2013 Pop and Flo National DualsMay 19, 2013 by Willie Saylor
Iron Horse Reigns Supreme at Pop & Flo
Iron Horse Reigns Supreme at Pop & Flo
Iron Horse Reigns Supreme at Pop & Flo
Willie Saylor, Editor
Good guys do finish first.
Sunday morning at Pop & Flo featured upsets in both semifinals as Iron Horse (NJ) knocked off a star-studded X-Cel (NY) squad and Apex (NJ) stopped Young Guns (PA).
Iron Horse came in as the 4-seed with a team a bit less credentialed than others. But what they lacked in resume, they made up for in grit as the Horse boys won a great deal of bouts with conditioning and heart.
In the finals, Iron Horse won four one-point matches, none of which were more representative of how the team competed all weekend than the opening match (130lbs) where John Muldoon rallied from a 4-point 3rd-period deficit to take the match 9-8.
Not surprisingly, the final bout, with Iron Horse leading by just 3 team points, AJ Vindici won a tough grind-it-out bout, 4-3, in what was a rematch from this year’s state tournament against Bobby Jordan.
Vindici prevented the dual from going to criteria, giving Iron Horse a 27-21 win.
In the process, Iron Horse became the first team to win Pop & Flo twice. They also won it in 2011.
The best part about it was that the IH kids were nothing short of a class act that competed and cheered on their teammates with maturity and respect. Tip of the cap to Horse Club Director Gary Mezzacappo and Coach Dom Spataro for how the young men conduct themselves.
Final Box Score:
130: John Muldoon, IH dec. Joe Travato, AX 9-8
135: Connor Burkert, AX dec. JP Acolese, IH 1-0
140: Scott Delvecchio, IH dec. Zach Hertling, AX 5-1
145: Richie Lewis, AX dec. Jason Gaccione, IH, 6-4
152: BJ Clagon, AX dec. Brian Hamann, IH 4-1
160: JJ Johnson, AX dec. Dale White, IH, 6-5
170: Ethan Ramos, IH dec. John Balboni, AX, 9-3
182: Kevin Mulligan, IH dec. Jeff Velez, AX, 3-1
195: Evan Ramos, IH dec. Dom Carfagno, AX, 7-2
225: Rich Sisti, AX dec. Christian Colucci, IH, 5-2
HWT: Nick Lashell, IH dec. Kevin Wilkins, AX, 5-4 OT
106: Santos, AX wbf. Sammy Schneider, IH, 2:12
113: Dom Gallo, IH dec. Johnny Stramiello, AX, 7-2
120: AJ Vindici, IH dec. Bobby Jordan, AX, 4-3
Willie Saylor, Editor
Good guys do finish first.
Sunday morning at Pop & Flo featured upsets in both semifinals as Iron Horse (NJ) knocked off a star-studded X-Cel (NY) squad and Apex (NJ) stopped Young Guns (PA).
Iron Horse came in as the 4-seed with a team a bit less credentialed than others. But what they lacked in resume, they made up for in grit as the Horse boys won a great deal of bouts with conditioning and heart.
In the finals, Iron Horse won four one-point matches, none of which were more representative of how the team competed all weekend than the opening match (130lbs) where John Muldoon rallied from a 4-point 3rd-period deficit to take the match 9-8.
Not surprisingly, the final bout, with Iron Horse leading by just 3 team points, AJ Vindici won a tough grind-it-out bout, 4-3, in what was a rematch from this year’s state tournament against Bobby Jordan.
Vindici prevented the dual from going to criteria, giving Iron Horse a 27-21 win.
In the process, Iron Horse became the first team to win Pop & Flo twice. They also won it in 2011.
The best part about it was that the IH kids were nothing short of a class act that competed and cheered on their teammates with maturity and respect. Tip of the cap to Horse Club Director Gary Mezzacappo and Coach Dom Spataro for how the young men conduct themselves.
Final Box Score:
130: John Muldoon, IH dec. Joe Travato, AX 9-8
135: Connor Burkert, AX dec. JP Acolese, IH 1-0
140: Scott Delvecchio, IH dec. Zach Hertling, AX 5-1
145: Richie Lewis, AX dec. Jason Gaccione, IH, 6-4
152: BJ Clagon, AX dec. Brian Hamann, IH 4-1
160: JJ Johnson, AX dec. Dale White, IH, 6-5
170: Ethan Ramos, IH dec. John Balboni, AX, 9-3
182: Kevin Mulligan, IH dec. Jeff Velez, AX, 3-1
195: Evan Ramos, IH dec. Dom Carfagno, AX, 7-2
225: Rich Sisti, AX dec. Christian Colucci, IH, 5-2
HWT: Nick Lashell, IH dec. Kevin Wilkins, AX, 5-4 OT
106: Santos, AX wbf. Sammy Schneider, IH, 2:12
113: Dom Gallo, IH dec. Johnny Stramiello, AX, 7-2
120: AJ Vindici, IH dec. Bobby Jordan, AX, 4-3