High School Happenings: The March to the Postseason Begins ...

This article is from 02/10/14

It was a big weekend.  The first state qualifiers were determined, as were the New York entrants for the National Preps tournament.  And a number of Sections held events to decide the participants in next weekend's Sectionals.  Here's a look at a lot of that activity.  Just a few weeks away from the Big Show in Albany . . .

Caputo, Photo by BV

The First State Tournament Qualifiers Are . . .

Most of the Sectional championships will be wrestled next weekend, but on Saturday 15 wrestlers from Section 1 punched their tickets to the state tournament with titles in the small school tournament at Beacon High School.

Four of those champions came from Putnam Valley, a program that earned its first-ever team Sectional title over the weekend.  Earning spots in Albany for head coach Will Carano's squad were Mikey Bruno (99), AJ Mirabal (132), Angelo Zegarelli (160) and Willie Messinger (170).  Bruno beat defending champ James Bathon of Pleasantville.

Trey Aslanian of Edgemont (now at Princeton) won a state crown in 2013. This year, two other Aslanians will take the mat at the Times Union Center looking to make their marks as Kyle Aslanian captured the 106-pound class while his brother Tyler Aslanian did the same at 113.  They weren't the only members of coach Pete Jacobson's Edgemont squad to come out on top. The second place team also received first place showings from Cliffton Wang (138), Colin Hopkins (145) and Chris Kim (182).

After taking MOW honors at the Rockland County championships a week ago, Nanuet's Joe Dillon once again earned MOW accolades as he captured the 120-pound title.  He was joined atop the podium by teammate Frank Paratore (152).

The remaining titlewinners include returning qualifier Stephen Paternostro of Pleasantville (126), Evan Shlom of Ardsley, Alek Pavloff of Croton Harmon (220) and Anthony DiNardo of Irvington (285).

Also in Section 1 . . .

In large school action in Section 1, four events were held to determine the qualifiers for next week's Sectionals.  Here is a quick look at each of those:

North Rockland had seven champions to lead the way at the Mahopac location - Anthony Sulla, Alex D'Angelo, Derek DiMarsico, Marlon Borge, Matt Caputo, Blaise Benderoth and Nick Didio. Clarkstown South was tough in the upperweights with titlewinners Hassan Auwarter, Austin Maurer and Matt St. Onge. Meanwhile, Ketcham also had multiple victors with Danny Murphy and Dave Emory taking first at 145 and 170, respectively.

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At Pearl River, the host squad boasted a trio of champions - James Kelly (113), Jake Kurzhals (120) and All-Stater John Muldoon (132).  Suffern had four wrestlers win their brackets - Peter Oliveto, Daiton Powell, Peter Pjetri and Tyrick Jackson.  Other squads with multiple winners were Clarkstown North (Josh Rein and Dave Crispino) and Mamaroneck with Youssif Hemida and Luis Rubio.

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At Harrison, Arlington had a solid showing, with wins from a pair of wrestlers mentioned in the last state rankings - Alfredo Olmedo and Brady Robin as well as Mike Peterson, Buffalo-bound Jon Silveri and Tanner Nielsen.  Two of the top wrestlers at their respective weights in New York (220 and 285), John Hartnett and Mike Manni of Tappan Zee, picked up a bunch of pins, while their teammate Noah Hovde also won by fall in the 145 finals.  Brewster (Liam Erickson, Joe Petrogallo and Gino Gioielli) and New Rochelle (Jordan and Lamont Wallace) also had multiple champs.

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There were some interesting results at the Horace Greeley location, beginning with a 3-1 win by Mitch Klein of the host school over state ranked Dom Celli of Somers. The 160-pound class will be one to watch at the Sectionals next weekend.

Speaking of grapplers ranked in NYS, Alex Delacruz of Ossining won by fall in his final match (and was joined in first place by heavyweight teammate Alex Dago).  In addition, one of the top 182 pounders in the Empire State, Brett Perry of John Jay East Fishkill, won along with five of his teammates - Jay Albis, Tom Docherty, Grant Frederick, Brandon White and Andrew Anthony.

Beacon's Nicholas Anzovino and Andrew Grella topped their weights (99 and 195), while Fox Lane had a trio of victors - Brandon Fay, Ben Ettlinger and Frank Surace.  Their teammate Matt Grippi dropped the 120 pound finals match by major to Jon Errico of Byram Hills. Those two had split their first two matches of the season and have a good chance to meet again next weekend.

For more on Section 1, visit the Lohud Blog.

Photo by BV

On the Way to National Preps . . .

The NYS Private School championships took place in Brookville over the weekend, with Poly Prep edging Long Island Lutheran by two points in the team race after a fantastic final round in which the school won five championships (in six tries).  Long Island Lutheran also featured five individual champions in an event in which each of the titlewinners earned spots at the National Preps tournament at Lehigh University later this month.

Among those heading to that event is nationally-ranked Adis Radoncic of Poly Prep, who blitzed his way through the weekend with pins in each of his three matches on the way to 170-pound gold.  He was joined on top of the medal stand by teammates John Luke DeStefano (106), Noah Malmut (113), Lenny Merkin (132) and Jack Argast (220).

The five wrestlers from Long Island Lutheran who will make the trip to Bethlehem, PA in a few weeks are Sal Jones (99), Mike Berkowitz (126), James Farrell (145), Ethan Beauman (152) and Nick Gunderson (285).

Two other teams featured multiple champions.  Third place Martin Luther had Kyle Morrissey (120) and Thomas McLoughlin (138) take crowns, while Hackley saw Elijah Ngbokoli (160) and Xavier Carmona (195) grab first place.  Also winning his bracket was Shahn Savino of Dalton, at 182.

For a more detailed look at the event, see this link.

Cummings, Courtesy of Guilderland Wrestling

In Section 2 . . .

