Gage Curry piles on the miles

Feb. 26, 2009 - North Hills youth wrestler Gage Curry is much too young to worry about frequent flyer miles and the like. But his recent month-long wrestling odyssey, spanning the map from Ohio to the Atlantic Ocean and a pair of stops in between, would leave even the most experienced traveler a bit weary.

Curry began his trek across the Middle Atlantic states on January 24th at the Toyota Arena in York, PA for the Brute Northeast National Wrestling Championships. Competing up a weight class, Curry placed second in the 10U-65 bracket, losing only in the championship final bout to his good buddy from the Pitt Bull wrestling Club, Eric Hong.  

Just six days later, Curry joined Hong and a group of other 14U wrestlers to help the Pitt Bull squad to a 5-0 record and a first place finish at the 16-team McDonogh Duals in Baltimore, MD on January 30-31. Curry won three matches, including one by fall and one by major decision, during the competition.

A week later, it was a relatively short jaunt for Curry to the St. John Arena in Steubenville, OH for the Cliff Keen "Victory in the Viper Pit" Tournament on February 7th. Competing in the 10U-63 bracket, the Northway Elementary fifth grader placed second in a 14-wrestler bracket loaded with talented wrestlers.

Curry saved the longest journey for last, a nearly 800-mile round-trip trek to Wildwood, NJ for the Brute South Jersey Wrestling Association National Challenge Duals. Wrestling for the Pennsylvania Blue All-Star Team at the three-day, 14-team competition held at the Wildwood Convention Center on Feb. 13-15, Curry was nothing short of dominating, recording an 8-1 overall record and helping his team of elementary school-aged wrestlers to a second place overall finish. Of the yougster's eight victories, two were by fall, one was by technical fall, and four were by major decision.

Curry also recently earned second place in the North Hills Youth Wrestling League's Road Warrior competition for the 2008-09 season. At season's end, Curry trailed Chartiers Valley's Vincenzo Joseph by just a single point, nearly becoming the first two-time winner of the top award in the seven year history of the competition. He was the league's top Road Warrior during the 2006-07 season.

Curry now turns his sights to a much more localized endeavor. The Area VII Championship Qualifier will be held at South Fayette High School on March 14th where he'll be among the favorites to advance to the PJW state finals at the Louis J. Tullio Arena in Erie on March 20-21. Curry will be looking to add to his All-State performances of the past three seasons. He finished in sixth in the state in 2006 at 10U-45, seventh place in 2007 at 10U-50, and seventh again last season at 10U-55. The top eight wrestlers in each bracket earn a trip to the podium and All-State honors each season.

Best of luck to Gage on his quest for All-State recognition for the fourth straight season!

- by Rick Smith