Keanu Thompson, Grand Street's 126-pound senior, entered yesterday unseeded, but quickly had the entire arena talking about his pin of Somer's defending state champion Dylan Realbuto. In the semifinals this morning he again emerged victorious on the strength of his tough, physical wrestling from the top position. After getting his first point on a 2nd period escape, he used a late 3rd period tilt to upend Rome Free Academy's Antonio Deluco 4-0.  Thompson will wrestle TJ Fabian of Shoreham Wading River in the finals. This is a rematch from last year's placing round at the state tournament when Fabian earned a hard fought 5-3 win over Thompson.  Should Thompson win, he will be the first PSAL wrestler to win a state championship.

Monsignor Farrell Junior 220-pounder Rich Sisti brought an undefeated record into the semifinals, and that streak continued as he advanced to his first state final. Sisti moves exceptionally well for a wrestler of his size and earned a quick takedown early in the match which he then rode for a 3-2 decision over Huntington's 1st seed Nick Lupi.  Sisti will wrestle Steven Mills of Sachem North in the finals.

In Division 2, Adis Radoncic, a 170-pound wrestler from Riverdale Kingsbridge Academy will compete for a state title tonight after defeating 2nd-seeded Troy Seymour of Peru 1-0 in the semifinals. Adis chose down in the second period but was unable to earn an escape.  In the third, his opponent also proved incapable of scoring from the bottom position, but was hit with a penalty point for stalling which proved to be the difference. Adis will wrestle 1st-seeded Christian Dietrich of Greene in the finals. Dietrich defeated Radoncic 13-4 earlier this season at the Eastern States, but Radoncic has been wrestling exceptionally well recently and will try to reverse the result tonight.

In addition to the three finalists, their were eight other placewinners to total 11 medal winners from NYC -- four Catholic League Wrestlers, and an all-time high seven from the PSAL.

NYC Placewinners

• Division 1
  • 120: Santo Curatolo, Tottenville - 4th
  • 126: Keanu Thompson, Grand Street - in finals
  • 132: Sam Melikian, Fordham Prep - 3rd
  • 132: Saidyokub Kahramonov, New Utrecht - 6th
  • 152: Konstantin Parfiryev, Madison - 6th
  • 160: Andrew Psomas, Monsignor Farrell - 5th
  • 182: Matt Roberts, Monsignor Farrell - 6th
  • 195: Kevin Tynes, Brooklyn Tech - 6th
  • 220: Rich Sisti, Monsignor Farrell - in finals
• Division 2
  • 113: Cheick Ndiaye Brooklyn International - 4th
  • 170: Adis Radoncic, Riverdale Kingsbridge - in finals

There were 34 New York City wrestlers in competition in Albany today at the NY State Public High School Athletic Association tournament in search of a state title.  After day one, 14 remain, while six emerged from the first day unscathed and will wrestle tomorrow morning in the semifinals.

Division 1

Grand Street's 126-pound Keanu Thompson (at right) had quite a day. His quarterfinal upset over returning state champion Dylan Realbuto of Somers (pictures), could arguably be called the biggest win in PSAL history. But before that, he had to get there by avenging an earlier season loss. Unseeded going into the tournament, he had a rematch against his Grapple at the Garden final's opponent, Jacob Green of Chenango Forks, who is seeded 7th. Utilizing a late escape and takedown, he was able to emerge victorious, setting the stage for the the monumentous quarters' bout. Trailing 2-1 after the first period, Keanu went to work on top and eventually locked up a far-side cradle and secured the pin.  There was huge reaction throughout the arena at such a dramatic turn of events. Thompson will wrestle 6th-seeded Antonio DeLuco of Rome Free Academy tomorrow morning in the semis.

Fordham Prep's Sam Melikian, the 3rd seed at 132, will also wrestle in the semis tomorrow morning.  He won his first match 10-0 and squeaked by in the quaterfinals 3-2.  He will wrestle Brandon Lapi of Amsterdam with a state finals berth on the line.

Kevin Tynes of Brooklyn Tech entered the day unseeded at 195 Pounds.  Undeterred, the Stanford signee won his first two matches by scores of 10-6 and 7-4.  He will wrestle Syosset's Dan Choi in the semifinals.

Monsignor Farrell's Rich Sisti entered today undefeated, and left with his record still unblemished. He went 2-0 on the day,  winning by scores of 5-1 and 7-1. He will wrestle Huntington's Nick Lupi, the top seed at 220, for a birth in the finals tomorrow night.