The large school champs were Shenendehowa (Class A) and Burnt Hills (Class B) over the weekend.

Shenendehowa lost a dual to Columbia last weekend, but the Plainsmen took the top spot in the Class A tournament over the weekend at Shaker High, one spot ahead of the Blue Devils.

Shen was represented at the top of the podium by Kevin Parker, Jesse Porter and Levi Ashley, who all earned bonus points in the title round.

Columbia also had three champs - Kyle Greene, Jim Devine and Angelo Kress (who moved up to 160 pounds after wrestling part of the season at 152).

Although those two squads finished in the first two slots in the standings, they didn't have the most titlewinners, as Colonie and Guilderland notched four apiece.

For Colonie, Golan Cohen, Isaiah Cooks, Austin DiCerbo and Wayne Burt captured crowns.  Burt competed at 220 after spending much of the campaign at 195 and pinned previously unbeaten Chris Tangora of Bethlehem Central.  Meanwhile Guilderland saw state ranked Josh LoGiudice win at 106, while teammates David Wolanski, Mike Lainhart and Andy Cummings also were victorious. Shaker's Blake Retell won at 126.

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Burnt Hills wrestled the title away from Queensbury for the first time in several years, powered by crowns by seven grapplers. Christian Gramuglia handled returning state qualifier Anthony Sgorrano of South Glens Falls for the 99-pound crown, while teammates Mason Rabideau, Joey Butler, Nate Sisler, Jake Ashcraft, Nico Fragale and Roz Warren all took their brackets as well.  The runner up Queensbury team was led by winners Nick Robbins, Dillon Deckert and Chris Goudy, while third place Amsterdam saw Chris Velazquez, Marcus Torres and state number one Brandon Lapi come out on top.

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In small school action, Hadley-Luzerne/Lake George, Hudson Falls and Salem topped the Class C, CC and D events, respectively.

Jason Hoffman of Hadley-Luzerne/Lake George continued to blitz his way through the season with a pin in less than 30 seconds in the 145 pound finals.  He was joined by Richie Conte, Forrest Kubricky, Tom Clark, Patrick Barber and Tyler VandenBogaard as champions.

The runner up squad in Class C, Hoosick Falls, also had several titlewinners as NYS champ Luis Weierbach captured 120 pounds while Nolan Foster and Mike Matatt did the same at 113 and 138, respectively. Returning state qualifier Garon LeClair was one of two winners for Corinth (along with Tyler Mulcahy), while Tamarac (Tyler Peterson and Connor Tuttle) and Granville (Nathaniel Palmer and Brad Perry) also had a pair of gold medalists.

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In Class CC, multi-time state qualifer Geno Brancati was the only champ for Hudson Falls, but the squad stood on top of the team race with numerous other placers in the top four.

In a battle of two wrestlers mentioned in the latest NYS rankings, Nick Scott of Cohes topped Schalmont's Marcus Ramundo at 285.  

Speaking of Schalmont, 2013 state runner up Nick Gallo cruised at 182, while teammate Tim Flower won at 195 by fall.  

Meanwhile, the second place squad, Albany Academy, saw Matthew Morris keep his unbeaten campaign alive at 120 while Zach Zebrowski, Sam DeLarge and Cam Millken all won their weights.  Other teams with multiple champs included Schuylerville (Orion Anderson and Anthony Cardinuto), Lansingburgh (Luke Pondillo and Keivon Wood) and Cobleskill-Richmondville (Brandon Merchant and Taylor Epting).

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In Class D, Salem led the way with a lot of help from Dan VanDyk, Carter Merecki, Luke Fronhofer, Dustin Humphrey and Jordan Keys, who all were champs.  Second place Warrensburg received a title from Dan Ackley at 195.

Three Duanesburg wrestlers mentioned in the NYS rankings topped their classes - Zach Lawrence (99), Andy Mollevik (145) and Connor Lawrence (160).  Mollevik and Zach Lawrence both beat standouts from third place Galway - Steven Culbert and Dillan Palaszewski. Canajoharie-Fort Plain was another squad with more than one winner - Jon Payack and Jordon Griswold.

For more, see this link.

McKenna, Photo by BV

In Section 3 . . .

Indian River's Nick Toutant was named the Class A MOW after edging another former state qualifier, New Hartford's Dempsey King for the 126-pound title.

King's teammate Kelan McKenna continued his outstanding campaign with two first period pins and a technical fall at 99 pounds.  He is currently ranked #1 in New York State at the lightest class. (Sean McKenna also won, at 138).

Other wrestlers discussed in the rankings, Indian River's Sonny McPherson, Andrew McFarland and Trevor Gibbons of Carthage and Mitchell Woodworth of Fulton, also went unbeaten at the event.

And it was Woodworth and Fulton that took the team trophy by over 100 points.  Jonathan Earl (132) and Travis Race (160) captured titles for the gold medal squad as well.

Tucker Amato joined his previously mentioned Indian River teammates atop the podium, while Whitesboro (Landon Slawson and Tyler Hudson) and Oswego (Jordan Attwood and Austin Piazza) also had more than one champ.

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While Fulton had a huge margin of victory in Class A, Baldwinsville won Class AA by just one point over Cicero-North Syracuse.

Baldwinsville's titlewinners were Kevin Paul, Gunnar Sutphen and Joe Nasoni, while Cicero-North Syracuse also had three - Joseph Barber, Jerrett Norton and Jared West.

The MOW was Matt Lauro of CBA/Jamesville-Dewitt, who handed Patrick Quinlan of Fayetteville-Manlius only his second setback of the season at 132 pounds.  Lauro was joined by Matt Griffin and state qualifier Ben Honis as champs.

Dandre Norman of Rome Free Academy kept his stellar campaign going at 120, while Tim Byrnes was one of two victors for Fayetteville-Manlius, along with Tristan Broddus.  Liverpool had multiple champs as well - Audey Ashkar and Darren Breen.

