Team New York took the mat on Friday in Florida at the Cadet Freestyle National Duals, picking up a victory over a squad from the host state. The Empire group went 1-2 on the day, also competing against Pennsylvania and Oklahoma.

Leading the way were a trio of undefeated wrestlers.  Poly Prep’s Leonard Merkin was dominant in all three of his bouts, garnering two pins and a technical fall at 138 pounds.  Joining Merkin at 3-0 were 160-pounder Andy Cummings and 220-pounder James Bethel. At 120, Jackie Gold lost his opening match but rebounded with a decision and a tech fall to end Friday with a pair of victories.

Contests against teams from Georgia and North Carolina are on the schedule for Saturday.

For full results, see http://www.trackwrestling.com.