Meet The Team

A native of the City of Garfield, New Jersey (a.k.a. The City of Champions), Damion Logan founded The Apex Wrestling School in 2001, opening its doors to the northern New Jersey wrestling community in a small, second-floor warehouse space in South Hackensack, New Jersey.  Since that time, Logan has grown and expanded the Apex Wrestling School brand to include three training centers, spanning the entire state of New Jersey.

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4X World Champion, wrestler, grappler, mixed martial artist, Joe Warren has been a force to be reckoned with for decades in the MMA arena. Since hanging up the gloves following a world championship MMA career, Joe has teamed up with long-time friend, Damion Logan, to coach and train the next generation of champions for international competition.

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Accomplishments in High School: 3x District Champion, 3x Regional Placer, 3x State Qualifier,  2016 State 8th, 2018 State 3rd, 2018 Beast of the East 6th place.

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Accomplishments in College: 2019 Southern Conference Finalist, 2020 Midwest Classic 6th place, Southern Conference Placer, 2019 Division 2 National Qualifier.

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Jason Silverstein has been a part of The Apex Wrestling School coaching corps since its inception in 2001 (and he has the OG Apex gear to prove it!)  A New Jersey wrestling legend himself, Silverstein’s wrestling career in the Garden State, and then collegiate career in the Big Ten in the midwest paralleled Damion Logan and Dane Tabano’s wrestling career trajectory.

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Joe Burke adds yet another layer of depth to The Apex Wrestling School staff.  Many members of our staff had athletic careers whose strength at the high school and collegiate levels were relatively similar.  Joe Burke bucks this trend, as he is a prototypical example of a “late bloomer”, as well as exemplifying why early career success is not necessarily a scripted predictor of future success.  While Burke was absolutely a star wrestling athlete on the mat for Buena Regional High School in Milmay, New Jersey, it was not until he began his collegiate career that his true prowess on the mat was realized.  

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Joe Cunningham became part of The Apex Wrestling School program after enrolling his two highly successful youth wrestling daughters, Brynn and Keira, at Apex South.  After having Brynn and Keira train at Apex South for a period of time, Cunningham began volunteering his time assisting in the youth wrestling classes.  He has since become an integral part of the success of Apex South’s youth training program.  

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Abidin brings in a wealth of knowledge in freestyle wrestling as a member of the New York Athletic Club. Most recently, he advanced to the round of 12 at the 2017 U.S. Open at 65kg. Abidin also placed third at the 2017 Last Chance Qualifier and the 2018 “Granma E Cero Pelado” in Cuba. Additionally, he earned a fifth-place finish at the 2018 Bill Farrel Invitational.

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3rd Place Fargo Greco All American (2017)

3rd place Prep National All American (2018)

4th Place Fargo Greco All American (2018)

5th Place JR World Team Trials Greco (2019)

8th place US Open Greco (2022)

3rd place U23 World Team Trials Greco (2022)

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Also a native of the City of Champions, Garfield, New Jersey, Dane Tabano has been with The Apex Wrestling School since its inception in South Hackensack, New Jersey in 2001.  As a lifelong friend and wrestling teammate of Damion Logan’s since toddlerhood, Tabano was an integral part of getting The Apex Wrestling School curriculum and program off the ground, as well as maintaining its integrity.

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Derek Francavilla is an Ernie Monaco/Edge-trained student-athlete who decided to partner with The Apex Wrestling School’s central Jersey location to help continue the Apex tradition.  As a high school student-athlete, Francavilla was a two-time region, district, and county champion for Scotch Plains-Fanwood High School in Union County, New Jersey.  Francavilla was a NJSIAA state finalist at 142 pounds his senior year, following up on a fourth-place finish in his junior year. He finished his high school career with a record of 118-18, and as a three-time state place winner and a three-time All-Union County selection.  Francavilla also helped Scotch Plains-Fanwood claim the 2004 Union County wrestling tournament team title and became the school's first wrestler to reach 100 victories. 

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Alex Karnitski brings a highly-coveted wealth of International wrestling experience and perspective to The Apex Wrestling School program.  Hailing from Belarus, and known as “The Russian” amongst the Apex membership, Alex was a two-time University World Champion, a fifth-place finisher in the World Championships, a third-place finisher in the 2001 European Championships, and a two-time Yarygin Champion representing his home country of Belarus.  Alex was also a seven-time Belarus National Champion.

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Foley Dowd became a close, lifelong friend of Apex founder Damion Logan and co-founder Dane Tabano during their time as wrestling teammates at The University of Michigan.  His awe-inspiring athleticism and unique creativity on the mat made him a true showcase whenever he donned a singlet, and he certainly has the wrestling resume to prove it.

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Erik Norgaard has been a part of The Apex Wrestling School’s staff since the mid-2000’s era.  He joined the Apex program after completing a storied New Jersey scholastic and collegiate wrestling career.  

 

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As a high school student-athlete wrestling for Saint Joseph Regional High School in Montvale, New Jersey, Norgaard was an NJSIAA state champion in 2000.  His title in 2000 followed a finals appearance and second-place finish in his junior year, and a fifth-place finish his sophomore year.  Norgaard was also a multiple time Bergen County, District, and Regional champion, Bergen Record Athlete of the Week, and top collegiate wrestling recruit his senior year.

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Matthew Rose is another Apex-trained student-athlete who has dedicated his time to invest in perpetuating The Apex Wrestling School system. 

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St Peter’s Prep 
136-30 
3x District 16 Champ 
3x Region 4 Champ 
2x State Place-winner 
2014 State Finalist
Captain 

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Hofstra 
61-38
EIWA Place-winner 
Captain 

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