This past weekend on the campus of Canandaiga belonged to several of our ranked programs as nine of 13 individual crowns at the Robert Bradshaw Invitational were earned by a representative from a current top-25 (or HM) school...
Cruising to yet another team title (by a mind-blowing margin of 107 points) and further solidifying themselves as the cream of the crop In the NYSPHSAA small school division were the DII #1 Tigers of Section IV Tioga...
Placing 12 on the podium, highlighted by seven in the finals, the Blue & Gold machine would receive title-winning efforts from their 110 (Jayden Duncanson), 118 (Gianni Silvestri), and 132 (Caden Bellis) pounders...
The extraordinary 8th grader, Duncanson, who broke into the DII polls this week at DII #13, picked up the first tournament win of his scholastic career when he converted a takedown in sudden victory to emerge with a 4-2 decision over teammate/ DII #8th ranked, Deakon Bailey....The victory over his fellow Tiger was one of two that Duncanson would earn over polled opponents; in the semifinals, he used a reversal and a set of swipes in the 2nd period to score five of his seven points in a 7-1 decision over DI #15, Zach Gerby (Pittsford), in the semifinal round...In the quarters, he pinned 2020 S5 4th place, Tony Marcano (Victor) in 1:46...Bailey reached the title match behind a 7-4 semifinal decision over a different Victor student-athlete, DI #9 Dom Attardi!
Identical to 110, the championship match at 118 would also be an all-Tioga affair, as the 2x NYS medalist/2020 State champion, Silvestri (ranked 1st), knocked off 12th-ranked Levi Bellis, via a 15-0 technical fall (TD, reversal, four sets of swipes)...The one-sided nature of the title match was nothing new for Silvestri, who bonus pointed his way through the entire event, including a 1:48 fall in the semis against 2x S4 placer/2020 champion, DI HM Ryan Massengale (Horseheads)...Silvestri now has tournament wins this season at Windsor, Saratoga, and the Bradshaw!
Bellis, the two-time returning State 4th who entered as the DII #3, made it a second straight weekend with a gold around his neck (previously was the champ at the Saratoga), when he stuck DI #8/2020 S5 5th, #8 (DI) Cosmo Lucania (Webster Schroeder), with :02 remaining in the 1st period in their 132-pound finals showdown...In addition, while the aforementioned win will likely be given more attention, it could be argued that his 4-2 victory one round earlier against DII #5/2x S5 placer, Caleb Sweet (South Seneca), was of most significance because of the potential postseason seeding ramifications it could hold!....On his path to the finals, Lucania posted an 8-3 decision in the quarterfinals versus DII #14 Jack Lamson (PB/JE/US/CM).
Tying Tioga for most champs crowned would be event runners-up, Di #15 Pittsford, who showcased their immense strength in the middle and back end of their line-up by seizing the top prize in three (160, 189, 215) of the last five weight classes contested....
At 160 pounds, two-time NYS placer, Nick Sanko, was definitive in demonstrating why he currently sits in the #2 slot of the DI polls, pinning his way into the finals In times of 0:26, 1:11, and 0:18 over Omarion Woolfolk (Newark), Dylan Schmitt (Webster Thomas), and Jonathan Everhart (Jordan-Elbridge)…Squaring off with Three-time S6 medalist/#4 DI, Michael Schaefer (Lancaster), in the finals, the future Virginia Cavalier went the distance, but the “w” was never in doubt, as he collected six takedowns en route to a 13-3 major decision...Even with the defeat In his last appearance, Schaefer enjoyed a solid overall outing, as he upended DII HM Lucas Dendis (South Seneca), 7-5 in the quarters, and then pinned his #4 (DII) counterpart, Gage Burgess (Palmyra Macedon) in 4:58 of their semifinal!
The only top-15 competitor in his bracket at 189 pounds, DI #10 Nick Smith, successfully held serve, pinning DII HM Brett Rooks (Palmyra Macedon) in 2:42 of the title match...Extended the full duration just once (8-5 semifinal decision over Grady McElveney (Fairport), Smith also notched a 27-second fall versus Morgan Miller (Newark) and a 16-1 TF against Trevor Leisten (Penfield)!
