Now comes the tricky part – maintaining that level of success. “We have a lot of pride… Read More →

The North Rockland wrestling program has been on an upward trend in recent seasons, which has elevated its status around Section 1 and brought on lofty expectations. But after years of gradually climbing up the standings at sectionals, the belief is that the time has finally come for the Red… Read More →

I’ll be hitting the road again today to check out a few more intriguing teams as they prepare for the season. This time around, I’ll be heading over the Tappan Zee Bridge into Rockland county, where a handful of legitimate contenders reside. I’ll be starting off at North Rockland to… Read More →

There’s a buzz surrounding the Yorktown wrestling team that has never existed in the program’s history. It was evident from the moment that I walked in on Wednesday, and the optimism was just oozing out of the key guys who I had the opportunity to speak with. For the first… Read More →