More Than 25 State Champions Entered In Nhsca Freshman Nationals; Record Entry Totals Forecast

March 19, 2010 - PRLog -- VIRGINIA BEACH, Va. – With four finalists and two champions, Pennsylvania won the state team title in the 4th annual NHSCA National High School Freshman Wrestling Championships presented by the U.S. Navy, which take place March 23-26 at the Virginia Beach Convention Center.

Last year’s National Freshman Championships field drew an impressive field of 418 competitors from 40 states.

Nearly 300 wrestlers already are preregistered for this year’s event. As is usually the case in the Freshman Division, the 103-pound class leads the way, with over 50 entries at press time, representing 28 different states. Five were state champions, and 11 state champions are in the field currently. Although he didn’t win the National Prep Championships, runner-up Brooks Black of Blairstown Township Blair Academy is ranked No. 9 in WIN magazine’s newest national rankings.

For the first time, the action from all 30 mats will be broadcast live on the NHSCA’s web site, www.nhsca.com. More than 3,000 matches will be wrestled throughout the event, believed to be the first of its kind with 30 different feeds on a single grid.

In last year’s event, Pennsylvania, led by 285-pound champion Josh Duplin of Westmont Hilltop High, won the team title with 204.5 points. Second-place New York, one of two teams to crown two champions, finished second with 185 points. New Jersey (165), host Virginia (127.5) and California and Ohio, each with 122 points, rounded out the top five.
New York crowned back-to-back champions as Jimmy Kloc (140) of Elma Iroquois High and Chris Nevinger (145) of Gainesville Letchworth High both won titles.

Florida was the only other state with two champions, both from powerhouse Brandon High – two-time state champion Rossi Bruno (119) and 2009 state champion Kyle Koziel (160).
The Outstanding Wrestler Award went to the 152-pound champion, 2010 National Prep Championships champion Jason Luster of Saltsburg (Pa.) Kiski School. A multi-time champion in NHSCA national events, Luster had only one match that went the distance, and he recorded a 45-second pin in the finals.

Also winning titles: Thomas Gilman (103) of Omaha (Neb.) Skutt High, an Iowa resident; Nick Herrmann (112) of Amarillo (Texas) Tascosa High; Campbell Lewis (125) of Soddy Daisy (Tenn.) High; Pelal Deeb (130) of North Arlington (N.J.) Queen of Peace High; Tory Bennett (171) of Berkeley Springs (W.Va.) High; Dwight Howes (189) of Arvada (Colo.) High; and Brian Walker (215) of Huntsville (Ala.) Virgil I. Grissom High.

The National High School Freshman Wrestling Championships is an open event, and is open to any high-school wrestler completing his freshman year.

The NHSCA continues its involvement in high-profile high school sports events across the board. In addition to a full schedule of wrestling events, the NHSCA conducted its annual 7-on-7 football championships at storied Hoover High School in Hoover, Ala. in July and will host the National High School Basketball Festival at Salisbury, Md. Dec. 26-30. The NHSCA selects Coaches and Senior Athletes of the Year in 20 boys and girls sports, and sponsors more than two dozen national championship events in 11 sports.

In partnership with Navy Special Operations, the NHSCA conducts the Navy SEAL Fitness Challenge in 1,200 high schools throughout America. This serves as a replacement for President Kennedy’s Council on Fitness that was popular in the 1970’s and 1980’s. In partnership with the Pennsylvania Army National Guard, the NHSCA conducts Character and Leadership Workshops and reach more than 800 Pennsylvania high schools and 9,600 athletes and coaches.

The NHSCA also has entered a sponsorship agreement with the Pennsylvania Interscholastic Athletic Association (PIAA) for the state football and wrestling championships. Check the Web sites of the NHSCA and the PIAA for more details as they are announced.

Founded in 1989, the National High School Coaches Association is a not-for-profit 501c3 service organization providing support and leadership programs for the nation’s 500,000 high school coaches and 10 million high school athletes.


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