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New York State title on Stella's mind
"First, I have to win sectionals but states is my ultimate goal," the Sweet Home senior said. "I'd do anything to achieve it." Stella is certainly putting in the work to reach his goal. "I've been working out every day, sometimes twice a day in the morning," said Stella. "On Sundays, I drive to Warsaw to work out with (junior) Ian Paddock (three-time New York State champion)." Stella is highly motivated because of how he fared in his first showing at the state tournament. As a junior, he finished 2-2 at 140 pounds and was one match away from placing. To prepare himself for state competition, he will represent Sweet Home in two prestigious tournaments during the regular season, the Sheetz Holiday Classic in Pennsylvania on Dec. 14-15 at Penn Cambria High School, located in the middle of Pennsylvania, and the Eastern States Classic Jan. 11-12 at Sullivan County Community College, outside of Albany. Stella will not be facing slouches. At the Sheetz Holiday Classic, Stella is hoping to face Marshall Peppelman, a sophomore from Harrisburg Central Dauphin High in Pennsylvania. Senior Zach Clemente of Section II's LaSalle Institute is scheduled to wrestle at the Eastern States as well as the Niagara Wrestling Officials Association tournament at Niagara County Community College a week earlier. Amateurwrestlingnews. com ranks Peppelman and Clemente sixth and eighth in the nation at 140. "That's why I'm doing it," said Stella. "Last year, I went to, not easy tournaments but no one challenged me so when I got to states, I didn't know what to expect and I lost in the quarterfinals and ended a round away of placing." "It seems likes the more competition he gets, the happier he is," said Sweet Home coach Jeff Hess, an assistant with the team last year. "We're trying to give him the best competition that we can." Rochester's Blue Cross Arena. (minus states) that he entered last year, winning at Attica, ECICs, Sweet Home, Niagara Officials Association, Salamanca, Class AAAAs and the Section VI New York State qualifier. year, should also break Sweet Home's all-time school record for most career wins held by his older brother, Andrew, by as early as January. Nic is sitting at 157 career wins; Andrew has 184. goals, he will be doing it with a clean bill of health. After taking seventh in the nation at junior nationals in Virginia Beach in late com States are March 8-9 at Stella won every tournament Stella, who finished 41-2 last If Stella is to achieve all of these March, he had surgery in early April to repair a torn labrum in his left shoulder that he originally suffered before his junior year. Doctors told him it would take six months to recover. After three months, he started running; after four months, he was wrestling. The injury appears to have been a blessing in disguise as it allowed Stella to cut down on the number of offseason tournaments he entered (participated in only one tourney), get stronger and focus on the mental part of the sport. "The injury did not set me back," said Stella, who is looking at Bloomsburg University of Pennsylvania, Edinboro University or the University at Buffalo as possible colleges. "I've gotten a lot better since then. Before I got the surgery, I was weak in my left arm. Now I'm twice as strong. I also learned more over the summer by going to clinics and watching what people were doing. I paid attention to every detail." Hess expects Stella to be ranked No. 1 in Western New York once rankings come out. Hess said Stella will go wherever the competition is around his weight class. "We're looking for the toughest competition for a dual match," said Hess. "Nic will lose weight or bump his weight up to face the best kids." That includes a possible matchup with Lancaster's Mark Lewandowski, who took second in the state last year at 125. Stella is co-captain with senior Matt Danwin, who lost a bunch of close matches at 130 pounds last year before bowing out with a dislocated shoulder in the middle of the season. Danwin will compete at 135. "If we had him in the lineup for the entire season, we probably would have had a better record at the end of the year (Sweet Home finished 2-7)," said Hess. "He's a hard worker and is not afraid to take on anybody. He's does whatever is better for the team. He doesn't say a lot in the (wrestling room) but he doesn't have to." Another wrestler who should add to Sweet Home's success is sophomore Gage Bateman, who was the only other Panther to advance to the state qualifier after taking second at the Class AAAA tournament. He also won the Salamanca tournament. Bateman finished 22-11 at 112. He will compete at 130 this season. "He wrestles with 100 percent of his heart," said Hess. "When he's out there, he's able to pull a lot of matches out in the third period because he never gives up. A lot of guys get tired in the last couple of seconds in a match. That's when he really turns it on." Bateman's father, Glen, a former state champion at 168 pounds, will serve as an assistant coach. The rest of the lineup is comprised of freshman Anthony Mineo or eighth-grader Mike White (96); senior Joe Hirtreiter (145) and sophomores Daiquann Burney (103), Zach Fumerelle (125), Alex Dennis (152), Cory Mitchum (160), Nico Fisher and senior Dave Rhodes (189 or 215). Hess said Fumerelle lost several close matches by one or two points to top-ranked wrestlers but has put a ton of work in the offseason. "He wrestled all summer long," said Hess. "Even during the football season, he would come up from football practice, take a shower and go to UB four days a week to train with (New York) Super Six (Wrestling). I think he's going to step up this year." Last year, Burney weighed the minimum for 103 last year and was always giving up weight, said Hess. "Now he's at a natural weight," said Hess. "I think he could surprise us and go to sectionals." Hess said Dennis was an "animal" on JV. "He's the most intense wrestler on the team and that includes Nic," said Hess. "He's super aggressive. As soon as the whistle blows, he's an animal." Hirtreiter can wrestle anywhere from 125 to 145. "He's another guy who could be a huge difference between us losing a match by a couple of points or winning," said Hess. Fisher, Rhodes or first-year junior wrestler Mark Orlowski could wrestle at some point at 215. Junior Jesse Jackiewicz will see time at 140. Hess said the team is a great attitude heading into the season. "They want to take on anyone and are willing to do whatever to help the team win," said Hess. "That's going to make us a better team."
Sweet Home opened its season tying for fourth at the Tonawanda Duals Tournament. (see attaches story). They host Williamsville East in a non-league dual at 6 p.m. on Friday. Its the first time Zach Fumerelle will face his uncle, Henry, coach of the Flames. |
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