2021 Journeymen State 7th, John Santowski, remained unbeaten in 2021-2022 when compiled a 4-0 record w/three falls to be the king of 215 and give the Panthers their second straight brass ring!!!!....Punching his ticket to the finals courtesy of 2:34 pin of Simon Appleby (South Seneca), followed by 0:52 stick of Davis Damelio (Webster Schroeder), and a 6-2 semifinal decision against Matthew Braun (Victor), Santowski completed the trip to Titletown by earning the slap of the mat with :05 remaining in the 1st period versus Jeffrey Craddock (Fairport)
DI HM Chenango Forks and Hilton would join the list of programs with multiple titlists as the Ferrara brothers delivered gold at 102 and 126 on behalf of the Blue Devils, while Rocco Camillaci and Elijah Diakomihalis were unstoppable at 152 and 172 pounds for the Cadets...
The younger/smaller of the Ferrara sibling duo [Ryan] stepped onto the mat this weekend ranked 13th in DI. However, he is likely to see that # climb after an outstanding display that witnessed him amass three falls and an 18-1 technical fall (in the finals over Lucas Hoffman of Odessa Montour)...The only occasion in which the 8th grader was tested would come in the semifinals when he pulled out a very impressive 12-9 decision against the gentleman that was directly In front of him on the charts, Kiernan Magee (Penfield),
Older brother/defending NYS titlist, DI #1 Tyler, stayed unbeaten during his junior campaign, when he posted a 5-1 decision in the 126-pound finale against DII #4/2020 NYS 8th, Mason Welch (Tioga)...The triumph over his fellow State medalist was one of two signature victories for the KD Trained pupil. In the semifinal round, he put on a clinic from the top position, turning DI #7/3x S6 medalist, Myles Gronowski (Lancaster), five times (10 points) in the first period on his way to a 16-0 tech fall...Welch got to the finals with dubs over 2020 S4 bronze medalist, Cody Dale (Horseheads; 10-0 major) and a 5-4 semifinal decision over DII HM Tyler Roe (Tioga)!...Roe was not too shabby in his own regard, wrestling back for bronze, with wins over DI #8/3x S5 finalist (2020 titlist), Joe Berenson (Webster Schroeder; 11-8 decision), and Gronowski (fall in 2:53)
DI #1 Camillaci, the 4x NYS medalist/2021 Fargo Jr. FS All-American, made a hard journey appear quite simple, as he tore through a very capable field to bring home gold at 152 pounds...Growing stronger In each subsequent round, the future Ivy Leaguer (Princeton University) blitzed DII #5/2020 S4 bronze medalist, Ousmane Duncanson (Tioga), 21-6 in the quarterfinals, before pinning DI #15 Logan Palmeri (Fairport) in 3:02 of the semifinal round...As the encore, he was a 19-4 TF winner over 2020 S5 5th, Sam Ricci (Victor)...Ricci had a statement-making “w” in the quarterfinals against Tioga’s Emmett Wood (2020 NYS 7th/currently DII #9)!
The Diakomihalis family win streak was preserved for yet another week, as the fab freshman/DI #2 [Elijah] garnered Outstanding Wrestler honors are pinning all four of his opponents in sub-1:00 times...On the mat for no longer than 44 ticks at any point of the tourney, Diakomihalis added the Bradshaw crown to the Monroe County title he seized last month when he pinned DI #15 Zander Arnold (Chenango Forks) in 0:44...Earlier, he registered falls in 0:32, 0:43, and 0:31 versus Angelo Turo (Jordan-Elbridge), Christophe Olschewski (Webster Schroeder), James Cook (Pittsford)!...Arnold’s best win came in the quarters when he bested DI HM JT Hohman (Fairport), 5-4!
Gannon Johnston (DI #9) from DI #12 Horseheads, should shoot up the polls after pinning his way through a field that featured FIVE other state-ranked big men...Able to avoid the quadrant from hell (the result and/or beauty of a blind draw), he made short work of Bennett Howell (Chenango Forks), securing the slap of the mat in half a minute...He then waited to see who would emerge in the other quarterfinal between DI #7 Ty Rader (Victor)/DI #11 Nathan Zimmerman (Webster Schroeder)...After a Rader fall in 4:17 set up the semifinal match-up, Johnston gave him a dose of his medicine, pinning him in 2:40....In the finals, the Blue Raider 12th grader [Johnston] was opposed by DII #15 Matt Jansen (Midlakes); and just as he had done In his prior appearances, the 2020 S4 runner-up went big and then went home with the title, gluing his last foe in 96 seconds!...Jansen posted a 6-2 SV decision in the quarterfinals over DI #8, Bobby Foltz (Pittsford) as part of his road to the silver!....Zimmerman pinned DII #3 Mason Peterson (Marcus Whitman-Penn Yan) at the 5:01 mark of their opening-round match!
