By Rich Chrampanis
The local wrestling scene boasts defending state champions and nationally ranked grapplers and there’s a new face on the scene who already has an incredible accolade before he makes his varsity wrestling debut.
Paul Kenny, an incoming freshman at Christian Brothers Academy, won the U17 world championship at 48 kg. (105 lbs.) in Istanbul, Turkey. This feat is remarkable for a number of reasons. Kenny could have wrestled in the 15-and-under stage at the Pan Am games but elected to move up to 17-and-under and wrestle against the entire world. He won a national title as a fifth seed by upsetting defending world champ Domenic Munaretto and then proceeded to make a magical run in Turkey.
Kenny won both his semifinal and championship matches thanks to criteria. In the semifinals, he was tied 8-8 with Iran’s Sam Sayer, the Asian champion. The wrestler with the most recent point scored wins by criteria and Kenny switched to defense in the end to secure a spot in the championship. The final match was a very different tone as Kenny and Japan’s Yamato Furusawa were deadlocked at 1-1. Once again, Kenny used 30 seconds of elite defense to secure the world title.
“I kept my head straight the whole tournament even though things were not going my way in matches,” Kenny said to USA Wrestling after his victory. “I found a way to win and I got it done.”
In all, the soon to be Colt won five matches against international competition starting with an 11-0 technical fall over Oliwier Orzechowski of Poland, followed by a 4-2 decision against Turkmenistyan’s Azymerdi Ashyrgulyev and a pin in the quarterfinals against Yeraly Zhetpissov of Kazakhstan.
Now Kenny gets set to begin his high school wrestling career as one of the most decorated athletes, not only in his sport but in all of high school sports.
Under the leadership of Billy Ashnault, CBA has become one of the state’s top wrestling programs with five Colts earning medals in Atlantic City in the individual state wrestling championships in 2023; CBA won the Shore Conference championship this year as well.
The area has two returning state champions with St. John Vianney’s Tyler Knox, a two-time state winner (113 and 120 lbs.) and Rumson-Fair Haven’s Hudson Skove (215 lbs.). It’s rare for a freshman who’s never officially taken to the mat to be in the state champion contender conversation, but Kenny fits that bill and then some as the Two River area will once again be a hot spot for elite wrestling.
The article originally appeared in the August 10 – 16, 2023 print edition of The Two River Times.