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It was a good day for the 'Cooks' and Central Valley Academy in Class B. Laken Cook kept his excellent season moving forward with MOW accolades and a title at 138.  Landry Cook won at 220, while Tanner Cook did the same at 106, upending All-Stater Theo Powers of Mexico in the process. The Thunder took first in the team race by around 50 points over South Jefferson.

South Jefferson had two wrestlers capture first - Trey LaFlamme and Daniel Smith. Smith, ranked second in New York, handed Phoenix's William Hilliard only his second loss of the season in the 182-pound title tilt. Meanwhile, SJ's Logan LaFlamme nabbed second at 195 behind returning state qualifier Lane Frost of VVS. (Frost's teammate Simon Breckenridge won at 152).

Fourth place Mexico boasted four champs - Hunter Howland, Austin Whitney, Trevor Allard and Jacob Woolson, while two grapplers mentioned in the last state rankings, Matt Norris of Homer and Tyler Havener of Oneida, also struck gold.

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General Brown won the Section 3 dual meet crown, but the squad was edged in the Class C tournament by 0.5 points by Adirondack.

Adirondack had just one titlewinner - returning state champ Derek Spann at 113 (who beat his teammate, All-Stater Ryan O'Rourke, by fall in the title match).

Meanwhile, General Brown's Ryan Snow captured the MOW award after topping Holland Patent's Hunter Richard to win at 126.  Fellow state placer Tyler Silverthorn of the Lions also captured his weight (152).

Speaking of those who have been on the podium in Albany, Alex Herringshaw of Holland Patent won 15-0 in the final round at 145, while a wrestler looking to make an impact on the state level this year, undefeated Chris Pinckney of Port Byron, captured the 182 pound class.  [Fellow Port Byron wrestler Cormac Green nabbed the 132 title].

In a heavyweight clash, Brad Lucas of Cazenovia picked up a 3-2 triumph over Jacob Morris of Canastota.

What other teams had multiple champs? Sherburne-Earlville (Kevin Dunshee, Jack Buell and Garrett Duvall) and Herkimer (TJ Philpotts and Dan Appley).

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Sandy Creek topped host Dolgeville for the Class D title, fueled by Joe Benedict, Jared Williams, Jake Benedict and Zach Akey. The latter three all won their last bouts by fall.

Dolgeville also had four on the highest step of the medal stand - Noah Handy, Triston Engle, Kasey Foster and Jonathan Handy.

Several other squads had a number of champs - Copenhagen (Dempsey Carroll and Jacob Eisel) and Immaculate Heart Central (returning state qualifier Nick Koelmel and Peter Winkler).

The MOW went to Isaiah Dunagan of Otselic Valley.  The #4 seed opened with a pin and a medical forfeit before edging top-seeded Zach Pfluger 2-1 in the finals.

For more, see here.

Garcia, Photo by BV

And in Section 4 . . .

Norwich captured the Class B title, with Maine-Endwell and Windsor following in the standings.

Norwich saw Dalen Geislinger, Tristan Rifanburg and Frank Garcia atop the podium, while Maine-Endwell's Kiegan Brown, Kobe Garrehy and Zak Garrehy made it to the top as well.

State placer Jordan Torbitt had two falls and a tech on his way to 160 pound gold, while his Whitney Point teammates Nathaniel Grubham (132) and Andrew Barnhart (195) also nabbed bonus in the finals.  Susquehanna Valley had a pair of titlewinners in the upperweights with Tristan Roche and Chris Vascello topping the 220 and 285 brackets.

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The Class C tournament featured a number of wrestlers who are threats for NYS gold.  Two-time state champ William Koll of Lansing majored Tioga's Jesse Manuel for the 132 pound crown and collected MOW honors. Meanwhile, 2013 state finalists Christian Dietrich (Greene, 182) and Ryan Wolcott (Waverly, 220) had dominant victories on the way to their titles.  Both Chris Cirigliano (BGAH, 106) and Ryan Marszal (Unatego, 170) earned All-State honors last year and grabbed Class titles.  Marszal notched his second close triumph over Waverly's Brandon Ellers of the season in the 170-pound title match.

The championship squad from Tioga featured champs Kaleb Stone and Dan Hosking, while the silver team, BGAH, had Jamie Griswold take top billing at 145. Sidney, which finished in bronze position, was boosted by Dylan Gifford, Nicholas Jump and Austin Dean, who all won their brackets.

Rounding out the champs were AJ Burkhart (Waverly), Brandon Gould (Watkins Glen), Greg Lee (Lansing) and Jeff Pornbeck (Greene).

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Deposit-Hancock rolled to the top spot in Class D, led by gold medalists Dean Raymond, Stephen McKee, Colby Hall and Dan Babock. Oxford, which was the runner up, also had a number of titlewinners, including former NYS placer Joe Nelson, Nik Hansen, Joe Jackson and Fargo All-American Garyn Huntley.

Third place Candor had a champion in Freedom Boda, while Walton's Logan Robinson, Dylan Wood and Dakota Coffey continued great seasons with crowns of their own.  Delhi had multiple champs, with Trey Mostert and Brian Ingram coming out on top.

For more, see here.

Gissendanner, Photo by BV

In Section 5 . . .

Class A team champions: Brockport outpointed Spencerport by more than 45, led by a number of titlewinners - Cody Anders, Barton Peters and Ryan Mattison.

The MOWs: Victor's Mike Venosa was the lightweight MOW after taking top billing at 113, while Spencerport's Trent Egenlauf was the upperweight honoree. Egenlauf was one of the returning state qualifiers to come out on top - along with teammate Collin Pittman (182) and Churchville Chili's All-Stater Sam Eagan (220).

