PAL ZANESVILLE TO BATTLE AT JUNIOR OLYMPICS

Zanesville's PAL Boxing Team is preparing an all-out assault on this year's Junior Olympics beginning with the Ohio State Qualifiers in Columbus, Ohio. The tournament is at the Blackburn Recreation Center and begins on Saturday, May 12 and finals are on Sunday, May 13.

Winners of the State tournament will go on to the Regionals to be held in Cleveland at the Salvation Army Boxing Academy on May 26th through the 28th.

Senior Division finalists will go to Marquette, Michigan for the U.S. National Junior Olympics from June 25th through June 30th for the national title. Winners also receive an invitation to the U.S. National Training Camp and a chance to be named to the U.S. National Team for competitions representing the United States internationally around the world.

Zanesville's team is led by Justin "Teddy Bear" Novaria in the senior division at super heavyweight. In 2006 he was officially ranked third and this year plans to take the number one spot. David "Candyman" Lightfoot muscles into the senior welterweight division after an outstanding year of over twenty victories and taking third place at the National Silver Gloves- his first national tournament ever. Ken "Sugar" Todd Jr. will box his last Intermediate division tournament at Junior Olympics and look to take it all the way to the regionals with over thirty bouts experience in the ring.

New to the tournament schedule is Brannon McGee, Casey Derry, Gaige Walker and Travis Jerig. Faith Starkey is the lone female entry bringing her 2007 state and regional Silver Gloves Titles.

JUNIOR OLYMPIC CHAMPS

May 13, 2007

___________________________

JUNIOR OLYMPIC STATE CHAMPS

The Ohio State Junior Olympic Boxing Tournament concluded on Sunday with Zanesville’s PAL claiming three championships.

Justin Novaria defended his 2006 Senior Division Title successfully against Tevin Wilson of Columbus when the two met in the finals. Both came out blazing with punches from the outside and on the inside creating one of the best bouts of the tournament. The biggest boxers of the tournament battled to the final bell with Novaria leaving no doubt who had bested the other with power and speed for the win.

David Lightfoot moved into the senior division for his first time at welterweight and faced down Rodrigo Gonzalez of Fremont. The opponents first challenged each other with jabs and then tested the other with body shots. Gonzalez forced the issue by moving in and found what 27 other challengers already knew about Zanesville’s “Superman”. Lightfoot unleashed a hail of overhand rights, hooks and uppercuts that left his challenger spinning. The bout was stopped in the third round with Lightfoot earning his second state title by knockout.

Faith Starkey was the lone female entry from Zanesville in the girl’s Intermediate Lightweight Division with the fourteen-year-old puncher winning her championship unopposed.

The team’s successes came with some growing pains as some of their newest tried to muscle into championship territory. Ken Todd Jr. dropped his match with Sedan Scott of Cincinnati, Travis Jerig was bested by Kalvin Foltz of Toledo and Brannon McGee also came up short against Louis Walker of Cincinnati in semifinal action. In the finals Gaige Walker didn’t find a way around Ariadan Ariola of Fremont nor was Casey Derry able to outscore Vincent Craddock of Columbus.

Zanesville’s state champions will move into regional competition in two weeks in Cleveland with Novaria and Lightfoot eligible to represent at the National Junior Olympics in June if successful. The national competition is part of a selection process to identify and promote a national team for international matches and gives experience necessary for future Olympians. In 2006, Justin Novaria placed fourth at the national finals and is favored to win this year.

REGIONAL CHAMPS May 28th, 2007

NOVARIA TO COMPETE AT NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIPS

Last year Justin “Teddy Bear” Novaria boxed his way to the National Championships of the Junior Olympics in his

first ever attempt only to fall short of the Olympic Gold. On Sunday the Zanesville Super Heavyweight made it official by

winning the Region 5 Championship senior division again and qualifying him for a second (and final) chance this year in June.

Novaria’s victory was over Daniel Smith of Michigan in the regional finals. The win was made even sweeter by

avenging a loss to Smith in January during the Silver Gloves regional tournament in Philadelphia that ended Novaria’s

participation in the SG National Tournament.

