New England Showcases at National Hall of Fame Duals

Dec 26, 2024
5 min read

This past weekend while the toughest tournament in New England was going on, the toughest dual tournament in the country was also underway. The National Hall of Fame Duals in Stillwater, Oklahoma grabs the best high school teams from around the country and gathers them in the Stillwater High School gym to have this prestigious 10-team event.

Two New England teams were lucky enough to get an invite. Greens Farms Academy (CT) and Ponaganset (RI) are no doubt the two top programs in the region, and they got the chance to prove themselves against some of the best in the country.

The ten teams were split into five pools:

Pool A:

Delbarton (NJ)

Stillwater (OK)

Greens Farms Academy (CT)

Sunnyside (AZ)

Arlington Martin (TX)

Pool B:

Bishop McCort (PA)

Edmond North (OK)

Joliet Catholic (IL)

Ponaganset (RI)

Massillon Perry (OH)

Both New England teams came into the event as underdogs given the geographical location of the schools, but both teams showed up with fire as each of them was able to grab a win. In Ponaganset’s final match of the day they downed Illinois school Joliet Catholic 40-20, and Greens Farms beat Arlington Martin (TX) 46-20. Both schools went 1-3 good enough to earn them a spot in the 7th place match… against each other.

Lineups Entered in the Event + Event Records

Greens Farms Academy (CT) - Westport, CT

106: Eli Shea | 0-2

106: Kayla Batres | 3-1

113: Brighton Karvoski | 2-3

120: Chase Kastner | 3-2

126: Jack Francis

126: Jackson Heslin

126: Jaxsen Bailey | 0-4

138: Harry Kittredge | 1-3

138: Joe Mahoney | 0-4

138: Kimoni Giles

144: Ben Zuckerman | 2-3

144: Jeremey McGrath | 1-4

150: Jacob Jones

157: Will Motley | 0-5

165: Cael Wilderman

165: Liam Carlin | 4-1

165: Rocky Penny

175: Tyler Nevia | 1-4

190: Ryan Schneider | 1-4

215: Kingston Daniels-Silva | 4-0

215: Larry Cofsky | 1-0

285: Aiden Weismann

285: Dom Iaquinto | 5-0

Ponaganset (RI) - Gloucester, RI

106: Sam Floody | 0-5

113: Cole Lemovitz | 3-2

120 Jovani Martinez

120: Robert Douangmala | 2-3

126: Jared Hood | 2-3

132: Apollo Bellini | 2-3

138: Caden Jarret | 1-3

138: William Leischner | 0-1

144: Joseph Joyce | 4-1

150: Colby Vital | 1-4

157: Carnell Davis | 2-3

165: David Perez | 1-4

175: Preston Marchessault | 3-2

190: Zachary Rochio | 1-4

215: Michael DiOrio | 2-3

285: Tyler Bergron | 2-3

Greens Farms Academy vs. Ponaganset

The two New England powerhouses are set to meet January 4th at Ponaganset where No. 1 in the country Faith Christian Academy (PA) will also be at.. The interregional rivals got a taste of each other in Oklahoma, with the Greens Farms Dragons pulling away with a five-point win, 35-30. The match started with GFA out in front and Ponaganset playing catch up until the Chieftains took the lead in the middleweights. GFA got it done, though, with two big bonus point wins at 215lbs and heavyweight.

Full Results:

12/20/24 P4P Rankings used

106: No. 1 (Girls) Kayla Batres (GFA) Fall 3:31 7-0 Sam Floody (Pono) [6-0]

113: No. 46 Cole Lemovitz (Pono) Dec. 6-5 No. 27 Bright Karvoski (GFA) [6-3]

120: No. 41 Chase Kastner (GFA) Fall 1:10 3-0 Robert Douangmala (Pono) [12-3]

126: No. 25 Jared Hood (Pono) Dec. 11-4 No. 42 Jaxsen Bailey (GFA) [12-6]

132: Apollo Bellini (Pono) Fall 4:49 11-9 Harry Kittredge (GFA) [12-12]

138: Joe Mahoney (GFA) Fall 4:47 4-0 Caden Jarrett (Pono) [18-12]

144: No. 7 Joe Joyce (Pono) Fall 2:30 0-3 Jeremey McGrath (GFA) [18-18]

150: No. 15 Ben Zuckerman (GFA) Dec. SV 5-2 Colby Vital (Pono) [21-18]

157: No. 33 Carnell Davis (Pono) MD. 12-1 Will Motley (GFA) [21-22]

165: No. 3 Liam Carlin (GFA) Dec. 7-2 No. 6 David Perez (Pono) [24-22]

175: No. 14 Preston Marchesseault (Pono) Tec. 4:58 18-3 Tyler Nevia (GFA) [24-27]

190: Zachary Rocio (Pono) Dec. 8-7 Ryan Schneider (GFA) [24-30]

215: No. 35 Kingston Daniels-Silva (GFA) Tec. 3:12 21-6 Michael Dioro (Pono) [29-30]

285: No. 21 Dom Iaquinto (GFA) Fall. 1:02 3-0 Tyler Bergeron (Pono) [35-30]

Coach’s Thoughts

When it comes to the event, both head coaches were proud to be there and represent the region.

“It was good to know we belonged,” GFA head coach Jack Conroy said. “Having a team like Sunnyside (AZ) on the ropes validated a lot of what we are doing.”

Ponaganset coach Michael Joyce couldn't agree more.

“It's great when you have the ability to duel with and be competitive against the best teams and wrestlers in the country. It's just an affirmation of all the work that's gone into the program over the years.”

Not only did the kids get some national competition, but they also were able to attend one of the marquee college matchups of the season in Virginia Tech vs. Oklahoma State.

”It is mostly about giving the kids multiple opportunities to face adversity and see if they are able to recover and improve,” added Joyce.

“It was also an opportunity to be together in a great wrestling environment and to attend the Virginia Tech vs. Oklahoma State Dual. Some kids went to the Wrestling Hall of Fame.

“But it's mostly a measuring stick to see where we are at. We almost beat #15 Edmund North in the first dual. Everyone in the building was on the edge of their seats; it was memorable for the kids!”

When it comes to the GFA dual, Joyce knows that it was good for the region for the teams to be on that stage.

“GFA is just another team of great wrestlers that we are competing against. I know a lot of people want to see that match because of regional bragging rights, but I don't think of it that way-it's just another set of great matchups for both of us!”

Joyce told the Schwartz Report there were a number of matches against GFA that could have gone either way.

“We are basically an all-star team, wrestling a bunch of other all-star teams at an event like this; we know it, and everyone else knows it. So, it was an exciting dual; outside of that, I didn't give it much thought.”

Highlights from coach Joyce:

“All the guys wrestled great; Cole Lemovitz's win over Karvoski was great, but let's see what next week brings when we see him again. Perez wrestled a tight one with the #2 in the country, Rutledge, 5-3; Preston wrestled great after his match against Massillon Perry, and Zach Rochio had a big win against a college commit. I was impressed with Sam Floody's fight and heart, being so young and undersized. Joe had a good win against Ironman 4th Sanderfer and probably gave Basset his best match outside of Zepeda this year! But all the kids wrestled well and didn't quit, which is all the staff can ask for! We made the most of the opportunity and are grateful to Wille Saylor and Dave Miritikani for having us; Dave puts on a top-notch event.”