Sports
Little Red wrestlers rolling By Ste ve L aw re nc e
H
aving been around the Ithaca High wrestling team since he was a Little Red grappler (class of ‘95), head coach Eric Parker knows a favorable convergence of circumstances when he sees one. Any wrestler or coach knows the pain of seeing an opponent’s hand raised when accepting a forfeit because there was not a wrestler available at that weight class. The points go on the board, and the shorthanded team has a higher hill to climb. With Ithaca having a full roster this year, Parker told me, “It’s the first time in eight years we have had all the weight classes filled, and it’s great to go out there knowing we won’t be down by 12 — or 30 — points before we even start.” Calling this season “an exciting one so far,” Parker said: “Our numbers are up. We have 10 more guys on modified, and eight more at the JV and Varsity levels. We have some younger kids that are working really hard in the wrestling room, picking it up very well, and some very talented kids helping them along.”
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I mentioned that favorable convergence of circumstances, and a coach is always pleased to see his modified and youth programs serving as feeder systems. But when a talented transfer shows up, that’s a real bonus. “George Oroudjov transferred here from Syosset, New York,” Parker stated, “and he was a runner-up at the last state tournament two years ago.” I conveyed that getting such a wrestler is indeed a great turn of events, and I asked how he is doing so far this season. Eric answered, “He is a senior, wrestling at 138 pounds, and he is 23-0.” One of the main challenges in many wrestling rooms is finding enough talent to challenge an elite wrestler in practice, and in the Little Red’s case, Parker need only look up one weight class — to 145 — to find a worthy workout partner in his son, Daniel. “Daniel and George train together, “Parker said, “and it’s really nice the way it has worked out.” The numbers support that contention, as Daniel — a sophomore — is currently 22-1 with his only
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Daniel Parker is 22-1 for the Little Red thus far. Photo: Callen Golden
loss coming to Jordan Scott, the 2020 state champ who is also, Coach Parker said, “a full commit to wrestle at the University of North Carolina after graduation.” The Little Red is also getting some impressive contributions from eightgrader Quinton Getzin, who is currently 21-2. Getzin, Parker and Oroudjov each won their respective weight class at the Stan Blinsky Tournament in Deposit, New York, and Parker said, “These guys have traveled all around the U.S. for tournaments.” The veteran coach really likes what he sees looking forward. “We have a few more young guys showing a lot of promise,” he said. “Like Evan Shields — who is only a
seventh grader and is presently too light to go up to varsity — and Dikota Hamilton, a ninth grader who is coming off an ACL injury.” Parker said that many of his wrestlers are products of the Bomb Squad, a club run by Ryan Ciotoli, who, like Parker, was a standout wrestler at Ithaca College. He also complimented Josh Antoine and Johnnie Akins, calling them “two highly motivated young coaches who have done a great job with recruiting wrestlers” (from other sports), and he is pleased that former Little Red wrestler Patrick Reynolds will be a part of the program’s continued success. Parker said “the COVID situation has been tough to navigate,” and he added that the program “adheres to some very strict protocols, we train in pods, and we try to be as proactive as possible.” ● ● ●
Things are also going well at Parker’s alma mater, as the 16th ranked Bombers took a solid second place at last weekend’s Budd Whitehill Duals in Williamsport. By dropping a tight match (21-15) to #17 Ohio Northern, Ithaca moved to 4-1 on the season, and will look ahead to next Sunday when the team hosts the Empire Collegiate Wrestling Championships. The meet will get underway at 10 a.m.