Smith came out with a height, weight and reach advantage over Novaria and learned quickly that skill and

conditioning is the primary requirements for winning in amateur boxing. The “Teddy Bear” applied constant pressure from

bell to bell in all three rounds working on the inside and outside weighting the score in his favor on judge’s decision.

The 235-pound, 16 year old Novaria attends Tri-Valley High School and is planning on attending the Mid-East

Ohio Vocational School this fall. He has boxed for three years from the Police Athletic League of Zanesville- Muskingum

County Boxing Team. He is the son of Pat and Tina Novaria.

David “Superman” Lightfoot made his debut in senior division regional competition and made it to the final round

meeting Meiko Bonner of Lake Erie Association. Lightfoot battled the taller Bonner with control of the match back and

forth several times. With about 20 seconds left Bonner was all done and Lightfoot began landing huge right hands without

any replies. It was too late though as the judges split 3-2 in favor of the hometown Bonner with the crowd in disbelief.

Lightfoot will be the alternate at welterweight for the regional team to the National JO Championship only competing

if Bonner is unable to represent. He will have another chance again next year as he will qualify by age for a second chance

as did his teammate. The 14 year-old Ohio State Champ and Region 5 runner-up is the son of Darrell and Stacey Elson and

attends Grover Cleveland Junior High. This is his second year in state, regional and national competition also boxing from

Zanesville PAL Boxing.

Novaria and Lightfoot already have a national title in common. Novaria won the Ohio State Fair National

Tournament in 2005 and Lightfoot grabbed his in 2006. Both are scheduled to make their last bid together as juniors for

national titles at the U.S. National Junior Golden Gloves Tournament in July at Mesquite, Nevada outside of Las Vegas.

Next year at 17, Novaria will move into the open Men’s Division.

Faith Starkey was unopposed in the Girl’s Intermediate 138-pound division at the regional tournament. Only senior

division regional champs advance to the national championships. The 14 year-old Starkey attends school in the Franklin

Local District.

NOVARIA WINS BRONZE

NOVARIA WINS BRONZE AT NATIONAL JUNIOR OLYMPICS

Zanesville’s own Justin Novaria got close to the national title and gold but was edged out by an old adversary settling for a bronze medal and third.

The Junior Olympic Boxing National Championships ended a weeklong battle of over two hundred 15 and 16 year olds Saturday in Marquette, Michigan at the U.S. Olympic Education Center on the campus of Northern Michigan University. The tournament finishes what began in every state on the local level and progressed through regional competitions qualifying only the best for the final tournament.

Novaria met Nicholas Kisner of Glen Burnie, Maryland in semi-final action in the Super Heavyweight Division for the rights to the 2007 National Title. Novaria fired away down the middle coming up short with Kisner taking wide shots in favor with the judges in the computer-scored decision. The two met previously in 2006 at the national Junior Golden Gloves in Chattanooga with Kisner getting the victory there.

Tino Dominguez of Duarte, California was defeated by Kisner in the finals setting the medals for gold, silver and bronze. Kisner has indicated he would defend his top ranking in July at the U.S. National Junior Golden Gloves with Novaria also entering. That tournament will be held at the Casablanca Resort in Mesquite, Nevada.

Ohio was well represented in the Junior Olympic medal finishes with a gold to Eduardo Alicea of Cleveland at 154 pounds, gold to Zeddie Adams of Cleveland at 138 pounds, bronze to Kyle Burgette of Columbus at 201 pounds and silver to Anthony Tulley of Akron at 90 pounds. Zanesville’s own T.J. Hartmeyer was regional coach with Robert Easter of Toledo for the Region #5 Team consisting of 18 athletes to the national championships.

The U.S. Olympic Committee will select a team later this year for international competition in September at Azerbaijan from the Junior Olympic rankings generated from this tournament. The junior division identifies and prepares athletes for the future U.S. Olympic Team in 2012.

The team trials for the 2008 U.S. Olympic Team has already been qualified and is set to begin August 20-26^th in Houston, Texas. Winners of the double-elimination trials will represent our country in Beijing, China in the 2008 World Games.