Post by carterhayes on Apr 18, 2015 11:15:20 GMT -5
The Birth of a Baby: A Prelude to
v.s. 
v.s. CARTER HAYES DAMIAN COLE
III
NARRATOR (VOICE OVER)
Greg Tafuro, Sports Writer,
New Jersey Star Ledger
"To really appreciate how big this second encounter between Carter Hayes and Damian Cole was made out to be, you needed to understand all of the angles in play. You had a bitter-- and I mean bitter-- highly contentious and highly publicized law suit taking place between attorney Mort Goodman, who was Carter Hayes's coach, and attorney Marty Sunshine, who was Damian Cole's coach, over the dissolution of their law firm. It was ugly. There were claims of ethical infractions. Marty Sunshine was actually suspended from the practice of law as a result. And this was all unfolding as the second match between Hayes and Cole approached. And that was just one angle that made this match-up intriguing."
MARTY SUNSHINE
COACH OF DAMIAN COLE
"Their first encounter happened by chance. Early in the season, Damian and Carter wrestled as part of a dual meet between Ridgewood High School and Jersey City High School. It was a physical match, which Carter took, 2-0. It set the stage for what would be the biggest rematch in New Jersey high school wrestling history."
NARRATOR (VOICE OVER)
MORT GOODMAN,
COACH OF CARTER HAYES
"Carter Hayes was that special athlete who only comes around once in a lifetime. He dominated his sport like no other. I mean, the record is one thing; but except for the matches with Damian and perhaps one or two others, nobody came even close. He just picked opponents apart on their feet and put them on their back. It was a sight to see."
* * *
"Clearing the Field"
BOARDWALK HALL
Saturday, March 4, 2002
NARRATOR (VOICE OVER)
On March 4, 2002, amid a brutally cold winter on the East Coast, ten thousand,
five hundred die hard New Jersey wrestling fans packed into the Boardwalk
Hall in Atlantic City, New Jersey, for the 2002 New Jersey Interscholastic
Athletic Association State Wrestling Championships.
NARRATOR (VOICE OVER)
Over the course of the weekend, thirteen new champions would be crowned.
But all eyes were on one weight class-- the one hundred seventy one pound
weight class-- and the inevitable showdown that was set to take place
in the finals between Carter Hayes and Damian Cole.
Greg Tafuro, Sports Writer,
New Jersey Star Ledger
"You ever see the Karate Kid? Remember the tournament at the end, where it was all leading up to Daniel and Johnny, but we were treated to the montage of each of them tearing through the competition to get there? Well that's what it was like. And every time Carter wrestled, there was Damian standing next to Marty Sunshine at the side of the mat, taking notes; and every time Damian wrestled, we got the same from Mort Goodman and Carter. Those early rounds were a lot of fun to watch, because with each match, the tension continued to mount."
NARRATOR (VOICE OVER)
In those early rounds, both men were at the top of their game. Damian picked off a series of tough competitors on his way to the finals, including Emerson Brand of Camden Catholic...
NARRATOR (VOICE OVER)
Rashad Johnson of Belleville...
And a hard fought battle over
Bound Brook's Clyde Tuchman that put Damian in the finals...
NARRATOR (VOICE OVER)
On the other side of the bracket, Carter Hayes was doing what was expected of him, and taking out the competition with the unmatched technique and execution he had shown throughout his prior one hundred and twenty matches leading up to the competition. Along the way, one by one, he took out Brian Shea of Point Pleasant...
NARRATOR (VOICE OVER)
Cameron Dunning of Sparta....and Scott Sprawl of Don Bosco Prep...
NARRATOR (VOICE OVER)
And when it was all said and done, the stage was set for the following day, Sunday, March 5, 2002....
NARRATOR (O. S.)
Carter Hayes versus Damian Cole would throw down for the second time in Atlantic City-- this time to crown the 2002 New Jersey State champion at 171 pounds...
"A Baby is Born"
Boardwalk Hall
Sunday, March 5, 2002
NARRATOR (VOICE OVER)
Atlantic City, New Jersey, a place where fortunes are made and lost in the blink of an eye. On the evening of Sunday, March 5, 2002, for two high school wrestlers, the city meant high stakes.
NARRATOR (VOICE OVER)
Inside of Boardwalk Hall, twenty six wrestlers-- narrowed down from a field of three
hundred and twelve the night before-- were vying for championship gold. Two of those
men were Carter Hayes and Damian Cole. The hype for this match was unparalleled.
