Scarsdale Wrestlers Edge Out Victory At Bronx River Cup

The Bronx River Cup, the last dual meet of the year for the Scarsdale and Edgemont wrestling teams, took place on Friday 1/27 with the Scarsdale Raiders securing a 46-30 win against the Edgemont Panthers. The rivalry between the two teams is fierce, and the tension between the two teams was palpable. Historically, the two have been well matched, with the Bronx River Cup exchanging hands for the last four years. The teams met recently at last week’s Edgemont Invitational, with Edgemont taking first place and Scarsdale taking second.

For the senior-heavy Raiders, this last meet carried with it a certain sentimental significance.

“It’s the last time I’m going to be able to represent my team” said captain John Tambunting before the match. “I want to be able to take home one more win for Scarsdale before I graduate.”

The Raiders got off to a rocky start, with Robert Keltz, Daniel Kestenbaum, Mike Hodges, and Daniel Kestenbaum falling to pins in tough matches. Senior Daniel Jureller answered back in the fourth match, scoring several takedowns, and slamming his opponent to the mat to earn a 12-3 victory, and 4 points for the Raiders. Captain John Tambunting, coming off a recent back injury, managed to take his match as well, bringing the team score to 18-7. The Panthers answered back with two 7-1 victories, widening the gap between the two teams to 24-7. Things were starting to look bleak for the Raiders.

It was at this point that Chen Shen stepped into the ring. After a hard fought three minutes, it looked as though senior might be beat. Panther wrestler Ross Kantor had Shen on his back, with his right shoulder blade no more than a half-inch off of the mat. With less than a minute to go, Shen performed a reversal, got his opponent in a half nelson, then pinned him for a Raider win.

“I always get tired when I wrestle, and I thought I might have been done for when he had me against the mat, but during this match, I kept hearing the shouts of my team and the fans. I kept telling myself I gotta stick this one out for all those people cheering for me.”

Captain Brian Hackel followed up Shen’s win with a pin of his own, defeating his opponent in three and a half minutes. Captains Jack Braun, and Jacob Berkowitz received forfeit wins in the 182 and 195 weight classes respectively, and sophomore George Bobalakis won by default in the 285 pound weight class as well, bringing the final match score to 46-30 for Scarsdale.

So what’s next for the Raiders? Divisionals and sectionals are in a few weeks, and everyone on the team is getting ready to ramp up their training schedules.

“At this point, it’s all about the individual”, said Coach Barney Foltman. “It’s time for our wrestlers to prove themselves at the sectional level and beyond”.

The Raiders are in a good position to do just that in the post season. Captains John Tambunting, Jack Braun and Jacob Berkowitz are favorites for the upcoming sectional tournament. Tambunting is projected to finish second at sectionals, Braun is projected to finish fourth, and Berkowitz is projected to finish first in their respective weight classes.

(Pictured at top: Scarsdale Wrestling Team: Photo Courtesy of Leslie Berkowitz )

Contributor Will Heffner is a senior at Scarsdale High School and has been a lifelong resident of Scarsdale. In his free time, he enjoys acting, and playing music. If you would like to contact Will for any questions or comments, he can be reached at willheffner@gmail.com.