Cammisa rallies to earn All-American honors with 6th place finish
PITTSBURGH, March 25, 2006 – Danbury’s Frank Cammisa (140) won four straight bouts in the consolation round, including a pair of one-point decisions to finish sixth at the NHSCA Senior national tournament and earn All-American status.
He dropped a 4-3 decision to Lewis Baker of Pennsylvania in the round of 32 but rallied in the consolation bracket including a 10-9 win over New Jersey’s Bryan Tracy and a 4-3 win over Travis Elg of Minnesota. Virginia’s Brandon Franklin outlasted Cammisa, 8-7 for fifth place. Cammisa (48-6) is the first Danbury wrestler to earn All-American honors at the NHSCA senior tournament.
Connecticut was 34th in the tournament with 30 points. At 152 pounds, Enfield native Mike Powers (Loomis Chaffee) won three bouts to earn a berth in the round of 16 but he was injured in an 11-3 loss to North Carolina’s William Gilleland and dropped out of the tournament. Fairfield’s Jack Conroy (140) won twice to earn a berth in the round of 16 but lost to Armando Gonzalez of California, 10-4. Conroy won another bout in the consolation bracket before being eliminated.
Simsbury native Joey Martin (119) won twice to advance to the round of 16 but he lost to Eric Morrill of Timberlane, N.H., 4-2. Martin (11-2) was eliminated in his first consolation round bout.
North Granby’s Alex Cournoyer (119) won twice in the consolation bracket while Morgan’s Tucker Grass (119), Enfield’s Sam Gauvine (145) and Danbury’s Kyle Rodgers (152) each won at least one bout.
Hepburn wins national championship
PITTSBURGH, March 23, 2006 – Ledyard junior T.J. Hepburn became the first Connecticut wrestler to win a National High School Coaches Association (NHSCA) national championship with a dominating 12-5 victory over Oregon’s Austin Enoch at 135 pounds.
Hepburn (55-0) went 5-0 in the tournament with three pins and a tech fall. He pinned Tyler Riccio, a New Jersey state qualifier and pinned Montana’s Colby Johnson in the semifinals in 49 seconds. Johnson had placed third in Montana. Hepburn also pinned Ohio’s Chris Andrews, who was second in Ohio’s Division 2 tournament.
Greenwich junior Brandon Williamson (189) earned All-American honors by finishing eighth. Williamson (50-6, 4-3) won three straight bouts in the consolation round, including a 6-4 OT decision over Maciej Johnson of New York, who was second in the New York state Division I tournament. Williamson dropped a 5-3 decision in OT to New Jersey’s Jamelle Jones to finish eighth. Windham sophomore Nick Marouski (103) went 0-2 in the debut NHSCA Sophomore national tournament.
Nine State Open champions to compete at NHSCA national tourney
PITTSBURGH, March 18 – Nine State Open champions have signed up to wrestle in this week’s National High School Coaches Association (NHSCA) national tournaments in Pittsburgh. The 17th annual senior national tournament begins Thursday (March 23) and concludes on Sunday, March 26. The second annual junior national tournament and first sophomore national tournament run from Tuesday (March 21) through Friday (March 24) at the Petersen Events Center. The senior tournament is open to wrestlers who have finished first or second in a Connecticut tournament while the junior and sophomore tournaments are open to all wrestlers.
The best finish by a Connecticut wrestler is a pair of second place finishes by Windham’s James Poulin (275) in 1991 and Hand’s Jim Guzzio (130) in 1992. New Milford’s Thomas Ferrell (275) finished fourth in last year’s junior national tournament.
Current entries with Connecticut ties
Senior National Tournament
119 – Tucker Grass, Clinton (Morgan); Joey Martin, Simsbury native; Alex Cournoyer, Blairstown Academy (North Granby native)
125 – Nick Cavallaro, Plainville
135 – Brent MacDonald, Simsbury
140 – Frank Cammissa, Danbury; Jack Conroy, Fairfield
145 – Sam Gauvine, Enfield
152 – Mike Powers, Enfield (Loomis Chaffee)
160 – Jareth Cardoso, Wethersfield; John Holzinger, Berlin (Xavier)
171 – Bran Crudden, Columbia (Windham High)
275 – Thomas Ferrell, New Milford
Junior National Tournament
135 – T.J. Hepburn, Ledyard
189 – Brandon Williamson, Greenwich
Sophomore National Tournament
103 – Nick Marouski, Willimantic (Windham High)
State Open champions competing -- Cavallaro (125), Cammisa (140), Gauvine (145), Rodgers (152), Holzinger (160), Crudden (171), Ferrell (275), Hepburn (135) and Williamson (189).
Connecticut results
Senior Nationals 2006
Results from the 2006 National High School Coaches Association tournaments.
