Thornwood MMA Shines at National Tournament
On Sunday, April 15 five boys from ThornwoodMMA traveled to the NAGA World Championships at the Mennen Sports Arena in Morristown,N.J.where they captured one first-place award and multiple runner-up
Testing their skills against some of the best submission fighters from across the USA, they were registered to compete in a variety of classifications determined by training, weight, gi and no-gi.
Led by Coach Mike Debiase, the team produced a first-place finish by Logan Rafter and second-place finishes from Brody McGuinn and Aiden Morgan. Carl Herzner finished second in two classifications. The fifth competitor, Daniel Herzner, was well on his way to a first-place finish in his class when an injury forced him from the competition.
Rafter captured a genuine Samurai sword for his effort after four straight submissions, while McGuinn, Morgan and Carl Herzner received gold medals upon the completion of their championship bouts.
The day before in the adult tournament, Debiase took home the championship belt and title of NAGA World Champion Black Belt Expert Division. Also in the adult tourney, Mike Manello and Joe Sansone took second and third place, respectively.
ThornwoodMMA, under the leadership of retiredMount Pleasantpolice sergeant and Black Belt Steve Kardian, combines Brazilian Gracie Jiu-Jitsu with Kru Muay Thai Kickboxing and World Class Takedowns. The children train up to four times a week, slowly learning the multiple skills required in order to be successful, confident, relentless and fit. Every sparring session begins with a handshake, and although some fights can be extremely tough, they conclude with a high five and a pat on the back.
The boys next tournament is scheduled for July.
Adam has worked in the local news industry for the past two decades in Westchester County and the broader Hudson Valley. Read more from Adam’s author bio here.