Spartan Starting Line Up Set for Season Opener

Wrestle-Offs Determine the Starting 14, Varsity Practice Squad

     With the completion of Friday's wrestle-offs, which were started on November 17th, the Spartans have finally set their line-up for the season opener at Tuscarora High School.  Not only have the 14 starters been chosen, the majority of the varsity room - those that will travel with Varsity and attend dual events - has also narrowed, with only a few positions still being fought for.

     Below is the starting line-up for the upcoming weekend...

106 - Timmy Brown - Sophomore - returning to the Varsity line-up with an additional 8-10 pounds, Brown went undefeated to earn his spot at 106 lbs.

113 - Tyler Corbo - Sophomore - also bulking up in the off season, Corbo is officially a 106lber, who went 1-1 in a close match to Brown, but will continue to challenge week after week to gain the 106 spot.

120 - Dennis Chan - Junior - a part-time Varsity wrestler last year, Chan went 2-0 with a 5-0 victory in his first match and a pin in his second.

126 - Alex Kimberl - Sophomore - an unexpected winner who won a tough match and steps up from the JV roster last year for his first official Varsity start!!  Follow along to see how he does in his first weekend!

132 - Mauricio Ballon - Junior - Ballon defeated 2 opponents, Mauricio locked up the 132 spot.

138 - Robert Owens - Junior - Owens earned the starting spot through default but will keep the spot until he is challenged and defeated.

145 - Tarkan Martin - Senior - Martin was not able to attend the 138 final match and defaults to 145, but will be unavailable for the first week due to SATs.  Martin will challenge Owens for his desired spot of 138 this coming Wednesday.

152 - Zach Fossett - Junior - following a year off due to concussion symptoms, the Spartans are excited to see what Fossett can bring to the mat and are hoping for big things this season. Posting two wins along the way to his spot, Zach has looked tough in the early going.

160 - Clayton Shepherd - Senior - in one of the Spartans deepest weight classes, Shepherd came out the winner and has looked fantastic and much improved from the off-season work that he has put in.

170 - Logan Shain - Senior - coming off football season as the starting MLB, Shain returns and has looked tough at 170 through the first 3 weeks with a much improved work ethic.

182 - Connor Bryant - Junior - while officially challenging for 170, Bryant cannot legally make 170 until next week, and will challenge for it then.  In the meantime, Bryant has grown stronger and is ready to hit the mat.

195 - Unknown - currently an open weight class for the Spartans, but should be filled later when people are down to weight.

220 - Phillip James - Senior - also coming right off the football field, James takes the starting 220 position for the first week and looks to use his additional Cross-fit style personal training to defeat his opponents.

285 - Ewen Riordan - Sophomore - getting the chance to move to the Varsity ranks, Riordan will become the starting HWT for the Spartans and will be experienced to a new world after a year of JV last season.

Other Varsity Members 

Diego Loya - currently a 220, Loya is working his way down to 195 for the season.  
Derrik MacBeth - looking to fight for a spot in the 160 lb weight class this season.
Alejandro and Rogelio Vasquez AKA "The Vasqui" - two of the most dedicated people in the program and looking for battle for spots at 126 and 132.
Alex West - coming into his sophomore year and looking to stay in the room and compete for a 160 or higher spot.
Jacob Contreras - pound for pound one of the strongest in the room and hoping to be able to break out at 160 or 170 this season.
Matt Nguyen - another sophomore who will challenge for the 152 spot and a portion of the incredible depth in the middle weights.
Edward Polanco - a sophomore with strength and size looking to prefect his technique to help the team out at 170 or 182.

Fighting For Positions

Battles still rage for the last 3 positions in the room and will be decided Monday.  Challenging for the spots will be...

132 - Tamir Batmend v. Ben Paul - Tamir is a sophomore with good hip instincts against Ben who has an unstoppable motor.  Should be a great match.

138/145 - Chris Lamboy v. Anthony Wills - Due to incredible depth in the middle weights, there is just not enough room for both.  This will be an ongoing challenge between these two and it should be exciting to see who comes out on top from week to week.

145/152 - Burak Ocak v. Ramsey Hammad - again affected by roster depth, these two also will battle for a practice spot in the varsity room almost on a weekly basis.

     By the end of Monday, the Varsity 24 will be selected and Broad Run Wrestling will be on its way to create the best competition team for duals and tournaments it can establish, and from the looks of it, the team should live up to its mantra; SpartanStrong.  Who will rise up from the JV squad to steal a spot?  How will people train to keep their spots firmly in their grip?  That becomes the interesting part, and the storyline to follow as we progress through the season.

     Be sure to check back for all the updates on the season and notes from the Coach all season long.

