Small Squad With Big Plans

On January 5th, 2013, the Scarsdale wrestling team hosted its annual wrestling tournament at Scarsdale High School. This thrilling day provides the wrestlers, coaches, and spectators with exciting matches and tough competition. But in head coach Barney Foltman's eyes, this year seemed a bit different than past year's tournaments.

This year the team lost a lot of key seniors who graduated in the class of 2012, including section finalists John Tambunting and Jack Braun, and state runner-up Jacob Berkowitz. Coach Foltman has switched gears to rebuild this young new team to compete for a section title in upcoming years. "We have a big opportunity," Coach Foltman states. "We have to go back to basic wrestling skills to build a strong foundation and become a top section competitor again." Foltman and assistant coach Brian Roemer have always put out a solid, well rounded team on the mat and with this year's young squad, they hope to develop the program into the best it has ever been. As it is no secret the sport can get quite exhausting and overwhelming due to its physical demand from its athletes, the two coaches emphasize the importance of teamwork. The incoming freshmen quickly learn from the team veterans that providing support for fellow teammates, whether it is on or off the wrestling mat, will yield a stronger team.

That said, the team never ceases to amaze with terrific leadership from its captains. This year's only seniors and three captains, Dylan Madoff, Joe Koshakow, and Michael Hodges provide a pivotal role for their younger teammates. Hodges, at 138, cruised his way into the finals of the tournament and dominated his opponent winning a major decision 10-2 against Garden City. Hodges went on to win the tournament's Most Outstanding Wrestler award as he displayed impressive skill that made him stand out amongst the other athletes. Senior captain Joe Koshakow duplicated Hodges performance in the 160-weight class as he picked apart his opponent from Garden City in the finals and won the tournament with a solid 11-2 victory. Captain Dylan Madoff fell short of making it to the final round at the 152-weight class, but the senior went on to capture the bronze medal by securing a pin against Rye's Fritz Zahringer.

The three captains were not the only one of Scarsdale's standouts for the day. Sophomore Daniel Baruch made his way to the final round but fell short of a gold medal and went on to take 2nd place against Garden City. Perhaps one of the most exciting and unexpected wins came from Scarsdale freshman Mike DaBramo. DaBramo is a first year wrestler and came into this tournament with unknown expectations but the young wrestler impressively made his way into the final round. As the coaches yelled the moves from the sideline, DaBramo echoed their calls and executed the moves and secured a pin in the 3rd and final period. Winning a tournament doesn't come easy, as this is the first time in 10 years that a Scarsdale freshman has won the Scarsdale tournament. Expectations remain high for Baruch and DaBramo in future meets.

As a team, Scarsdale finished with 100 points to land them in 6th place overall out of the 14 teams at the tournament. The biggest tournaments are yet to come for Scarsdale, as the team has historically finished among the top 3 teams in the upcoming Edgemont tournament. Hopefully, the team will look to duplicate that in a few weeks and prepare themselves for a competitive divisional and sectional tournament in the beginning of February. The senior captains are looking to make a bigger name for themselves as they hope to finish among the top three in the section on an individual level. Moreover, the program's future remains bright as the veteran coaches look to inspire hard work and determination in the young team.

Photos by Leslie Berkowitz