2021 State Champion, Jordan Soriano, Is off the Board; Commits to Drexel
Jordan Soriano Poses With the Hammer Following his title-winning effort at the 2021 Journeymen Fall Classic
What's a "Savage" to do?
Well, if you are the 3x New York State placer/2021 Champion out of Section VIII Clarke High School [Soriano], you pick a time when much of the civilized world has settled into bed for a nice slumber to make the announcement that you are formally off the board!!!
Breaking the news on Monday night at approximately 11:04 pm via his instagram account, the #7 (when the updated polls are released) ranked prospect in NYWN's 2022 class rankings revealed his intentions to write the next chapter of his wrestling career in the City of Brotherly Love (Philly) at EIWA Conference member program, Drexel University...
Projected to compete as a 141-pounder on the collegiate level, In making the decision to entrust his future to the capable hands of DU Head Coach, Matt Azevedo, and his staff, the Savage Wrestling Academy protege (under the tutelage of Justin Accordino) further adds to an influx of lightweight talent from the current scholastic senior class that already features three-time Delaware State champ, Gabe Giampietro (125), 2021 Pennsylvania State 4th, Dominic Findora (133/141), and 2021 NJ 6th, John Hildebrandt (125/133)...
By far one of the hottest prospects in the "Evil Empire", Soriano presently holds top-20 status at 132 pounds from industry leaders FloWrestling (#18) and Willie Saylor/Matscout (#21)...The latter [Saylor] also regards him as the 139th overall senior prospect in the nation!
Worth noting is that despite the bridge from New York to Chestnut Street having not been traveled as often as some other DI colleges/universities during the past 10-15 years, when Drexel has been successful in landing a NYer, the results have been encouraging...Since 2010, Joe Booth (Long Island Lutheran; 3x NCAA Qualifier), Parker Kropman (Penfield; 2x National Qualifier), and Evan Barczak (Monroe-Woodbury; 2021 Qualifier) have all secured berths to the dance while donning the Blue/Yellow singlet!
Posting respective finishes of 5th (@157) and 4th (@165) at last year's 2021 EIWA Championship Tournament, Kropman and Barczak are both back in 2021-2022!
An individual that has been in the midst of a whirlwind for the better part of the last 13-14 months, Soriano's is a name that New York aficionados have known since 2018, but has now gone to the next level and has become the breakout superstar that forces the rest of the land to pay attention and offer respect...
Commencing with a perfect (8-0) showing in September 2020 at the Olympic Club Duals, where he bested the likes of 3x PIAA medalist, Matt Mayer (9-5 decision), 2021 Rhode Island State titlist, J`Mari Lowman (fall in 1:20), 2x Pennsylvania placer (4th in '21), Eric Alderfer (4-0 shutout), and especially 2019 Minnesota State champ/2021 Double Fargo 16U National finalist (champ in FS), Pierson Manville (6-4), there has been no slowing down the Westbury resident ever since....
A runner-up finish at the 2020 Journeymen Fall Classic ensued next and such set the course for what emerged as a remarkable junior campaign that witnessed the Nassau County standout cement his spot among the finest in the nation....
Without question a competitor whose talent is superior to what his resume formerly read from 2018-2020, it is no stretch to say that had Soriano not continually found himself as part of absolutely loaded weight classes in Albany, he could very well be entering his swan song as a multiple-time NYSPHSAA DII State gold medalist....
Advancing to the 106-pound state semis as an 8th grader in 2018, Soriano's record for the weekend may say 2-3, but when you consider whom he defeated, there is no questioning the magnitude of his 6th place effort....Splitting four of his five appearances against 2x NYS runner-up/2021 NCAA National Qualifier, Micah Roes (Lowville/Binghamton) and 4x medalist/2x champ/#2 in-state recruit, Carter Baer (Gouverneur; committed to Binghamton), the two-time County titlist (2018, 2020) knocked off his heralded foes by scores of 5-3 and 3-1 respectively on the winner's side of the bracket, before dropping 7-3 (sv)/3-2 decisions on the back end/wrestlebacks...His only other loss in his Times Union debut was a very reasonable 3-1 outcome in an All-LI clash versus 5x State finalist/3x brass ring winner, Jordan Titus (Center Moriches; now wrestling for West Virginia University)...
Forced to miss the 2019 postseason due to an injury, Soriano returned to the South Pearl Street and in 2020 and again found moral success that exceeded the surface prestige common to 5th place (@ 126) performers...Tallying a 4-2 record, he got his arm raised over Hunter Devins (Saranac; fall in 1:45) in his opening match and later won three of his four consolation bouts---6-4 over Jake Murphy (Seaford) in a rematch of their Section VIII finals match; 7-2 against eventual 2020 7th, Hunter White (Hannibal-Cato Meridian); and finally 4-1 over the previous year's 5th, Kyle Willard (Groton) in the medal round...For the second time in as many attempts, it took a national caliber opposition to deny Soriano as his blemishes were to Titus (7-2 in the quarterfinals) and 2019 State runner-up, Caleb Svingala (Maple Hill; now at SUNY-Buffalo), 6-1 in the consol. semis...
This past season, a new venue would play host to the crowning moment for Soriano, as he claimed the 138-pound top prize at the 2021 Journeymen State Championships at the Spooky Nook Complex in PA...
Seeded second in the bracket, Soriano utilized a 2nd period escape to post the only point in his 1-0 title-winning decision over 3x state placer (2-7-5)/2021 NHSCA AA (6th), Angelo Centrone (Mahopac) in a battle of top tier 11th graders...
