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03/03/2017 11:00 PMThe Walsh Intermediate School wrestling team had another successful regular season by not losing a single dual-meet this winter. The team also participated in several tournaments, turning in strong showings at the East Haven Holiday Tournament, the Wilson Tournament, and the McGee Tournament.
There were 57 wrestlers on the 2016-’17 roster, a large jump from where the program started 10 years ago under Coach Tom Ermini. In the first year, the team had just 13 athletes on its roster.
“I’m super proud of where we’ve come from,” said Ermini. “It’s been a great, great season.”
Three years ago, Walsh wrestlers were given another opportunity to keep wrestling through the USA program. This year, 25 wrestlers participated in USA tournaments throughout the season. In the postseason, many of USA wrestlers chose to compete at the State Qualifiers in Killingly on Feb. 19. Of those, 12 qualified for the State Tournament, where Branford Youth Wrestling saw eight medalists who finished in the top five, including three state champions.
In the Middle School Division, 8th-grader Justin “Ozz” Osler won gold at 175 pounds, while 7th-grader Gianni Liguori was the champion at 128 pounds. Dylan “D-Train” Warner, a 4th-grader, won the 95-pound weight class in the Intermediate Division.
Other medalists included 8th-grader AJ Robinson (160 pounds, middle school) and 6th-grader Jeff Gamberdella (95 pounds, novice) with third-place finishes; 6th-grader Billy DellaCamera (165 pounds, novice) and 6th-grader TJ Shields (105, novice) with fifth-place finishes; and 6th-grader Jake Elpi (75, novice) with a sixth-place finish. In addition, 5th-grader Cole Snider, a Walsh wrestler who wrestles with Team Tugman in the offseason, placed fourth at 100 pounds in the Novice Division.
“AJ wrestled the best tournament of the whole season in a tough weight class, Jeff is a second-year wrestler and for him to place third at 95 pounds when he wrestled at 90 all year is unbelievable,” said Coach Ermini. “D-Train eats, sleeps, and breathes wrestling. All of these guys peaked at the right time of the season.”
Last year, Branford Youth Wrestling qualified four wrestlers for the State Tournament. In 2015, Jack Seward won a championship at 190 pounds as an 8th-grader.
“To have three state champions is a huge, huge thing for us,” said Ermini. “As a middle school program, we’re going up against kids who train year-round with more experience and more matches. That’s why this is such a big victory. It’s a totally different level of achievement for us to be able to hang with clubs like that.”
Walsh’s wrestlers didn’t just perform well at states this year. Robinson finished the season with a 29-8 record, Osler went undefeated at 30-0 with 28 pins, which is “unheard of,” according to Coach Ermini; Liguori had a 30-1 record, and Gamberdella earned a 24-7 record.
Ermini credits his coaching staff for their hard work and continued dedication to the program. Coaches for the season included Nick Kelsey, Tony Le, Dan Jakubiak, and Max Warner, along with Gabe Engler-Zucker, who recently left Branford to join the Navy.
“Gabe is so down to earth and he was fantastic with the kids and Dan volunteers with the beginners as much as possible,” Ermini said. “Nick works with the kids a lot on technique and gives the older guys their best challenge. Tony works really well with the kids who are super competitive and more advanced. He and Nick do a lot with the USA kids. All four are just awesome.”
“Max is only a sophomore, but he’s a huge fan of our program,” added Ermini. “I think he loves coaching more than competing and has such a rapport with the kids. He has a ton of potential for being a coach someday.”
Also, registration for the Power Half Wrestling Camp is open. The camp runs from 4 to 5 p.m. for beginners and from and 5 to 6:30 p.m. for experienced wrestlers on weekdays between Monday, June 12 and Friday, June 23. The cost is $100. To register, call 203-488-8304.