Rounding out our champions at 138 and 145 pounds were 2020 State runner-up, George Oroudjov (Ithaca) and 2x S5 placer, Nolan Liess (Penfield)...
4-for-4 in bonus point outcomes, after pinning 2021 S6 runner-up, Carter Tadusz (Lancaster) in 0:38 in the semis, DI #7 Oroudjov would scrap a little longer but come away with the same result, sticking 2x S3 medalist, Jack Smith (Jordan-Elbridge) in 5:21 of their title contest!
DI #10, Liess, handed 2020 S4 champ, Danny Parker (Ithaca), his first loss of the year, 3-1 sv in the semis, and was even finer in the title bout, using an escape + TD in the 2nd period to jump out to a 3-0 edge before surviving a late storm to hang on for a 4-3 decision over DII #3/2021 NYS 7th, Donovan Smith (Tioga)!
BONUS NOTE: For the first time in tournament history, the Bradshaw instituted a women's division to address the growing number of elite female competitors in S5/surrounding areas....
Winning golds in the inaugural edition were the following:
103-114: Ruthie Dendis (South Seneca)
118-129: Emily Sindoni (Tioga)
133-142: Ellanora Bode (Penfield)
144-147: Avery Castner (Marcus Whitman-Penn Yan)
153-170: Sophie Pollack (Canandaigua Academy)
Sindoni, long regarded as a cannot miss prospect, lived up to hype in going 3-0 in a 4-person round-robin that also included household names---Kayley Swaglin (Jordan-Elbridge) and 2021 USAW 14U All-American, Trista Blasz (Lancaster)...Sindoni pinned both in the 1st period to leave no doubt...
Pollack, who finished 5th in Fargo this past summer, and is 13th in the nation as of the January polls, showed no mercy in sweeping two bouts in a best-of-3 versus Amelia Samuelson (Pittsford)...The pins occurred in times of 2:29 and 0:31!!
BRACKETS
In a classic collision of powerhouses from sections 5 and 6, it was the Blue Devils of DI #6 Brockport doing just enough to eek out a collective team victory DI #22 Starpoint, 173.0 to 159.0...
Concluding the event with matching totals in both champions and overall place-winners (9), each school would see three of their nine medalists emerge with individual gold as part of the down to the fire battle for the team trophy!
Getting the job done on behalf of the victorious Blue Devils at 102, 126, and 152 pounds would be Rich Wood, Jake Daly, and Isaiah Rodriguez...
Pinning his way into the finals of the lightweight class with a pair of sub-1:00 falls over Gabe MacVittie (Clarence) and Victor Cusatis (Wilson) in times of 26 and 38 seconds, Wood would run into a very familiar foe in his finals bout in the person of Spencerport's Ryan Cielinski...Dropping round one of the rivalry in early-December (7-5), Wood has now won the last three meetings, including a three takedown effort on Friday night that yielded an 8-2 decision!
At 126 pounds, DI #10/2x sectional medalist, Daly, would be the last man standing in one of the deepest brackets of the tournament, as he got his arm raised in a top-10 clash over DI #9/defending S5 titlist, Cal Russo (Spencerport) in the finals...A much different bout from the 2-1 (tb-1) decision that Russo earned on December 29th, Daly would come alive in the 3rd period, earning an escape, converting a TD, and then adding NF to strike for five points in the last 2:00 to transform a 4-2 deficit into a 7-4 triumph!....One round earlier, he pinned 2021 S6 bronze medalist, Christopher Uptegrove (Starpoint), in 3:06!
2020 NYS DI 8th/current DI #8, Rodriguez, went unchallenged on Saturday, as recorded falls in all three of his outings to seize the 152-pound glory...In order, he stuck Joe Fatta (Grand Island), Joseph Cicco (Niagara Wheatfield), and Giovanni Russo (Amherst) in 1:24, 2:37, and 3:06 respectively...