Mort Goodman, Carter Hayes' Coach
"Carter has always been a creature of mind games-- always looking to get inside his opponent's head, and always looking to get inside his own head-- and on March 5, 2002, he pulled no punches. First off, Carter shows up at Boardwalk Hall Sunday morning with a completely different look-- Saturday night, he buzzes and dies his hair to essentially mock Damian Cole's clean cut image. Second, he doesn't come out in his Ridgewood Buckeyes singlet, but rather, he comes out wearing the color of the Arizona Sun Devils. "
NARRATOR (VOICE OVER)
Carter Hayes was Arizona bound in the fall. He had all but accepted an offer from Arizona State, where he would compete for the wrestling powerhouse Sun Devils. Carter's goal had always been an NCAA Division I championship. And this gave Mort Goodman an idea that would quite literally change the face of Boardwalk Hall for that Sunday in March.
HAROLD WALSH,
NJSIAA COMMISSIONER
"I walk into Boardwalk Hall that Saturday morning, and there is a large banner hanging along the perimeter of the arena, and it reads "2006 NCAA Division I Championships," and all I could think was, "Did I step into the future?" (chuckles). 2006 would have been Carter's senior year in college. Mort Goodman arranged to have that banner put in place to put Carter in a championship state of mind."
The Match
Greg Tafuro, Sports Writer,
New Jersey Star Ledger
"The match absolutely lived up to its hype. Carter and Damian take the center of the mat. Carter refuses to shake hands, and only does so after the ref threatens to take a point away. The match hasn't even begun, and Carter Hayes is already receiving warnings. The whistle blows. The first period is under way. And Damian Cole... just... unleashes. He catches Carter with an inside trip, and for a moment, Carter Hayes is on on his back... In that moment, Boardwalk Hall is electrifying.
NARRATOR (VOICE OVER)
Just like that, Damian Cole found himself up four to zero over Carter Hayes, and still led 4-1 at the end of the first. But after a stalemate in the second, Carter came back with a vengeance in the third.
MORT GOODMAN,
COACH OF CARTER HAYES
"Damian had elected the bottom position in the second period, but he couldn't escape; so it was still 4-1 Damian going into the third, and Carter, of course, takes bottom. Nobody, and I mean nobody, holds Carter down. The whistle blows, and Carter explodes, reversing Damian and putting him on his back for a near fall."
NARRATOR (VOICE OVER)
For Carter Hayes, that reversal and near fall was a five point move; and all of a sudden, Carter Hayes was up 6-4 over Damian. Carter played it safe, let Damian up, giving Damian a point for an escape, and making the score 6-5 in favor of Carter with less than a minute left in regulation. For that minute Damian fought valiantly for the take down, but when time ran out, both men were on their feet, and Carter was the winner by a point....
...and then it happened.
Greg Tafuro, Sports Writer,
New Jersey Star Ledger
...And then it happened.
MORT GOODMAN,
COACH OF CARTER HAYES
...And then it happened.
MARTY SUNSHINE, ESQ.
COACH OF DAMIAN COLE
...And then it happened.
GRACE "THE PRODIGY" TAYLOR
Former IWA Champion,
Daughter of Mort Goodman,
Former Fiance of Carter Hayes
"I was in the bleachers...in the front row...I was only about fourteen and this place was going crazy. My dad was jumping up and down...The entire town of Ridgewood was going crazy in the bleachers behind me...but Carter...perhaps in hindsight, he took it too far."
NARRATOR (VOICE OVER)
Taking it too far may be the understatement of the century...
MORT GOODMAN,
COACH OF CARTER HAYES
"Once I got my wits about me, I saw it coming. Carter was screaming. He was dancing. He got in Damian's face, while he was still on the mat, and flipped him off. And then Carter flipped off Marty. The ref was warning him, but Carter wasn't listening. And so the ref did what he had to.
MORT GOODMAN
COACH OF CARTER HAYES
"He.... deducted a point from Carter for unsportsmanlike conduct, tying the match, and sending it into sudden death overtime. "
NARRATOR (VOICE OVER)
What followed is the story of legends, a story that continues to be told year after year throughout New Jersey wrestling circles.
