Published: December 18, 2009 10:44 pm      

HS WRESTLING: THS, NT renew wrestling rivalry

Getting modern-day athletes to brush up on their history isn’t easy, as Tonawanda wrestling coach Jim Schraufstetter is the first to admit.

So with the school’s program celebrating its 50th season, Schraufstetter and the THS Wrestling Alumni made the history lesson an easy one — they’re bringing a number of the program’s best wrestlers back to be honored on Alumni Night. Schraufstetter is hoping more than 100 former THS grapplers will come to be honored.

And for the special occasion tonight, the Warriors will dig up some more nostalgia, facing North Tonawanda for the first time in a scheduled dual this decade.

The meet is scheduled to start at 6 p.m., and will be preceded by a wrestling Hall of Fame induction.

“The kids today tend to be on the numb side when it comes to this,” Schraufstetter said. “It’s a little scary (for them), but it’s really an exciting thing, too.”

The two teams met in the 2004 Tonawanda Duals, but haven’t met in a scheduled meet this decade. With the Wall of Fame inductions and plenty of alumni present, Schraufstetter said he was looking to make the night as special as possible.

“We haven’t wrestled them in years, but we were trying to think who would be a really nice matchup for this,” Schraufstetter said. “Someone said, ‘Why not North Tonawanda?’ I called coach (Chris) Perna and he was fine with it.”

Schraufstetter has taken to calling the event the “Canal Brawl,” and noted that the 1960-61 team will be inducted onto the program’s Wall of Fame, marking the first time a full team has received the honor. Also going on the wall will be current JV coach and 1999 grad Jim Considine and Ryan Mislin, who graduated from the school in 2002.

As for this year’s team, Schraufstetter has been forced to go without the reigning state champ at 112, Kyle McGregor, who suffered a broken foot and is out until mid-January.

McGregor’s brothers, Jordan and Cody, have shined during early-season action while Jake Choate has also been a bright spot, winning seven times at 125. Mike Stuber, a transfer from Michigan, has quickly become a force, getting a number of pins at 152.

North Tonawanda will bring some weapons of its own, most notably Tyler Bruce, who helped the Jacks earn their first dual win in four years by defeating Niagara Catholic last weekend at the Cheektowaga Duals. The highlight, however, was when Bruce scored a 4-3 double OT win over Spencerport’s Paul Morabito, who was ranked No. 1 in the state at 152. Bruce went undefeated in the tournament to pick up all-tourney honors.

Ryan Draft has been solid at 125 for the Jacks.

Contact Tim Schmitt at 282-2311, ext. 2266.



Breakout ::

IF YOU GO

• WHAT: NT at Tonawanda wrestling

• WHEN: 6 p.m.

• WHERE: Tonawanda H.S.

• NOTES: Warriors will celebrate alumni night, inviting any former THS wrestler to the event to be honored. Coach Jim Schraufstetter said he’s expecting more than 100 members of the program. Those being inducted into the school’s wrestling Hall of Fame are Jim Considine (’99), Ryan Mislin (’02) and the entire 1960-61 team.