The action on the campus of Arlington High School was jam packed and then some as 10 of 13 weight classes were inevitably seized by current NYWN ranked student-athletes!!!
A powder keg of an event from top to bottom, one needed look no further than the opening bracket (102) to see the nature of the amazing two-day affair that was in store!
In a clash of next generation superstars/top-2 in the S9 polls, it was Valley Central's Luke Satriano (ranked 7th in DI NYS) turning a lot of heads when he pinned the top-ranked wrestler in the large school polls, Cooper Merli (Newburgh Free Academy) in 3:49 to hand the decorated 8th grader his first and only blemish thus far of 2021-2022!....On day #1, as part of pool play, Satriano would also secure a commanding 10-0 major decision over another previously unbeaten/#1 in S1 per Lohud, George Johnson Jr. (Mahopac)!...Satriano was the lone individual gold medalist on behalf of his school!
At 118 pounds, it was Ward Melville senior, Christian Lievano, prevailing in not only a clash of polled opponents, but also a showdown of returning/former NYS placers, as the 2020 State 4th/current DI #3 successfully pitched a 4-0 shutout in the finals over 2021 Journeymen State 5th/DI #9 (@126), Michael Giugliano (Miller Place)...In addition to his triumph in an All-Suffolk finale, the Patriot 12th grader also boasted a pin in 3:16 during day #1 round-robin over 2020 S9 4th/entered undefeated, Rocco Futia (Wallkill)
#10 (DI) Justin Fortugno (Byram Hills) proved himself to be the best of the best at 126 pounds, as the three-time S1 medalist/2020 runner-up navigated his way past two fellow polled foes in order to just reach center mat!....Wasting little time in getting himself in a groove, Fortugno kicked off his appearance with an 8-4 decision over #11 (@132) Jace Yannucciello (Ward Melville...In the semifinals, he was in utter control, as he did not surrender a single point in emerging with a 7-0 decision over #12 Brogan Fielding (Carthage)...For good measure, the Bobcat senior then polished off his masterpiece of a tourney by pitching his second shutout in a row, 6-0 versus 2020 S9 4th, Sebastian Vidacovich (Valley Central).
With three ranked hammers dropping down a weight class from where we had them slotted, 145 quickly developed into a must-watch weight class; and in the end, it was our original favorite at 152 (DI #2) Angelo Centrone (Mahopac) working his way to "last man standing" status after running a gauntlet that featured wins over DII #6/2020 SI Champ Sander Miller (Edgemont) and DI #8/2020 S11 6th, Justin Klein (Miller Place) by scores of 10-4 and 14-7 in the semifinal and title rounds!!!....The 3x NYS medalist/2021 J-Men runner-up [Centrone] also added dubs during the round-robin over 2020 S9 4th, Brenon Thiel (Onteora; 18-2 TF) and 2x Section 9 finisher, Jackson Merli (Newburgh Free Academy; 17-2 TF)!
2x NYS medalist/preent DI #4 (@160), Tim Bova, dropped down to fill the void at 152 left by the departure of the aforementioned and continued his domineering ways at the lower weight class, pinning ALL EIGHT of his opponents in 4:18 or less....The most impressive wins during this haul naturally occurred in the Admiral 12th grader's last two bouts, as he stuck DI #10/2x S9 placer Tyler Reed (Cornwall) in :48 of their semifinal meeting and then cemented his legacy via a slap of the mat in 4:18 over 2020 Connecticut State bronze medalist, Colin Loria (Xavier)!....
Bova was one of two studs to properly defend home soil as earlier in the afternoon, 2021 NYS 6th/current DI #5, Dillon Arrick gave his dad [Jason] a belated wedding gift when he kept his perfect sophomore campaign going by cruising to the 110-pound hardware!...A winner by bonus point outcome in his entire journey into the finals, the elite 2024 prospect was finally held to a regular decision in the title bout, knocking off previously undefeated/#3 ranked in S9, Nicholas Weeden (Valley Central), 5-0!
Going back-to-back at 160 and 172 pounds for the eventual team titlists from Miller Place were Robert Cunningham and DI #12 Anthony Bartolotto....
While Cunningham earned his gold behind a 6-0 decision over 2020 S9 5th, Anthony Manzi (Newburgh Free Academy), it was his victory one round earlier that especially caught the attention of the pundits...Pitted against DI #9 Josh Gendlin (Hewlett), Suffolk would garner LI bragging rights in the form of a 19-second fall in the semis!
