The 18th Eastern States Classic promised two days of national number ones putting it on the line, epic grudge matches, the return of a New York legend as he watches a new generation take over in his honor, the most powerful 100 pounds in the land, rapid fire stall calls, on the mat drama, rabid crowds howling for more stall calls, off the mat drama, a boy named Stevo who is becoming a man named Stevo, a smattering of additional stall calls, the number one team in the country going to work, and our favorite game show: “Was That A Takedown?”

Let’s break down all of the action for you:

The Showdown(s)

Once the brackets were released in FloArena it was quickly apparent that we were headed for several monster showdowns early Saturday evening. Unfortunately, only one truly lived up to the billing. There would be little point in starting this recap anywhere other than the end. The end of the Zach Redding and Ryan Jack match, that is.

Just get your slo-mo ready right now ladies and gentlemen, as a lot of people will be debating this one. With 21 seconds remaining Redding is let loose, giving him an 8-6 advantage. Jack looks for a way in and with 6 seconds left really makes his move. By 3 seconds he has cleared Redding’s arm but hasn’t completed his move to the back. By 2 seconds he has an ankle and his arm is in good position to finish it. It appears that as time is running out he may be in a spot to be awarded the takedown, but it’s not definitive, especially not in real time. The main official doesn’t have the perfect view on the matter, and to his credit, immediately confers before declaring no takedown as the clock expired. You decide:

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Redding comes away with the huge victory over the #4 ranked 138 in the country, which he more than deserved as it was two periods of relentless leg attacks, coupled with his overall intensity all weekend. (Though I think we all would have loved to have seen how sudden victory would have played out). While it is easy to say that Jack left it too late when it mattered, he was also a little lucky to be in the final at all.

Jayden Scott gave him a real run in the semi, including sending the arena into hysterics when he launched Jack on to his back, only to be ruled out of bounds. Ahead by two, saying that Jack was evasive in the third would have been extremely generous, and he picked up one of those ever popular ESC stall calls with 15 seconds left. Still dancing as the final whistle blew, the entire place was shocked to not see another one rain down on him to keep the fun going, but it was not to be for Scott. All of it left a lot of us wondering if karma had been served at the end of the day, and also if this weight class might be stretching Jack’s effectiveness.

The other marquee match was a return bout between a pair of super slick gunslingers in second ranked Jordan Titus and #14 Anthony Noto. With Noto holding the 3-2 advantage in their high school series, including a heated win in the semi here last year, he was rewarded with the number one seed. The two were always on a collision course, and Titus hardly needed more bulletin board material. The latest edition of their epic battles was an incredible display of mat wrestling and quickness that turned on a takedown late in the first. Down one, Titus sprang as if he was a jaguar leaping from the shadows onto his hapless prey as he slid behind Noto’s left side. Feasting from top for the entire second period, he never looked back.

There would be no argument over who was the victor this time, as Titus evened the series:

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There was the potential for a third big national tilt when we began, and not to be outdone by the older set, we were treated to some fireworks from two of the top middle school wrestlers in the nation, which segues nicely into...

The Legacy

Troy Bouzakis owned the state of New York as a teenager. Three state titles and complete and utter dominance, causing rival coaches to fear any meeting with the Buzzsaw. His legend has long been cemented locally, and had his college career not been ended by injury during a stellar freshman year where he won an ACC title, battling side by side on a Clemson team with national champion and future world champ and Olympic silver medalist Sammie Henson, one can only speculate as to the great heights he might have reached.

The hallmark of Bouzaki’s style was his intensity, and it is pretty easy to see that his children are following quickly in his footsteps where that is concerned. Wrestling side by side during the semifinals, his sons Nic and Vince were putting on quite a show. Nic was steamrolling while Vince was pushing for a last second stall call and dramatic takedown win in sudden victory over Joseph Manfredi to book a showdown with PJ Duke. The mix of elation and heartburn was the ultimate wrestling parent experience.

