Worth the Wait: Tioga Claims NYSPHSAA DII State Dual Title in Dominant Fashion; Defeat Canisteo-Greenwood, 50-7 In #1 vs. #2 Finals

THE FOURTH TIME WAS THE CHARM FOR THE TIGERS!!!

‍

The waiting game is over in Tioga!!!

After three straight event berths that saw them denied by either the eventual state champion or runner-up (2018-2020), followed by the cancellation of the event last winter, the hardware is finally headed to the Tigerland!!! It was a moment that Head Coach, Kris Harrington, and his young charges never wavered in believing would come to fruition!!!

Earning victories in 11 of the 13 bouts during the championship dual, the section IV powerhouse overwhelmed their immensely talented opponents from Canisteo-Greenwood, 50-7, to at long last, hail themselves as official "Tiger Kings of the Empire State."!!

The statement-making and/or commanding margin of triumph in the finale was nothing new for NYWN's #1 ranked small school program; On the contrary, it was simply the next chapter of this 2021-2022 saga that has witnessed them "mash their teeth" and tear through any "enemy" that crossed their path!!!

Losing just seven matches (in which they fielded a student-athlete) all weekend, Tioga cruised to the finals behind wins over Port Jervis (65-9) and Newfane (47-16) in pool action, before dethroning 2020 champs,  Falconer-Cassadaga Valley, 59-12, in the semifinals!

The true indication of their individual and collective firepower, from 110-189, the Tioga line-up boasted nine representatives (Jayden Duncanson, Gianni Silvestri, Mason Welch, Tyler Roe, Caden Bellis, Donavan Smith, Ousmane Duncanson, Emmett Wood, and Trent Browne)  that completed Saturday as the owners of immaculate 4-0 tallies!

The money dual starting at 138 pounds, it would be Roe, Smith, and the first of the Duncanson duo [Ousmane] setting the table for their school, as they ran off dubs in the first three weights to seize an immediate 11-0 advantage over the opposition from section V!

Surrendering the initial takedown of the match to 2020 S5 6th, Lucas Mason, the sophomore sensation/current #8 ranked Roe stormed back to score seven unanswered points (escape, TD, reversal, 2NF) between the 1st and 2nd periods to lead 7-5 heading into the 3rd period.  His second takedown of the bout with 1:10 remaining in regulation was the only scoring of the last 2:00 as he rode out the last 70 ticks to finish off the 9-5 decision...Roe also posted a big win in the semifinals, besting HM Karsen DePasquale (Falconer), 11-6!  

At 145 pounds, 2021 Journeymen State 7th/#3, Smith, put on a clinic from the top position in securing a quite mind-blowing 15-0 technical fall against 2x S5 medalist, Luke Kilmer (#7) in a clash of elite company...Accumulating nine points off of three sets of swipes (one in each period), the 11th grader also added TDs in the 1st and 3rd, complemented by a reversal in the second stanza to round out his offensive output...The "w" over Kilmer was the last of four that Smith garnered over fellow sectional placers and/or polled personnel...Prior, he swept his pool matches via a 15-0 TF over 2020 S9 champ/#12 Ryan Ross (Port Jervis), and a 10-2 major against 2x S6 5th/#9 (@132), Adam Huntington (Newfane)...He pinned 2021 S6 bronze medalist, Jacob Clark (Falconer), during the semifinals!

[Ousmane] Duncanson made it back-to-back wins over ranked counterparts when he pitched a 7-0 shutout at 152 pounds over 2020 S5 6th/present #15 (@138), Beau Zeh...Striking for 4 of his 7 points in the last 1:15 of the opening period, the 2020 S4 3rd/#5 ranked competitor [Duncanson] converted a takedown and then tacked on a 2pt near-fall to enjoy a 4-0 edge at the end of 2:00...Never resting on his lead, his constant pressure yielded multiple stall warnings in the 2nd and 3rd periods, to go along with an escape in the last half minute of the match to account for the final score...

The Tigers and Redskins would split the next four bouts, with Tioga sandwiching victories at 172 and 189 between C-G's successes at 160 and 215...