Countering with a hat trick of their own at 110, 132, and 145 were the 2021-2022 Section 6 Dual Meet runner-up Spartans who received title-winning performances from James Leuer Jr., and the sibling act of Griff & Gage Laplante
Billed as one of main events of the weekend in our preview, the 2021 Journeymen State 5th/present-day DI #11 [Leuer] avenged his sectional final loss from a season ago for the second time this year when he scored the only takedown of the match in the 1st period (before an exchange of escapes in the 2nd and 3rd) to come away with the hard fought 3-2 decision over DI #14 Ken Schmitz (Hamburg)...When they met previously in Mid-December in the finals of the Knuutila Memorial, Leuer won by a more comfortable margin of 9-4...The "w" over his rival was one of a pair of nailbiters that Leuer had to endure. In the semis, he relied on a 4pt 2nd period (reversal + NF) to defeat Brockport's William Wood, 6-5!
Commencing the double-gold coronation in the LaPlante household was the younger of the two brethren, DI #12/2021 S6 runner-up, Griff, who came one point (in the finals) short of bonus pointing his way through the entire 132-pound field!....After pinning Dakota Ward (Lockport) and Vinny Grisanti (Ken-Ton) in 1:57 and 2:46, the 8th grade standout secured a berth in the finals behind a 19-6 major decision over Dylan Gagnon (North Tonawanda)...After a pair of 3rd place showings at the Knuutila Memorial and the Windsor, LaPlante finalized his first tournament win of the season by stringing together five TDs in a 12-5 decision over 2021 S6 4th, AJ Didas (Clarence)...
Two matches later, 3x S6 medalist (2020 Champion)/DI #15, Gage, remained unblemished in his sophomore campaign, as he lead from start to finish and withstood a late rally to emerge with the 10-7 decision in the finals over three-time S5 placer/DI #11 Dominic Vinci (Spencerport)...One round prior, LaPlante added another bullet point win to his resume when he was an 8-2 semifinal victor over 3x Catholic State medalist, Liam Edwards (St. Francis)!
DI #7 Spencerport (3rd in team standings w/138 points) was the only other program to record multiple titlists as they went back-to-back at 189 and 215 via Joe Marcello & Jackson Burns...
After conquering his quarter (Dezmond Johnson; CSAT) and semifinal (Dylan Lessar; Brockport) by fall (1:56) and major decision (13-2), DI #9/2020 S5 4th, Marcello wrapped up his championship journey with a 5:16 pin of Ken-Ton's Connor Grohman! His title at Lockport complements the Monroe County gold he won last month!
Burns, who is currently holding honorable mention distinction in the DI polls, improved his argument to be bumped into the top-15 when he capped off his Saturday by converting a pair of takedowns and adding some NF en route to a 7-4 decision in the finals against 2x S6 placer, Noah Michael (Ken-Ton)...
Getting Grand Island on the board and remaining immaculate this year was DI #2, Brian Bielec, who got his arm raised in yet another of our premier bouts, 2-1, against DI #4 Jake Scherbyn (Spencerport)...Each an 8th place finisher at Journeymen States in 2021, this potential NYSPHSAA finals preview was settled by a 2nd period reversal + rideout by the Viking senior, as he picked up his third event triumph of the season (Phoenix Round-Robin, Knuutila Memorial)....Bielec had 1st period falls in his two prior bouts, sticking Raymone Gillie (Lockport) in 0:16, followed by a semifinal pin in 1:05 versus Connor Miller (St. Francis)...
The #4 man in the land (per FloWrestling), Cameron Catrabone (Williamsville-North/East) was a one-man wrecking crew in his bracket of choice (138) yet again....Still undefeated this fellow when facing fellow Empire Staters, the 2x NYS medalist/2021 NHSCA National Champion/2021 S32 3rd pinned his first three opponents to reach the finals and then put on an exhibition of textbook mat wrestling in the title bout, amassing 12 of his 17 points via a reversal and four sets of near-fall on his way to the 17-1 tech fall over Brockport's Thomas Sidore!
