Connecticut Wrestling Online |
This page was last updated on: August 20, 2002
Copyright 2002, Collinsville Publishing Company |
By GERRY deSIMAS, JR. Connecticut Wrestling Online WINSTED, Feb. 28, 2002 --- The questions surrounding Gilbert School wrestler Devin Schibi all season long all centered around his performance in the final two tournaments of his scholastic career the State Open and New England championships. He established himself as one of the top wrestlers in the state as a junior, winning his second straight Class S championship at 160 pounds, taking third at the State Open and earning a spot in the New England Tournament. His final campaign as a high school wrestler presented with a unique challenge staying sharp in a season where he would receive few challenges. It could be argued that Schibi met that challenge after his third place finish in Saturday's State Open championship. Schibi suffered his first loss of the season to eventual Open champion Dennis Stone of Danbury in the 152-pound semifinals but was in the match before getting caught and pinned in the second period. On this day, Stone was better but he wasn't as dominate as some had suggested. Schibi trailed 4-3after one period. In Schibi's other four matches, he easily prevailed winning two bouts by pin (59 seconds,3:48) and earning double-digit wins in the other two matches. Schibi (39-1, 27 pins) gets another chance to prove his mettle this weekend in the New England championships at Roger Williams College in Bristol, Rhode Island. Schibi has answered each challenge he has been presented with so far. He proved himself physically during the football season. As quarterback for the Yellowjacket football team, he proved he could take a hit and keep on running, setting numerous single-season and career records. When he reported to wrestling practice in December, there was a small team around Schibi only 16wrestlers, including himself and a new coaching staff. The challenge lay in taking each opportunity to prepare for the post-season tournaments. He dropped to 152 pounds this season with relative ease and feels quicker and stronger. He won his first36 matches before losing to Stone. He won a third Berkshire League championship and earned tournament MVP honors. He got turned to his back against Montville in December but recovered to beat Montville's Dan Murphy. Two weeks ago, he became the first Gilbert wrestler and seventh BL wrestler to win three Class S championships. He got turned to his back twice in his12-3 Class S semifinal victory over Derby's Anthony Defala but easily won the state title with a 56-secondpin over East Windsor's Shane Parlos. Schibi became the first Gilbert wrestler to earn tournament MVP honors at the state meet. No other Gilbert wrestler has even won two straight state titles. "(Devin) is one of the better wrestlers I have seen in this league. He is so quick. He moves really wicked quick and he follows through," said former Nonnewaug coach John Lawless, who coached the Chiefs from 1976-2000. "He's much more technical, much more smoother [than he was as a younger wrestler]. He has much better transitional moves. He has always been wicked tough but now he is more of a wrestler." Schibi began to wrestle in fifth grade. He wrestled with a youth wrestling club run by former Gilbert wrester Chuck Bascetta and had plenty of experience rolling around with his older brother, Darek, a former three-time BL champion and 1999 Class S champion as well. "I am more smoother on the mat," Devin Schibi said. "I don't have to think of my moves. I just do them." As a younger wrestler, Schibi sometimes got impatient when a move wouldn't work as fast as he wanted it do work. "A lot was impatience," he admitted. "I was rushing my moves." Now, he doesn't panic and works hard for an opening. "He has come together mentally," Gilbert assistant coach Dan Langer said. "He knows what he has to do. He's not just going through the motions. When he wrestles, he works on moves he's not used to throwing. He has been focused." In practice, he will stay in the middle of the mat taking on waves of wrestlers of all different weights, working moves and building his endurance. Langer and Gilbert head coach Doug Smith regularly wrestle with Schibi, challenging the young wrestler. Wins against Langer, a former two-time state champion himself at Canton, have been rare. Since Gilbert has been working out with Canton the second half of the season due to low numbers, Canton assistant coach Ed deSimas has been another long-time coach to teach Schibi some mat lessons. Schibi has gone to some lengths to challenge himself this season. After taking a forfeit against Housatonic in February, Schibi wrestled an exhibition. Smith and Langer told Schibi to let the Mountaineer wrestler run the score up on him for two periods. When the third period began, Schibi trailed by 11 points. For the final two minutes, Schibi was let loose. He was quick, strong and scored points. He came up a point short but had a good workout. "He is built like a wrestler," Lawless said. "He has great body awareness and a killer instinct. He is in terrific shape this year and is coming off a great football season." Did football help him prepare for wrestling? There was plenty of running. He set Gilbert single-season records for points (142), touchdowns scored (19), touchdown passes thrown (17), yards passing (1491) and completions (91) along with career records for points (204), touchdowns (28) and TD passes (22). "Wrestling is a lot more of a conditioning sport than football," Schibi said. "You have to be in better condition. In football, you just have to be able to take a hit." The last few months, it has Schibi who has been dishing out the punishment. He hopes his preparation the past few months will allow him to continue to do it this weekend in his search for a medal in the New England Tournament. By GERRY deSIMAS, JR. Connecticut Wrestling Online WINSTED The questions surrounding Gilbert School wrestler Devin