The Following NYC wrestlers went 2-1 on the day and remain alive in the consolation bracket. One win tomorrow morning will earn them a state medal:

• 106 - Adam Gomez, Benjamin Cardozo
• 120 - Santo Curatolo, Tottenville
• 132 - Saidyokub Kahramonov, New Utrecht
• 152 - Konstantin Parfiryev, James Madison
• 160 - Andrew Psomas, Monsignor Farrell
• 182 - Nathanael Rose, Eagle Academy
• 182 - Matt Roberts, Monsignor Farrell

Division 2

At 113 Pounds, Brooklyn International's Cheick Ndiaye entered the tournament as the top seed and performed as you would expect a top seed to perform.   He won matches by scores of 15-1 and 6-2.  He will wrestle Locust Valley's Nick Casella in the semifinals, a wreslter he defeated earlier this year.

Adis Radoncic of Riverdale Kingsbridge Academy was dominant today.  Seeded 6th at 170 pounds, Radoncic won by fall in his first match and then teched the 3rd seed in the quarterfinals. Adis will wrestle 2nd-seeded Troy Seymour of Peru tomorrow morning in the semifinals.

At 106, Alpha Diallo of Brooklyn International went 2-1 on the day and remains alive in the consolation bracket, having beaten the 7th and 8th seeds after coming into the tournament unseeded.

- - -

Beat The Streets is proud of all city wrestlers who competed today and hopes for continued success tomorrow.  The six wrestlers in the semifinals all have a shot to win a state title, a feat never accomplished by a PSAL wrestler.

Hopefully, by this time tomorrow, that will no longer be true. 

Fifteen Division 2 wrestlers from New York City will be competing at the state tournament in Albany this weekend.  While they are all capable of doing well, below are some of the wrestlers who enter the tournament with top credentials.

Read more: 2013 D2 State Tournament Preview

Nineteen wrestlers from New York City will be competing at the state tournament in Albany this weekend.  While they are all capable of doing well, below are some of the wrestlers who enter the tournament with top credentials.

Read more: 2013 D1 State Tournament Preview

This Sunday, February 24, Rutgers University will host the top ranked Penn State Nittany Lions wrestling team. Prior to the match, top youth wrestlers from New York City and Philadelphia will square off against each other. The BTS matches will begin at 11am. The Rutgers vs Penn State dual will follow.

This is not the first time that the Beat the Streets organizations in New York and Philadelphia have collaborated. In August 2011, BTS Wrestlers from both cities attended a wrestling camp at SUNY-Sullivan County Community College in Loch Sheldrake, NY. In January 2012, BTS Philly hosted the CSI HS Dragons out of Staten Island for a training trip and a dual meet.  In December of 2012, Mariana Bracetti Academy, a school sponsored by BTS Philly, traveled to New York to compete in the PSAL Holiday Tournament, the second day of which was held at Madison Square Garden.

The New York City team has been training hard for the event. They will be coached by 2012 BTS Junior League Coach of the Year Joe DiForte of the Monsignor Farrell Lions Wrestling Club and by Dean Morrison, who won the 1994 NCAA Division I title at 177 pounds for West Virginia and has been a longtime contributor to BTS.

Read a story on the event at TheMat.com. 

2012 Olympian Kelsey Campbell is scheduled to do a series of clinics in anticipation of the upcoming PSAL Girls Wrestling Season. Kelsey will be running a clinic on Saturday, February 23rd, 11am-2pm at the Beat the Streets Manhattan Training Center, 145 Thompson Street. This clinic is open to high school, middle school, and elementary school athletes. All participants need to have a signed Beat the Streets Permission Slip. Paperwork will be checked at the door!

About Kelsey

Kelsey Campbell did not begin wrestling until her senior year of high school. Despite her late start in the sport, she went on to become the only female wrestler in the Division I Men’s Wrestling program at Arizona State University, where she was a 2x national champion. After college, she continued to compete on the senior international circuit, earning many medals and representing the US on two world teams. She placed 5th at the 2010 World Championships and made the 2012 Olympic team. She wrestled at the 2010 Beat the Streets gala on the deck of the USS Intrepid.

The Executive Board of FILA, wrestling’s governing body, selected Las Vegas as the host of the 2015 Wrestling World Championships.  The Championships will be held at the Orleans Arena in September of 2015.  Vegas won out over competing cities Sochi, Russia; Panama City, Panama; New Delhi, India; and Tehran, Iran.  The 2015 World Championships are particularly important because they will serve as the first qualifier for the 2016 Olympic Games in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.

The US has served as a host to five previous Wrestling World Championship events.  The most recent World Championship hosted by the US was the 2003 tournament held in New York City’s Madison Square Garden.  The 2003 event brought together NYC’s wrestling community and the collaboration eventually led to the formation of Beat the Streets.

For more info, read the article at TheMat.com.