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'Tis the Season... Check this page for continually updated news about what our Bearcat Wrestlers are doing around the State! To submit news, send your article to bearcats@matmail.com!
2/7/00 Three Bearcats qualify for States Three Fords Bearcat wrestlers qualified for the Kids State Tournament in Toms River yesterday. Tom Hogan (65) and Joey Bubenheimer (90) each took first place honors, and Brett Epps (90) took a second place medal. The Qualifier, one of eight held at various sites, hosted nearly 350 wrestlers from around the state. Only the top three finishers in each weight class advance at each qualifier. The three will now advance to the Kids state Championship tournament to be held in Lakewood on March 18. Two more 'Cats qualify for States at Lodi 3/12/00 Bantam 60 pounders Sebastian Waters and Chuck Gentles finished 1-2 at the Lodi Qualifier held yesterday. They will join Joe Bubenheimer, Brett Epps and Tommy Hogan as Bearcat representatives in the Kids' State Tournament to be held at Union the weekend of March 25-26. Bubenheimer takes 2nd at Kids' States Joey Bubenheimer fought through what may have been the toughest bracket in the Kids State Tournament to reach the finals at Lakewood on Saturday March 18. But fate was not with him as he dropped a 2-1 decision to Ringwood's Tom Fazio. The second-seeded Bubenheimer disposed of Barnegat's Sean Quinn by pin and blanked former state finisher Bryan Tracy 11-0 before meeting Fazio, who had to get past number one-seed Travis Blasco to make the finals. Bearcat program Director Kurt Epps said, "It's a disappointment, especially because Joey's worked so hard to get where he is. But he has nothing to hang his head about. He's had a great season, and he's a great kid." Epps also added, "A loss like that would break the spirit of some kids. Not Joey. Like the Terminator, he'll be back--guaranteed." |
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Tourney News! Bearcat tandem places in Toms River Tourney 11/14/99
They've been wrestling partners for three years, and each credits the other for his success on the mat. At the Toms River North Tournament this past weekend, the Fates decided Joe Hazen (12) and Brett Epps (11) would square off for third place honors in the 85 lb. division. Both wrestlers won their first bouts in impressive fashion, but both dropped decisions in their second bouts, setting up the unusual faceoff. They battled to a scoreless tie for three periods and one overtime period, but in double overtime Hazen escaped with five seconds remaining for the win. Epps took fourth place. "We know each other's moves so well, it's really tough for either of us to score unless somebody slips up," said Epps, a sixth grader. Hazen and Epps are co-captains of the Fords Bearcats wrestlers, who start their season this week. Bearcats' Hazen takes Matawan Gold medal Joe Hazen, a seventh grader at Fords Middle School, continued his pre-season winning ways at the Matawan Future Champions Tournament in Matawan over the weekend by capturing the Gold medal in the 89 lb. weight class. Hazen pinned Matt Deckman, shut out North Edison's Jeff Zannetti (10-0) and did the same to Bryan Tracy (7-0) in the finals. He also achieved a personal milestone marking the first time he had beaten Tracy in four tries. His Bearcat teammate and wrestling partner Brett Epps placed fifth in the same tournament. Epps lost to Tracy (5-2) but wrestled back with a win against Rumson's J.C. Clark (3-2) to earn the slot. Four Bearcats win honors at Voorhees Of the five Fords Bearcat wrestlers who entered the perennially tough Voorhees Turkey Day Tournament at Voorhees HS, four came home with trophies for their efforts. Joe Hazen (12, 91-INT) continued his winning ways by taking a first place trophy, and remained unscored upon in his last thirty-two periods of wrestling. His wrestling partner and co-captain Brett Epps (12, 85-JR) pinned his way into the finals before dropping a decision to take second place honors. Epps had the second fastest pin in the tourney at 24 seconds. Mike Pysniak (8, 55-BTM), scored two impressive wins--including a pin--on his way to the finals, but also dropped a decision to capture a second place trophy. Sebastian Waters (8, 60-MGT) won his first bout by virtue of a 42-second pin, but dropped his second before wrestling back to take a third place trophy. Chuck Gentles (7, 60-BTM) wrestled hard against tough competition, but failed to place in the trophy round. Four Bearcats