Some other notes: Venosa wasn't the only champ for Victor, with Jaime Dattilo, Kevin Marcano and TD Ierlan also winning. Egenlauf and Pittman were joined by Spencerport teammates Tahj Eaddy, Kyle Pittman and Kyle Melnyk atop the podium. Canandaigua also had two champs with Vincent Romeo and Mitch Fisher.

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Class AA team champions: Hilton added another achievement with the Class title. The Cadets had five wrestlers win crowns - Yianni Diakomihalis, Dan Norris and the trio of DePrez brothers (Louie, Vincent and Anthony).

The MOWs: Diakomihalis took lightweight accolades after pinning highly-regarded Parker Kropman of Penfield in the finals, while Anthony DePrez notched upperweight honors with a pin in less than a minute in the 152 pound title match.

Some other notes: Jon Haas continues to make an impact in his return to the Empire State mats, beating Webster Schroeder's Xiaodi Chen at 113.  Fellow Penfield wrestler Frankie Gissendannner cruised to his 132 pound crown, while another wrestler who competed in Albany last year, Ian James of Greece, nabbed the heavyweight class.  Tyler Schaefer had a first period fall at 220. He is currently ranked in NYS.  That's also true of Gates Chili's Derek St. James, who was defeated in the semis in a tough 99-pound bracket won by Schroeder's George Bardanis.

Another solid weight was 126, where Chris Fantauzzo of Greece prevailed. Other winners were Kevin Palmeri of Rush Henrietta, Joe Lupisella of Schroeder, Josh Goodman of Gates Chili and Tim Raycraft of Fairport.

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Class B team champions: Alexander came out less than two points ahead of South Seneca at Arkport High. Both Dane Heberlein and Nick Gaiser registered technical falls in the finals for Alexander.

The MOWs: 2012 state titlewinner Tony Recco of Lyndonville was the honoree at 113, while Connor Calkins earned upperweight MOW after a fall in the heavyweight title bout.  In addition to Calkins, Alfred-Almond received championship performances from Dan Woughter and Miguel Quintana.

Some other notes: Perry had three champs - Andrew Hollister, Christian Hollister and Jake Kramell, while Lyndonville's Dustin Joy gave his squad two titlewinners (along with the previously mentioned Recco). Geneseo also had a pair of gold medalists with Matt Brothers and James Lukaszonas.

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Class BB team champions: Warsaw racked up 346 points on the way to the Class BB title. Dylan Walker, Mike Galton, Corey Farrell, Josh Griffith and Burke Paddock were all champs for the squad.

The MOWs: Paddock was the higher weight MOW, while Kaydon Newton of East Rochester took lightweight honors after his victory over Warsaw's Colin Royce at 138.  Royce had just one loss all season coming into the weekend. [East Rochester's Hunter Olena also was a champ at 106].

Some other notes: All-Stater Trey DuVall of Addison picked up an impressive major over Aaron Paddock in the 182 pound finals, while his teammate Ward Hively won at 195. [Israel Byler, undefeated coming in, had a forfeit in the consolations at 145]. Dan Welch of Avon continued a stellar season at 220, while Campbell Savona featured victors at 126 (Joel Rosko) and 132 (John Topf).  

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Class BBB team champions: Midlakes topped the charts at Finger Lakes Community College, led by champions Sean Peacock, Rafael Mateo and Derian Woodard.

The MOWs: Adam West (113) of Palmyra Macedon won for the lightweights, while Jake Smith (182) of Honeoye Falls-Lima did the same in the upper classes. West was joined as a titlewinner by teammate Todd Brockhuizen (195).

Some other notes: Batavia was second with gold medalist Trevor Rittersback, while Wayne, new to Division II, took third.  The Eagles put three wrestlers on the top step - Joe Sliwoski, Luke Yankloski and Bryan Lantry. Christian Shepherd, discussed in the last state rankings at 220, won in multiple overtimes over Nestor Naranjo of Midlakes, while Shepherd's teammate Sean Johnson captured the 170 pound bracket.

For more, see here.

Devlin, Photo by BV

In Section 6 . . .

Class A team champions: Lake Shore was powered by champions Freddy Eckles (two pins), Luke Catalano and MOW Antonio Perna at 126.

Some other notes: Iroquois boasted four champs with Anthony King, Tristan Almeter, Matt Kloc and Andrew Paulsen coming out on top.  State qualifier Danny Graham of West Seneca East was dominant with two techs and a 7-0 win, while another wrestler mentioned in the state rankings, Trent Nadeau of Sweet Home, won at 99. [His teammate Steven Iverson was also a champ]. Starpoint's Chris Wilms and Richard Duermeyer went back-to-back at 182 and 195.

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Class AA team champions: Lockport topped Clarence, with five gold medalists leading the way. Marshall Taylor and Marcelus Hinton locked up the 220 and 285 pound classes, while Kirk Feeney and Anthony Orefice did the same at 145 and 126. Mitchell Seaver collected MOW accolades when he beat Clarence's Dylan Arena at 99 pounds.

Other notes: Clarence received crowns from Nate Schwab and Jake Weber. There were some tight overtime battles - Anthony Argentieri of Kenmore West over Ryan Burns of Clarence and Donny McCoy of Niagara Falls over Cameron Weaver of Jamestown. In addition, there were some dominant finals performances, such as by Frontier's Rocco Russo at 138, Niagara Wheatfield's Jason Vranic at 182 and by Lancaster's James Empfield at 195.

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Class B team champions: Lewiston Porter finished on top, with Alden next on the ladder.  Lew Port was boosted by titles by Andrew Shomers and Ryan Kromer (a 1-0 win over the tough Eddie Hutschenreuter of Alden).

The MOW: Kellen Devlin of Amherst stormed through the event with two pins and a technical fall.

Some other notes: Alden made its mark with titlewinners Owen Kissell, Alex Schweitzer and Erik Feitshans.  Hector and Tito Colom excelled at 106 and 113 for Dunkirk (as did Marquis Buchanan). Meanwhile, former All-Stater Drew Marra of Olean won at 120 (as did teammates Tom Weis and Quentin Ellis in their classes).