Spartans Start Season with Inter-Squad Scrimmages

Event Aids in Understanding for Parents, Rookies

Photography by: Jessica DiNovo

     Saturday, Nov. 17 - The Spartan Wrestling team opened its season with its first event - an inter squad scrimmage of wrestle-offs - and used it as a way to help rookies and parents alike better understand the way a match, and the sport in general work.  

   

    Officiating was done by a referee from the local association who was working on his craft as much as some of the newcomers to the sport.  After a quick introduction to new rule changes and how a match and brackets work, it was off to the start of matches. 

     With it being the opening event of the season, matches were run in a 1/1/1 format - or basically one minute periods for the entire three minute match.  That bracketing format was slightly altered to allow rookies to face other young rookies in the early rounds versus having them see Varsity starters in the first round, as might happen in true formatting.  "Our goal is to let the kids have a 'first match' experience, not scare them off by facing a stud on the first day," said Coach Totaro.  He continued by saying, "if we can get a few jitters out and also be able to evaluate our team after two weeks of practice, its a successful event."

     And successful it was.  The wrestle-offs were open to the public and free of charge and numerous parents showed up to cheer on their sons and for some, to experience it for the first time.  Though the crowd was filled with cheers and moments of fearful looks, the overall support of the program parents was outstanding.  "You always want parents involved, and from what we saw today, we have some great parents" said Coach Costa. 

     While not all the matches were able to be finished, many of them were able to get to the final rounds,whichh will determine the starting roster for Week 1 of the season.  Each wrestler was able to get in at least one match, but the remaining matches will be completed this Friday at 10am at practice.  Following the completion of the wrestle-offs, starting line-ups and depth charts will be posted, as well as choosing the 20-22 wrestlers who will make up the Varsity practice room.

     "All in all, we are happy with our progress" says Totaro, "we had a few surprises - nice surprises - and a couple of kids who look like they can help us this year on Varsity."  Look for full results on Saturday, November 24th, right here on the BR Wrestling Online Newsletter. 

Wrestling Season Begins for the Spartans

Numbers, Expectations, Excitement Are High

     Monday brought the last day of political ads for the Presidential campaigns, but also brought the first of many wrestling practices for the wrestlers of Broad Run.  With numbers in the high forties on Day 1, the coaches were excited to see so many kids come out and be ready to roll.  But this season brought a new start to the season in terms of expectations and style of practice.

     After back to back seasons of Top 10 Regional finishes for the Varsity Spartans, as well as having multiple State Qualifiers, the program looked to take a step to the next level.  To take that step, the coaching staff decided that it would be best to separate the programs to focus on fundamentals with the younger, rookie wrestlers, while the veteran guys would be pushed to a new, and uncomfortable, level of conditioning and drilling.

     For some, the new approach to the beginning of the season was a rude awakening to the lack of preparation in the pre-season, but everyone was able to quickly adjust and get back to giving their all for the benefit of themselves and the team.  With a mix of long and short distance running, Crossfit-style training and intense drilling, the Spartan staff feels that they are in a better spot after the first week than they have in the past years.

     "We feel like the week was incredibly productive"  said Coach Totaro.  "I think a few were shocked a bit to see how different things were, but as we sit here on Saturday morning, I feel like we are in much better shape than a year ago."

     Coach Josh Costa had much the same sentiments.  "I like our level of intensity in our drilling" he said, "we are focusing on the basics in week one, but we are doing the basics at full speed and that is what we need at this point.  

     The JV program is also off to a great start with close to 30 young guys filling the room.  Of those 30, almost half are freshman coming to the program, and the sport, for the first time.  Also new to the JV program is former team volunteer coach, now Head JV Coach Marshal Ausberry.  While Coach Ausberry is in his first year as the leader of the program, he is still seeing the same progress that the Varsity room is seeing.

     "The kids are aggressive, which is huge.  We can teach a lot of things, but it's hard to teach aggression," said Ausberry.  Coach was also sure to add that "[he] think[s] we can be very successful with this group if they continue to work at this level."

     So even though the season is only 6 days old, expectations are sky high and the excitement of the coaches over the talent and numbers is a great sign of things to come.  Be sure to check back in to see just how well the Spartans do all season long!

2012 Varsity Schedule Released

   The Broad Run Varsity schedule has been released for the upcoming season.  Practices are underway and wrestle-offs are fast approaching!  Feel free to come and experience the way a wrestle-off works, or for all the first-timers see what wrestling is all about and how it is scored on November 17th at Broad Run.  Admission is free and open to everyone; parents, students, little league, or just lovers of the sport.

     Want your own copy of our promotional schedules?  No problem!!  Email Coach Totaro and we can send it out to you.  Check out what they look like below.



Practice Begins; Wrestle-Offs Two Weeks Away

     The season has arrived and there are only a short two weeks before Varsity starter selections and team depth charts will be set.  Admission is open to everyone and it is a great chance for those new to the sport to experience the action, the scoring and how the whole sport works.  We hope to see you there!!