MORT GOODMAN
COACH OF CARTER HAYES
"The ref calls Carter and Damian to the center of the mat. First take down wins. Now mind you, Carter Hayes has unmatched take down defense. Sending it to overtime is a minor setback in my mind. But Carter...oh, how Carter is his own worst enemy. And he is so consumed with arguing with the ref when the ref blows the whistle to start overtime, that he didn't even see it coming."
NARRATOR (VOICE OVER)
Damian used a double leg to put the distracted Carter clean on his back... and just like that, Damian Cole was the 2002 state champion at 171 pounds, and Carter Hayes was 124-1....
...And then, the aftermath...
NARRATOR (VOICE OVER)
Right there, in the center of the mat inside of Boardwalk Hall, Carter Hayes threw a temper tantrum of such epic proportions that it would forever brand him as "The Crybaby."
MORT GOODMAN,
COACH OF CARTER HAYES
"It was bad. Carter was stomping up and down, screaming at the top of his lungs-- so loud that those in the rafters heard him clear as day. He could not be calmed down. His deafening screams and petulance brought a crowd of ten thousand to a lull."
NARRATOR (VOICE OVER)
In response to Carter's tantrum, Arizona State pulled its offer. In fact, all schools pulled their offers. As a result of Carter's actions in Atlantic City on March 5, 2002, the greatest high school wrestler in New Jersey history would never wrestle a minute in college. Moreover, the chants "Ba-by!" that we hear in arenas throughout the country today whenever Carter Hayes is in a ring are attributed to this winter evening at Boardwalk Hall, and a match with Damian Cole.
"CRYBABY" CARTER HAYES
"If I had to do it all over, would I change the way I celebrated after regulation? Absolutely not. You know, we have become this sanitized culture, and it makes me sick. You win, you should get to celebrate any damn way you please. You don't like the way I celebrate? Then don't let me win. And on May 10, 2015, at the Steel Mill Auditorium in Holston, Pennsylvania, we're gonna rewrite history...and this time, nobody is going to steal my celebration. "
III
NARRATOR (VOICE OVER)
In order to understand the significance of the upcoming
May 10, 2015, showdown between two longtime rivals,
May 10, 2015, showdown between two longtime rivals,
we need to go back thirteen years, to 2002, when
in a span of two months, these men would meet twice.
New Jersey Star Ledger
"To really appreciate how big this second encounter between Carter Hayes and Damian Cole was made out to be, you needed to understand all of the angles in play. You had a bitter-- and I mean bitter-- highly contentious and highly publicized law suit taking place between attorney Mort Goodman, who was Carter Hayes's coach, and attorney Marty Sunshine, who was Damian Cole's coach, over the dissolution of their law firm. It was ugly. There were claims of ethical infractions. Marty Sunshine was actually suspended from the practice of law as a result. And this was all unfolding as the second match between Hayes and Cole approached. And that was just one angle that made this match-up intriguing."
MARTY SUNSHINE
COACH OF DAMIAN COLE
"Their first encounter happened by chance. Early in the season, Damian and Carter wrestled as part of a dual meet between Ridgewood High School and Jersey City High School. It was a physical match, which Carter took, 2-0. It set the stage for what would be the biggest rematch in New Jersey high school wrestling history."
NARRATOR (VOICE OVER)
Another angle that drew crowds to the wrestlers' second encounter was the aura of invincibility surrounding Carter Hayes. Carter had entered the New Jersey State Wrestling Championship tournament with an unprecedented record of 120-0. He had plowed through the the first few rounds, and entered the finals against Damian with a record of 124 wins, and not a single loss. Nobody had ever come close to such a feat in New Jersey high school wrestling history.
MORT GOODMAN,
COACH OF CARTER HAYES
"Carter Hayes was that special athlete who only comes around once in a lifetime. He dominated his sport like no other. I mean, the record is one thing; but except for the matches with Damian and perhaps one or two others, nobody came even close. He just picked opponents apart on their feet and put them on their back. It was a sight to see."
* * *
"Clearing the Field"
BOARDWALK HALL
Saturday, March 4, 2002
NARRATOR (VOICE OVER)
On March 4, 2002, amid a brutally cold winter on the East Coast, ten thousand,
five hundred die hard New Jersey wrestling fans packed into the Boardwalk
Hall in Atlantic City, New Jersey, for the 2002 New Jersey Interscholastic
Athletic Association State Wrestling Championships.