Strike Gold at Middlesex Novice Tourney 1/23/00 Four local wrestlers--two of them just six years old--made it to the finals of the prestigious Middlesex Novice tournament this past weekend, and all four took home championship gold medals. The annual tournament attracts more than three hundred fifty first and second year wrestlers from across New Jersey, including Pennsylvania. In the Pee-Wee division, six-year old Mike Nagy of Woodbridge won the title at 40 lbs. with two decisions sandwiched around a pin. Cody Epps of Perth Amboy, also 6, pinned his way into the finals and won a major decision over Tyler McGarrigle of Trevose, PA in the 61 lb. class. Chuck Sabin, 7, of Woodbridge, pinned his way to the gold with his last pin requiring just 13 seconds. And Craig Batista, 10, of Perth Amboy, pinned all of his opponents to capture the gold at 73 lbs in the Midget division. Nick Afonso of Woodbridge took a third place bronze in the 90 lb. Midget division as well. Also medaling for the Bearcats were: Kyle Osborne (53), Brian Osborne (57), Augie Afonso (59), Frankie Maglione (63) Evan Ruiz (70), J.R. Ruiz (84) and Danny Donahue (90). |
More Tourney News! Oct. 12,1999
Epps, Hazen medal for Bearcats in Oak Crest Tourney Two Fords Bearcat wrestlers preparing for the upcoming season earned medals in the Oak Crest High School wrestling tournament in South Jersey this past weekend. Brett Epps, 11, took a gold medal in the 80-85 lb. class and did not allow a point to be scored against him. Epps scored a second period tech fall in the finals against Kurt Lapinski. Joe Hazen, 12 and last year’s Outstanding Wrestler in the Mid-Jersey League, took a silver medal in the 90 lb. class. Mike Pysniak, 7 (55), wrestled well, but was eliminated before the medal round. Bearcat Rookie Takes Silver at Toms River Tourney Wrestling less than a month, Craig Batista may have a bright future with his Fords Bearcats team. Taking his first two bouts in impressive style, Batista dropped a decision in the finals and placed second last weekend at the Toms River East Tournament in the Novice Division. Joe Hazen (90), Chris Hrabinski (80), Mike Pysniak (55) and Sebastian Waters (60)also wrestled well, but did not reach the medal round. The Bearcats' own Christmas tournament is slated for December 18 at the Fords Middle School and will feature teams from Sayreville, Metuchen, South Brunswick, East Brunswick, Old Bridge and North Edison. Bearcat Wrestlers Shine in Shore League 12/15/99 Bearcat Co-Captains Brett Epps (12) and Joe Hazen (12) wrestled their first bouts against top competition in the always-tough Jersey Shore League this weekend, and both came away winners. Wrestling for Gene Lezark’s Matawan Squad against Brick 1 and Brick 2, Epps (85) won both his bouts--one by pin--while Hazen (90) easily pinned his only opponent to help their team dominate the competition. The wrestling partners are both students at Lezark’s Gym. The Bearcats launch their new season on Tuesday December 21 with a bout at North Edison at 6PM. Bearcat Wrestlers finish 1,2 at Hornets Tournament December 12, 1999 Three Fords Bearcats wrestlers participated the Little Falls Hornets Wrestling Tournament held at Passaic Valley High School this weekend. Seven-year-old Chuck Gentles (60) won all four of his matches--three by the pin route--to capture the Gold Medal. Mike Pysniak, 7, placed second upsetting the second seed in his first bout. Down 7-0, Pysniak pinned his opponent, but eventually lost in the finals to last year’s fourth place state winner. Chris Hrabinski (80) wrestled hard against the number 1 seed but fell short of the medal round. Hazen takes Gold at Kittatinny Tournament Jan. 3, 2000 Joe Hazen (90) of the Fords Bearcat Wrestlers began the new year by capturing the Gold medal at the Kittatinny Tournament this past weekend. The 13 year-old disposed of Vernon’s J. Fioravanti by pin in the first round, upset Kittatinny’s D. Tarmatozzi,the tourney’s top seed, 9-0 in the semis and took just 22 seconds to pin D. Farmer from Toms River in the finals. His teammate Mike Pysniak (56) pinned his opponent in his first match, lost in the semis by decision and came back to pin in 18 seconds for third place in the consolations. |
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Bearcat Christmas Tourney 99 Vikings snatch Christmas Tourney from Bearcats