Stefaan Fearon prevented the host school [Lockport] from being shutout when he blew open a 2-0 lead by exploding for six points (escape, TD, 3NF) in the middle stanza to knock off Trevon Mathews (Niagara Wheatfield), 8-2, in a clash of the 12th and 13th-ranked DI big daddies to close out the festivities...This was the second time this year that the defending S6 champ got the better of Mathews; In late-December, he won the first meeting by a score of 7-3!
DI #6 Gavin Ciarfella (5-2 decision over Lewiston-Porter's Caden Barrientos) and Trevor Sheehan (4-1 decision over Amherst's Jacob LeClerc) also emerged with the spoils at 118 and 160 pounds on behalf of Medina and St. Mary's!
Just call us Kreskin or Nostradamus!!!!...True to the prophecy uttered in our weekend preview, top-ranked Large School program, Minisink Valley traveled to section II with five representatives; and then hours later headed home with FIVE individual titles....
Uniting to amass a 15-0 record (12 pins) among themselves, it was the murderer's row of Eric Tigue, Zack Ryder, Mikey Altomer, Andrew Filip, and Ethan Gallo making Warrior Nation proud with golds at 152, 160, 172, 189, and 215!!!
Tigue, a 2021 Journeymen State 7th, who as the current DI #6, is actually the lowest ranked of the yellow-medal quintet, would build a 4-0 lead (1st period TD; 2nd period reversal) before gluing finals opponent, 2x S4 medalist, Nick Tempel (Averill Park) to the mat for the fall in 2:31...Prior to his final win, the MV senior gutted out an equally important victory in the semis when a well-timed reversal + rideout enabled him to break a 6-6 deadlock in the 3rd period and come away with the 8-6 decision over DII #4/2021 J-Men State 6th, Noah Bernstein (Edgemont), in a semifinal bout worthy of being a title match!
3x NYS finalist/2x defending titlist, Ryder, who is regarded by Flo as the #12 (@152) wrestler in the nation, proved himself to be a God among mortals, as our DI #1 160-pounder was every bit as good as his top-billing warranted, finishing with three 1st period falls, including a 35-tick stick against Shenendehowa 11th grader, Arman Hashimee, in his finals appearance...Earlier in the afternoon, the 2021 Fargo 16U FS National titlist/2021 NHSCA National champ flattened Julius Miranda (Schenectady) in the quarterfinals and then continued to "pile up bodies" with a :35 pin of Sean NeJaime (LaSalle) in the semis!
"KID DEE" [Altomer], the returning NYS silver medalist/2021 Fargo Jr. GR National runner-up, who has dropped down a weight class for his senior season, went the full 6:00 just once as he strengthened his grip on the reins of the DI 172-pound landscape...Posting falls in times of 0:56 and 1:39 in the quarter and semifinal rounds against Dillon O'Brien (Guilderland) and Landon Payton (Mohonasen), the multi-sport superstar (shines as a two-way player on the gridiron) turned up the heat in the 3rd period, scoring seven points (reversal, NF, two stalling points) to notch an 11-3 major decision in the title contact over DI #8/2020 S2 5th, Ryan Buthfer (Burnt Hills)...The Spartan [Buthfer] earned his finals berth behind a 5-2 decision in the semis over DII #3/2020 S2 4th, Ray Hutton (LaSalle)
Contrary to the experiences of his aforementioned teammates, DI #2 Filip, who placed 8th a season ago at J-Men, found himself in the midst of a barn-burner in the 189-pound finale...Leading 5-2 at the end of the 2nd period in his match with DI #12 Dillon Blanchard (Guilderland), the Minisink junior would surrender an escape and a takedown to knot the bout at 5 apiece. However, a penalty point, coupled with an escape in the last 20 seconds of regulation allowed him to sneak out the 7-5 victory to remain perfect in 2021-2022!
In the most anticipated match on the NYS scholastic calendar last weekend, it was the 2x NYS medalist/2021 J-Men runner-up, Gallo, guaranteeing that he will remain on the DI 215-pound throne when he pinned Shaker's Ryan Stein in 99 seconds to win the war of #1 vs. #2...The still unbeaten Gallo also pinned DI #11 #11 (DI) Will Hotaling (Colonie) at the 1:43 mark of their semifinal match. This was Hotaling's first loss of the year versus a fellow NYer....Stein would grab a spot in the finals when he upended DI #6/2020 S2 3rd, Darrien Insogna (Ballston Spa), 6-4, in the bottom half semi...Hotaling then pinned (2:34) Insogna for 3rd to absolutely boost his profile!
