On Saturday, February 8, five dedicated Storm King wrestlers rose early and braved the chilly temperatures to travel to the Hackley School in Tarrytown, New York, to compete in the New York State Association of Independent Schools (NYSAIS) State Championship Tournament. According to Athletic Director Joseph Graziosi and Coach Gillett, the Cougars had an outstanding day with four of the five wrestlers placing in the tournament and several other notable moments.

“Junior Wonui Kim, while not placing in a very tough weight class, wrestled better than he ever has at the tournament,” commented Mr. Graziosi. “Senior Noah Mendlewski finished in 5th place with three outstanding performances and freshman Warren Stone finished in 4th place setting the tone for a bright future for wrestling at Storm King. In addition, freshman Sean Ryan fought hard in his matches and finished as state runner-up. These boys demonstrated a great deal of grit and determination with a depth of toughness I have rarely seen. Our community should be deeply proud of them.”

A highlight of the afternoon belonged to eighth-grader Elijah Graziosi who stunned the NYSAIS tournament by running the table in his class and winning the NY Independent School State Championship and becoming Storm King’s first state champion since the inception of the tournament in 2010. Elijah succeeded in overcoming wrestlers from the Horace Mann School, the Dalton School, and his teammate Sean Ryan to win the state title.  “Elijah put out an amazing performance especially considering he was the only eighth-grader in the competition. He displayed grace, dignity, and sportsmanship well beyond his years,” commented Mr. Graziosi upon the boys’ return.  Next on the agenda for Elijah is the New York/New Jersey National Prep Qualifier at Blair Academy on Saturday, February 16.  Elijah’s record currently stands at 20-3.

With their record standing at 6-0 in league competition, the Storm King Wrestlers will continue to build on their winning momentum this week as they prepare to defend their HVAL Championship title on February 19 in the Storm King gymnasium.