Schibi all season long all centered around his performance in the final two tournaments of his scholastic career the State Open and New England championships. He established himself as one of the top wrestlers in the state as a junior, winning his second straight Class S championship at 160 pounds, taking third at the State Open and earning a spot in the New England Tournament. His final campaign as a high school wrestler presented with a unique challenge staying sharp in a season where he would receive few challenges. It could be argued that Schibi met that challenge after his third place finish in Saturday's State Open championship. Schibi suffered his first loss of the season to eventual Open champion Dennis Stone of Danbury in the 152-pound semifinals but was in the match before getting caught and pinned in the second period. On this day, Stone was better but he wasn't as dominate as some had suggested. Schibi trailed 4-3after one period. In Schibi's other four matches, he easily prevailed winning two bouts by pin (59 seconds,3:48) and earning double-digit wins in the other two matches. Schibi (39-1, 27 pins) gets another chance to prove his mettle this weekend in the New England championships at Roger Williams College in Bristol, Rhode Island. Schibi has answered each challenge he has been presented with so far. He proved himself physically during the football season. As quarterback for the Yellowjacket football team, he proved he could take a hit and keep on running, setting numerous single-season and career records. When he reported to wrestling practice in December, there was a small team around Schibi only 16wrestlers, including himself and a new coaching staff. The challenge lay in taking each opportunity to prepare for the post-season tournaments. He dropped to 152 pounds this season with relative ease and feels quicker and stronger. He won his first36 matches before losing to Stone. He won a third Berkshire League championship and earned tournament MVP honors. He got turned to his back against Montville in December but recovered to beat Montville's Dan Murphy. Two weeks ago, he became the first Gilbert wrestler and seventh BL wrestler to win three Class S championships. He got turned to his back twice in his12-3 Class S semifinal victory over Derby's Anthony Defala but easily won the state title with a 56-secondpin over East Windsor's Shane Parlos. Schibi became the first Gilbert wrestler to earn tournament MVP honors at the state meet. No other Gilbert wrestler has even won two straight state titles. "(Devin) is one of the better wrestlers I have seen in this league. He is so quick. He moves really wicked quick and he follows through," said former Nonnewaug coach John Lawless, who coached the Chiefs from 1976-2000. "He's much more technical, much more smoother [than he was as a younger wrestler]. He has much better transitional moves. He has always been wicked tough but now he is more of a wrestler." Schibi began to wrestle in fifth grade. He wrestled with a youth wrestling club run by former Gilbert wrester Chuck Bascetta and had plenty of experience rolling around with his older brother, Darek, a former three-time BL champion and 1999 Class S champion as well. "I am more smoother on the mat," Devin Schibi said. "I don't have to think of my moves. I just do them." As a younger wrestler, Schibi sometimes got impatient when a move wouldn't work as fast as he wanted it do work. "A lot was impatience," he admitted. "I was rushing my moves." Now, he doesn't panic and works hard for an opening. "He has come together mentally," Gilbert assistant coach Dan Langer said. "He knows what he has to do. He's not just going through the motions. When he wrestles, he works on moves he's not used to throwing. He has been focused." In practice, he will stay in the middle of the mat taking on waves of wrestlers of all different weights, working moves and building his endurance. Langer and Gilbert head coach Doug Smith regularly wrestle with Schibi, challenging the young wrestler. Wins against Langer, a former two-time state champion himself at Canton, have been rare. Since Gilbert has been working out with Canton the second half of the season due to low numbers, Canton assistant coach Ed deSimas has been another long-time coach to teach Schibi some mat lessons. Schibi has gone to some lengths to challenge himself this season. After taking a forfeit against Housatonic in February, Schibi wrestled an exhibition. Smith and Langer told Schibi to let the Mountaineer wrestler run the score up on him for two periods. When the third period began, Schibi trailed by 11 points. For the final two minutes, Schibi was let loose. He was quick, strong and scored points. He came up a point short but had a good workout. "He is built like a wrestler," Lawless said. "He has great body awareness and a killer instinct. He is in terrific shape this year and is coming off a great football season." Did football help him prepare for wrestling? There was plenty of running. He set Gilbert single-season records for points (142), touchdowns scored (19), touchdown passes thrown (17), yards passing (1491) and completions (91) along with career records for points (204), touchdowns (28) and TD passes (22). "Wrestling is a lot more of a conditioning sport than football," Schibi said. "You have to be in better condition. In football, you just have to be able to take a hit." The last few months, it has Schibi who has been dishing out the punishment. He hopes his preparation the past few months will allow him to continue to do it this weekend in his search for a medal in the New England Tournament. |
A season of preparation |
With little competition, Gilbert's Devin Schibi spent the season challenging himself to get prepared for the State Open and New England Tournaments |
Devin Schibi honor roll Three-time BL champion (2002, 2001, 1999) ***** Three-time Class S champion (2002, 2001, 2000) ***** Finished third in State Open twice (2002 at 152 pounds; 2001 at 160 pounds) |