NARRATOR (VOICE OVER)
Over the course of the weekend, thirteen new champions would be crowned.
But all eyes were on one weight class-- the one hundred seventy one pound
weight class-- and the inevitable showdown that was set to take place
in the finals between Carter Hayes and Damian Cole.
Greg Tafuro, Sports Writer,
New Jersey Star Ledger
"You ever see the Karate Kid? Remember the tournament at the end, where it was all leading up to Daniel and Johnny, but we were treated to the montage of each of them tearing through the competition to get there? Well that's what it was like. And every time Carter wrestled, there was Damian standing next to Marty Sunshine at the side of the mat, taking notes; and every time Damian wrestled, we got the same from Mort Goodman and Carter. Those early rounds were a lot of fun to watch, because with each match, the tension continued to mount."
NARRATOR (VOICE OVER)
In those early rounds, both men were at the top of their game. Damian picked off a series of tough competitors on his way to the finals, including Emerson Brand of Camden Catholic...
NARRATOR (VOICE OVER)
Rashad Johnson of Belleville...
And a hard fought battle over
Bound Brook's Clyde Tuchman that put Damian in the finals...
NARRATOR (VOICE OVER)
On the other side of the bracket, Carter Hayes was doing what was expected of him, and taking out the competition with the unmatched technique and execution he had shown throughout his prior one hundred and twenty matches leading up to the competition. Along the way, one by one, he took out Brian Shea of Point Pleasant...
NARRATOR (VOICE OVER)
Cameron Dunning of Sparta....and Scott Sprawl of Don Bosco Prep...
NARRATOR (VOICE OVER)
And when it was all said and done, the stage was set for the following day, Sunday, March 5, 2002....
NARRATOR (O. S.)
Carter Hayes versus Damian Cole would throw down for the second time in Atlantic City-- this time to crown the 2002 New Jersey State champion at 171 pounds...
"A Baby is Born"
Boardwalk Hall
Sunday, March 5, 2002
NARRATOR (VOICE OVER)
Atlantic City, New Jersey, a place where fortunes are made and lost in the blink of an eye. On the evening of Sunday, March 5, 2002, for two high school wrestlers, the city meant high stakes.
NARRATOR (VOICE OVER)
Inside of Boardwalk Hall, twenty six wrestlers-- narrowed down from a field of three
hundred and twelve the night before-- were vying for championship gold. Two of those
men were Carter Hayes and Damian Cole. The hype for this match was unparalleled.
Mort Goodman, Carter Hayes' Coach
"Carter has always been a creature of mind games-- always looking to get inside his opponent's head, and always looking to get inside his own head-- and on March 5, 2002, he pulled no punches. First off, Carter shows up at Boardwalk Hall Sunday morning with a completely different look-- Saturday night, he buzzes and dies his hair to essentially mock Damian Cole's clean cut image. Second, he doesn't come out in his Ridgewood Buckeyes singlet, but rather, he comes out wearing the color of the Arizona Sun Devils. "
NARRATOR (VOICE OVER)
Carter Hayes was Arizona bound in the fall. He had all but accepted an offer from Arizona State, where he would compete for the wrestling powerhouse Sun Devils. Carter's goal had always been an NCAA Division I championship. And this gave Mort Goodman an idea that would quite literally change the face of Boardwalk Hall for that Sunday in March.
HAROLD WALSH,
NJSIAA COMMISSIONER
"I walk into Boardwalk Hall that Saturday morning, and there is a large banner hanging along the perimeter of the arena, and it reads "2006 NCAA Division I Championships," and all I could think was, "Did I step into the future?" (chuckles). 2006 would have been Carter's senior year in college. Mort Goodman arranged to have that banner put in place to put Carter in a championship state of mind."
The Match
Greg Tafuro, Sports Writer,
New Jersey Star Ledger
"The match absolutely lived up to its hype. Carter and Damian take the center of the mat. Carter refuses to shake hands, and only does so after the ref threatens to take a point away. The match hasn't even begun, and Carter Hayes is already receiving warnings. The whistle blows. The first period is under way. And Damian Cole... just... unleashes. He catches Carter with an inside trip, and for a moment, Carter Hayes is on on his back... In that moment, Boardwalk Hall is electrifying.
