Sun Valley Wrestling: 2009-2010 Results and Highlights

The Vanguards took the long trek northwest to the land of the Octorara Braves.  This was the first league match of the young season and it turned out to be a good one.

Trailing 0-18, the Vanguards Shane Mullen (160) stepped onto the mat and ended his match in the first period with a pin.  Seth Snyder (171) went the distance in his match and came out on the winning end with a major decision victory.  Shaun Lessik (189) took control of his match from the opening whistle, pinning his Brave in the first period to draw Sun Valley to within two.

Paris Covington (285) wrestled his way to a good decision victory.  After Alex Trombetta (103) accepted a forfeit win, the Vanguards were up 25-24.  Dan Stover (125) took his challenger the distance, controlling the match, winning with a major decision to end the scoring for Sun Valley.

In JV action:

Melissa Bailey (119) sent her challenger to the showers early with a second period pin and was followed by Alex Kluka (125) who also pinned his opponent.  Jesse Lawton (130) ended the scoring for the JV as he finished his match with a decision victory.

Next up:  For the Varsity - Saturday, 12-19 at The Beast of the East at the Bob Carpenter Center at the University of Delaware starting at 8:30 AM

For the JV - Radnor Holiday Tournament - Saturday, 12-19 starting at 9:00 AM.

If anyone attending the JV match would take pictures and get them to me, I will put them on the web.  Also if you could do a quick write-up and send it to me, I will put that on the site also.

The day started out cold and dark, the bus left school at 5:30 AM with the coaches, managers and wrestlers all wondering what was awaiting them at the tough Wilson Duals in Easton.  The ten-team tournament included Blair Academy "B" squad, Wilson Area High, Pittston, Bangor, Upper Merion and East Stroudsburg to name a few. 

Match #1 - Sun Valley - 36     Bangor - 30
          With the Vanguards trailing 0-21, Dave Gaudino (130) put six points on Sun Valley's side with a third period pin.  Vinny Oristaglio (135) was next and put his opponent down with a second period pin.  Jeff Chen (140) took the mat and came away with a tough decision win.  Jim Dantonio (145) followed and also earned a decision win to bring Sun Valley within three points, as the score was now 18-21 in favor of Bangor.  With the Vans down 18-30, Seth Snyder (171) worked a decision win.  Shaun Lessik (189) took the mat next and added three more points for the team with a decision victory.  After Tyler Brun (215) accepted a forfeit win, the score was now deadlocked at 30 with one match remaining.  Paris Covington (285) secured the team victory with a second period pin. 

Match #2 - Sun Valley - 39     Wilson - 36
          Dave Gaudino (130) took the mat with Sun Valley down 0-12 and put the Vans on the board with a decision win.  Vinny Oristagilo (135) set his challenger down with a quick first period pin.  After Seth Snyder (171) and Shaun Lessik (189) both accepted forfeit wins, Sun Valley was now trailing 21-30.  Tyler Brun (215) and Paris Covington (285) both decked their opponents with pins, Tyler's in the first period and Paris's in the second.  With one match remaining and Sun Valley down by three points, Neil McLaughlin (112) brought home the victory for Sun Valley with a second period pin.

Match #3 - Sun Valley - 54     Upper Merion - 25
          Alex Kluka (125) started the match out with a forfeit win to put the first of many points up for Sun Valley.  Jeff Chen (140) added six more points to knot the score at 12-12 with a first period pin.  Jim Chen (152) put Sun Valley up by taking his competitor out with a second period pin.  With the Vanguards trailing, Seth Snyder (171) pinned his foe in the second period and was followed by Shaun Lessik (189) who pinned his challenger in the first period, putting Sun Valley in front 30-22.  After Paris Covington (285), Howie Strunk (103) and Neil McLaughlin (112) all accepted forfeit wins, Robbie Culp (119) pinned his opponent in the first period to end the match.