Austin Acquard of Pioneer earned a finals pin at 132, while the East Aurora duo of Nick Scheer and Tyler Hall was victorious. State and national champion Renaldo Rodriguez-Spencer of Cheektowaga did not compete, as we reported last week.

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Class C team champions: Falconer has made a habit of winning titles and the squad did it again over the weekend with championship showings by Cameron Page, Jacob Peru, Kyle Ross, Jake Penhollow and Seth Abbey.

The MOW: Eden's Alex Smythe, a two-time state placer, was the 160-pound titlewinner with all pins and techs in his contests.

Some other notes: Several state placers won their brackets - Ryan Hetrick of Southwestern at 113, Cody McGregor of Tonawanda at 132 and Dakota Gardner of Fredonia at 138.  Akron won at the first and last weights - Johnny Fiebelkorn and David Case - and Southwestern had another champ in addition to Hetrick (Tanner Hoose).

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Class D team champions: The Westfield/Ripley/Chatauqua Lake squad won the Class D crown with title-winning efforts from Nick Hudson, Mark Ecklund and Kale Gilbert.

Brad Bihler, a 2013 third placer in NYS, won at 120 for Maple Grove, as did his teammates AJ Putt, Howie Nolan and Brian Westerdahl. Brad Cunningham continued his run at 220 for Salamanca, while Portville's Ryan Thierman also kept his strong season going.

For more, see here.

Cooksey, Photo by BV

In Section 8 . . .

The team champions: At Long Beach, the host squad excelled, taking the team title with champions Jacori Teemer (99), Matt Maquet (106), Keith Wildstein (160) and Tyreek Bromley (170).

Some other notes: Hewlett also featured a number of titlewinners, with Lucas Pincus winning at 120, Oran Revivo doing the same at 138 and Matthew Kaminer taking 220.  At 132, defending Nassau champion Owen Bachelder was the runner up behind Uniondale's Adrian Berry.  Berry wasn't the only victor from his team, as William Jacobs and Chris Davidson also came out on top. Lawrence also had three champs - Oscar Puk, Hamza Ramzan and Dimitri Samuels.

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The MOW: At MacArthur, the home team's Justin Cooksey took home top honors after winning the 138-pound bracket.  He was one of seven winners from his school, with Jake Thomson, Travis Cooksey, Michael Brown, Steven Schneider, John Dougherty and Jeremy Hughes also grabbing titles.

Some other notes: Andrew Jedd of Bethpage had three pins on his path to gold at 120. His teammate Sam Romano also won his class.  Freeport crowned champions - Kerney Gutierrez, Julius Diaz and Bradley Martin - while South Side featured titlewinners Kyle Mosher, Lucas Derkatch and Jason Dantona.

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At Plainedge, the home team came out on top, led by champions Hector Guerrero, Jake Schozer, Anthony Bowles, Robert Ng and Robert Oliver.

Guerrero was the MOW following his decision over returning state qualifier Chris Donnelly of Island Trees.

Some other notes: Wrestlers mentioned in the state rankings - Peter Pappas of Plainview and Adam Smith of East Meadow - both won their brackets, while Smith's teammates Jesse Levensen and Chris Santos also were victorious.   Island Trees boasted multiple winners - Matt Gund, John Nicollino and Vincent Manna.

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The MOW: Dave Brown of Farmingdale took home the MOW award after capturing the 145 pound title at the Garden City tournament.  He was joined atop the medal stand by teammates Tim Cullen, Bryan Tenny and Javier Hernandez.

Some other notes: It was host Garden City that had the most champs, with Dylan Hughes, Tom Reina, Jack Reina, Tim Schmelzinger, Tom Lane and Lucas Hildreth winning their weights.  Manhasset also had multiple winners - Bryan Herbert, Max Zhitnik and Anthony Cerrone.

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The MOW: Blaise Kavanagh of Wantagh was named MOW at Division after his title at 132 pounds.  He was joined by a number of Warriors in first place - Jonathan Loew (four pins at 99), Kyle Quinn (113), Steve Pambianchi (138), Matt Langan (145) and Nick Vines (152).

Some other notes: The home team, Division, also had several champs - Chris Ponce (106), Nick Carreras (120), Ricky Stamm (126), Vinny Perricone (195) and Renato Gamboa (220).  One of the state's top heavyweights, James O'Hagan of Seaford, earned a first period pin in his title match, while his teammate John Lauretti also won (at 182).  Isaiah Flaherty and Justice Smith were also titlewinners (from Sewanhaka West and Sewanhaka East, respectively).

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Massapequa won the tournament at Syosset, with a number of champions - Shane Gibbons, Paul Brachfeld, Josh Brachfeld, George O'Mahoney and Tim Gungor.

The MOW: Joel Zambrano of Mepham earned the honors after his 106-pound crown.  His teammates John Sherlock, Matt Assael and returning state champ Louis Hernandez were also titlewinners.  The host Syosset squad had three victors - Vito Arujau, Nick Rondino and Jake Miller.  Meanwhile, Jericho's Ryan Wu and Jaison White won their brackets, while Chris Francia of Lynbrook did as well.

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On the small school side, at the Clarke qualifier, a number of wrestlers from the hosts won their weights.  They include Brandon Marohn, Tom Stobe, Marcos Mejia, Tyler Constentine, Dillon Abbitello, Nick Normile and Joe Turono.  In addition, Mineola had Peter McCormack, James Rodriguez, Anthony Sarno, Edien Hincapie, Mike Bowen and Luigi Athan go unbeaten.

When we receive further results from other Nassau tournaments, we will update.

Restrepo, Photo by BV

And in Section 11 . . .

