2007-2008 News

GRAY BEES WRESTLERS CONTINUE TO EXCEL

January 5, 2008

Another weekend. Another championship.

The Gray Bees wrestling team, fresh off its victory in the Parsippany Holiday Tournament, added five championship medals to its growing list while claiming its second straight team title Saturday in the emotionally charged Ironman Invitational.

St. Benedict’s, which had a host of close calls with a couple of seconds and thirds in recent memory, finally annexed the crown which it has been unable to attain since the turn of the century.

Coach Michael DiPiano’s club - spearheaded by dominating efforts from Patrick Hunter and Bagna Tovuujav - recorded 224 points to secure a slim, eight-point victory over Rocky Point of New York. The host school, Msgr. Farrell of Staten Island, finished third with 172.5 points.

“It was nice to finally win a tournament that has eluded us over the last several years,” said DiPiano Jr., who saw his team rally for a title for the second time in as many weeks.

The Gray Bees got another huge effort from its “Big Guns,” — Hunter, Tovuujav, Turtogtokh Luvsandorj and Kevin Dufresne. But it was Hunter at 119 pounds who reigned supreme. The senior, in his first year in a Gray Bees singlet, ran roughshod over the competition, scoring technical falls in all four of his bouts.

Hunter, who was voted the Champions Champion of the event by his peers, outscored the competition, 61-1, and didn’t surrender his only point until the final. Even then, he only needed 3:10 to rack up a 16-1 verdict over Paul Marcello of Cardinal Gibbons (Fl.), a state place-winner in Florida last year.

Tovuujav, who claimed the Outstanding Wrestler Award in the holiday tournament, scored the most falls in least amount of time honors for the second successive year in the Ironman. He scored four pins in a ridiculous cumulative time of 1:41 en route to the 171-pound title.

“Hunter and Tovuujav were just unreal,” said seventh-year coach DiPiano. “I am not sure if I can remember such dominating performances by teammates in one day since I have been here.”

Also picking up championships and scoring bonus points for the team in the final were Luvsandorj, who scored a technical fall in 152 pounds, and Olushola Brown, who pinned at 215 pounds to claim his first-ever tournament title.

Kevin Dufresne, who won the 160-pound title with a decision, joined all but Brown with championships for the second tournament in succession.

Notes: Chris Johnson (189) placed second, while Chris Dowdy (125), Ahmad Ismail (145) and Mike Wray (heavyweight) all finished third.

Wray was inserted into the lineup after an injury to Riad Abu-Smal. He took third by pinning his opponent in a consolation match, the final bout of the day-long event.

Ismail was losing, 4-1, with 45 seconds left in the consolation final when he hit a “beautiful“ outside single-leg dump for the pin with 15 seconds left in the match.

— By Ron Jandoli