Youth Wrestling Program Continues Success Across State Lines
Youth Wrestling Program Continues Success Across State Lines
Participants in Newtown Youth Wrestlingâs Over the Top (OTT) program continued their winning ways at the 23rd Annual Drexel Hill Raiders Winter Classic in Drexel Hill, Penn, recently.
The OTT team sent 15 wrestlers to compete against top teams from New Jersey, Maryland, Delaware, New York, and as far away as Virginia, Ohio and Florida. For the middle school team Matthew Gonzalez, a seventh grader, took gold in the 105-pound division and sixth grader Andy Hubina came home with a bronze in the 130-pound bracket. The elementary squad was paced by standout third graders Shaine Luzietti, who took silver in the 73-pound tilt, and Ryan Straiton who scored silver in the 80-pound division.
Other participating wrestlers were James Leuci, Luca Crudo, Joseph Praino, Justin Bogdanoff, Sean Arnold, Josh Harrison, Kevin Ross, Ethan Ross, Forest Speed, William Henckel, and Joey Accousti.
The tournament, with nearly 500 participants, is one of the largest and most difficult that the team competes in, and is used to prepare for the upcoming tournament portion of the wrestling season. The team will continue to test itself against regional teams as it gears up to compete at events in New Fairfield, Danbury, and Milford during the next three weeks.