Jr. Raider Wrestlers Earn Medals at Harrison Top Dog Tournament

Gold, silver and bronze were collected by the 14-member Junior Raider Wrestlers at the Harrison Top Dog Beginners Tournament at  in Kennesaw on Nov. 20.

As a team the Junior Raiders finished second in the event out of 36 teams that competed.  The Junior Raiders earned 152 match points, behind only Walton who earned 190 match points. In addition, the Junior Raiders earned nine total pins, which was the fourth highest quantity of team pins, behind only Walton (14), Chattahoochee (11), and River Ridge (10).  

Coach Mark Spivak said for the first-year Junior Raider athletes, the Top Dog Tournament was the first tournament of their young wrestling life.  For the second-year wrestlers, it was the debut for what the coaching staff believes will be a very successful season.

Gold

• Matt Kinderman (10-U/80B) went undefeated. His victories included one pin.

Silver

• Enzo Bell (8-U/50).  Colson Wamsley (8-U/70) earned 3 victories, including two pins.  Colson lost his gold medal match by the score of 6-5.
• Reagan Boyd (10-U/65) had two pins.
• Connor Mead (10-U/80A) had one pin.
• Mark DeSantis (10-U/80B). 
• Chad Bernstein (10-U/103) had one pin.
• Adam Danowitz (14-U/128) had one pin.

Bronze

• Nicholas Mead (8-U/55) earned two victories.
• Alec Bessony (8-U/60).
• Eric Traugott (12-U/75).
• Steven Kinderman (14-U/144).

Michael DeSantis (10-U/65) and Caleb Colburn (12-U/90) also competed for the Junior Raiders.  

“Our auspicious showing at Harrison was the best team performance Junior Raider Wrestling has had in our seven years of existence," Coach Spivak said. "I am very proud of our second-year wrestlers, especially Matt Kinderman, who demonstrated great improvement from last season.  And I am proud of the heart and fight demonstrated by our first-year wrestlers."

Spivak said the team needs to maintain its momentum throughout the season, so that they can experience equivalent success at the end-of-season qualifiers and the state tournament.

Sunday’s tournament was not the only notable weekend success for the Junior Raider Wrestling program, Spivak said. On Saturday, Danny Gladwell (10-U/120) won a gold medal in the Harrison Top Dog Open. He is a first-year wrestler who has won both the Open level tournaments he has entered.

Coach Spivak said, “Typically, we deter first-year wrestlers from entering Open tournaments until late in the season. Open Tournaments present opponents with greater skill and experience than we come across in a beginner-level tournament," Spivak said. "However, Danny is an exception.  He is an excellent athlete for his age and has the mental toughness to compete amidst challenges- challenges that for many might be insurmountable, but for Danny those challenges have been easily surmountable.”

The next team tournament for the Junior Raiders will be Saturday, Dec. 3, at .