Holley's Grillo falls just short at Barnard tournament
January 16, 2000

 

Holley's Grillo falls just short at Barnard tournament

By JAMES JOHNSON, Staff Writer
Democrat and Chronicle, Rochester, NY
Sunday, January 16, 2000

Full Text: Copyright © 2000 Rochester Democrat and Chronicle.
Reproduced with the permission of Gannett Company Inc.

For an instant, it looked as if Andrew Grillo was going to pull off a last-second victory.

But the eighth-grader from Holley couldn't finish one of those blink-of-an-eye momentum-changing headlocks.

Time ran out last night on Grillo as Baldwinsville sophomore Corey Farnham won the 96-pound weight class at the Clayton Barnard Memorial Tournament in Hilton. But Grillo has a big future in which to join Ashley John and Adam, his two older brothers, as champions of the annual event.

"I think I'm doing pretty well," Grillo said when his first varsity season had ended. "I still have to work harder.

"I have to get my strength and weight up a little bit."

Grillo lost 7-6 in his championship match, and it was another matchup where Grillo was at a disadvantage when it comes to muscle.

"It's a lot tougher," Grillo said about wrestling at the varsity level. "Kids have more experience. I just go out there and do what I do best."

Grillo held his own this season, and his record stands at 20-2. He has two wins over Lyndonville's Kevin Fuller, including a 2-0 victory in the semifinals of the tournament.

"Andrew is not physically strong, not overwhelmingly quick," said Holley coach John Grillo, Andrew's father. "But he has won by staying in the right positions and by staying poised."

Andrew showed poise when he was taken down with a minute left in his match against Farnham, falling behind 6-4.

Grillo responded by nearly jumping to his feet and then hitting a takedown of his own with 35 seconds to go.

Farnham however, was too strong for Grillo and was able to get to his feet for an escape and the decisive point with 20 seconds left.

Grillo tried to hit one last headlock but Farnham was too strong. It is a move his brothers have pulled off for last-second victories in this and other gymnasiums.

"I don't want him to compare himself with his older brothers," John Grillo said. "Each of my sons are very different in many ways. They all have a strong work ethic and a big heart.

"They never give up and they all have that."

It seems as if Spencerport wrestlers hold most of the first-place trophies at the end of this tournament and this season was no exception.

At press time, five of the 10 Rangers who reached their tournament finals won their divisions.

Shawn Hibbs at 103, a state champion last season, was among them. Hibbs handled Mike Bryan from Elizabethtown, Pa., 7-2 in his final.

"They are gunning for you so you have to be prepared," Hibbs said. "I wrestled great in this tournament.

"I didn't get out of the first period until the finals."

Fairport's Joe Fingler pulled off one of the tournament's biggest surprises, handling Pavilion's Lucas Flint 7-1 in the 171 semifinals.





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