High School Happenings: Ranked Wrestlers Meet and More from Around NY

This article is from 01/20/14

So much transpired around the state once again this weekend.  Here are some of the things that caught our attention as we move closer and closer to the postseason . . .

Hilton Wins the Clayton Barnard Tournament; Several Ranked Wrestlers Collide

At the Clayton Barnard Memorial Tournament, Hilton put on a show, finishing first by over 70 points.  Next up were Fulton, Spencerport, Newark Valley and Alexander.

The champion Cadets had four titlewinners - Yianni Diakomihalis (106), Austin Hertel (113), Vincent DePrez (145) and Anthony DePrez (152), while Harald Juergens (170), Dan Norris (182) and Joe Fuino (285) took silver.

Diakomihalis majored returning state placer Theo Powers of Mexico, 17-4, for his title, while Vincent DePrez blanked NYS ranked Trevor Hoffmier of Newark Valley, 6-0.

Those weren't the only ranked wrestlers on the mats at the event.

Sam Eagan of Churchville-Chili edged Spencerport's Trent Egenlauf (up from his typical 195 pounds) by a 4-3 tally in the 220-pound title contest.

Meanwhile, both Alexander's Dane Heberlein (99) and Lansing's William Koll (132) won their last matches of the day by technical fall.  In a battle of two tough 160 pounders, Derek Holcomb of Newark Valley defeated Mexico's Trevor Allard, while wrestlers mentioned in the last NYS rankings, Collin Pittman of Spencerport (182) and Gordon Truesdale of Brighton (195), captured their brackets.

At 120, Nick Gaiser of Alexander handed Mitchell Woodworth of Fulton his first setback of the campaign with a finals pin. Also coming away with crowns were Perry's Andrew Hollister at 126, Spencerport's Tahj Eaddy (138), Mexico's Jake Woolson (170) and Alexander's Kelsey Patten (285).

For more details, see this link.

More Clashes of Top Wrestlers?  Take a Look at the Shenendehowa Invitational

The host team captured the Shenendehowa Invitational, led by eight placers.  The second and third place teams, Colonie and John Jay East Fishkill, both featured six medalists.

For Shen, three competitors stood atop the podium - Jordan Maynard (126), Jesse Porter (152) and Levi Ashley (195). Ashley, currently #1 in the Empire State, topped another wrestler on the list, Wayne Burt of Colonie, in the finals. It was a rematch of a semifinals bout won by Ashley at the Eastern States Classic last week.

Burt helped his squad to the runner up spot in the team standings, along with two other silver medalists - Golan Cohen (113) and Austin DiCerbo (285).

DiCerbo fell in the finals to Carthage's Trevor Gibbons, who was making his return to the lineup. Gibbons recorded three falls during the event.  Defeating Cohen at 113 for the second time this campaign was Jay Albis of John Jay East Fishkill in a solid bracket also featuring bronze winner Andrew McFarland of Carthage, among others.  Albis was joined on the podium by several teammates, including champions Randy Earl (106) and Brett Perry (182).

Perry sits at #4 in the state at 182.  A number of other wrestlers mentioned in the latest rankings had standout performances in the Albany-area.  Those include Luis Weierbach of Hoosick Falls, who earned gold at 120 and Saranac's Codie Gillette, who beat Kevin Parker of Shen at 138 to keep his stellar season moving forward. (Another state qualifier, Liam Erickson of Brewster, took bronze in that bracket).

Chris Tangora also kept his impressive year going at 220, while Eastern States placer Gino Gioielli of Brewster knocked off Isaiah Zimmer of Chenango Forks at 170.

Additional titlewinners were Jack Buell of Sherburne Earlville at 160, AJ Aeberli of Warwick Valley at 145, Gabe Naviasky of Bethlehem at 132 and Jake Nolan of Saranac at 99.