2019 NYS DII 4th/top-ranked 160-pounder in the state, Braidon Woodward put Canisteo-Greenwood on the board and cut the deficit to 11-4 when exploded for nine points in the 3rd period en route to a 15-4 major decision versus Justin Hopkins.  

But as quickly as the pain subsided for C-G, Wood and Browne provided a second wave of sting as they each registered 1st period falls to increase the cushion to 27-4!

Wood, a 7th place finisher at the 2020 NYS DII Championships, who entered as the #9 ranked 152-pounder, bumped up to 172 pounds where he transitioned from a single-leg into a cradle to stick Keegin Christian at the 1:17 mark!

Browne connected with a toss from an front-head/under-hook position to pin Trevor Mochol in 1:03!...Stepping on the mats slightly underrated/overshadowed, the Tiger 10th grader most definitely raised his profile as he also posted wins over HM (@160) Brodie Little (Falconer; fall in 1:37) and the #1 man in S9, Ivan Figueroa (Port Jervis; pin in 2:37)

After a 5-1 decision by Jacob Evingham over Josh Snell gave C-G their second win of the evening, Tioga would punctuate their title-grabbing effort by getting their arms raised in the final six matches of the day (five of came at the expense of credentialed opponents)...

Commencing with senior big man, Tate McCauley's 1:46 flattening of Loren Brown, Logan Bellis, [Jayden] Duncanson, Silvesti, Welch and [Caden] Bellis all took turns closing out their appearances with signature triumphs that could/should have seeding ramifications in Albany [NYSPHSAA Championships)!

An underdog on paper, the youngest of the Bellis trio [Logan], shook off two losses earlier in the festivities to emerge with a 5-3 decision over sixth-ranked Cael Stewart, at 102 pounds...Bellis converted one TD apiece in each of the first two periods to carry a 4-1 lead into the 3rd.  He would allow a reversal, but then escaped and relied on excellent defense to hold on for the decision!

[Jayden] Duncanson extended his personal win streak to 17 when he was merciless in working endless cradles for the stick in 1:25 over HM Austin Hall at 110 pounds...Wasting no time in drawing blood, the eighth-ranked 8th grader finished a TD :09 into the bout and then further built his lead to 8-0 with a pair of 3pt NF before his third attempt at the cradle resulted in the slap of the mat...During pool-play, Duncanson earned an even more substantial feather to his cap when he pinned 2x S9 titlist/present #2, Trevor Tufano (Port Jervis) at the 4:31 mark of their round 1 showdown!

Pitted in what could best be labeled as the "main event", it was #1 Silvestri utilizing takedowns in the 1st/3rd periods, coupled with a reversal :30 into the 2nd period to score 6 of his 8 overall points in an 8-3 decision over #2 Xavier DeJesus-Remchuk, in a rematch of the 2020 NYS DII finals (won 5-4 by Silvestri)...The two standouts also met in the semifinals of the 2021 Journeymen State tourney, with DeJesus-Remchuk enacting some revenge (3-1) before settling for silver (Silvestri was 3rd)...With the way these two cannot avoid each other on grand stages, expect another meeting at MVP Arena later this month!

Five of Welch's six points occurred during the opening 2:00, as the 2020 NYS 8th/current #4 logged a pair of takedowns (the second coming with :04 remaining in the 1st) and earned an escape to carry a 5-2 edge versus 2020 S5 runner-up/HM Gavin Bob...The only additional points in the final 4:00 were an exchange of E1s, with Bob freeing himself :47 into the 2nd and Welch following suit :03 into the 3rd!!...The highlight of Welch's trip to Syracuse came in round 3 of the pool when he upended Newfane's Ayden Buttery (2021 J-Men State 7th/current #5 @118), 7-3, in a collision of returning NYS medalists!

Last but never least was the 2x NYS 4th, [Caden] Bellis, who put forth perhaps the best comprehensive day of any Tiger student-athlete, knocking off fellow top-15s in three of his four appearances...A 4-3 victor during the last round of the pool against 2x State placer/#4 @132, Aidan Gillings (Newfane), Bellis (#3 @132) posted a decisive 9-0 major in the semis versus 3x S6 medalist/#9 (@138), Austin Chase (Falconer)...As the final exclamation/cherry on a brilliant body of work, he Bellis ran a bar (while already up 4-0) to secure the pin in 3:27 over 2020 S5 bronze medalist/sixth-ranked Colton Havens!