The triumph over his Section I counterpart proved to be the only stiff challenge for the Long Islander, as he enjoyed a 33-8 margin in peeling off conquests of Connor Gregory (Ballston Spa; 11-4 decision), Colin Carlin (Burnt Hills; 7-1 decision), 2021 NHSCA All-American (7th), Frank Volpe (Hauppauge; lead 7-1 before securing the stick in 4:28), and Stephen Lukas (Eastport-South Manor; 8-2 decision) in his path to the finals.
Soriano is the first wrestler from his school to seize a state title!!
As an encore to hoisting state hardware for the first time in his varsity career, Soriano continued to turn heads and boost his stock later in the month (April) when he compiled an outstanding 7-1 record in Virginia Beach en route to a bronze medal outing at the 2021 NHSCA Junior Nationals...
His lone "L" suffered at the hands of the eventual champion/current #5 ranked wrestler in the country, Danny Nini, in the quarterfinal round (7-3 decision), the Empire Stater may have "settled" for 3rd, but in terms of growth and making a statement, his bronze was every bit as priceless as the gold!
Demonstrating that bottomless gas tank and "no quit till the last whistle" attitude that has become the trademark of SWA, Soriano trailed in both his consolation semi and 3rd/4th place matches, but refused to accept defeat...
Surrendering the only takedown of regulation against 2021 Ohio State 5th/2019 NHSCA Freshman AA (5th), Ismael Ayoub, Soriano was so fierce in maintaining constant pressure that he earned a fleeing the mat call in the last 10 ticks of the 3rd period to tie the match at 3-3 and send it to sudden victory....In the extra frame, he showcased a little bit of everything in his tool belt, initiating fending over a deep shot from his opponent and then getting into his offense, when he transitioned from a sweep single into a double-leg for the TD with :33 seconds remaining in the sv period...
Deadlocked at 0-0 at the conclusion of the first period, Soriano and 3x Prep National All-American/2021 titlist, Jimmy Harrington, had an exchange of reversal in the last half minute of the 2nd (Harrington striking first) to put the score at an even 2-2 heading into a deciding 2:00....A quick escape at the onset of the 3rd gave the New Yorker his first advantage of the match, but the lead would not hold up as an illegal head scissor (while defending a deep attack) call against JS with approximately 60 seconds remaining again tied up the bout....However, unlike his aforementioned win earlier in the day, the Ram stud did not wait for extra time to clinch the dub....Firing off a single-leg, Soriano was able to work his way behind the opposition and then came out on top of a roll attempt to convert the takedown with 40 seconds left to put himself back in the driver's seat, 5-3...No matter how hard Harrington fought, there was no getting away, as the NYer threw in a boot and broke his opponent to his stomach to ride out the victory!
Harrington, who was ranked in the top-20 at the time of the bout, had previously defeated Soriano, 8-5, at the J-Men Border Duals in January...So the win carried with it some added satisfaction!
Lacking in the drama of the above, during this same trip to the "Old Dominion State", Soriano also posted signature wins against the likes of three-time Colorado State champ/2019 Super 32 8th/2019 USAW Fargo 16U FS 5th , Brady Hankin (5-0), 2020 Nevada titlist, Luke Van Orden (3-0), and 2021 PIAA 5th, Colton Stoneking (Fall in 1:37 by way of a turk + crossface combination).
Out-scoring them 18-1 before hearing the slap of the mat on each occasion, he other two wins were over 2x Massachusetts All-State 4th, Ben Davoli (up 8-1, pinned in 4:00), and 2019 Montana 6th, Isaac Ayers (10-0 when the stick came at the 2:53 mark).
***Except from 2021 Journeymen Fall Classic Summary published on September 27th****
A runner-up at this event a season ago, the 2021 Journeymen NYS titlist/2021 NHSCA All-American refused to let anything or anyone deny him of triumph in his last shot at the Fall Classic glory...
Getting his tooth knocked out during the second of his five-bout body of work yesterday, the #18 ranked wrestler in the land out of section VIII Clarke had his fair share of close calls, but ultimately survived them all en route to being the last man standing in the 135-pound weight class...
On the receiving end of a "questionable" takedown call in the last :03 of the third period to send the championship match into sudden victory (tied at 6-6), Soriano displayed immense poise in not allowing the situation to rattle him...On the contrary, he toed the line and immediately got back on the offensive, requiring just seven ticks of the clock before he secured the winning TD to give him the 8-6 decision over 2021 National Prep Open 3rd, Sam Cartella.
The win against Cartella was one of two bouts in which the Nassau stud was forced to go extra frames...Encountering his biggest scare of the tournament in the second round of the pool action, Soriano needed an escape (after allowing a reversal) in the last 40 seconds of the 3rd period to extend his match with 2020 California State qualifier, Abel Gaitan, to the 1:00 SV period....Soriano would take advantage of his foe's over-aggressiveness, scoring a counter takedown with :28 left in sudden victory.
During the course of the afternoon, Soriano also registered respective 7-0 and 9-5 decisions in his pool against Alessio Perentin (Former USAW Youth Triple-Crown Winner; 2021 USAW Fargo 16U FS 7th) and 2021 Pennsylvania State runner-up, Scott Johnson...
Converting one takedown in each of the first two periods and then tacking on the deciding point via a third escape, Soriano also posted a 5-4 semifinal decision versus 2021 Minnesota State titlist/2x Fargo All-American, Koy Buesgens.