ECIC Championship Tournament Also Includes Meetings of State Contenders

Austin Acquard of Pioneer captured MOW honors at the ECIC Wrestling Championships at Lake Shore High School after defeating Cody McGregor of Tonawanda 2-0 in the finals to win the 132 pound bracket.

Clarence grabbed the team title, with three champions - Dylan Arena (99), Ryan Burns (113) and Jake Weber (170).  Nate Schwab was the runner up at 160 after losing an overtime battle to two-time All-Stater Alex Smythe of Eden, 3-1.

Arena made his way to the finals with three pins and a technical fall before topping Trent Nadeau of Sweet Home, 6-1.  Burns and Weber showed similar command (three pins and a tech for the former; four falls for Weber).

A few other state-ranked wrestlers rolled to titles, including #1 Renaldo Rodriguez-Spencer, who pinned his way through the 145-pound bracket.  Meanwhile, Kellen Devlin of Amherst showed similar dominance with an 11-0 major over NHSCA All-American Freddy Eckles in the 126 title contest.  It was his closest match of the day.

At 138, we saw another turn in the see-saw battle between Frontier's Rocco Russo and West Seneca East's Danny Graham.  Both are state qualifiers who could be factors in Albany.  In their first meeting, Russo came out on top.  Last weekend, at the Eastern States, Graham won the rematch, eliminating Russo from the tournament. And on Saturday, it was Russo's turn again as he captured a 3-1 decision in the title bout.

Iroquois and Pioneer took second and third in the team race.  The former received a crown from 106-pounder Connor Day, while the latter boasted the previously mentioned Acquard and 120-pound champ Jared Price. Price came into the event unseeded but beat the second, sixth, seventh and top seeds to win it all.

Alden boasted a pair of gold medalists - Eddie Hutschenreuter (152) and Erik Feitshans (285), while the remaining champs were Chris Willms of Starpoint (182), James Empfield of Lancaster (195) and Tyler Hall of East Aurora (220).

For more, see here.

Monsignor Farrell Captures the CHSAA Duals

Monsignor Farrell went undefeated, including a tight 38-36 win over Chaminade, to win the CHSAA Duals over the weekend.

In a battle of quality 126-pounders, Monsignor Farrell's Matt Seitz picked up a key victory when he beat Christian Briody by a 7-3 score. Bonus points were crucial in the close dual and Farrell got plenty of them with majors by Christopher Manfra (138) and Brian Morales (160) as well as pins by Duran Kasaj (152), Pete D'Agostino (182), Richard Sisti (220) and Christopher Carbonaro (285).

Speaking of the CHSAA . . . St. Anthony's Shines at the Prep Slam in Georgia

St. Anthony's continued its season of out-of-state journeys with a third place finish at the 35-team Prep Slam in Georgia.  Father Ryan (TN) and Lake Highland Prep (FL) finished in the top two spots in the team standings.

Two members of the CHSAA squad earned titles with 5-0 performances - Ben Lamantia at 120 and Freddie Dunau at 145.  Both racked up plenty of bonus points on the way to gold, with Lamantia getting extra points in four of his five bouts, and Dunau collecting three falls and a major.  The Penn-bound senior beat North Carolina State recruit Chandler Pyke in the title tilt.

Also making a trip to the championship round was John Twomey at 113.  He topped the number two and three seeds before losing a decision in the finals to Jack Mueller of Trinity Christian Academy, Texas (who is ranked seventh nationally).

Both Joe Russ (126) and Nick Forinti (285) notched third place, while Marshall Winston (132) and Peter Corbett (220) took fourth.

St. Anthony's wasn't the only New York team in the field.  La Salle Institute also sent a few participants, with Max Tempel taking fifth at 113 and Joseph Clemente grabbing sixth at 145.

For more information, go to www.trackwrestling.com and search for "Prep Slam".

Midlakes Finishes First at the Wayne-Finger Lakes League Tournament

Midlakes won the Wayne-Finger Lakes League Tournament, powered by a trio of champions - Ralph Mateo (126), Sean Peacock (132) and Derian Woodard (138).