League 1 team champions: Sachem East has been a force all year long and that didn't stop at home in the League 1 event.  Who won it all for the Flaming Arrows? Jake Restrepo at 145, Mike Pistone at 170, Sean Dee at 285 and Mark Tracy at 182. Tracy won a very challenging class with a 3-0 finals victory over Jake Horton of Patchogue Medford. Christian Araneo of Ward Melville was third.

The MOWs: Nick Piccininni of Ward Melville and Corey Rasheed of Longwood are two of the top pound-for-pound wrestlers in the Empire State. They demonstrated that again in dominant performances at 120 and 160.

Some other notes: Pat Med received titles from Chris Gomez, Luis Maurad, Peter Pasqualino and Matt Layton. Meanwhile, third place Brentwood featured gold medalists Danny Murray and Carlos Aucancela. State placer Mike D'Angelo had a decisive major in the 126 pound finals, while Don Donnelly of Ward Melville and Devin Doran of William Floyd took first as well.

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League 2 team champions: It was Connetquot's day at Northport with the squad besting the field on the strength of titles by Tom Repalone, Gino Titone, Greg Chery and Tom Flanagan.

The MOW: Joe Calderone of Walt Whitman didn't spend much time on the mat.  None of his four matches lasted more than 43 seconds. He was one of three champs for Whitman, with Chris Olberding and Vin Feola.  Feola had an overtime triumph over Sachem North's Anthony DiMatteo.  That 220 pound class is going to be one to watch next weekend.

Some other notes: Sachem North was the team runner up, led by Matt Stallone's 106 pound title (over Sean Miller) and crowns from Sean O'Hagan and Matt Marino.  Host Northport had a champ in the still unbeaten Ken Gallagher (170).

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League 3 team champions: Smithtown East won on home turf, with Nick Caporaso, Will Outcault, Sam O'Malley, Cole Vittoria and Chris Lopez on top.

The MOW: Kyle Scully of Newfield won a solid 113-pound weight, including a finals victory over Anthony Sobotker of North Babylon.  Other Newfield grapplers to capture crowns were Nick Nieves, Dom Micari and Chris Fajardo.

Some other notes: 99 pounds will be a dogfight at Sectionals and North Babylon's Anthony Sparacio won that class with a quality 'w' over James Trezza of Smithtown East. North Babylon had several champions, such as Justin O'Neil, Jake Colonna, Jordan Bailey and Matt Grassa. Nick Swanson won for Smithtown West.

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League 4 team champions: Hauppauge piled up more than 300 points on the way to the top at East Islip in League 4.  Ben Tepperman earned a finals pin at 106, as did Chris Mauriello at 132. Also winning their brackets for the first place squad were Austin Munro, Ralph Cazzetta, John Donohue, Dominic Holder and James Louison.

The MOW: Dennis Ferro of East Islip avenged an earlier season loss with a finals win over Zach Lugo of Deer Park at 152.  Ferro was joined as a champion for second place East Islip by Jesse Dellavecchia, Erik Adon and Jon Wilson.

Some other notes:  Thomas Cox of Deer Park beat Hauppauge's Jake Silverstein in overtime for the second time of the campaign for first at 99 pounds. Another Deer Park champ was David Hamil at 182.  Riverhead's Eddie Matyka romped through the field with two pins and a technical fall.

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League 5 team champions: Rocky Point topped a packed group at Eastport South Manor High in League 5. Anthony Cirillo, Tommy Dutton and Joe Russo picked up titles for RP. Russo had four pins in four matches - all in the first period.

The MOW: The state's #1 126-pounder, Travis Passaro of ESM, earned the honors after a 5-1 victory over qualifier Corey Jamison of Huntington.  The Hofstra-bound senior had two technical falls as well.  Also finishing at the top for ESM were Jimmy Leach at 138 and Joe Zarcone at heavyweight.

Some other notes: Two of the top 99 pounders in New York met, with Huntington's Kyle Mock pinning ESM's Adam Busiello. A trio of Islip wrestlers prevailed in two-point finals bouts between quality wrestlers. Craig Hinrichs beat Huntington's Anthony Puca at 220, Brad Wade topped Nick Garone of ESM at 132 and Ronnie King bested Steven Lee of Kings Park at 182. State ranked John Arceri of Huntington and Nick Weber of Kings Park captured 113 and 195, respectively, while Joe Puca of Huntington (152), Joe Atkins of Kings Park (160) and Tim Johnson of Harborfields (120) also were victorious.

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League 6 team champions: John Glenn won, paced by champs Zach Ancewicz, Derek O'Brien, Matt Porrello, Gill Bonilla, Ian Cange and Edwin Rubio.

The MOW: Westhampton Beach's Kyle Maddock recorded two pins, including over top-seeded Chris Meloni of Shoreham Wading River at 126 pounds.

Some other notes: SWR featured several titlewinners - Kevin Meloni, James Szymanski, Jack Taddeo and Dom Pirraglia. Amityville's Eduardo Ramirez continued his strong run with a crown at 138. Miller Place's Alex Hin came from the #5 seed to win at 113.

For more, see here.

Sisti, Photo by BV

In the CHSAA . . . (by Matt Diano)

Over in the Catholic League, the field is set for the 2014 CHSAA State Tournament (Feb. 15th-16th) following the completion of all of the regional league tournaments this past weekend.

NYC

Taking the top team prize in New York City for the 9th consecutive year would be the Lions from Monsignor Farrell High School in Staten Island.  The consensus #1 overall team in the five boroughs would cruise to a 127.5 point victory over their closest competitor, Fordham Prep, 277 to 149.5.  Archbishop Stepinac, St. Joseph’s by the Sea, and Xavier High School would round out the top-5 in the final standings with respective scores of 130, 122, and 100 points.

Farrell, who qualified 19 wrestlers for next weekend’s festivities, would crown seven individual champions, led by defending NYS DI Champion, Rich Sisti (ranked #1 in NYS), who closed out this portion of his career with his fourth league title. Joining his teammate on the top step of the podium would be fellow multiple-time NYC champ, Mazen Hassan, who claimed his third straight title at the 285 pound weight class.