With Eastern States we get the 99 pounders, as well as the top middle school kids in the region. That set the stage for our first national final pairing Duke and Vince, with both looking for bragging rights as to being the top middle school prospect in the country. Duke was unbelievable all weekend long, and I am fully convinced that he could unleash his octopus arm and hold any kid of any age in any position that he so chooses. He somehow looks even younger than his actual age, but he has that unnatural man strength already. It’s pretty scary to be honest. Duke put all of that on full display in pinning Vince mid-way through the second period, placing a big exclamation mark next to his title and most certainly starting a legacy of his own.

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The Bouzakis name was destined to adorn the top of the podium here though, and big brother (and number one ranked 126 pounder) Nic was not to be denied. Regrouping from his Powerade hiccup, Nic was a steamroller, but one that was in complete control. No one stood a chance against him this weekend as he was clearly focused and determined. Ivan Garcia navigated a busted bracket on the bottom, and is long for the weight. That length seemed to inspire Bouzakis to make his life miserable by wrapping him up in endless cradles on the way to a tech fall.

A lot of locals had been hoping to launch a new legend by unveiling their own modern day version of the Buzzsaw, via middle school phenom Zack Ryder. Every fan, official, table worker, coach or random person that accidentally ended up in the Paul Gerry Fieldhouse seemed to know Ryder and scream words of encouragement. They might have to wait another year or two as his run was quickly diverted by Anthony Dibartolo in the round of 16. Dibartolo, a senior, seemed to just have that strength advantage that is tough to overcome at these differing stages in development. Anthony would edge Ryder again in the consi semi, showing how cruel both youth and the back side can be.

Taking Care of Business

When you are the top team in the country, people are going to bring their A game to wrestle you. When that team also includes a number of top ranked kids, the field is salivating at the opportunity to take a crack at them. While they may have been the obvious stars of their brackets, the Wyoming Seminary crew did a great job all weekend of recognizing what their job was here, and making sure that they did what was needed to get it done.

Brandon Cannon continued his fantastic season, adding a crown to go next to his Beast trophy, keeping the crowd at 106 at arms’ length. On the other end, Kolby Franklin started polishing up a new display case as he dispatched the 220 bruisers with ease, waiting patiently as they beat up one another and he sidestepped any unnecessary shenanigans.

Beau Bartlett first burst on to the national scene here as a seventh grader, and he was sure to make it four-for-four on his visits to Loch Sheldrake. Ryan Burgos had a controversial semi win in tie breakers against Justin McDougald, as a phantom point seemed to be given (scoring at the tables was a challenge at times, though the refs were vigilant and made sure the results were always correct all tournament long). After a long discussion, he finally rode out the UTB period, only to be left facing a dead serious Bartlett.

Burgos and McDougald can’t stop won’t stop:

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Willie McDougald (Justin’s cousin) has made an unfortunate habit of losing close title matches here to big-time national kids, with the #1 ranked 145 in the country Lachlan McNeil doing the honors this time. McNeil has been incandescent this season, a burning star too hot to even approach. This journey to the top was a little different than most though. Not only was everyone prepped for him, but his semifinal was opposite teammate Lincoln Heck. None of it mattered as none of his opponents slowed him down for a second until McDougald. Willie kept things close, but ultimately didn’t have the correct counters when they truly mattered.

I saved Sem’s 170 champ, Andrew Donahue, for a special spotlight, as he both took care of business and delivered a breathtaking final performance. If you have been following any of my writing this season you certainly know that Donahue is both highly thought of around here, and also far from the final product. I picked him to win, but did so more with my heart than my brain. Putting aside some of the mistakes he had made earlier in the season, Andrew played it fairly safe this tournament as he made his way to the parade of champions. Once the announcer said his name and the spotlight was on though he delivered a slick reversal and devastating ride, opening up the title match and perhaps hinted at what is to come as he continues to develop. Tyler Albis had displayed some nice skills on top early in the tournament, but Donahue gave him a cruel lesson on Saturday evening, winning 15-0 with a barrage of back points.

