RED AND BLACK SPOTLIGHT: MATT KELLY
- danieladams02
- Oct 13, 2020
- 2 min read
Matt Kelly wrestled for Iona Prep in the 2019 and 2020 Season. Kelly was apart of arguably one of the biggest 1-2 Punch Duos alongside teammate AJ Kovacs. Matt Kelly was a force to be reckoned with on the mat in the state in his last 2 seasons placing 3rd at the prestigious Eastern States Classic in both the 2019 and 2020 season. Although in 2019 Kelly placed 3rd at the NYS Tournament he made all of the right adjustments to ensure he'd reach the top of the podium in 2020. His road to gold was nothing short of dominant.
In the CHSAA State Tournament Kelly had pinned his way up until his finals match. These pinfall victories include wins over Scott Ziomek of St. Mary's (Round 1), Michael Corwin of Chaminade (Quarterfinals), Louis Moore of Chaminade (Semifinals), and lastly a 17-1 technical fall victory over Brayden Vandenberg of Canisus. The total time he spent on the mat that weekend was 6 minutes and 5 seconds recording falls within 30 seconds (or under) in his first 2 bouts.
Kelly went on to compete in Times Union Center in Albany, New York. He was seeded at the #1 spot on the top of his bracket. His opening round bout saw him against Section 4's Isaiah Colon of Elmira. Kelly defeated his opponent via technical fall 16-0. In his Quarterfinal bout Kelly wrestled against Section 2's Michael Atomer of Columbia. Kelly defeated his opponent 7-0 to make it to the semifinals. Not looking to repeat the same results as the previous year, Kelly looked really sharp in his wrestling when he competed against PSAL's Anthony Cascen of Harry S. Truman. This saw the classic CHSAA vs PSAL bout on one of the grandest stages in New York Wrestling competition. Kelly bested his opponent via a 15-0 technical fall to punch his ticket to the New York State Finals. Kelly saw himself up against a familiar opponent in Section 8's Nicholas Franco of Farmingdale who Kelly had wrestled in his Quarterfinal bout at the Eastern States Classic. But Kelly went on to prove he was king at 195lbs when he defeated Franco via 11-0 major decision.
Matt Kelly now attends Binghamton University and competes at the Division 1 level. He is undecided in his major but whatever Matt chooses we know he will succeed.
Click on this link to watch the full interview with Matt Kelly!!!
Comentários