Responsible for team champion, Burnt Hills' (11 medalists) lone individual crown would be DI sixth-ranked Gabriel Goss, who utilized two sets of swipes in the 2nd period and then escaped in the 3rd to pitch the 5-0 shutout in the 132-pound finals over 2020 S2 silver medalist, Vincent Grembocki (Shenendehowa)!...The tournament triumph for Goss was his first of the year after previously taking 3rd at Wrangle In the Plains and being the bridesmaid at Windsor!...Grembocki has now placed 2nd at three different event this season---Clyde Cole, Saratoga, and Schenectady!
While it lacked the pre-match hoopla of 215, the title match at 145 pounds was not only the best bout of the weekend in NYS, but might go down as being the best bout of the year in the Evil Empire...Trailing DII #6/2020 S1 titlist, Sander Miller (Edgemont), 14-10, in the last half minute of duration, DII #2/2x S2 runner-up, Owen Hicks (Fonda-Fultonville-Johnstown) never lost hope and kept his foot on the accelerator, earning an escape and then being so relentless in his pressure that he forced THREE stall calls (the last one being a 2pter) to pull off the unbelievable 15-14 comeback!...Miller advanced to the finals with a 13-10 semifinal dub over DI #8 Josh Warland (Burnt Hills), while Hicks was a 7-2 victor against DI HM, David Ensminger (Shenendehowa)!
Put another gold star in the book for Shen senior/DI #4, Jashon Holmes (2021 Journeymen State 5th), who kept that "0" in the loss column intact by getting the better end of his two exchanges with fellow polled opponents. In the semifinals, Holmes required a mere :39 before pinning DII #15/2x S2 placer, Luke Yorke (Cobleskill-Richmondville)...As the cherry on top, he then proceeded to connect on four takedown attempts (two apiece in the 1st and 2nd periods) to record a 9-6 decision against DI #11/2020 S2 titlist, Tyler Rossini (Burnt Hills)...Rossini may have fallen short in the finals, but still logged a shining moment one round prior, as utilized a 3rd period TD to defeat DII #6 (@132)/2x S2 medalist, Colin Carlin (Burnt Hills), 6-5!
110-pounder, Jacob Hanlon (Averill Park), may or may not be a chef in his personal life; but one dish he could seem to serve well is that cold revenge!!!!....Facing off with foes who owned wins over him this season in his semi and title matches, the freshman turned a 5-2 loss to DI #12 Clayton O'Connor (Mohonasen) into a 4-1 victory in the championship round of 4, and then really turned heads when he channelled his inner "Mark Perry" (2007 NCAA finals) by hitting a reversal and then adding a full complement of swipes to knock off DI #15 (@102) Ralph Kenney (Ballston Spa), 5-2...When Hanlon/Keeney met in Mid-December, the latter posted a 7-1 win!
Vincent Graulau (4-3 TB1 over Shen's Greg Green), DI #10 Michael Santore (7-2 against Edgemont's Dhilan Patel), Ayden Robles (12-1 versus Scotia-Glenville's Calvin Conti), and DI #8 Masen Cooper (fall in 0:57 over Colonie's Jaydon Aquirre-Hamlin) accounted for the four remaining titles at 102, 118, 126, and 285 in representation of Mohonasen, Shaker, Shenendehowa, and Cobleskill-Richmondville!
For the second week in a row, the contingent from Lackawanna Trail (PA) made the pilgrimage to the Empire State and benefited immense from their trip...
Claiming seven of the 13 individual crowns, the Keystone Staters ran away with the team race, finishing with a cushion of +140 (284.0 to 144.0) over runners-up, Marathon.
Reigning supreme on behalf of our invited guests were Cole Henry (118), Ethan Lee (132), Michael Bluhm (145), Deegan Ross (152), Robbie Schneider (160), Tyler Rozanski (172), and Seth Ross (189)...For Henry, Lee, Schneider, and the Ross duo, this was their second successful gold-medal yielding invasion in as many attempts, as all previously won crowns at the Elinsky on January 8th....Bluhm and Rozanski took silver a week ago!
-Henry defeated 2020 S4 5th, Wyatt Meade (Unatego-Unadilla Valley), 10-2, in the finals....
