Platt Is a Double Winner at 2007 Pan American Junior Championships; Mason Captures Silver (and Bronze) in Venezuela

BLAIR UNDERCLASSMEN SHINE AT CADET NATIONAL DUALS

In late February Jared Platt earned the Most Pins in the Least Amount of Time trophy at the National Prep Championships, earning him a place in Blair Academy wrestling history. The 215 pounder owns two National Prep titles and is also an Asics/Vaughn Jr. National freestyle runner-up.

Platt just upped the ante on June 21-24-when he was in Maracaibo, Venezuela – the second largest city in Venezuela after the country’s capital Caracas.

Platt earned a gold medal in both freestyle and Greco-Roman at the 2007 Pan American Juniors Championship, an unparalleled feat for a high school senior. For this accomplishment Platt was named Themat.com’s Athlete of the Week for June 19-25.

“Anytime one of our kids is exposed to international competition it will benefit him and expand his knowledge of the sport. Further, it’s an unbelievable opportunity as he (or she) can learn about different cultures and societies,” said Jeff Buxton, Blair Head Coach. “Jared wrestled well and this will be a nice springboard into the collegiate ranks for him.”

Platt won four matches in freestyle on his way to a gold medal and three in Greco-Roman. He defeated Luis Olivarez of Venezuela to earn his freestyle gold medal and Enyerber Rodriquez of Venezuela in his Greco-Roman finals.

“You have to be vigilante in international style, especially with the new rules put in place. I believe the rules help me because I am aggressive and the international referees respect that,” Platt said. “I plan on doing a lot more international wrestling; this was a great way for me to start my international career.”

THE MASON MACHINE:
Mario Mason, just a junior and perhaps the #1 recruit in America, earned a silver medal in freestyle and a bronze medal in Greco-Roman at the 2007 Pan American Junior Championships. Mason looked strong throughout the tournament and will take this experience into his senior year at Blair – and to Fargo, N. D. – when he competes in the Asics/Vaughn Jr. National Championships from July 20-27.

“Mario wrestled well. I think it’s great that he got the international experience. He can now build on it, set high goals and work to achieve them. He has two international medals and not too many high school athletes can say that,” Buxton said.

BLAIR CADETS HELP TEAM NEW JERSEY TO A THIRD PLACE FINISH IN KANSAS CITY:
The Cadet National Duals were held in Kansas City, MO. from June 22-June 25 and Chris Villalonga (125 lbs.) took advantage of the summer competition by winning all of his eight matches. Jon Guzzo (140 lbs.) also went undefeated; we had a 9-0 tally. Jesse Shanaman (135 lbs.) finished 6-3 while Austin Ormsbee (130 lbs.) finished with an 8-1 record. Rounding out the Blair athletes was Robert Deutsch who had a nice tournament at 7-2.

“It’s great to see Chris (Villalonga) recover from knee surgery and back on a winning track. He was pushed several times but competed at a high level and came out with eight straight wins. I was pleased with Jesse Shanaman’s progress too as he’s making considerable strides in his wrestling performance. Moreover, Jon Guzzo, just a first-year cadet, demonstrated that he is a force to be reckoned with at the cadet nationals. Austin Ormsbee continues to impress me as he suffered only one loss and that was to a very, very tough Andrew Alton of Pa.,” said Jeff Buxton.

Team New Jersey finished in third place at the Cadet National Duals, where Blair Head Coach Jeff Buxton and former collegiate All-American and New Jersey state champion Joe Melchiorie shared coaching duties.

The Junior National Duals will be held in Oklahoma City, Okla. from June 26 through July 1. Then the Blair grapplers head to Fargo, N.D. for the Asics/Vaughn Jr. Nationals, which are scheduled for July 20-27.

Please direct all questions and comments to buxtoj@blair.edu.