Senior Nationals 2006
At Pittsburgh
Team results: 1. New Jersey 249, 2. California 231.5, 3. Ohio 230, 4. New York 159.5, 5. Virginia 157.5, 6. Oklahoma 146, 7. Minnesota 138, 8. Missouri 126.5, 9. Kansas 106, 10. North Carolina 103.5
Other regional results: 17. Pennsylvania 73, 30. Massachusetts 37, 34. Connecticut 30, 37. New Hampshire 17, 42. Vermont 8, 44. Maine 4
119 pounds
Round of 64
Joey Martin (Simsbury) dec. Eric Hoppe, MI, 9-4
Jeremy Ensley ID pin Alex Cournoyer (No. Granby), 5:55
Round of 32
Joey Martin pin Cornelius Selke SC, 4:54
Round of 16
Eric Morrill, New Hampshire dec. Joey Martin, 4-2
Consolation, 1st round
Alex Cournoyer dec. Evan Forde, North Dakota, 10-0
Consolation, 2nd round
Alex Cournoyer dec. Clay Madden, Kansas, 5-0
Consolation, 3rd round
Zack Fraley, West Virginia dec. Cournoyer, 4-3
Consolation, 4th round
Zack Fraley, West Virginia dec. Joey Martin, 10-5
125 pounds
Round of 128
Spencer Jasper AZ pin Tucker Grass (Morgan-Clinton), 2:49
Thomas Cucciniello NY dec. Nicholas Cavallaro (Plainville), 7-4
Consolation, 1st round
Tucker Grass dec. Arturo Fragoso NV 4-2
Brian Shelton OK dec. Nicholas Cavallaro 9-1
Consolation, 2nd round
Ty Costa, California dec. Tucker Grass, 8-0
135 pounds
Round of 128
Bruce Kennedy WV dec. Brent MacDonald (Simsbury) 9-3
Consolation 1st round
Osvaldo Friger FL dec. Brent MacDonald 7-1
140 pounds
Round of 64
Frank Cammisa (Danbury) dec. Brian Alves CA 13-7
Jack Conroy (Fairfield) dec. Josh Vaughn OH 7-3
Round of 32
Lewis Baker PA dec. Frank Cammisa CT 4-3
Jack Conroy CT dec. David Schiley SD 5-3
Round of 16
Armando Gonzalez CA dec. Jack Conroy 10-4
Consolation, 2nd round
Frank Cammisa pin Josh Vaughn, Ohio, 1:41
Consolation, 3rd round
Frank Cammisa pin Greg Conover, New York, 1:31
Jack Conroy dec. Judd Billings, West Virginia, 8-4
Consolation, 4th round
Frank Cammisa dec. Bryan Tracy, New Jersey, 10-9
Michael Gerber, Texas dec. Jack Conroy, 3-2
Consolation, 5th round
Frank Cammisa dec. Travis Elg, Minnesota, 4-3
Consolation, 6th round (semifinals)
Adam Pittman, Virginia dec. Frank Cammisa, 5-0
Consolation, 7th round (Fifth place)
Brandon Frankin, Virginia dec. Frank Cammisa, 8-7
145 pounds
Round of 64
Kevin Frazier OK dec. Sam Gauvine (Enfield), 3-1 OT
Consolation, 1st round
Sam Gauvine dec. Derek Royster, South Carolina, 3-1
Consolation, 2nd round
AJ Heckel KS dec. Sam Gauvine, 4-3
152 pounds
Round of 128
Mike Powers (Enfield, Loomis Chaffee) pin Richard Muzikar NJ 0:57
Kyle Rodgers (Danbury) dec. Brock Mantella GA 6-3
Round of 64
Luke Manuel CA pin Samuel Molina (Masuk-Monroe), 1:03
Mike Powers dec. Travis Belt WY 9-0
Byron Sigmon NC dec. Kyle Rodgers 4-0
Round of 32
Mike Powers dec. Trevor Larson MN 13-5
Round of 16
William Gilleland, North Carolina dec. Mike Powers, 11-3
Consolation, 1st round
Frankie Dennis NC dec. Samuel Molina 7-4
Consolation, 2nd round
Kyle Bertin, Ohio dec. Kyle Rodgers, 4-2, OT
Consolation, 4th round
Paul Saunders, Utah forfeit over Mike Powers (injury)
160 pounds
Round of 64
Alex Caruso NJ pin Jareth Cardoso (Wethersfield), 1:55
Consolation, 1st round
Cale Cook, Utah pin Jareth Cardoso, 1:42
171 pounds
Round of 64
Chris Platt OR pin Bran Crudden (Windham High, Columbia), 2:20
Consolation, 1st round
Dillon Landi NJ dec. Bran Crudden 4-3
215 pounds
Round of 64
Gregory Kempton LA tech fall Evan James CT 21-6;3:36
Consolation, 1st round
Lance Mailloux forfeit over Evan James CT
Junior Nationals 2006
At Pittsburgh
Team results -- 1. Ohio 182.5, 2. New Jersey 157, 3. Pennsylvania 153.5, 4. New York 140.5, 5. New Mexico and Tennessee 107, 7. Illinois 106.5, 8. Minnesota 91, 9. Oregon 88, 10. California 76
Other teams: 18. Connecticut 39.5, 36. Massachusetts 4
135
Round of 32: T.J. Hepburn CT tech fall Shane Everett PA 17-2, 4:14
Round of 16: T.J. Hepburn CT pin Tyler Riccio NJ 2:20
Quarterfinals: T.J. Hepburn CT pin Chris Andrews OH 1:40
Semifinals: T.J. Hepburn CT pin Colby Johnson MT 0:49
Finals: Hepburn dec. Austin Enoch, Oregon, 12-5
189
Round of 32:Brandon Williamson CT pin Joe Paz NY 5:14
Round of 16: Jake Elkins AL dec. Brandon Williamson CT 6-4
Consolation: Brandon Williamson CT dec. Josh R. Strickland SC 10-3
Consolation: Brandon Williamson CT dec. Morgan Snyder OH 6-4
Consolation: Brandon Williamson CT dec. Maciej Jochym NY 6-4 OT
Consolation final (7th place): Jamelle Jones NJ dec. Brandon Williamson CT 5-3 OT
Sophomore Nationals 2006
At Pittsburgh
Team results -- 1. Ohio 182, 2. Pennsylvania 165.5, 3. New York 141.5, 4. Alabama 101.5, 5. Iowa 92.5.
103
Quarterfinals: Ridge Kiley IA dec. Nick Marouski CT 14-4
Consolation, 2nd round: Richard Benigno NY dec. Nick Marouski CT 9-7