-Lee was a 5-2 winner over 2020 S4 bronze medalist, Noah Sovocool (Walton-Delaware Academy)
-Bluhm would knock off current DII #14/2x S4 medalist, Josh Meade (Unatego-Unadilla Valley) 6-4 in the finals after previously claiming a 7-4 decision in the semis over 2020 S8 3rd, John Bower (Clarke)!
-D. Ross notched falls in three of his four victories, including a pin in 1:16 in the finals against 2020 S4 4th, Anthony McMillen (Lansing)...The only opponent to go the distance against the Pennsylvanian was DII HM/2020 S4 4th, Ethan Morrison (Marathon), who dropped a 6-2 decision in the semifinals...
-Schneider was a clean 4-for-4 in terms of pinning his way through the 160-pound bracket...In the finals, he secured the slap of the mat with :51 remaining in the 2nd period to defeat 2021 Journeymen State 8th/present DII #14 Jack Forte (Clarke)...
-Rozanski pitched a 3-0 shutout versus Marcellus-Onondaga's Zachary Grolling in his finals appearance...
-S. Ross emerged with the most significant of the wins over New Yorkers as he posted a 5-3 decision over DII #2/2021 NYS 6th, Justin Soriano (Clarke)....In the semis, he beat DII #11/2020 S3 bronze medalist, Colin White (Adirondack), 4-3!
Defending Journeymen State Champion/NHSCA All-American (3rd)/DII #1, Jordan Soriano (Clarke), was the only Empire Stater to win a head-to-head wins bout against an LT wrestler....In the 138-pound finals, the future Drexel Dragon stuck Max Bluhm in 5:41 to maintain his perfect senior record....Bluhm, who pinned DII #11 Nate Merwin (Walton-Delaware Academy) in the semifinals was the only foe to survive longer than the 1st period versus Soriano who also logged a 58-tick fall in the semis over 2020 S4 6th, Owen Emmick (Lansing) among his feats!
Donavan Fraher (110) and Colin Scherer (126) both emerged with slight upsets in their respective weight classes on behalf of Marcellus-Onondaga...The former [Fraher], who entered as a DII HM, was a 6-5 victor in the finals over DII #7 (@102) Liam English (Berne-Knox-Westerlo)...The latter [Scherer], a 2020 S3 4th place finisher, posted an identical 6-5 decision in his title bout against DII #11 Jacob Strain (Adirondack). Strain had previously been a 7-0 winner when the two student-athletes met in December at the Haines Memorial!
Rounding out our champion list with titles at 102, 215, and 285 were DII #9 Gabriel English (Berne-Knox-Westerlo), Louis Kennedy (Binghamton), and DII #11 Logan Jamison (Marathon)!
Continuing their yearly ritual of going anywhere and everywhere in the name of seeking out the best possible competition, defending Catholic High School State Tournament Champions, the Friars of St. Anthony's would test themselves by competing in the national division of the prestigious Virginia Duals...
Boasting a roster of 20 gentlemen deep, the Antoni "the Show" Walters guided program compiled a 3-2 overall record over the course of two days to place a solid 7th out of 13 renowned schools...
Setting the tone on the mat for the South Huntington based cohort would be senior 195-pounder (DI #7 @215), Andrew Bardak....Wrapping his appearance with three pins, an 18-0 TF, and one decision victory, the defending CHSAA champ was one of two unbeaten men (not including multiple wins by forfeit) on the Black & Gold bench!
Joining in never tasting defeat (3-0) was three-time Catholic medalist (2019 runner-up), Jake Podolsky...
Not quite perfect, but pretty darn close was another returning CHSAA titlist from 2021, Frankie Theroux....The #5 guy in the DI polls at the moment, the resident of Deer Park would get his arm raised in his first four matches (3 by pin) before hitting a small bump in the road in his last outing...
Bardak, Podolsky, and Theroux, all previously were runners-up in spearheading a 2nd place team finish (out of 31) at Prep Slam in Georgia to close out 2021!!!
Freshman, Jacob Kennedy, and senior/2021 CHSAA State 4th, Ryan Walters, each won three bouts at 106 and 182 pounds respectively!
Two more reigning Catholic kings from a season ago---Mick Brown (138) and Dom Seminera (ranked DI 14th), both split their four matches...
BRACKETS
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