If you followed us last year you might remember our 125lber The Invisible Man. While he was great on van rides, hardly making a peep and never complaining he was not the best on the mats. This year, we regret to inform you he will not be coming back. Matt Murray, a junior who wrestled 133/141 for us last season will be filling in for The Transparency Kid and we are expecting a great year from him. Matt is very tall and lanky so he should give most 125lbers fits on the mat.
At 133 we have Jake Bucha. Jake is one of our captains and is the vocal leader of our squad. He is a fifth year senior and is poised to get over the hump this year and make it to Philly where he can showcase his incredible talents. Jake is also a hip hop star and his goal is to star in the remake of 8 Mile one day.
At 141 we welcome back NJ prep superstar Kenny Knapp. Kenny took last year off and has come back with a great attitude and a chip on his shoulder. He is fast, mean on the mat, and also has red hair. Kenny will be pushed by freshman Aaron Velasquez who so far this year is the undisputed sprint workout king. Aaron can run fast, beat box faster, and also dabbles in independent films. I know what you are thinking and yes it is true, Aaron and Jake are currently in negotiations to partner for the 8 Mile remake, however I have been told there have been some major creative issues over who is going to be featured on the soundtrack-Jakes rhymes or Aarons beats...More to come on this in the upcoming weeks
At 149 we have another great freshman
At 157 Eric Norgard returns moving up from 149. Eric is very hard to notice amongst the rest of the team as he tends to blend in with the crowd. He in no way stands out and if you do not really look for him you most probably will not see him during team meetings or practices. This year Eric has matured and gotten much stronger, most of which can be directly related to his new tattoo. We are expecting big things from Eric, and judging from the way he mixed it up yesterday with Fullowan he will deliver. Surfs up Brah!!!
Anthony Bongarzone is another senior with a lot to prove and only a year to prove it. Anthony is our director of inventory and product demand services, working as the spokesman to the team and all of their demands. He is like the head of the players union only much more ruthless. He has collectively bargained for new shoes, uniforms, workout gear, and paid vacations (kidding) in the short time we have been on campus. In return he has shown how strong he can be on the mat and his success knows no limits if he applies himself. Having Coach Rogers in the room to wrestle with will surely help Anthony's skills and mental toughness.
At 174 Matt Fullowan is back after a long summer of training and wrestling. Matt has dedicated himself to the sport, spending his summer months in Ithaca and Lancaster wrestling and working. Rumor is that Matt has signed a deal with Axe Body Wash for their new line of body wash tools and we will ALL be better for it. Matt is going to have a break out year and I look forward to coaching him as he works towards his goals this season. He is another wrestler who will greatly benefit from Coach Rogers as a workout partner and mentor.
At 184 we have one half of our Super Cerebral Tandem. Matt Latessa is coming back for his Junior year and boy let me tell you he is PREPARED. When I think of Matt I think of PREPARATION. When you look up PREPARATION in the dictionary it says "see;Matt Latessa; he is PREPARED". It seems like every practice and workout we have had this year the one thing we can always count on is that Matt will be there and he will always be PREPARED in PREPARATION for the workout. I know this PREPARATION will carry over to his success this year.
At 197 Jean Colin Van Ely is working his way back to 100% and will be using his meat paws and oddly beautiful leg splits to wreak havoc on me and anyone else that gets in his way. I have no worries about Colin and can best compare him to a fine wine. The longer he sits on the shelf the better he gets and more success he initially has. For Colin to maintain a successful season we will need to sharpen up his takedowns and get him back in shape as soon as possible.
At HWT, "well actually it is 285lbs..." we have the other half of the Super Cerebral Tandem, Daniel "Well Actually" Canfield. Daniel is always there to correct you when you say something that is factually inaccurate or when you make comments that don't necessarily make sense in the most literal of terms. Daniel had a great year at HWT "well actually 285lbs" last year but had an injury and was not able to finish out the year. He has come back with more size "well actually its called MASS" and has still kept his speed and agility. We will need to get Danny in shape and able to wrestle for the full 7 minutes if he is to maximize his abilities this season...
We also have a great group of freshman who are helping to push our veterans on the mats. Anyone of them could be a starter this year and time will tell where each of them will contribute to the team. Colin Lahiff is a loud, obnoxious Massachusetts kid whose rambunctious fits and overall yelling keeps the team excited and amped up. Sean Tippen is another one we will need to keep a watchful eye on. He is always sneaky and up to something and sometimes it is hard to spot him in the act since he is only 6'4" and 149lbs. He is always disguising himself as a Body Bar or sapling or even a javelin. I got my eye on you Tippen! Finally Chris Barkesdale out of State College, PA has been working hard and pushing himself to get better. Chris is the perfect teammate always doing what is asked of him and always showing up to practice with an array of fans and female admirers. It is no wonder his teammates have embraced him so quickly.
Until next time, I hope you enjoyed the update...
MG
No comments:
Post a Comment