Giuesppi Lanzi’s senior year continues to get better.
The Amsterdam wrestler, who went 42-0 this winter in becoming his school’s first state champion, will participate in Saturday’s Dapper Dan Classic at the University of Pittsburgh. Lanzi will wrestle for Team New York as it takes on an all-star team from the Western Pennsylvania Interscholastic Athletic League in a 6 p.m. dual meet.
That match will precede the featured Team USA vs. Team Pennsylvania dual in the 36th editiion of the charity event, which supports the Dapper Dan Youth Sports Leagues of the Boys and Girls Clubs of Western Pennsylvania.
Lanzi is the fifth Section II wrestler invited to compete at the event, joining fellow state champs Jon Cardi of Burnt Hills-Ballston Lake, Frank Fronhofer of Salem, Matt Herrington of LaSalle and Michael Chaires of Christian Brothers Academy. Those four all were selected for Team USA, though Chaires had to decline due to a family concern.
“It’s a nice honor,” said Lanzi, who was presented with the DeMeo Award at the season-ending Section II dinner earlier this week, an award annually presented to the top high school wrestler in Section II.
Lanzi is scheduled to wrestle Zack Shannon of Kisiki Area High, who also won a state title this year.
“I don’t know anything about him,” said Lanzi. “I just want to wrestle a good match.”
Since the high school season ended, Lanzi has been training with the Journeymen Wrestling Club, and also maintained the weight training program he used during the school season.
Lanzi will meet his teammates today. That group includes three-time state champ Nick Arujau of Syosset, two-time state winners Andy Rodriguez of Central Islip and Kyle Colling of Pioneer, and the state’s record holder for wins, Cody Ruggirello of Valley Central.
The athletes will weigh in, get a tour of the city and then be feted at a dinner this evening.
“It sounds like they’re really going to make this a nice event for us,” said Lanzi, who went 248-34 in his six-year varsity career.
Next week, Lanzi willl be competing in the initial FloNationals, a national open high school tournament sponsored by the Flowrestling Web site.
That tourney is set for March 26-28 in Ohio, and is running in competition with the established National High School Coaches Association nationals, which has separate grade level divisions.
Lanzi, who won the NHSCA event as a freshman, opted for the new tournament because it is set more along the lines of a college event.
“They’re using riding time, it’s more of a college style,” said Lanzi, who is currently whittling down his college choices.
Among the other early entrants in the first-year event are state champ Nick Gwiazdowski of Duanesburg (215), two-time state place finisher Andy Lyman (125) of Ravena and two Shenendehowa wrestlers, Christian Averill (119) and Max Miller (130).
Early entries for the NHSCA tournaments include Shenendehowa freshmen Nick Kelley and David Almaviva; sophs Aaron Dudley of Hudson Falls, Curt Rowley and Gus Clark of Duanesburg, Brendan Morgan and Evan Wallace of Columbia and Tony Fusco of Queensbury; 11th-graders Jon
Clemente of LaSalle, Joe Shell of Colonie, Toby Barnes of Ballston Spa and A.J. Rue of Saratoga Springs; and middle school entrants Blake Retell of Shaker and Angelo Kress of Columbia.
Categories: High School Sports