Match #4 - Sun Valley - 45     East Stroudsburg - 30
          Starting this match was Dave Gaudino (130) who put Sun Valley on the board with a first period pin and was followed by Vinny Oristaglio (135) who recorded his own first period pin.  Next on the mat was Jeff Chen (140) who locked up a hard-fought decision win and was followed by Jim Chen (145) with a first period pin to put the Vanguards up 21-0.  Seth Snyder (171) added six points with a second period pin.  Paris Covington (285) took his challenger out with a first period pin and was followed by Howie Strunk (103) who accepted a forfeit win. After Robbie Culp (119) ended the scoring for Sun Valley with a first period pin, the team was in first place in their bracket with a 4-0 record and was going up against Pittston for the Championship. 

Match #5 - Sun Valley - 18     Pittston - 51
          Trailing 0-19, Seth Snyder (171) and Shaun Lessik (189) battled their way to decision victories, each adding three points to Sun Valley's score.  Paris Covington (285) decked his opponent with a first period pin to make the score 12-25 in favor of Pittston.  In final match of the tournament, Vinny Oristaglio (135) working hard, earned himself a third period pin to end the long day for the Vanguard Grapplers. 

Finishing the day with a record of 4-1, the wrestlers from Sun Valley should be proud of themselves, finishing second in this very tough tournament is an accomplishment and a preview of good things to come.  With the caliber of wrestling they faced today, they all stepped their games up and met the challenges head on, never once backing down.  

Next up:  The team travels to Octorara - the first league match - starting at 6:00.

The first night of wrestling in the new season for the Vanguards was a challenge by their next door rivals from Chichester.  The weather outside was very cold but inside the Valley gym the action was hot.   

Howie Strunk (103) put Sun Valley up with his first varsity win, a second period pin and they never looked back.  Jesse Cason (119) put his Eagle down with a first period pin for his first varsity win also.  After Dan Stover (125) accepted a forfeit win, the score was 18-6 in favor of the Vanguards.   Dave Gaudino (130), and Vinny Oristaglio (135) both also recorded first period pins.  Jeff Chen (140) went the distance in his match picking up three points with a decision victory. 

With the score in favor of Sun Valley 33-6, Jim Chen (145) grounded his opponent with a first period pin.  Not to be outdone, Shane Mullen (152) also scored a first period pin.  Seth Snyder (171) took his challenger out with another first period pin.  Shaun Lessik (189) added six more points to the Vans score with a very quick first period pin.  Tyler Brun (215) joined the pinning machine with the final first period pin of the evening.  Paris Covington (285) closed out the scoring with a forfeit win helping to put Sun Valley in the win column with a 69-12 victory. 

In JV action:After Mike Lam (140) clipped his Eagle's wings with a second period pin, Jason Tucker (152), Bob Pflugh (171) and Jim Dantonio (145) also defeated their opponents with pins, Jason and Jim in the second period and Bob's in the first period. 

A very good start for the new season. 

Next up:  The tough Wilson Duals in Easton, PA on Saturday, 12/12.

Congratulations go out to Shaun Lessik and Jeff Chen who have been named the captains of this year's Vanguard Wrestling Team.  They both work extremely hard during the season and continue training during the off season.  These two look to lead the Vans to another winning season.

Good luck and congratulations Shaun and Jeff.

The pre-season rankings are out and The Sun Valley Wrestling Team and Dan Stover both received Honorable Mentions.  Sun Valley received H.M. in Dual Meet Team Rankings and Dan Stover received H.M. at 125 pounds.

Congratulations to Dan and the entire Sun Valley Wrestling Team.

Six wrestlers from the 2009-10 Vanguards traveled to Conestoga for the annual Pumpkin Classic.  Out of the six wrestlers competing, five came home with honors.  Leading the way for the Vanguards was Shaun Lessik who ended his day with a second place medal.  Finishing their day with a third place medal was Jeff Chen, Jim Chen and Seth Snyder.  Nick Cox wrestled his way to fourth place.

All in all, it was a very good day for the Sun Valley Wrestling Team.  The future looks very good for the Vans considering how well they all wrestled in this always tough tournament which brings in quality competition.