Luke Yankloski of Wayne, fresh from a podium finish at the Eastern States, was upended by Hunter Olena of East Rochester in the 106-pound title bout.  The field also included 2013 state qualifier Hammond Raes of Midlakes.

Speaking of Eastern States placers, Wayne's Bryan Lantry earned bonus points all the way through the 120-pound bracket.

Meanwhile, Palmyra Macedon's Max Lloyd kept his winning ways going with a title at 152 with three pins. Another wrestler mentioned in the rankings, Christian Shepard of Geneva, took top honors at 220.

Recording multiple falls on their way to the top were Andrew Ogrodowski of Red Jacket (195), Derek Sisson of Penn Yan (182), Devan Marsteiner of Sodus (145) and Adam West of Pal Mac (113).

Additional champions were: Matt Caccamise (Wayne, 99), Corey Cristales (Williamson/Marion, 160), Dakota White (North Rose Wolcott, 170) and Jordan Hamilton (Waterloo, 285).

For more, see here.

Monroe Woodbury Leads the Way at the Kohl Tournament

At the Kohl Tournament, Monroe Woodbury, ranked the #1 dual squad in the state, won the championship with a record number of points (300).  Huntington was next, with Suffern in the third slot.

The Crusaders had five champs - Vinny Vespa (106), Evan Barczak (120), Brandon Lewis (145), Nick McShea (182) and Tyler Vervalin (285).

Monroe Woodbury's Rob Kelly was the runner up (by forfeit) at 220 to Huntington's Anthony Puca.  That wasn't the only "Puca" to grab gold.  Joe Puca pinned a quailty wrestler, Larry Courtien of Somers, at 152.  In addition, Kyle Mock won at 99 with all bonus point victories, while John Arceri captured the 113-pound bracket.

Those weren't all the champs for Huntington. Corey Jamison edged Monroe Woodbury's PJ Smoot by a point for 126 pound honors and picked up the MOW award.

Port Jervis standout Dan DeCarlo registered three pins at 160, while additional titlewinners included Luke Roediger of Somers at 170, Tyrick Jackson of Suffern at 195, Romello Bradley of East Ramapo Central at 132 and Jake Einbinder of Bethpage at 138.

For brackets, see this link.

Rematches Go the Other Way at the Islip Cup

Islip came out on top at the Kris McDonald Islip Cup, with Sachem North in the runner up position.  The two squads had some good head-to-head battles, including a pair of rematches.

Last weekend, Brad Wade of Islip dropped a decision to Sachem North's Sean O'Hagan at 132, while Anthony DiMatteo of the Flaming Arrows topped Craig Hinrichs at 220.

This weekend, both results were reversed, leading to Most Outstanding Wrestler accolades for Wade and Champion of Champions honors for Hinrichs.

Also nabbing first for Islip were Johnny DiPalma (120) and William Killeen (126).  Sachem North picked up titles from Matt Stallone (106), Matthew Marino (138), Anthony Nunziatta (145), Bobby Turner (160) and Austin Gatti (195).

Wrestlers mentioned in the state rankings also saw success, with Deer Park's Thomas Cox (99), Zach Lugo (152) and David Hamil (182) winning their brackets, while Brentwood's Danny Murray did the same at 113.  Murray's teammate Steven Nunez was the champ at 170, while Valter Piccini earned the top spot at 285 for Deer Park.

Grella, Olmedo, Bethel Roll at the Beacon Tournament

A number of wrestlers who earned podium spots at the Eastern States last weekend took the top prize at the Beacon Tournament.  That included the host team's Andrew Grella at 195 and Arlington's Alfredo Olmedo (99).

A number of Olmedo's teammates took titles, including Brady Robin (113), Nick Tolli (132) and Mike Peterson (160), as Arlington grabbed the team crown.

Also winning gold was James Bethel of Saugerties, who continued to dominate with a first period pin in the 220 pound finals.