South Brunswick’s Viking wrestlers had four more gold medalists than their hosts the Fords Bearcats, and that proved the difference in the final tourney tally. The Bearcats, who had ten champions last year, placed second to the up and coming Vikings. Sayreville took the third place team trophy and Metuchen took fourth in the Fifth Annual Bearcat Christmas Tournament at Fords Middle School last Saturday. Individually, Kacy Epps (67) set a Bearcat record, becoming the team’s first three-peat Champion by besting South Brunswick’s Matt Vahabi 7-2 in the final. Teammate Bobby Prachar (70) took his second consecutive Gold medal, topping Sayreville’s Scott Poore 9-3. Danny Sturchio (73) also took his second consecutive championship, beating South Brunswick’s Anthony Prodromo 10-1. The Bearcats’ final Gold medalist was Brett Epps (86) who pinned his way to his second title by eliminating the Vikings’ Jeff White (1:30) in the semis and Sayreville’s Anthony Howard (0:59) in the final. Silver medalists for the Bearcats were: Mike Buttitta (50), Pete Buttitta (56), Matt Hart (60), Tommy Hogan (63), Chris Christie (76), Chris Hrabinski (80), J.R. Ruiz (93) and Vin Maglione (HWT). Bubenheimer, Epps medal at Roselle Park 1/16/00 Joe Bubenheimer (formerly Hazen) tore through the opposition on his way to a Gold medal at the Roselle Park Dad's Club Tournament held last weekend. Pinning his way to the crown, Bubenheimer (90) disposed of Craig Hewitt in a mere seven seconds, Alex Massimo in 43 seconds and Cranford's Pat Hogan in the final in just :37. His wrestling partner Brett Epps (86) pinned So. Plainfield's A. Niemczyk in the prelims and put away Rahway's Carlos Nicasio (5-4) in the quarterfinals before dropping a 5-3 decison to RP's Troy McDermant in the semis. The Bearcats' Anthony Faiello (86) got past Vince Bonassia (RP) in the prelims but was disqualified on a highly questionable and controversial call in the quarters. His opponent was unable to continue the match. |
Bearcat "B" team Xmas Tourney Mat Hawks take first Bearcat “B” Christmas tourney Dec. 21-99
North Edison, with some help from Bearcat wrestlers, claimed first place in the First annual Fords Bearcats "B" Division Christmas wrestling tournament held Dec.18 at the Fords Middle School. The Bearcats, who helped North Edison fill empty weight slots, were a close second as they captured 6 gold medals. Individually, Michael Pysniak Jr. (56) and Sebastian Waters (63) took Gold medals, pinning all their opponents. Charles Gentles (60) pinned his first opponent and scored a decision in the finals. Michael Hart, returning league champion (67), also took first place. First time gold medalists included Tom Skibo (76) and Ed Karasiewicz, both of whom pinned in the finals. The Bearcats had four silver medalists in CJ Hart (53), Brian Osborne (56) and Frank Maglione (63). Bearcat Cody Epps (60) also took a silver, but wrestled for North Edison. Robert Marquez (45) Mike Nagy (50), Craig Batista (80), Danny Donahue (93) all captured third place honors. David Zboyan (50), Kyle Osborne (53), Kevin Hamorski (80 ), Jason Matelski (86), Anthony Gesumaria (70) and Nick Afonso (100) all placed fourth. |
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Edison/Fulcher Tourney 1/15/00 Bearcats nipped by Woodbridge at Fulcher Tourney
In team tournaments, the more wrestlers you enter, the better your chances of winning. That maxim proved true this weekend at Edison’s Annual Steven Fulcher Memorial Wrestling Tournament. Twenty-four of the 31 wrestlers the Fords Bearcats entered last weekend took medals, but their point totals fell seventeen points shy of Woodbridge--who entered nearly sixty competitors. “I’m very proud of what our kids accomplished,” said Coach John Karasiewicz. “To have twenty four kids medal out of thirty one is a great performance.” Coach Carl Buttitta added that he was impressed by the numbers of relatively new wrestlers who medaled. “That’s a good sign for the future of the program.” In all, eight Bearcats finished first, seven took second, six captured third place and three finished fourth. First place finishers were: Michael Buttitta (50), Mike Pysniak (53), Peter Buttitta (56), Matt Hart (60), Mike Hart (63), Evan Ruiz (70), Bob Prachar (73) and Joe Bubenheimer (90). Second place winners were: Mike Nagy (50), Chuck Gentles (53), Sebastian Waters (60), Tom Hogan (63), Craig Batista (80), Tom Skibo (83) and Brett Epps (87). Taking third place honors were: Kacy Epps (67), Chris Christie (73), John Karasiewicz (76), Chris Hrabinski (80), Phil Halsey (100) and Vin Maglione (110). Fourth place medalists were: Casey Wagner (60), Anthony Faiello (87) and Anthony Watkins (110). A host of teams from around Central