Published: Wednesday, February 22, 2012
E-W's Cuzzetto captures state title
Sophomore rallies for win in 106 finals at Mat Classic
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For The Weekly Herald/JENNIFER BUCHANAN
Edmonds-Woodway's Noah Cuzzetto (left) rolls over Graham-Kapowsin's Spencer Schroeder during the Class 4A 106-pound finals at Mat Classic XXIV Feb. 18 at the Tacoma Dome. Cuzzetto rallied for a 6-4 victory to win his first state championship.
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For The Weekly Herald/JENNIFER BUCHANAN
Edmonds-Woodway’s Noah Cuzzetto (left) tries to break free from the hold of Graham-Kapowsin’s Spencer Schroeder during the Class 4A 106-pound finals.
TACOMA — Four weeks ago, the season looked bleak for Edmonds-Woodway's Noah Cuzzetto.
A visit to the doctor and an X-ray yielded a diagnosis of a broken foot, which meant the top-ranked 106-pound sophomore's year was over.
Cuzzetto was devastated.
But he sought a second opinion and it was determined that a growth plate in his foot came out of place.
Cuzzetto took two weeks off and then returned to the mat better than ever.
“I felt like I had a second life,” Cuzzetto said. “I knew I would have a good run at state this year.”
The run ended with a state championship as Cuzzetto won a 6-4 decision over Graham-Kapowsin's Spencer Schroeder in the 106 finals at Mat Classic XXIV Feb. 18 at the Tacoma Dome.
“Amazing. It's amazing,” Cuzzetto said of winning his first state title. “I can't explain it.”
Cuzzetto came into the tournament ranked No. 1 according to the online Washington Wrestling Report. His goal was to walk out of the Tacoma Dome with a state championship.
“I just imagined it,” he said. “I kept working hard all season.”
The finals turned out to be the toughest match of the tournament as Cuzzetto fell behind 2-0 in the first period. Cuzzetto was working on a head lock but Schroeder escaped and executed a takedown.
“I knew I had to take him down,” Cuzzetto said. “I knew I had to get on him.”
Edmonds-Woodway coach Brian Alfi wasn't concerned to see Cuzzetto trailing after the first period.
“He's a gamer. He's had a lot of mat time,” Alfi said. “We don't really worry about it too much. He's gone through a lot of matches. He's been in a lot of environments. His family has done a good job of putting him in a good position in a lot of national-level competitions.”
Cuzzetto promptly tied the score at 2 with a reversal early in the second period but Schroeder executed an escape to take a 3-2 lead into the final period. Another escape enabled the Graham-Kapowsin junior to take a 4-2 advantage with about 1 minute, 20 seconds left in the match.
Alfi again wasn't too worried to see Cuzzetto behind entering the third period.
“We feel really comfortable at the end of matches,” Alfi said. “Some kids might not feel as comfortable being down two points in the third. Not Noah. He's very tough.”
A takedown by Cuzzetto tied the score at the 1-minute mark and a near fall gave him a 6-4 lead.
Cuzzetto then used a leg ride (a move where the top wrestler uses his legs to control his opponent) to control Schroeder until the buzzer sounded.
“He's one of the best leg riders in the state,” Alfi said. “It's really tough to get away from. He sticks to you like fly paper. Forty seconds to go on top with a leg ride and we've got a 6-4 lead. At that point, that's a situation we'll take any day of the week.”
The Edmonds-Woodway standout definitely earned his first title. Cuzzetto won a 2-0 decision over Tahoma sophomore Todd Link in the first round and followed up with a 2-0 victory over Chiawana's Chris Montelongo in the quarterfinals on Feb. 17.
The next day Cuzzetto then recorded his only pin of the tournament at the 3:51 mark against Auburn senior Brian Alonzo in the semifinals.
Looking back, Alfi thinks that the two week hiatus from wrestling did some good for Cuzzetto.
“That was a good mental break,” Alfi said. “There's a lot of pressure building up towards the state championships. For a moment, two weeks, we thought his season was done. … Then we had the second opinion and the doctor cleared him. We had new life again. We felt appreciative of the situation. We thought about what he almost lost in the middle of the season.
“To get to this point today, it's unbelievable.”