Farrell super sophomore Matt Seitz, who missed the 2013 postseason with injury, would defeat two-time defending league titlist, Chris Martorello (Fordham Prep), 12-0.  The victory on Saturday marked the third time this season that the 2014 Eastern States Classic placewinner would defeat his rival.  This weekend was also the second straight time that the win would be accompanied by bonus points, as Seitz also recorded a major decision (8-0) over Martorello in the finals of the 2014 Mayor’s Cup in late January. The four remaining champs for Farrell would be Karl Weisner (145), Ben Paccione (160), Peter D’Agostino (182), and Michael Newman (195).  Weisner and Newman were runners-up at this tournament last season, with D’Agostino taking home fourth place honors.  The junior, Paccione, earned his first All-League distinction this past weekend.

While Martorello would be unable to pull off the three-peat, the day still proved to be a successful one for the Rams as they emerged with a trio of gold medalists - Stefan Lindbolm (99), Adam Santoro (132), and Ben Peck (138). The “w” in the finals for the sophomore Santoro keeps alive his chance for the four-year sweep as he took home the crown at 126 pounds last year. Lindbolm, the #2 ranked wrestler in New York City per Gotham City Wrestling would win his first league title after finishing as the bronze medalist as a freshman in 2013 at the lowest contested weight class. Peck would post the biggest improvement, moving up from fifth place in 2013 to the last man standing on Saturday.

Kennedy Catholic, under the guidance of John Degl, would crown a pair of champions in its first year in the CHSAA.  Going all the way would be 113-pounder, Kyle Davis and 170-pounder Alex Melikian.

For more, see this link.

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Buffalo

Repeating as team champions in the upstate regional would be the Mike Messore-led Red Raiders from St. Francis High School in Athol Springs (225 points).   Winning more than half of the weight classes (eight out of 15), last year year’s Catholic State hosts would receive gold medal efforts from both their youthful nucleus and their polished upperclassmen.  Ascending to the mountaintop on Sunday would be Matt Heywood (99), Kyrill Calkins (106), Travis Bittner (126), Mike Miller (132), Matt Muffoletto (138), Jake Duggan (152), Marco Gangaroosa (182), and Jake Braunscheidel (195).

Heywood and Calkins, both in their rookie seasons for the Red Raiders, would each win two-man brackets at the two lowest weight classes.  The former would pin Anthony Sperrazza (St. Joe’s Collegiate) in 20 seconds, while the latter would require even less time, making short work of another Marauder, Henry Curtin, by earning the fall in 10 seconds.  That win in the finals was the quickest fall in the tournament.

Bittner, Muffoletto, and Braunscheidel would all win Monsignor Martin All-Catholic titles for the second straight year.   For Muffoletto, who won the crown a year ago at 120 pounds, yesterday’s triumph puts him halfway to history as he looks to join the four-timer club in 2016.  He would be unchallenged yesterday, winning both of his bouts by fall over a pair of St. Joe’s Collegiate representatives, Jackson Liszewski (2:57) and Tom Lawson (2:40). Bitter, who won his first individual title last season at 113 after being a bridesmaid as a freshman in 2012, would have to work a little harder, getting a quick fall in his opening bout, but then going the full duration against St. Mary’s freshman, Will Story, in winning by decision, 6-2. Braunscheidel, who moved up to 195 after competing at 182 for most of the 2013-2014 season, would also be on autopilot this past weekend, pinning teammate Tom Arcuri in 32 seconds in the semifinals before sticking James Thomas of Canisius at the 4:58 mark.  Combined with the third place finish he posted in 2012, he appears well on his way to being a four-time All-Martin honoree in his scholastic career.  He also likely heads down to Long Island next week as the odds-on favorite to collect his first Catholic State Crown.

Miller and Duggan would earn titles in 2014 after bringing home the silver 12 months ago.  For the senior, Miller, Sunday’s results erase the disappointment of last season when his runner-up finish halted his chances of becoming a four-time Martin Champion (won in 2011 and 2012 at 96 and 113, respectively).  Neither of his bouts this weekend would make it out of the first period as he pinned Gow’s Sora Sekiguchi in 47 seconds and then followed it up with a fall in 1:33 over Zach Szpila (St. Mary’s). Duggan, who was defeated by 2013 Catholic State Champ, Travis Berube (formerly of St. Joe’s Collegiate; currently competing for Ithaca College), would climb that one extra step on the podium when he also was able to finish off both of his opponents with first period falls.  Pinning Joshua VanVessem of St. Joe’s Collegiate with one second remaining in the first period, the sophomore would leave no doubt in the finals, getting the slap of the mat in 1:45 against St. Mary’s junior, Brandon Weber.

For more on, see here.

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Long Island

After dropping a dual to by a humbling 52-15 score last Thursday night, the defending CHSAA State Champions (2nd in the League in 2013), Chaminade Flyers, would rebound in a big way, defying the odds by winning the Nassau/Suffolk Catholic title by an astounding 53.5 pound margin over the heavily favored Friars of St. Anthony’s High School. The Mineola-based Marianist school would only crown four individual champions (138, 145, 182 and 220), but received huge contributions from their second-wave representatives. The league team title, Chaminade’s first since 2008, snapped a five-year winning streak by St. Anthony’s.

Attaining individual glory for the Flyers would be a quartet of seniors - William Ryan, Danny Jones, Connor Watson, and Charlie Pederson. Ryan would go 3-0, including a win by injury default over Freddie Dunau (defending 3x League and CHSAA State Champion; ranked #8 in NYS) en route to the gold. Jones, who last won leagues in 2012 (finished as the silver medalist last year), would notch two first period pins and a 16-0 technical fall in the finals to roll to his second career gold medal. Watson would defend the 182-pound crown he won in 2013, pinning both of his opponents in the first period. Pederson, who also repeated as champion at the same weight class, would follow an identical path to Victory Lane, making the most of every second of the 2:54 he had on the mat in sticking his teammate in the semis and Kellenberg Memorial’s Eric Burel in back-to-back matches.