Bartolotto's path to the prize took an unusual turn as he actually suffered a loss during pool-play (3-2 to Cornwall's Nick Cavallo), but rebounded to win four straight bouts, highlighted by a pin in 3:29 over Longwood's Robert Hammel in in the 172-pound finals!
DII #1 (@138) Joe Sparacio (Mattituck), DI #8 Jabali Zoia (Longwood), and DI #4 Jacob Maiorano (Hewlett) were bonus point machines on behalf of "Strong Island".....Combining to rack up 15 falls, 2 techs, and a major decision, the trio lived up to their rankings by winning it all at 132, 189, and 285 pounds respectively!
Visitors from CT, Dylan Levesque and Thomas Lunt, both from Xavier, won the two remaining crowns at 138 and 215 pounds!
Without question the premier tournament in the Empire State during the week-long holiday break, as advertised, if you wanted to win at Windsor, it did not require one or two signature wins, but rather three or four tier 1 victories...
EVERY bracket loaded with ranked, state medalist, or sectional standouts, if you were one of the 13 titlists crowned, you should wear it as a badge of honor because many a blue chipper tried and only the special few got the mission completed!!!
No ranking was safe, as we discovered at 132 pounds when 2x NYS DII #2 (@138) Nicholas Noto (HFL) dropped down a weight and handed previously immaculate/DII #1 Caden Bellis (Tioga) his first loss of the season in the finals, 5-3, in a war of multi-time NYS medalists (both 2x placers)....In the lead-up to this epic title clash, the Cougar junior [Noto] also posted a 6-3 decision over 2021 Journeymen State 5th/DI #7 (#138), Alex Booth (Indian River)...Bellis reached the finals with a fall in 5:12 over 2020 Section 11 bronze medalist/DII #3 Tristan Petretti (Shoreham-Wading River)
102 absolutely lived up to its billing as a marquee bracket as DII #1/2x State medalist, Darren Florance (BHAG), took a massive leap towards solidifying himself as the "hunted" next month in Albany when he bested both the #3 and #4 polled wrestlers in consecutive bouts...In the semis, he survived his closest call, beating the youngest Noto brother [Christopher; #4], 5-3....The finals win came with much greater comfort as he topped 2021 Super 32 MS All-American/youth phenom, Gavin Mangano (Shoreham-Wading River), 8-2!....The Wildcat 7th grader [Mangano] punched his ticket to the championship match via a 2:48 pin against Noto's teammate, Jacob McVige; In addition, he stuck DII #9, Maverick Beckwith (Norwich) in 1:09 in the quarters!
Florance would not be the only young gentlemen with a #1 ranking credited to him that went all the way at the event...Also defending their chart-topper statuses at 126, 160, 189, and 215 were Tyler Ferrara (Chenango Forks), Carter Baer (Gouverneur), Gabriel Monroe (Windsor), and Sam Sorenson (Homer)!
Ferrara, the two-time NYS finalist/defending state titlist, ripped through much of his 48-hour victory tour, pinning 2021 S6 4th, Zach Caldwell (Starpoint) in 3:36 in the quarters before following it up with a 61-tick pin against DII #4/2020 NYS 8th, Mason Welch (Tioga)...In the finals, he was forced to go the distance, doubling up DI #3 (@132)/2020 S2 runner-up, Gabriel Goss (Burnt Hills), by a margin of 8-4...Goss reached the championship bout when he upended his previously unbeaten teammate/DI #6, Liam Carlin, 2-0 in the semis!
The future Binghamton Bearcat/defending 2x NYS champ, Baer, showed no mercy in his four outings, concluding the tourney with three falls and a 16-0 technical fall on his resume...The last of his victims (pinned in 2:22) was 2x Section 4 placer/2020 champion, Ethan Hart (Corning)...The previously cited tech occurred against 2020 S4 5th/DII #9, Brady Buttice (BGAH)!...Hart won a 3-2 overtime decision over DII #4/2020 S4 3rd, Ousmane Duncanson (Tioga), in the bottom semifinal!
Monroe, who is seeking his first state title after placements of 4th and 6th in previous years, passed the eye test of what a NYS gold medalist ought resemble, as he was 4-for-4 in earning bonus points (2 pins, 2 majors)....After posting a 13-1 major in the semis against 2020 S3 6th, Enver Bulatov (CBA/JD), the lone rep from the host program dominated DI #3, Eric Carlson (Manhasset), to the tune of a 9-1 conquest!