Herald writer Jon Saperstein contributed to this story.
E-W RETURNERS: In addition to 106-pound state champion Noah Cuzzetto, Edmonds-Woodway returns Noah's older brother Matthew Cuzzetto (145) and heavyweight George Johanson, both of whom wrestled at state. Matthew Cuzzetto, who won a regional title, was competing with a torn meniscus. “Hopefully, we'll have another good team,” Edmonds-Woodway coach Brian Alfi said.
A visit to the doctor and an X-ray yielded a diagnosis of a broken foot, which meant the top-ranked 106-pound sophomore's year was over.
Cuzzetto was devastated.
But he sought a second opinion and it was determined that a growth plate in his foot came out of place.
Cuzzetto took two weeks off and then returned to the mat better than ever.
“I felt like I had a second life,” Cuzzetto said. “I knew I would have a good run at state this year.”
The run ended with a state championship as Cuzzetto won a 6-4 decision over Graham-Kapowsin's Spencer Schroeder in the 106 finals at Mat Classic XXIV Feb. 18 at the Tacoma Dome.
“Amazing. It's amazing,” Cuzzetto said of winning his first state title. “I can't explain it.”
Cuzzetto came into the tournament ranked No. 1 according to the online Washington Wrestling Report. His goal was to walk out of the Tacoma Dome with a state championship.
“I just imagined it,” he said. “I kept working hard all season.”
The finals turned out to be the toughest match of the tournament as Cuzzetto fell behind 2-0 in the first period. Cuzzetto was working on a head lock but Schroeder escaped and executed a takedown.
“I knew I had to take him down,” Cuzzetto said. “I knew I had to get on him.”
Edmonds-Woodway coach Brian Alfi wasn't concerned to see Cuzzetto trailing after the first period.
“He's a gamer. He's had a lot of mat time,” Alfi said. “We don't really worry about it too much. He's gone through a lot of matches. He's been in a lot of environments. His family has done a good job of putting him in a good position in a lot of national-level competitions.”
Cuzzetto promptly tied the score at 2 with a reversal early in the second period but Schroeder executed an escape to take a 3-2 lead into the final period. Another escape enabled the Graham-Kapowsin junior to take a 4-2 advantage with about 1 minute, 20 seconds left in the match.
Alfi again wasn't too worried to see Cuzzetto behind entering the third period.
“We feel really comfortable at the end of matches,” Alfi said. “Some kids might not feel as comfortable being down two points in the third. Not Noah. He's very tough.”
A takedown by Cuzzetto tied the score at the 1-minute mark and a near fall gave him a 6-4 lead.
Cuzzetto then used a leg ride (a move where the top wrestler uses his legs to control his opponent) to control Schroeder until the buzzer sounded.
“He's one of the best leg riders in the state,” Alfi said. “It's really tough to get away from. He sticks to you like fly paper. Forty seconds to go on top with a leg ride and we've got a 6-4 lead. At that point, that's a situation we'll take any day of the week.”
The Edmonds-Woodway standout definitely earned his first title. Cuzzetto won a 2-0 decision over Tahoma sophomore Todd Link in the first round and followed up with a 2-0 victory over Chiawana's Chris Montelongo in the quarterfinals on Feb. 17.
The next day Cuzzetto then recorded his only pin of the tournament at the 3:51 mark against Auburn senior Brian Alonzo in the semifinals.
Looking back, Alfi thinks that the two week hiatus from wrestling did some good for Cuzzetto.
“That was a good mental break,” Alfi said. “There's a lot of pressure building up towards the state championships. For a moment, two weeks, we thought his season was done. … Then we had the second opinion and the doctor cleared him. We had new life again. We felt appreciative of the situation. We thought about what he almost lost in the middle of the season.
“To get to this point today, it's unbelievable.”
Herald writer Jon Saperstein contributed to this story.
E-W RETURNERS: In addition to 106-pound state champion Noah Cuzzetto, Edmonds-Woodway returns Noah's older brother Matthew Cuzzetto (145) and heavyweight George Johanson, both of whom wrestled at state. Matthew Cuzzetto, who won a regional title, was competing with a torn meniscus. “Hopefully, we'll have another good team,” Edmonds-Woodway coach Brian Alfi said.