NARRATOR (VOICE OVER)
Just like that, Damian Cole found himself up four to zero over Carter Hayes, and still led 4-1 at the end of the first. But after a stalemate in the second, Carter came back with a vengeance in the third.
MORT GOODMAN,
COACH OF CARTER HAYES
"Damian had elected the bottom position in the second period, but he couldn't escape; so it was still 4-1 Damian going into the third, and Carter, of course, takes bottom. Nobody, and I mean nobody, holds Carter down. The whistle blows, and Carter explodes, reversing Damian and putting him on his back for a near fall."
NARRATOR (VOICE OVER)
For Carter Hayes, that reversal and near fall was a five point move; and all of a sudden, Carter Hayes was up 6-4 over Damian. Carter played it safe, let Damian up, giving Damian a point for an escape, and making the score 6-5 in favor of Carter with less than a minute left in regulation. For that minute Damian fought valiantly for the take down, but when time ran out, both men were on their feet, and Carter was the winner by a point....
...and then it happened.
Greg Tafuro, Sports Writer,
New Jersey Star Ledger
...And then it happened.
MORT GOODMAN,
COACH OF CARTER HAYES
...And then it happened.
MARTY SUNSHINE, ESQ.
COACH OF DAMIAN COLE
...And then it happened.
GRACE "THE PRODIGY" TAYLOR
Former IWA Champion,
Daughter of Mort Goodman,
Former Fiance of Carter Hayes
"I was in the bleachers...in the front row...I was only about fourteen and this place was going crazy. My dad was jumping up and down...The entire town of Ridgewood was going crazy in the bleachers behind me...but Carter...perhaps in hindsight, he took it too far."
NARRATOR (VOICE OVER)
Taking it too far may be the understatement of the century...
MORT GOODMAN,
COACH OF CARTER HAYES
"Once I got my wits about me, I saw it coming. Carter was screaming. He was dancing. He got in Damian's face, while he was still on the mat, and flipped him off. And then Carter flipped off Marty. The ref was warning him, but Carter wasn't listening. And so the ref did what he had to.
MORT GOODMAN
COACH OF CARTER HAYES
"He.... deducted a point from Carter for unsportsmanlike conduct, tying the match, and sending it into sudden death overtime. "
NARRATOR (VOICE OVER)
What followed is the story of legends, a story that continues to be told year after year throughout New Jersey wrestling circles.
MORT GOODMAN
COACH OF CARTER HAYES
"The ref calls Carter and Damian to the center of the mat. First take down wins. Now mind you, Carter Hayes has unmatched take down defense. Sending it to overtime is a minor setback in my mind. But Carter...oh, how Carter is his own worst enemy. And he is so consumed with arguing with the ref when the ref blows the whistle to start overtime, that he didn't even see it coming."
NARRATOR (VOICE OVER)
Damian used a double leg to put the distracted Carter clean on his back... and just like that, Damian Cole was the 2002 state champion at 171 pounds, and Carter Hayes was 124-1....
...And then, the aftermath...
NARRATOR (VOICE OVER)
Right there, in the center of the mat inside of Boardwalk Hall, Carter Hayes threw a temper tantrum of such epic proportions that it would forever brand him as "The Crybaby."
MORT GOODMAN,
COACH OF CARTER HAYES
"It was bad. Carter was stomping up and down, screaming at the top of his lungs-- so loud that those in the rafters heard him clear as day. He could not be calmed down. His deafening screams and petulance brought a crowd of ten thousand to a lull."
NARRATOR (VOICE OVER)
In response to Carter's tantrum, Arizona State pulled its offer. In fact, all schools pulled their offers. As a result of Carter's actions in Atlantic City on March 5, 2002, the greatest high school wrestler in New Jersey history would never wrestle a minute in college. Moreover, the chants "Ba-by!" that we hear in arenas throughout the country today whenever Carter Hayes is in a ring are attributed to this winter evening at Boardwalk Hall, and a match with Damian Cole.
"CRYBABY" CARTER HAYES
"If I had to do it all over, would I change the way I celebrated after regulation? Absolutely not. You know, we have become this sanitized culture, and it makes me sick. You win, you should get to celebrate any damn way you please. You don't like the way I celebrate? Then don't let me win. And on May 10, 2015, at the Steel Mill Auditorium in Holston, Pennsylvania, we're gonna rewrite history...and this time, nobody is going to steal my celebration. "