Sorenson, who had about as good a 2021 season as could be imagined (State titles in both NY and Wyoming; 2021 NHSCA National runner-up), has not experienced any kind of a letup in his swan song season, as he protected that "0" in the loss column by defeating DII #7/2020 S4 6th, Garrett Bidwell (Windsor), 5-0 in the semis, and then closed the show on the festivities with a 10-1 major in the finals versus Waverly's Ty Beeman!...Beeman was perhaps the biggest surprise among the 26 finalists, as he entered as the #18 seed in a bracket comprised of 19 wrestlers...He picked up wins over 2020 S3 4th, Jake Whitmore (Indian River) and 2021 S6 4th, Matt Caldwell (Starpoint) during his Cinderella crusade to the finals!
Staying on the topic of big man extraordinary feats, 2021 Super 32 All-American/2021 NYS bronze medalist/current DI #3, Charlie Tibbitts (New Hartford), is still yet to taste the bitterness of defeat as his 7-2 sv decision victory over 2x S4 medalist/2020 runner-up, Gannon Johnston (Horseheads) earned him the 285-pound brass ring!
DI #7 (@152)/2021 Journeymen State 7th, Jack Roszko (Manhasset) had the distinction of being the lowest ranked wrestler among NY's 12 champs...Dropping down to 145, the Nassau boy utilized two techs and a 1st period fall to reach the finals...Once on center stage, he refused to let the opportunity go to waste, as he emerged with a 9-3 decision over DII #3 (also @152)/2021 NYS Journeymen 7th, Donavan Smith (Tioga)...Smith's path to the finals included a 3-1 sudden victory "w" over DI #4/2020 S2 bronze medalist, Renso Montalvo (Amsterdam)!
In other spotlight finals consisting of state-ranked oppositions, it was:
-DII #2/2020 NYS Champion Gianni Silvestri (Tioga) pitching a 5-0 shutout at 118 pounds against DII #9 Chase Nevills (Copenhagen)...Silvestri had an identical 5-0 decision in the semis over 2020 S11 silver medalist, Chris Colon (Shoreham-Wading River)...Nevills had wins over DII #11 Jazz Spaulding (HFL) and 2020 NYS 7th, Joey Florance (BGAH) in the quarterfinal and semifinal rounds!
-DI #3/2020 NYS 3rd/2021 Fargo 16U AA, Casper Stewart (Attica-Batavia) going home with the 138-pound gold medal after winning a 6-4 decision over DI #6 (@145)/defending S2 champ, Tyler Rossini (Burnt Hills)....Rossini got to the 'ship after upending DII #7 (@145)/2020 NYS 5th, Craig Jablonski (Shoreham-Wading-River) in the semis!
-2x S10 Champion/DII #2 Vandavian Way (Gouverneur) recorded the only points in a 3-0 decision over 2020 State 7th/DII #3 (@160), Emmett Wood (Tioga), at 152 pounds...Way also got his arm raised (5-3 decision) versus 2x S4 placer/2020 silver medalist, Charles Loucks (Corning), whereas Wood went through DII #8 Isaac Allen (Groton) in the quarters (:50 fall) and then posted a 5-2 decision in the semis against 2020 S3 bronze medalist, Gabe Lynch (Indian River)
DII #3 Talan Hubbard (Homer) notched an impressive win by pin in 4:46 over upset-minded Andrew Spaulding (HFL) in the 110-pound finals...Prior to his title win, the Trojan sophomore won a 6-3 decision over DI #12/2021 Journeymen State 5th, James Leuer (Starpoint)...Hubbard also had a fall over 2020 S4 4th, Carmine Gross (Chenango Forks)!...Spaulding won an 11-9 barn-burner in the lower half of the bracket over DII #7 Deakon Bailey (Tioga).
Keystone State visitor, Bryant Green (Towanda) defeated DII #4 Adam Ortega (Copenhagen), in the 172-pound finals...Despite the heartbreak in the end, Ortega still has much reason to maintain his confidence. In the semis, he registered a key victory when he pinned DII #2 Ray Hutton (LaSalle) at the 5:01 mark...
Despite crowning just one individual champion, DI #10 Long Beach would rely on it's total depth (2 runners-up, 5 bronze medalists, 2 4ths, 1 6th) to squeak out a 200 to 197 victory on December 29th over their hosts from DI #6 Massapequa...Section V, DI #17 Pittsford, was also in serious team title contention, finishing just 10 points behind the victorious Marines...