Despite finishing as the official runner up in the standings, St. Anthony’s would leave absolutely no doubt that they are deserving of all the high praise bestowed upon them, going 8-5 (really 8-3 since the 132 and 285 pound weight classes were a clash of Friar teammates) in championship finals yesterday afternoon.  From this group of eight titlists, four - John Twomey, Ben Lamantia, Joseph Russ and Kevin Jackson - repeated as top dogs.  The previously cited Dunau would have been a prohibitive favorite to complete the sweep had the injury bug not bit him at the wrong moment.  His decision to sit out yesterday’s championship match was precautionary and he is expected to be ready to go one week from now. Twomey, who is ranked #4 in NYS, would seize his third straight league title, garnering a pair of second period falls in the quarter and semifinal rounds, before winning a rematch of the 2013 CHSAA State title bout by technical fall, 16-0, over Jonathan Krumholz of St. John the Baptist.

Lamantia, the #6 ranked man in the Evil Empire, would win his second gold, compiling a 3-0 record with two first period pins and an 18-2 technical fall in the finals against Kellenberg’s Josh Newman.  Prior to his title victory, he stuck Chaminade’s Paul Comuniello and Drew English in times of 2:33 and 2:24 respectively.

Russ, the last of the legendary family that has served as the heart and soul of the CHSAA since the late 1990s (oldest brother William started competing for Chaminade in 1999), would advance to the league finals for the fourth time in his career, adding a second title to his resume on Sunday.  The runner-up in 2011 and 2012, losing to Dunau both years, Russ won the 120 pound bracket in 2013 and was just as dominant in delivering a championship effort at 126 this past weekend.  Ranked #7 in the state, the senior captain scored bonus points in all three of his bouts, including earning his second major decision in the span of four days over 2013 League and CHSAA State runner up, Christian Briody of Chaminade, 9-1.  Russ was named the recipient of the tournament’s outstanding Wrestler Award.  

For more, see this link.

PSAL - Brooklyn Tech Wins City Dual Title (by Matt Diano)

For the third time in the past four years, the Engineers from Brooklyn Technical High School would prove themselves to be the kings of the hill in dual competition, as they went 4-0 between Thursday and Saturday to claim the 2014 PSAL Playoff title.  The title, the first under first-year head coach Steve Flanagan, further proves that when it comes to the wrestling program, B’Tech does not rebuild; they reload.  Like a well-oiled machine, the student-athletes at the Fort Greene Place-based campus know how to turn on the autopilot and go to work come postseason.

Seeded second in the 16-team bracket, Brooklyn Tech, which features a NYC-leading nine individuals ranked in the Gotham City Wrestling polls, would advance to the weekend by posting a 68-9 victory on Thursday over Forest Hills High School. The squad would kick off the festivities on the final day of competition by earning a win over #10 Springfield Gardens by a near identical, 69-9 tally to move into the final-4.  Getting their arms raised in 12 of the 14 contested bouts, the highlight from this quarterfinal dual would be turned in by 220-pounder Patrick Landers (ranked #7 in the Gotham polls), who pinned 2x PSAL Bronze medalist/#3 John Pierre-Louis with 49 seconds remaining in regulation. Defending PSAL Champion Camilo Gaitan (160), as well as Andy Huang (170), Benjamin Fenyves (182), and heavyweight John Kotlyarskay would all pin their opponents in the first period.

In the championship round-of-4, the Engineers would face sixth-seeded Tottenville, who had upset #3 team, James Madison, 51-24, in the other quarterfinal on this side of the bracket. Against the John Cichon-coached Pirates, Brooklyn Tech would again demonstrate the form and consistency that has made them a perennial NYC powerhouse, winning 11 of 15 matches to emerge with the 48-18 victory.  Earning individual victories and bragging rights in bouts consisting of ranked wrestlers would be Julian Polin (106), Gaitan, and Huang. #8 Polin would beat #1 (@99) ranked wrestler, Joseph Marino, 5-4; Gaitan (#2) would earn two bonus points in a 17-0 technical fall over #6 Anthony Nicosia; Huang would get a hard fought 3-2 decision over William Grasso in a match pitting the 4th and 6th ranked competitors in the five boroughs. Pulling a slight upset would be unranked Anthony Gafaunova, who upended sixth-ranked Anthony Maisano, 3-2 at 113 pounds. Earning “w”s in for Tottenville would be third ranked Nick Azen (9-2 over #5 Devon Hoyte), unranked Joe Murgolo, who pinned Landers in 54 seconds at 220 pounds, and #6 Joseph Moy, who would score the only point of the match in defeating unranked Ishara St. Phard, 1-0 at 120 pounds. The only other win of the afternoon for Tottenville would be a forfeit awarded to Jake Rubin at 99 pounds.

In the finals, Brooklyn Tech would improve to 2-0 on the day against Staten Island schools, yanking the glass slipper off the foot of surprise finalist, Petrides.  The Panthers, who began the tournament as the #9 seed, would make a huge statement in the quarterfinals, defeating top-seeded Eagle Academy.  In the semifinals, Petrides would be the benefactors of a little good fortune when #13 New Utrecht continued their magical run through the bracket with an upset over #5 Benjamin Cardozo.  In what may have been the dual of the tournament, Petrides would end up advancing with a 35-32 win to set up the David vs. Goliath match-up for the trophy.

For more, see this link.

We tried to (mostly) focus on events related to postseason activity, so not all Sections were discussed above.  However, feel free to send us more results, as always, at newyorkwrestlingnews.com.