Somers Core Fore Shines at the County Center

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On Saturday February 7, the Somers Wrestling team embarked on a two day journey to the County Center and reaching the state tournament was on the agenda. Three qualifiers in total and three more hanging medals around their necks, Coach Ron DiSanto expressed pride beyond the podium.

“What I’m most proud of rather than the winning and losing, is what good people they are,” the coach assured. “How respectful they are to their opponents, to their teammates, to me and everyone. That says a lot about them as human beings.”

Up first and in first was Ethan Steuber. Three pins got the senior to the finals and takedowns in the first and second period of the finals gave him a 6-0 lead.

Three stall warnings narrowed the gap to 6-2, but time was not on Justin Cabuhat’s side. That is until the eventual champ got turned to his back. “I had to make it a little exciting,” joked the 110 pounder.

There was no way, though. “It was not happening, Steuber assured.

The only thing left was the mauling off a hug by his little brother Rylan. “I couldn’t do it without him,” Steuber beamed.

Ryan Ball wasn’t alone either. His pairing with Charles Przymylski was the match of the day and probably had most of the eye balls. “Me and Charles both wanted to go against each other,” he said. “So let’s duke it out and have some fun.”

The duo did just that, and the first period went to the Mahopac champion with a takedown. Onto the second, Ball fought his way to an escape and followed up with a takedown for a 4-3 lead.

Of course, Przymylski could not be held down and tied the score with his own escape. Battling on, Ball twice came razor close to takedowns. The calls not going his way, the senior held no grudges. “You got to shake it off,” Ball said.

Instead, Przymylski brought down the Tusker, and despite the loss, the 138 pounder was already looking ahead. “I guess we’re going to see each other in the state finals,” he predicted.

TJ Mauro wasn’t quite ready to project north. Losing 21-5 in the final, the 190 pounder was in no celebratory mood, but DiSanto felt it was just a matter of time. “Once it settles in, he will be proud,” said the coach.

In third place, Cal Ehrmann didn’t have a delayed reaction after his consolation final. “I’m happy with my performance,” said the senior. “I’ll take third.”

No score after one period, Kenny Keltto of Carmel let Ehrmann up but the strategy backfired. Ehrmann got the takedown and held onto a 4-2 lead.

Seeded first, though, the 144 pounder understood the order would be tall. “I knew it was going to be a tough bracket,” Ehrmann lamented.

The difficulty came do in the semis. “I had him with a half,” he recalled. “Whether it was a pin or not, it wasn’t called, and I ran out of stamina.”

Victory came from above nonetheless. His mother passing away last year, the wrestler's thoughts have been with her all season, and with his father, sister and grandparents in attendance, there still wasn’t an empty seat. “She was in the stands as well,” he assured.

On the ground, Loghan Dwyer hung a bronze too but the dull luster wasn’t quite the glimmer he was after. “I was one away from qualifying for the states,” the 118 pounder clarified.

A tech fall in the semis was the difference. Still, Dwyer felt pretty good about his comeback victory in the quarterfinals. “Down 6-2, I got a takedown, an escape and another takedown. Then I rode out the rest of the match,” said the sophomore.

Two years to go, Dwyer intends to make up the qualifying ground. “I got to grind in the off season,” he said.

Last but not least, Derek Kuchinsky earned a true two second match, but he accepted the chances of breaking the bracket were slim. “We’re great teammates and friends,” he said of Ball, and a second period pin spoke the rest.

Not complaining about his 5-2 consolation victory, he had no problem basking. “It’s a testament to all the handwork and all my indefatigable efforts,” said the junior. “I worked all of the off season, going to Empire and all credit to my coaches.”

A hundred wins among the outcomes, he’s not resting on the accolades. Winning the sectional title, he said, “I’m already thinking about it.”

Ehrmann, Mauro, Ball and Steuber don’t have that luxury but history and the present still matters, according to Ball. “We call ourselves the core four,” he said. “We’re a big group. We all wrestled in youth and we’re all up here.”

One last gasp, Ball spoke for the trio. “It’s not done yet,” the All State Wrestler concluded.

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