kaden cassidy to chestnut ridge

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dmsurvey
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kaden cassidy to chestnut ridge

Post by dmsurvey »

www.tribdem.com/sports/after-year-at-bishop-mccort-wrestling-standout-cassidy-enrolls-at/article_138c6ca6-887c-11e7-966d-6be72be6bd3c.html

A number of new students attended Chestnut Ridge High School for the first time on Wednesday, including one who could help make the Lions one of the top wrestling teams in the state again this season.

Kaden Cassidy, who won District 6 and Southwest Regional titles before finishing third in PIAA Class AA at 106 pounds last season at Bishop McCort Catholic, began his sophomore year at the Bedford County school.

“It’s been weird, but I think Chestnut Ridge is the right fit for me,” he said in a phone interview last week.

Cassidy has been to four schools in the past three years. He attended Bedford in junior high – where he won a Pennsylvania Junior Wrestling championship – before enrolling at Bishop McCort for his freshman year of high school. He and his father moved to Florida after the wrestling season ended, while his mother, Heather, and younger brother, Kross, stayed in Bedford County.

“We were considering a relocation down there,” Darren Cassidy said.

“He hated it. I wanted to – and I still do – want to be down there. Probably, when he’s done (at Chestnut Ridge), we’ll go there.”

Kaden didn’t mince words when it came to his time in the Sunshine State.

“I hated Florida,” he said. “I thought I was going to like it, but I hated it and wanted to come back to Pennsylvania.”

Kaden Cassidy said he enjoyed his time at Bishop McCort, but attending the Johnstown school while his family was in Bedford County was difficult. He lived with Sebastian Kekich, who wrestled for the Crimson Crushers last season, but after the wrestling season, Kekich transferred to Greater Johnstown.

“It took a toll on my parents,” Kaden said. “With Sebastian leaving, I didn’t have anywhere to live. We don’t want to put that pressure on my parents.”

Kaden said he’ll miss wrestling for Shad Benton, who led the start-up program at Bishop McCort.

“I love Shad. I love his program,” Kaden said. “The hour drive to get my stuff (was too much). I have so many friends on the team. I think I learned a lot, and I think I grew up in the sport of wrestling over my ninth-grade year.”

Darren and Heather Cassidy purchased a farm in the Chestnut Ridge school district over the summer. While there have been grumblings from some in the wrestling community about the Cassidys’ move, Lions coach Greg Lazor said the family had previously lived in the Chestnut Ridge district. In fact, he said, he purchased the Cassidys’ home long before there was any thought about where Kaden might wrestle one day.

“The boys were at Chestnut Ridge to begin with,” Lazor said. “I actually bought his dad’s house when I moved here 10 years ago. He grew up here. He moved to Bedford. Kaden was only about 5 years old at that point.”

Kaden Cassidy downplayed any potential animosity now that he’s at Chestnut Ridge as opposed to Bedford.

“I actually have more friends in Chestnut Ridge,” he said. “I still talk to Bedford people. Obviously, it’s going to be different. I’m still going to talk to my Bedford and McCort friends.

“The rivalry isn’t even that bad anymore. It’s different than it was a long time ago.”

Kaden Cassidy will join a Chestnut Ridge team that includes Justin McCoy, who won a state title at 145 pounds last year, and Jared McGill, who finished fourth at 170. The Lions finished 11th in the PIAA tournament last season – eight spots behind Bishop McCort – and were again among the top dual-meet teams in the state.

They didn’t place in the team tournament last season but were runners-up in 2015.

Lazor expects his team to be among the best in the state again, and Cassidy’s presence can only help.

“We’re obviously very excited to have him in the program,” Lazor said. “We’ll keep striving to get better and better with him and see what we can do for him.”


Eric Knopsnyder is the digital editor of Tribune-Democrat.com. He can be reached at (814) 532-5069. Follow him on Twitter @eric_Knopsnyder.
Manfred
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Re: kaden cassidy to chestnut ridge

Post by Manfred »

Curious. He was supposed to be leading the 2nd wave of BMCHS wrestlers, regardless of where they came from, and what circumstances. Will this now spell the demise of the program?
It ain't over until it's over.
footballmadness
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Re: kaden cassidy to chestnut ridge

Post by footballmadness »

Don't know the family but question what are they teaching this kid.  Move to 3 different schools to advance his wrestling career ?  So he can get a 1/2 a college scholarship.  Bet $100 he is done wrestling by his 3rd year in college.   
CCDevil2012
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Re: kaden cassidy to chestnut ridge

Post by CCDevil2012 »

I'm surprised nobody reported on here that he went to Florida, at least from what I saw. 
Crimson's Ghost
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Re: kaden cassidy to chestnut ridge

Post by Crimson's Ghost »

A public school gets a top athlete.


Crickets. 
knowitall
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Re: kaden cassidy to chestnut ridge

Post by knowitall »

He must not have been getting the right kind of religion
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Re: kaden cassidy to chestnut ridge

Post by Crimson's Ghost »

footballmadness wrote:Don't know the family but question what are they teaching this kid.  Move to 3 different schools to advance his wrestling career ?  So he can get a 1/2 a college scholarship.  Bet $100 he is done wrestling by his 3rd year in college.   
Who cares? That's further than most people on this website have advanced athletically.  If he gets money to play a sport in college, he's doing something right. 
Manfred
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Re: kaden cassidy to chestnut ridge

Post by Manfred »

Is Walters getting 'only' 1/2 scholly to Drexel? And he wants to still play football after a hernia operation , that could jeopardize that 1/2?
It ain't over until it's over.
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Re: kaden cassidy to chestnut ridge

Post by Crimson's Ghost »

Not sure the terms of the offer Drexel gave him, it could be 50% or more or less.  They have to field a whole team with 10 scholarships.  I would think the better the recruit, the more he gets. FloWrestling has him at a top 100 wrestler nationally, so my guess they gave him a good deal in order to land him over some other schools. I would guess he's probably their top signee for this recruiting cycle or one of their top ones. 

I don't know if a school would take away a scholarship that they already offered.  Once he signs in a few weeks, he's pretty much locked in. 
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Re: kaden cassidy to chestnut ridge

Post by silentbob »

From my understanding Crimson the family actually moved into the CR school district. So it's a little different than Benton transferring to BM mid football season last year then transferring back to Central the Monday after BM lost in the football playoffs... Don't you agree?

With that being said. This looks to obviously be an athletic transfer, as was the move to BM the year before and I suppose the move to Florida for a few months. However if the family actually sells their home and relocates buying a home in the new district, they are doing it by the rules I guess. Either way the kid is a stud wrestler.
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