Cowboy Donahue goes for a ride:

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New York (and the internet’s) favorite son Stevo Poulin has truly come of age this season. In this digital age we have a long well documented trail letting us know that Poulin has been very very good, perhaps since birth. What we hadn’t seen yet was that he is also a well rounded and exceptionally mature wrestler. As he dispatched all comers, the best way I could describe Stevo’s performance was that it was equal parts stunning and boring. He poured on the points but never once felt in danger or lacked composure. No matter how good a kid is, to say that every time a 113 pounder steps on the mat that I don’t even give it a second thought as to whether or not they will win really says something. If Steveo wrestles. Stevo wins.

Stevo cuts you twenty different ways, and sometimes he just wants to get to the final:

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There For The Taking, So Take It (PLEASE!)

Several weight classes afforded the opportunity for some new faces to jump into the national spotlight. Few seemed up to the challenge, but the ones that were definitely made the most of their chance.

In the preview I wondered whether Brock Delsignore had made such a jump this off season that he would clearly outpace a field that he was trapped in the thick of this time last year. I need not have worried as Delsignore put it on everyone he faced. The seeding meant that he actually faced the finalist from last year Fombo Azah in the quarter, and promptly ran up the score on him before securing the fall. The weight of the moment made him tighten up a little in the final, but his scores of 16-1, 12-1(Fall), and 10-3 leading up to it told the real story. Brock Delsignore might just be ready for his close up.

At 160 Brevin Cassella used his length and reach to his advantage all weekend as a tenacious Jacob Null patiently waited for him. Both kids looked as if they have taken a step up from last year and there was a lot to like in their games. When push came to shove, Null’s tactical approach paid off as he worked around Cassella’s frame, though he did get tagged with one of those popular stall calls late in the third to keep things interesting.

I refused to pick against Matt Kelly as I just didn’t want to feel like I contributed to what would surely be a heavy storm cloud of disappointment if he squandered his top seed here. It didn’t matter what I did as Kelly fell to Carson Licastri in the semi. Licastri bested Darby McLaughlin (sporting a not often seen baggy black on black look) in the final. McLaughlin had been getting roughed up a little by Joe Russell before Russell tripped backwards into a pin. Unbelievably, Anthony Cascen basically scurried right into a pinning position off a restart in what had been a tied semi to send McLaughlin through. Cascen himself cradled Nate DeGroff earlier in what had started off as a crazy double cradle position between them. 195 was a mess and Kelly will be kicking himself for not controlling it.

Eastern States Results

The opposite was true of Tommy Askey and 152. Topping a bracket that seemed poised to go sideways, both Askey and the rest of the seeds more or less held things together. Clearly a local favorite, Askey looked inspired and up to the challenge as he both put in the dirty work and also enjoyed his victories. It was an example that a lot of kids could have done well to follow.

Speaking of sideways brackets, you know I can’t resist talking about the heavyweights, but it was also a case of seriously missed opportunities here. Past NHSCA champ Tyler Rice has been skirting the edges of the national rankings and had a chance to lock in his place with a dominant showing here. He barely survived his first match (there was discussion that it might head to SV based on a penalty point after the final whistle, as the action spilled well off the mat), and then showed no offense in dropping his quarterfinal, before defaulting out. That turned our attention to Myles Norris, a surprise state finalist last year who entered as the top seed. Norris also showed little offense in losing his quarter, and then led with his head awkwardly and decided to injury default out on the back. Surely Greg Harris would take advantage and swoop in! Alas, Harris delivered a head butt and picked up a penalty point in the last second of tie-breakers, keeping him from the final.

Did anyone want to win this thing??? It turns out that Sam Khodaparest did and proceeded to win an incredibly weird and sloppy championship match over London Castillo to close the proceedings.

New York State Of Mind

As it always does, the Eastern States Classic delivered in so many ways, combining a potent dose of talent and drama with exuberant celebration and heavy emotions. I love the packed fieldhouse and the way the local kids are championed, as well as the vocal crowd. The middle school kids add a crazy twist (hello six time state champions) that adds to the mythmaking that keeps this sport’s tapestry unfolding. I even love the stall calls, as they are consistent and everyone going in knows that is part of the deal. Thanks for the good times and new stars. See you right back here next year.