Wolcott Wins Big at the Elmira Christmas Tournament

At the Elmira Christmas Tournament, Tioga finished atop the standings, with the host team and Union-Endicott in second and third.

In one of the premier matches of the tournament (at 220 pounds), Waverly's Ryan Wolcott pinned state qualifier Andrew Brinser of Union-Endicott, who moved down from heavyweight.  Wolcott's teammate AJ Burkhart grabbed the title at 99 while Brandon Ellers did the same at 170.  A wrestler Ellers edged recently, Whitney Point's Jordan Torbitt, captured the 160 pound crown.

Matt Norris of Homer picked up MOW accolades after winning at 145.  2013 All-Stater Curtis Grant of Elmira was at that weight (up from 138), dropping a match to Nate Bell of Owego Free Academy.

For more, see here.

Tommy Dutton, Sean Miller Take Top Honors at Mattituck

Connetquot was the top squad at the North Fork Invitational at Mattituck over the weekend, followed by the host school and Rocky Point.  Sean Miller of Connetquot nabbed Champion of Champions honors after he won the 106-pound crown over Rocky Point's Anthony Cirillo.  Cirillo's teammate Tommy Dutton was the MOW after besting Gino Titone of Connetquot for the 145-pound title.

Hudson Falls and Queensbury Sport Perfect Records at the Lansingburgh Duals (And Will Meet Soon)

Hudson Falls and Queensbury both won all six of their matches at the Lansingburgh Duals.  They didn't meet over the weekend, but they will battle later this week.

One of the highlight bouts of that dual could feature two top 170 pounders - Geno Brancati of Hudson Falls and Franky Nassivera of Queensbury.  Both were unbeaten over the weekend and both placed at the Eastern States Classic earlier this month. Nassivera beat Brancati earlier this season.

MacArthur Captures the Tim Collins Memorial Duals

In more dual action, MacArthur captured the Tim Collins Memorial Duals at Farmingdale with a perfect 5-0 mark.  In the first four meets, the squad scored at least 53 points against Exeter (Rhode Island), Sewanhaka East, Island Trees and Oceanside while yielding 21 or fewer points in each dual.  The title bout was a bit closer as the Generals notched a 44-27 triumph over Long Beach. Those two squads could square off again at the Nassau Dual Meet tournament.

Plenty of Action In NYC . . .

At the Wingate MLK tournament, there were several dominant performances, including from returning state placer Konstantin Parfiryev of James Madison, who had a pair of pins on the way to the 160-pound title.  Among the many other strong showings was by Daniel Amancio of MLK, who continued a 27-2 campaign with two pins and two technical falls to win at 120 pounds.

For more, see here.

Also in the Big Apple, the PSAL Freshman-Sophomore Championships took place, with Brooklyn Tech and McCown tied atop the standings. For full individual results, see this link.

A Few Other Results . . .

Congratulations to Onteora head coach Lou Chartrand, who picked up career win number 300.

Ward Melville's Nick Piccininni continued his dominance with a major decision over fellow ranked wrestler and All-Stater Jesse Dellavecchia of East Islip.  Speaking of the Redmen, the squad went 4-1 at this weekend's East Islip ABC Duals, losing to John Glenn.  In the process, John Glenn's Edwin Rubio notched a solid win over Massapequa's Tim Gungor at 285, 1-0.

Speaking of heavyweight showdowns, nationally-ranked Jesse Webb of Mount Anthony (Vermont) topped Seaford's James O'Hagan, 5-2.  Webb also handed Greece's Ian James his only setback of the year (earlier in the campaign), while Alfred-Almond's Connor Calkins beat Webb in the offseason.

That's just some of this past weekend's action.  The countdown to the postseason continues . . .

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To report results, feel free to e-mail us at newyorkwrestlingnews@gmail.com

Thank you to Mike Carey and Zakk Rolfe for their insights.