Tioga-50; Canisteo/Greenwood-7

ROAD TO THE FINALS

POOL A/ROUND 1:

TIOGA-65; PORT JERVIS-9
110 - Jayden Duncanson (Tioga) pinned Trevor Tufano (Port Jervis) 4:31
118 - Gianni Silvestri (Tioga) pinned Alyssa Reed (Port Jervis) 1:41
126 - Mason Welch (Tioga) won by forfeit
132 - Caden Bellis (Tioga) pinned  Nathan VanKleek (Port Jervis) 1:18
138 - Tyler Roe (Tioga) wins by forfeit
145 - Donavan Smith (Tioga) TF Ryan Ross (Port Jervis), 15-0
152 - Ousmane Duncanson (Tioga) pinned Owen Curreri (Port Jervis) 2:50
160 - Emmett Wood (Tioga) pinned Joey Ebbecke (Port Jervis) 1:21
172 - Thomas Hurd (Tioga) won by forfeit
189 - Trent Browne (Tioga) pinned Ivan Figueroa (Port Jervis) 2:37
215 - Matthew Oosterom (Port Jervis) won by forfeit
285 - Tate McCauley (Tioga) pinned Mark Idsall (Port Jervis) 1:18
102 - Charlie Wylie (Port Jervis) dec.  Logan Bellis (Tioga),  4-1

POOL A/ROUND 3:

TIOGA-47; NEWFANE-16
126 - Mason Welch (Tioga) dec. Ayden Buttery (Newfane), 7-3
132 - Tyler Roe (Tioga) dec. Miguel Salas (Newfane), 14-8
138 - Caden Bellis (Tioga) dec. Aidan Gillings (Newfane), 4-3
145 - Donavan Smith (Tioga) Maj Dec. Adam Huntington (Newfane), 10-2
152 - Ousmane Duncanson (Tioga) pinned Camden Rowles (Newfane) 1:34
160 - Emmett Wood (Tioga) pinned Collin Doxey (Newfane) 0:47
172 - Trent Browne (Tioga) Maj Dec. Cade Miller (Newfane), 11-0
189 - Simon Lingle (Newfane) pinned Thomas Hurd (Tioga) 3:53
215 - Josh Snell (Tioga) pinned Christopher Kerr (Newfane) 1:16
285 - Charles Larose (Newfane) pinned Tate McCauley (Tioga) 0:52
102 - Brayden Kellison-Neglia (Newfane) Maj Dec.  Logan Bellis (Tioga), 12-2
110 - Jayden Duncanson (Tioga) pinned Jakob Lucinski (Newfane) 1:05
118 - Gianni Silvestri (Tioga) pinned  Aden Harris (Newfane) 1:34

SEMIFINALS

TIOGA-59; Falconer/Cassadaga Valley-12
132 - Tyler Roe (Tioga) dec. Karsen DePasquale (Falconer), 11-6
138 - Caden Bellis (Tioga) Maj Dec. Austin Chase (Falconer), 9-0
145 - Donavan Smith (Tioga) pinned Jacob Clark (Falconer) 3:12
152 - Ousmane Duncanson (Tioga) pinned Dalton Caldwell (Falcone) 2:50
160 - Emmett Wood (Tioga) pinned Bryant Morrison (Falconer) 3:48
172 - Trent Browne (Tioga) pinned Brodie Little (Falconer) 1:37
189 - Kyle Keefe (Falconer) won by forfeit
215 - Josh Snell (Tioga) pinned Devyn Morrison (Falconer) 1:15
285 - David Stein (Falconer) pinned Tate McCauley (Tioga) 1:52
102 - Logan Bellis (Tioga) pinned Evan Newman (Falconer) 3:07
110 - Jayden Duncanson (Tioga) pinned Karsen Lundgren (Falconer) 0:33
118 - Gianni Silvestri (Tioga) pinned Kailen Kinne (Falconer) 1:04
126 - Mason Welch (Tioga) Maj Dec. Vinnie Bloomberg (Falconer), 14-0

‍