Young Scarsdale Wrestling Team Excels at Home Tournament

On January 11th, the Scarsdale wrestling team hosted its annual wrestling tournament at Scarsdale High School. This strong Raiders squad continues to demonstrate exceptional skills and finished in 4th place out of the 14 teams in the tournament. Despite having a young team with many new athletes, both head coach Barney Foltman and assistant coach Brian Roemer were tremendously proud of the team’s performance. Foltman expressed his satisfaction with his team, stating, “I was very surprised with how well we performed today. This just goes to show how dedication and hard work on the mat can pay off.” The two coaches understand the mechanics behind building a strong team and have been able to do that in past years.

Despite losing senior leaders Michael Hodges and Joe Koshakow, who finished on top in the section last season, the performance of the sophomores and juniors was a source of optimism for the team’s future. Junior captain Robbie Keltz at 120 pounds excelled and cruised his way into the finals just as he did last year. With a close match on the line, Keltz fell short with a decision loss to Garden City. Keltz was not the only Scarsdale captain to finish among the top 3 wrestlers in his weight class. At 138 pounds, Philip Goldberg, despite losing his second round match, wrestled back to win a closely edged contest over White Plains with a 3-2 victory, securing the bronze medal. Junior Daniel Baruch at 145 pounds was another Raider to finish in 3rd place. Despite knee injuries throughout the season, Baruch put on an exceptional performance making his way into the semifinal round. With 20 seconds left and down by 1 point, Baruch was unable to seal a victory and fell short to eventual champion James Giraldez of Nyack. Baruch did not let this close match seal his fate for the balance of the tournament, and wrestled boldly to secure a 9-6 victory over Garden City, landing him in 3rd place.

Duplicating his performance at the Scarsdale tournament from last season, sophomore Michael DaBramo at 113 pounds never ceases to impress with his sharp technique and aggressive mindset. Coming in as the #1 seed, DaBramo picked apart his opponents and cruised his way into the finals. He continued to dominate and crushed Stepinac with a 11-0 victory. With two consecutive 1st place finishes in the Scarsdale tournament, DaBromo’s future looks bright. Coach Roemer expressed, “There’s just no teaching him. Somehow, someway, he will find a way to win.”

Following a great performance by many of the Raider wrestlers this past weekend, Scarsdale hopes to continue its success in the upcoming Edgemont tournament, in which Scarsdale has consistently placed in the top three. But the long season does not stop here as Coach Foltman and the Raiders begin to prepare for the upcoming divisional and sectional tournaments in the beginning of February. With a squad consisting predominantly of sophomores and juniors, many members of the team are eager to make a name for themselves during the remainder of the season.  

Photo Credit: Lauren Haller