Middletown Times - 02/28/2016
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Times Herald-Record | Sunday, February 28, 2016
57
VARSITY845 WRESTLING
Middletown’s Humphrey gets job done with third-place medal
By Sal Interdonato
Times Herald-Record
ALBANY – Joe Humphrey quit his job at Dunkin’
Donuts to focus on wrestling
this season.
Humphrey had one season
left to win a Section 9 title
and make a run in the state
tournament. The Middletown senior kept his grades
in order and hit the mat as
much as possible.
Humphrey can visit his
former co-workers and
show them all his hard work
was worth it. He’s coming
back to Middletown with
a third-place medal at 285
pounds. Humphrey completed his final tournament
with a 4-1 record and a 3-1
victory over Brewster’s Mike
Larm.
“It feels good having my
hand raised,” Humphrey
said. “It’s the last time I’m
wrestling in high school.
It’s overwhelming for it to
be over.”
Humphrey’s placing is
the highest by a Middletown
wrestler since Alva Conklin
was second at 275 pounds
in 2000. Humphrey has
come a long way since his
sophomore season when
he was failing four classes
and academically ineligible
to wrestle in the Section 9
tournament.
“He grew up this year,”
Middletown coach Jason
Lichtenstein said. “His
sophomore year he learned
a lesson, last year he stayed
eligible and this year, there’s
been no issues at all academically. He did everything
right that he had to do.”
Lichtenstein has been
Humphrey’s workout partner the past four seasons.
Humphrey hugged Lichtenstein several times after his
final win. The coach mentored his wrestler on and
off the mat to make his last
moment was possible.
“Every day, we are working together and coming in
the offseason and working
together,” Lichtenstein said.
“It’s good that he went out
on top and won that match.
Middletown’s Joe Humphrey finished his high school wrestling career with a third-place finish at the state championships on Saturday in Albany. JOSH CONKLIN/FOR THE TIMES
HERALD-RECORD
I’m so happy for him. Reality
sets in that’s it over.”
This is not the end of
wrestling for Humphrey. It
could be just the start.
Lonnie Moore, the coach
for Division III Johnson &
Wales, came to Albany this
weekend to speak to Humphrey about attending the
Providence, R.I. school.
Humphrey finished his
career with a 104-15 record.
He was 43-5 this season.
Humphrey’s only loss in the
state tournament was a 5-2
decision to two-time state
champion Edwin Rubio of
John Glenn in the semifinals.
“He can wrestle bigger
than Division III but I want
to find him a home where
he’s comfortable,” Lichtenstein said.
Eldred junior 152-pounder
Noah Curreri edged Pearl
River’s Anthony Malfitano 3-2 to take fifth place
Copyright © 2016 Times Herald-Record 02/28/2016
February 29, 2016 10:15 am (GMT +5:00)
“It feels good having my hand raised. It’s the
last time I’m wrestling in high school. It’s
overwhelming for it to be over.”
—Joe Humphrey, Middletown senior wrestler
in Division II and win the
school’s first medal.
Chester senior Liam
Heslin earned the first medal
in his program’s eight-year
history, placing sixth in
Division II at 160.
Senior 182-pound Theo
Chazkel captured New
Paltz’s first state medal since
2006, taking sixth at 182 in
Division II.
Monroe-Woodbury
junior Kendall Elfstrum
placed fourth at 182 in Division I.
Monroe-Woodbury
senior 220-pounder Nick
McShea, a state finalist
last year, pinned Fairport’s
William Bolia in 1:27 to take
fifth at 220. Warwick senior
Charlie Johnson defeated
Connor Day of Iroquois 15-5
for fifth at 138.
Monroe-Woodbury
junior 145-pounder Evan
Barczak took sixth for the
second straight year.
Wallkill junior
170-pounder Mike Fekishazy earned his school’s
first state medal with a
sixth-place finish. Fekishazy
was unable to wrestle his last
two matches due to a concussion suffered in a bout
earlier Saturday.
—sinterdonato@th-record.
com
Twitter: @salinterdonato
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