BY SHAWN LAYTON
Staff Writer
EDISON — The storied career of Bishop Ahr High School wrestler Kody Hamrah came to an end last weekend at Boardwalk Hall in Atlantic City
Hamrah placed second for the second straight year in the NJSIAA State Wrestling Finals. Hamrah’s 4-3 loss to Caldwell’s Steve Martell in the championship match was his only loss of the season in which he tallied 37 consecutive wins.
"The past couple of days has been tough," Hamrah said. "I haven’t stopped thinking about the match. In a way, it is a good thing. It keeps me going."
Prior to the final bout with Martell, Hamrah scored a 10-5 decision over Scott Giffin of Eastern High School in the quarterfinals before dropping Tyler Tisdell of Washington Township in the semifinals, 5-2.
Hamrah opened the tournament in typical Hamrah fashion with a first-round pin over Demarest’s Dan Woods in 4:21.
"I wasn’t wrestling my best all weekend," Hamrah admitted. "I don’t have any excuses, it just happens. When I reached the finals, I put a lot of pressure on myself and wrestled too conservatively. I wasn’t on top of my game."
Instead of beating himself up and dwelling on the defeat to Martell, Hamrah is concentrating on the future. Next fall, Hamrah will wrestle in the Atlantic Coast Conference for North Carolina State University, Raleigh.
"Kody’s loss in the finals was heartbreaking," Bishop Ahr wrestling coach Nick Tonzola said. "He will get past it and allow the experience to make him stronger."
Hamrah is currently training for the senior nationals that will take place in Cleveland next month.
"The state final was just one match and I can’t do anything about it," Hamrah said. "The senior nationals will give me a chance to redeem myself."
In Cleveland, Hamrah will wrestle against the nation’s finest grapplers in the class of 2004. In order to qualify, a senior wrestler needed to place among the top three in his respective state.
Before reporting for duty as a member of the Wolfpack of North Carolina State, Hamrah will continue to wrestle freestyle and Greco for his summer team. He leaves the Bishop Ahr mat as the second winningest wrestler in Middlesex County history with a career record of 135-17.
"There is no replacing Kody," Tonzola said. "Because of his success as a junior, we knew what he was capable of doing in his senior year. Over the past four years I learned a lot about his character, and I am going to miss this most of all. He has a great work ethic, he’s a team leader and he always does the right thing. I am confident that, no matter where he goes or what he does, he will be successful."
Hamrah knows that to be the best he must compete against the best. Last week, he wrestled as a member of the New Jersey All-Stars and locked horns with the nation’s third-ranked 152-pound wrestler from the Pennsylvania all-star team.
"You have to go after the big kids," Hamrah said. "Wrestling against the best will raise me to a new level, and this will help me achieve my goals."
Hamrah has his sights set on becoming a collegiate All-American and making a run for an NCAA championship.
"Kody is really smart, and he doesn’t always need to be told by a coach what the next step is," Tonzola said. "Every second he’s on the mat, he is looking to improve. It’s no surprise that he has won 15 most outstanding wrestler awards in the past two years."
As Hamrah prepares for graduation and reporting to Raleigh at the end of July, he said he will miss much more than just the victories and awards.
"I’m going to miss everything," he says. "Wrestling alongside my friends was a lot of fun. I grew close to the coaches over the past four years as well. It would be great to do it again."
With so many matches to remember, the one that stands out is this year’s region final win over Pingry’s Zack Shanaman.
"Winning the regions over Shanaman was big for me," Hamrah said. "He is always a tough kid and he beat me twice last year."
Hamrah’s teammate and fellow region champion Matt Pagan finished fourth in the NJSIAA State Wrestling finals. Pagan was the 12th seed in the 103-pound division and knocked off the fourth, fifth and sixth seeds in the tournament.
"Matt is a tough kid and he’s just a junior," Tonzola said. "Three of his five losses this year were to state champion Jim Conroy of South Plainfield. He will be ready to make another state title run next year."