randy.cruz@me.com Lehigh Valley Athletic Club wrestler and Lehigh Assistant Coach, Steve Mocco, made a big splash in his first return to the freestyle pool in over 18 months. Mocco won a strong heavyweight class at the Dave Schultz Memorial International, earning a gritty 1-0, 0-1, 1-0 semifinal win over veteran Aleksei Shemarov of Belarus, who placed 10th in the World in 2009. Shemarov outscored his other opponents, 26-0, to finish third. Mocco was the sole American to claim a Schultz title, although the LVAC’s Keith Gavin wrestled smart and tough to wind up in 2nd place, one place higher than last year.
Mocco won the Dave Schultz tournament for the third time and was named the Outstanding Wrestler. In an interview with USA Wrestling’s Craig Sesker, the 2008 Olympian said: “I felt good. It was important for me coming into this cycle to get myself ready to go and get some competitions in. I felt real, real good wrestling in the practice room, but I needed to get some cobwebs out in real competition.”
Asked what sparked his decision to compete again: “Part of it was training with my workout partner every day (Zach Rey, ranked #1 in the nation collegiately, who 7th placed at the 2010 National Open), “He’s an awesome workout partner …. he’s tough, man; scary athletic and a heckuva training partner; and it’s been fun teaching scholastic (folkstyle) again…. wrestling top and bottom, stuff like that.”
As for his pleasure in being in Bethlehem, Steve added: “I’m an East Coast guy; I’m now only an hour and a half from my family in Jersey; they come up regularly; my son’s in public school and it’s my wife’s first time on the East Coast; she’s been very supportive of me. It’s been a great transition with Coach Santoro, Coaches Kutz, Hughes and Dillon; they’ve given me a smooth transition into coaching where I can also train.” Mocco is Lehigh’s Volunteer Coach and 4th bench coach, fully subsidized by the LVAC.
What will be his next competition? “Not sure; I’ve got to talk to my coaches first; if I don’t go on a tour, it’ll be the U.S. Open.”
Mocco finished off his title run with a physically dominant 2-0, 3-0 shutout of 5th-ranked American, Aaron Anspach of the Nittany Lion Wrestling Club, which has stockpiled the heavyweight class with three of the nation’s Top 7 training in State College, PA (below). Rey is currently ranked 8th.
Steve proved more than up to the task by sheer “bullying of Anspach,” as described by USA Wrestling commentator, Jason Bryant. Described as “hard to move,” Mocco thwarted all five of Anspach’s attempts to remain in-bounds – which is coachable against ‘normal’ competition. He tried a whizzer to no avail and, while avoiding a takedown in the photo below, Aaron was hauled out with the leg high in the air – one of the moves Steve used to beat Schumerov in a clinch situation.
In the semi-finals, Mocco added his trademark foot sweep move to completely knock Schumerov off this feet – quickly pouncing on him for the winning takedown. The Belarus native was crestfallen about the takedown and loss and needed awhile to stand for the handshake ceremony.
Shake-up In Rankings Due
120 kg/264.5 lb (Feb. 2 USAW Rankings)
1. Les Sigman, State College, Pa. (Nittany Lion WC)
2. Tervel Dlagnev, Cedar Falls, Iowa (Sunkist Kids)
3. Tommy Rowlands, Columbus, Ohio (Sunkist Kids)
(Photo courtesy of USA Wrestling) 4. Dom Bradley, Blue Springs, Mo. (Sunkist Kids)
5. Aaron Anspach, State College, Pa. (Nittany Lion WC)
6. Blake Gillis, Iowa City, Iowa (Lehigh Valley AC)
7. Cameron Wade, Twinsburg, Ohio (Nittany Lion WC)
8. Zach Rey, Hopatcong, N.J. (Lehigh Valley AC)
9. Jarod Trice, Mount Pleasant, Mich. (Central Michigan RTC)
10. Ryan Tomei, Pittsburgh, Pa. (Pittsburgh WC)
STEVE MOCCO-120 kg/264.5 lb(LVAC/USA^)
Results at Dave Schultz Memorial Int’l
Rd 1 Bye
Rd 2 WBF 0:47 Andrew Delaney
Semis: dec 1-0,0-1,1-0 Aleksei Shemarov* (Belarus)
Finals: 2-0,3-0 Aaron Anspach (Nittany Lion WC)
*Shemorev: 1st at ’10 Golden Gran Prix; 1st, Grand Prix of
Germany ’09; 10th at ’09 Worlds; 11th at ’10 Worlds and won an Ivan
Yarygin title in Russia
84kg/185lb-KEITH GAVIN (LVAC), 2nd place
Bye in Rd 1
W dec 3-2,6-0 Jason Lapham (Tapout Boston)
W dec 2-0,3-0 Doug Umbehauer,NittanyLionWC
Semis: W dec. 3-1,4-2 Shinya Matsumoto** (Japan)
Finals: L dec. 0-1,0-2 Amarhajy Mahamedae (Belarus)
Gavin was mobile and aggressive in advancing to the finals. In his semi-final 1st period with Matsumoto, Keith scored first on a push-out before giving up a deep single leg attempt for a takedown. But Gavin refused to concede the score, with FILA rules allowing full weight on the hands to avoid touching a knee down. Surprisingly strong given his thin frame after moving up from 163 a little over a year ago, suddenly sprung for what would have been called takedown, Japan, and reversal for Gavin.
That he executed the super slick move with his shoulders high enough to avoid back points (exposure) proved the cherry on top, now leading by a formidable, 3-0, on the hip-over counter.
In the second period, Keith scored a takedown off a shrug move, then later tacked on three points on another TD with 2-points for exposure. Coasting in from there, Gavin yielded a TD and a push-out.
**Matsumoto: 10th at ’06 World Championships; 3rd at ’10 Asian Championships; 5th at Asian Games; 4th at ’10 Dave Schultz Memorial
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60 kg/132 lb-Matt Valenti (LVAC)
W dec. 7-0,3-1 Ryley Walker (Canada),
W dec. 1-0,0-3,2-0 *Coleman Scott (Gator WC)
L dec. 3-0,3-4,2-5 Shogo Maeda (Japan)
A heart-breaking finish, as Matt started out strong and was leading, 3-0, in the 2nd pd on the strength of a superb counter throw off a whizzer; Maeda came back with a 3-pt throw of his own, with Valenti severely spraining ankle and hobbling the rest of the way.
Matt then injury defaulted to 6th place.
The quarterfinal win was a big one for Matt vs. his American nemesis; Valenti was newly ranked #4 on Feb. 2 after Scott (#6), had been ranked ahead of Matt for prior six USAW ratings since May ‘09