In what served as one of the co-main events on the day, it was DI #7 (@110)/2020 S8 3rd, Carlos Arango (Massapequa), cutting to 102 to take down DI #3 Mason Franklin (Long Beach), by a narrow 2-1 margin in what is shaping up to be a preview of the eventual Section 8/County finals!!!...Prior to the loss to Arango, Franklin would continue to get the better of the repeated meetings with teammate, Dunia Sibomana (DI #11, but the deficit seems to be shrinking (5-4 in the semis).
172 beared witnessed to the second of our prominent match-ups as DI #9 Ian Bobac (Connetquot) recorded a 13-8 decision in the finals over DI #6/2020 S9 3rd, Mike Zrelak (Monroe Woodbury)...In the quarterfinals, Bobac also emerged with a pin in 3:31 over former NYWN ranked Anthony DiGennaro (Massapequa)
At 145 pounds, the host rep/DI #3 (@152)/2019 NYS 3rd, Anthony Conetta (Massapequa) went home with the gold and the overall tournament O.W. award, but it was the individual he beat (6-3) in the finals, Christian Paredes (Connetquot), that saw his stock rise the most...Labeled as a definite sleeper in our preview article, the 2020 Suffolk 6th [Paredes] advanced to the title match after knocking off returning NYS 4th/current DI #3, Frankie Volpe (Hauppauge), 5-1, in the semifinals!...Paredes was the only opponent that made Conetta go the full duration, as the Chiefs' senior stayed perfect versus in-state competition this season with falls in his three other appearances at home!
True to the pattern above, all in all, the day belonged to credentialed entries as the outstanding titlists at 110, 118, 132, 138, 160, and 285 are all presently adorned with top-12 honors!!!
2x NYS medalist/DI #3 Mikey Manta (Hauppauge) pinned the third-ranked wrestler in S9, Liam Hayes (Monroe-Woodbury) in 1:54 in the semis and then locked up the gold with a 6-0 decision over Pittsford 9th grader, Zach Gerby!
Monsignor Farrell senior, Michael Adams (2x NYS 5th), need not be concerned about slipping from his #2 slot on the large school charts after earning a technical fall in the 118-pound finale over Miguel Lozano (Connetquot)...
2020 Nassau 4th/DI #7, Thomas Wagner (South Side/East Rockaway) logged two falls and a tech in his three-match trek to the crown at 132 pounds...The Cyclone 12th grader pinned Matan Greenfeld (Long Beach) in :56 in the championship contest
2020 NYS 6th/DI 8th ranked Jordan Brown (Monroe-Woodbury) cruised early (1st period pin + TF in first two bouts) to reach the title bout, but then had to put on his serious face in the finals, winning a 4-3 decision over 2020 S8 silver medalist, Matthew Castillo (Port Washington)...
2x State medalist/2x NHSCA All-American/future UVA Cavalier, Nick Sanko, threw his own pin party at 160, wrestling no longer than 1:17 (finals against 2020 S8 Blood rounder, Luke Ciolino; Massapequa) in any of his four matches...
DI #5/2021 Journeymen State 6th, Stephen Monchery (Middletown), pinned his way through the 285-pound field, sticking previously unbeaten John Feramola (Connetquot) in 2:29 during the semis and then flattening 2020 S5 4th, Bobby Foltz (Pittsford) at 3:42....Foltz reached the title bout by recording a 4-1 decision over DI #10 Jakob Menichini (Massapequa)
Not in the polls yet, but will be soon is 2021 J-Men State 7th, John Santowski (Pittsford) who blitzed the 215-pound bracket, pinning all three of his opponents...He secured the fall in 1:46 against Middletown's Fernand Vera, to wrap up his afternoon!
Wyatt Parker was the catalyst for LB's team win as his personal success at 126 proved to be a difference...Earning the berth in the finals with a tech and a pin in his quarter and semifinal matches, the senior Marine finished what he started when he prevailed, 4-2, over Hauppauge's Luke Clackett!
Massachusetts State champs---Lucien Perla (2x champ) and Joshua Cordio (2020 Champ/3rd at 2021 Beast of the East) are headed back to the "Bay" with the golds at 152 and 189 pounds...The former was a 6-4 victor over 2021 J-Men State 8th/DI #11 (@145) Alex Giuliani (Massapequa); the latter teched DI #12 Kwasi Bonsu (Baldwin) in the semis before concluding his visit with a 10-0 major against Pittsford's Nick Smith.
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