Jersey competed in the annual event named in honor of Fulcher, a former Edison wrestler who lost his life to an act of violence some years ago. Bearcats take third at Old Bridge Mat Rat 1/29/00 For the second year in a row, the Fords Bearcats wrestlers captured the third place trophy in the annual Old Bridge Mat Rat Tourney held this past weekend. The Bearcats had five first place finishers, six second place winners, four took third place honors and four captured the fourth place slots. Championships were earned by Mike Pysniak (B-56), Mike Hart (B-57), Tom Hogan (B-62), Joey Bubenheimer (Jr-90) and Vin Maglione (M-110). Second place honors went to Mike Nagy (B-45), Bobby Prachar (M-72), Chris Christie (Jr-74), Brett Epps (Jr.-84), Dan Donahue (B-83) and Philip Halsey (INT-102). Third Place trophies were won by Mike Buttitta (B-50), Peter Buttitta (M-56), Sebastian Waters (B-60) and Craig Batista (M-74). Finishing in fourth place were Kacy Epps (M-67), Dan Sturchio (Jr-74), Chris Hrabinski (Jr.-80) and Anthony Faiello (Jr. 84). The tournament, attended by more than four hundred wrestlers, was won by Woodbridge with host Old Bridge placing second. Kenilworth Pee Wee/ Bantam Tourney 2/5/00 Epps takes Gold at Kenilworth Tourney Cody Epps, 6, won a Gold medal at the Annual Pee Wee/Bantam Tournament held in Kenilworth last weekend. Wrestling in the 58 pound Pee Wee bracket, the youngest of the three Epps brothers scored an 11-0 decision over Roselle Park’s V. Pozsonyi, then bested Flanders’ A. Bradley in overtime in the semis. He pinned Westfield’s C.J. Meyer in :40 in the championship bout to take his second gold medal in two weeks, having won earlier at the Middlesex Novice Tournament. Taking silver medals for the Bearcats were: Nick Buttitta (PW-45), Mike Nagy (PW-50) Chuck Gentles (B-56) and Sebastian Waters (B-60). Mike Hart (B-67) captured third place bronze. Bearcat Wrestlers reap medal harvest at two tourneys 2/20/00 Five Bearcat wrestlers trekked to Bayville, NJ for the Annual Berkeley Bash wrestling tournament, and four came home with First Place trophies for their efforts. Mike Pysniak (B-56), Craig Batista (M-70), Anthony Faiello (Jr.-85) and Joe Bubenheimer (Jr-90) all wrestled impressively against stiff competition to garner top honors. Sebastian Waters (B-60) won his first match and wrestled well against the top-notch field, but failed to gain the medal round. Last weekend, at the Annual South Plainfield Wrestling Tournament, four more Bearcats brought home medals as 6-year old Mike Nagy (PW-50) placed highest with a silver medal. Nagy was joined in the winners’ circle by Mike Pysniak (B-56), Peter Buttitta (M-56) who took third place bronze medals. Heavyweight Anthony Watkins notched a fourth place for the Bearcats. Bubenheimer, Halsey take first at 7/8 Tourney 2/27/00 Joe Bubenheimer (90) and Phil Halsey (100) captured first place honors at the Annual Mid-Jersey League tournament held this past weekend at Woodbridge High School. Both wrestlers were seeded first in their respective brackets. Bubenheimer was named Outstanding Wrestler in the lower weights marking the third year in a row he has won an OW honor. Halsey,who was wrestling his final matches for the Bearcats, finished his season undefeated. He had been a Bearcat for six years. Taking third place for the Bearcats was Alan Herbert (105) who avenged a regular season pin by Marlboro's Nick Parisi with a pin of his own in the third period. Herbert had also spent six years with the Bearcats. Chris Christie (75) took a fourth place to round out the Bearcats' scoring. Eight'Cats medal at Metuchen Novice Tourney 3/19/00 Twelve Novice wrestlers entered the Metuchen Novice Tournament Sunday and eight came home with medals. Winning the Bearcats' only Gold Medal was first-year wrestler Cody Epps, 6. The youngest member of the Epps wrestlers pinned his way to the Pee Wee 59 lb. title. Three more novices made it to the finals and brought home second-place silver medals. Fighting through stiff competition were five-year-old David Zboyan (PW-50), Chris Konya (Jr-75) and Jason Rodriguez (Jr-95). Nick Afonso (M-110) took the 'Cats only third place medal, while brother Augie Afonso (B-60) earned a fourth place finish along with Casey Wagner (M-60) and Alex Lopez (INT-118) Coach Mike Pysniak was pleased with the efforts of his rookies. "They all wrestled hard and proved they could compete against tough competition. This is a good sign for the future of our program." |
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