A monster work ethic, last-gasp resilience, and the cool composure to counter aggressive moves on the mats. These aspects helped skyrocket Sleepy Hollow wrestling to success this season.
Ben Hofling registered his presence, winning the Most Valuable Senior award at the prestigious Croton tournament and overwhelming Clarkstown North's grappler in a 4-2 first round decision during the Division I championships at Lincoln High School in Yonkers.
Hofling, the pulse and poster boy of this year's team, utilized a deep arsenal of mano-e-mano moves. He showed composure in each match's late, crucial stages.
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The senior's torrid senior season ended when he was defeated by R.C. Ketcham's Nick Wilkie in the post-season. The versatile and poised Wilkie labored, refusing to buckle-and-crumble under heightened pressure en route to a victory over Hofling.
Hofling, who won 19 of his first 22 matches this year, placed fourth overall in his 152-pound class.
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"Team wise, we just want to send as many kids to Sectionals as possible," said Hofling.
"One of the major highlights of our season was seeing two of my teammates reach their 100 wins mark-- sophmores Edwin Jiminez and Steven Bencosme."
When asked what seperates him from other wrestlers of his ilk and led to an illustrious senior year on the mats, Hofling didn't flinch.
"My bottom, I believe sets me apart from other wrestlers," said Hofling, who additionally runs cross-country and plays tennis at Sleepy Hollow High School.
"I always manage to escape when I'm on the bottom and I've almost never been turned or put to my back."
Sleepy Hollow's Dondrey Sharrock stamped his imprint during Section I championships. The ferocious 160-pound grappler was lethal in the quarterfinals, delivering a 5-minute pin. Prior to that he pinned Clarkstown South's Matt Oliva in a blink-quick. 35-second triumph.
Juan Loja defeated Nyack's Adit Thaker, gutting out a crucial 10-9 victory.
In the championships of the higher weight classes, Michael Segura busted out a plethora of effective moves, pinning Clarkstown South's Nick Ohrynowicz in 5:29.
As coach Brian Tompkins noted, the team made a concentrated effort to refine any aspects of their game towards the end of the season. Their workload picked up and they flourished during several key matches.
Tomkins, a homegrown product who starred at Sleepy Hollow back in his day (and coached the aforementioned Edwin Jiminez's father, Section I legend Carlos Jiminez), was pleased with the way the Horsemen picked up steam towards the end of the regular season.
The Headless Horsemen painted Croton-Harmon High in red-and-black, capturing their second consecutive title in one of the more highly-competitive local tournaments along the local circuit.
Hofling's younger brother, freshman Adam Hofling, made waves this season. The individual high-water mark of Adam Hofling's season was his performance at Croton.
Adam defeated his opponent by a 13-10 count in the final match of the 160-pound class.
"My brother eats sleeps and breathes wrestling," said Ben Hofling, who has pushed Adam's development over the years.
"We practice across the bridge after our practice and he goes lifting all the time. Wrestling year-round is also key to his success. The team is expecting him to accomplish big things in the next three years."
Is wrestling in Ben Hofling's future?
"I actually plan on playing club tennis at the University of Vermont, at the moment," he explained.
"Everyone is always surprised when I say my main sport is tennis, considering I don't think there is another kid in the Section I who plays both sports."
