Morse repeats as all-around champ, South's Stumpf wins high bars
by PATRICK J. NAGY Reporter

Williamsville South's Cody Stumpf won high bars and finished third in all-around at Friday's Section VI Championships at South. He will compete in high bars, vault and floor exercise at regionals on Saturday. Photo by Joe Eberle Purchase color photos at www.BeeNews.com

A dislocated left thumb forced Michael Morse out of competing in any all-around competition during the regular season, but the Clarence senior was back to full strength at last Friday's Section VI Championships at Williamsville South.

In his first time competing in all-around this season, Morse edged teammate, eighth-grader John Zirna, 52.1-51.75, to repeat as Section VI champion.

"It definitely means a lot, especially because it's my senior year," said Morse, who also won the section's Mark Monaco Gymnast of the Year honor. "I'm glad I was able to leave on a strong note."

"He's earned the all-around title," said Clarence coach Scott Martin. "It's a great finish to his high school career."

Morse also won the vault and floor exercise with scores of 9.5 and the pommel horse in a section record 9.55. The old pommel horse record was 9.25, set in 1991 by Joe Buscaglia, who is now the Williamsville East, North and South coach.

"I'm glad for him," said Buscaglia. "It shows that if you work hard, good things will happen."

Morse said he dislocated his left thumb out of its socket in practice six weeks ago during a parallel bars routine. He couldn't compete in any events until two weeks ago when he started to do floor exercise and vault.

Morse was the catalyst behind Clarence gaining a boys gymnastics program. He said he had been trying to get a team since he was in seventh grade. The program was put in the school budget last year and Clarence has posted back-to-back 10-0 seasons.

"It took a lot to get a team going so I hope it doesn't die out," said Morse, who hopes to attend the University of Missouri or University of Illinois. "The cool part is two-thirds of the team doesn't do club (gymnastics)."

Zirna is the youngest gymnast on Clarence but competed well in his first sectional meet. Zirna won rings (8.85) and parallel bars (8.80) and was second in high bars (7.3).

"I did good for where I'm at in my age group, but I could have done better, like on high bar," said Zirna. "I think I can progress a lot better as I get older."

"He pushed himself and hung in there the best he could," said Martin.

Clarence has the largest gymnastics team in New York State and it showed at sectionals. In addition to Morse and Zirna faring well, ten of its 15 other members placed in the top eight.

On floor, Joey Lysen took third (8.6), Adam Cole came in fourth (8.5), Aaron Palinkas finished seventh (5.7) and Mike Mazurchuk was eighth (5.6). Connor Story took fourth on pommel horse (6.10); Paul Kieber was eighth (3.55).

In rings, Lysen came in fourth (6.25) and Rich Bucklaew (4.75) and Nate Bakowski (3.55) were sixth and seventh, respectively.

Clarence took half of the placers on vault led by Lysen in third (8.5). Mazurchuk took sixth (7.4), Aaron Palinkas was seventh (7.3) and Anthony Palinkas tied for eighth (6.6).

On parallel bars, Story was fifth (6.1), Cole came in sixth (5.4) and Tim Olczak finished eighth (3.8).

Cole and Story went 3-4 on high bars with scores of 5.5 and 4.45, respectively.

The Williamsville schools only fielded one champion, eighth-grader Cody Stumpf, who won high bars with a score of 7.5.

"I was doing my regular routine," said Stumpf. "I guess I hit it pretty good and had good form."

Stumpf also took second on floor (9.3) and vault (9.0) and third in all-around (47.95).

Stumpf's teammate, Nathaniel Roberson, was 2.5 points behind him in all-around with a score of 45.45 for fourth. Roberson took second on parallel bars (8.5), pommel horse (7.75) and rings (6.4).

Roberson was followed in all-around by North's Brandon O'Brien (37.10), East's Spencer Kieffer (36.95) and North's Joey Chearmonte (35.30).

O'Brien took fourth on vault (8.0) and fifth on floor (8.4) and pommel horse (5.55). Kieffer placed third on pommel horse (6.90), fourth on parallel bars (6.5) and fifth on high bars (3.85). Chearmonte finished fifth on rings (4.8) and vault (7.8) and sixth on floor (6.8). North's Matt McFarland was seventh on pommel horse and parallel bars with scores of 3.9.

"They did great," said Buscaglia. "Like I always say, consistency is the most important thing. They came out, competed well and were consistent. When you do that, good things will happen. I couldn't ask any more from them."

Mike Huber led Amherst with an all-around score of 25.25, good for eighth best in the section. He was fourth on rings (4.85) and tied for eighth on vault (6.6).

Taylor Bentzoni (high bars, seventh, 2.0) and Eoghan Connors (rings, eighth, 3.4) also placed. Jordan Simone was scheduled to compete in all-around but separated a shoulder a couple days before sectionals.

"Not bad for their first year of competing without having competed in club gymnastics before," said Amherst coach Renee Kowalski.

Qualifying for the regional meet to be held at 11 a.m. Saturday at Brockport State College are Morse and Zirna (all-around), Cole (high bars), Lysen (vault, rings, floor), Story (pommel horse), Stumpf (high bars, vault, floor), Roberson (parallel bars, floor, pommel horse), Kieffer (pommel horse, rings), Chearmonte (high bar), O'Brien (rings, vault, parallel bars) and Hamburg's Madison Rich (parallel bars). Section VI has won regionals the past four years.

e-mail: pnagy@beenews.com