Buffalo Wrestling Inks 10 Newcomers
11/14/2013 12:00:00 AM | Wrestling
BUFFALO, NY – First year head coach John Stutzman and the Buffalo wrestling staff announced the early signing class of 10 wrestlers on Thursday afternoon. The 2014-15 class features standout high school grapplers from three different states.
"I am extremely excited about this class," explained first year head coach John Stutzman. "These guys are exactly what we wanted in our program. They all are very strong students with supportive families and great character. After you add in Jason Estevez from NJ and a few others we feel like this class sets our program up to win MAC Championships and to compete with the best teams in the country. When we started this recruiting cycle, I really felt that we needed to Add talent and depth with this class and we did that. Along with Coach Hasseman and Coach Osborn, we raised the bar for the future of UB wrestling."
Alex Smythe - Eden NY – Eden HS - Projected Weight 157-165
Smythe enters his senior season at Eden High School following a 3rd and 5th place finish at the New York State Wrestling Tournament D2. Smythe is also a varsity football player at Eden.
Stutzman on Smythe: "I am excited to Add Alex Smythe to our program. When I was hired one of my main objectives was to keep the best kids home and Alex is clearly one of those guys. Alex is a local standout, and has a great work ethic. We expect Alex to come in right away and push for the starting job."
Kyle Akins – Sycamore, IL - Sycamore HS - Projected Weight 125/133
Akins has finished in the top three at the IHSA Class 2a State Tournament three times so far as he
is entering his fourth season of varsity wrestling at Sycamore High School. He also finished in 3rd place at the USA Junior Freestyle Nationals. Akins is ranked as a top 100 recruit by Flowrestling while also ranking 9th at the 120 pound weight class by Intermat.
Stutzman on Akins: "Kyle is one of the top prospects in the entire country. He is a wrestling fanatic and is a student of the sport. Kyle just keep getting better and we believe that Kyle can win multiple NCAA Championships."
Sean Peacock – Clifton Springs, NY – Midlakes HS - Projected Weight 133-141
Peacock is a three-sport varsity athlete from Midlakes, NY, wrestling, lacrosse and cross country. He has recorded three top three performances at the New York State Wrestling Tournament D2, third place as a freshman, winning the state title as a sophomore and second place as a junior. He was also named a NHSCA Nationals All-American.
Stutzman on Peacock: "Sean Peacock is a NYS Champion and a tough hardnosed wrestler. He is very good on top and we are expecting him to bring that winning attitude here to UB."
Jake Gunning – Bethlehem, PA - Bethlehem Liberty HS - Projected Weight 197/285
Gunning is relatively new when it comes to wrestling as he just picked up the sport as a freshman at Bethlehem Liberty High School in Pennsylvania. He qualified for the PIAA State Championships as a junior and was also named a USA Cadet Freestyle Nationals All-American. Gunning was also a place winner at the Super 32 Tournament.
Stutzman on Gunning: "Jake is going to be a great wrestler. He is a beginner in terms of years wrestled and matches. He is a under the radar type of wrestler that has a passion to win at the highest levels in our sport. As we build our program it was very important for us to recruit the strongest areas in the country and Jake being from the Lehigh Valley, this was a big get for us."
Bryan Lantry – Ontario Center, NY - Wayne HS - Projected Weight 125/133
Lantry has recorded two top five finishes at the New York State Wrestling Tournament D1, earning a fifth and fourth place finish the last two seasons, while wrestling at Wayne High School.
Stutzman on Lantry: "Bryan is another NYS native with unlimited potential who loves the sport of wrestling. After placing 2X in the NYS Championships we are expecting Bryan to make a push to capture his first state title."
Derek Holcomb – Newark Valley, NY - Newark Valley HS - Projected Weight 165-174
Holcomb qualified for the New York State Wrestling Tournament D1 as a junior at Newark Valley High School. He has also earned NHSCA All-American honors on two occasions.
Stutzman on Holcomb: "I am very excited about his potential. Derek has all the tools to be one of our all-time greats now that he is clearly focusing on just wrestling, physically he is college ready right now."
Trevor Hoffmier – Newark Valley, NY - Newark Valley HS - Projected Weight 149/157
Hoffmier, teammate of fellow signee Derek Holcomb, comes to UB from Newark Valley High School where he was a two-time Section 4 Wrestling Champion, earning two trips to the New York State Wrestling Tournament. Hoffmier recorded first place finishes at the Ohio Tournament of Champions at 140 pounds and Journeymen Classic at 145 pounds. He also plays varsity football.
Stutzman on Hoffmier: "Trevor is another student-athlete who is coming to us with a great work ethic and a strong family support system. Having spent time with Trevor in Fargo, ND I knew he was the right fit for what my vision is for the program. I believe he will come in and compete not only to start but to win MAC Championships."
Daniel Smith – Adams, NY - South Jefferson HS - Projected Weight 184/197
Smith enters his senior season at South Jefferson High School after qualifying for the New York State Wrestling Tournament D2. Smith's brother Darrick also wrestled for John Stutzman at Bloomsburg.
Stutzman on Smith: "Daniel is another student-athlete who is coming to us with a great work ethic and a strong student. I believe he will come in and develop at a high rate and compete not only to start but to win MAC Championships."
Blake Retell – Albany, NY - Shaker HS - Projected Weight 133/141
Retell enters his senior season at Shaker High School and has qualified for the New York State Wrestling Tournament D1 three times.
Stutzman on Retell: "Blake is one of the toughest and scrappiest wrestlers that we have recruited and is competitiveness is contagious. We love his work ethic and we can't wait to get him here to develop."
Rocco Russo – Hamburg, NY – Frontier HS - Projected Weight 141/149
Russo is another three-time New York State Wrestling Tournament D1 qualifier, joining Retell. Russo also plays varsity football at Frontier High School.
Stutzman on Russo: "Rocco is another local standout. He has been on board with us from day one and I am excited to have him here with us. Rocco is a strong student and is committed to winning the right way. He will come in right away and push to be the guy."
Stutzman believes that with the core that is in place and the addition of these 10 guys, the Bulls will be in title contention for years to come.
"All of these guys wanted to come to UB to win National Championships and MAC Championships and that says something about our administration, support staff, and the current student-athletes," stated Stutzman.
