Category Archives: Division 1

UPDATED: Brackets Posted (and Seeds for the 2013 Eastern States Classic)

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Brackets have been posted.  You can find them here.

Check back at escapesports.com during the day for bracket updates. (Click on Escape tournaments, then 2012-13, then High School, then Eastern States).

 

Here are the seeds for the 2013 Eastern States Classic:

99 Pounds: 

1. Andrew Flanagan, Holley

2. Vinny Vespa, M-W

3. Jake Yankloski, Wayne

4. Parker Kropman, Penfield

5. Chris Cuccolo, Pine Bush

6. Alfredo Olmedo, Arlington

7. John Busiello, Eastport South Manor

8. Brandon Fay, Fox Lane

9. CJ Archer, Rocky Point

10 Chris Martorello, Fordham Prep

11. Tommy Michel, Lancaster

12. Tristan Almeter, Iroquois

106 Pounds: 

1. Tony Recco, Lyndonville

2. Jimmy Overhiser, Corning

3. Nick Barbaria, New Rochelle

4. Kyle Quinn, Wantagh

5. Anthony Donofrio, Longwood

6. Matt Grippi, Fox Lane

7. Kevin Rodriguez, Port Chester

8. James Szymanski, SWR

9. Hunter Dusold, Locust Valley

10 Golan Cohen, Colonie

11. Nick Robbins, Queensbury

12. Jon Errico, Bynam Hills

13. Evan Barczak, M-W

14. Paulo Friedas, Danbury

15. Chris Velazquez, Amsterdam

16. Nicky Garone, ESM

113 Pounds: 

1. Nick Piccininni, Ward Melville

2. Dillon Stowell, Gouverneur

3. Austin Keough, Warsaw

4. Bryan Lantry, Wayne

5. John Stramiello, Pine Bush

6. Cheick Ndiaye, Brooklyn International

7. Nick Casella, Locust Valley

8. Steve Sewkumar, Long Beach

9. Corey Ali, Shenendehowa

10. Austin Ingraham, Highland

11. Hunter Richard, Holland Patent

12. Tyler Hartinger, Lancaster

13. Dylan Booth, Port Jervis

14. Rafael Mateo, Midlakes

15. Kyler Agoney, Peru

16. Christian Briody, Chaminade

120 Pounds: 

1. Kevin Jack, Danbury

2. Sean Peacock, Midlakes

3. Trey Aslanian, Edgemont

4. Robert Person, Bellmore JFK

5. Steve Michel, Lancaster

6. John Muldoon, Pearl River

7. Alex Delacruz, Ossining

8. Travis Passaro, ESM

9. Blaise Benderoth, N Rockland

10. Kevin Parker, Shenendehowa

11. Blake Retell, Shaker

12. Nick Tolli, Arlington

13. Chris Cataldo, MacArthur

14. Santo Curatolo, Tottenville

15. Anthony Calvano, Nanuet

16. Austin Acquard, Iroquois

126 Pounds: 

1. Dylan Realbuto, Somers

2. Will Koll, Lansing

3. TJ Fabian, SWR

4. Mark West, Hauppauge

5. Justin Cooksey, MacArthur

6. Ryan Snow, General Brown

7. Steve Giampapa, Burlington

8. Chris Araoz, Wantagh

9. Keanu Thompson, Grand Street

10. Alex Herringshaw, Holland Patent

11. Mike Raccioppi, Minisink Valley

12. Rocco Russo, Frontier

13. Antonio DeLuco, Rome Free Academy

14. Joe Ginley, Warwick Valley

15. Joe Dillon, Nanuet

16. John McHugh, Columbia

132 Pounds: 

1. Matt Leshinger, Sayviile

2. Tristan Rifanburg, Norwich

3. Brandon Lapi, Amsterdam

4. Sam Melikian, Fordham Prep

5. Johnny Do, Framingham

6. Chris Mauriello, Hauppauge

7. Zach Ayen, Gouverneur

8. Jake DiMarsico, N Rockland

9. Vinny Turano, Wantagh

10. Eric Harley, Penfield

11. Kyle Greene, Columbia

12. Donald Brown, Middletown

13. Dan Murphy, Ketcham

14. Jack Reina, Garden City

15. Liam Erickson, Brewster

16. Sam Ward, Locust Valley

138 Pounds: 

1. Nick Kelley, Shenendehowa

2. Nick Tighe, Phoenix

3. Connor Lapresi, Lansing

4. Tom Dutton, Rocky Point

5. Derek Arnold, Westfield

6. John Diekel, Whitehall

7. Drew Longo, Ardsley

8. Joey Butler, Burnt Hills

9. Colby Kash, Clarkstown N

10. Matt Caputo, N Rockland

11. Jordan Bushey, Peru

12. Zach Tepper, Danbury

13. Thomas Wightman, Warwick Valley

14. Freddy Pechette, Ravena

15. Matt Dillon, Nanuet

16. Brett Johnson, Cornwall

145 Pounds: 

1. Beau Donahue, Westfield

2. David Almaviva, Shenendehowa

3. Isaiah Riccio, Beaver River

4. Eric Lewandowski, Lancaster

5. Tom Grippi, Fox Lane

6. Frank Garcia, Norwich

7. Louis Hernandez, Mepham

8. JT Romagnoli, JD-CBA

9. Matt Schmelzinger, Garden City

10. Brad Marvin, Ketcham

11. Noah Phillips, Peru

12. Zach Lugo, Deer Park

13. Shane Jennings, Danbury

14. Mike Dusold, Locust Valley

15. Nick Accardi, Rocky Point

16. Brandon Aviles, Newfield

152 Pounds: 

1. Corey Rasheed, Longwood

2. Dan Dickman, Greene

3. Rowdy Prior, Phoenix

4. Angelo Kress, Columbia

5. Brendan Goldup, La Salle

6. Joe Mastro, Yorktown

7. Dan DeCarlo, Port Jervis

8. Zach Joseph, Shenenedehowa

9. Zach Colgan, Johnson City

10. Drake Barczak, M-W

11. Luke Nigro, Burlington

12. Jake Ashcraft, Burnt Hills

13. Mark Stucke, Kenmore West

14. Connor Lawrence, Duanesburg

15. Nik Hansen, Oxford

16. Steve Azzano, Wayne

160 Pounds:

1. Tyler Grimaldi, HHHW

2. Burke Paddock, Warsaw

3. Tyler Silverthorn, Gen Brown

4. Stephen Aiello, Westfield

5. Nick Gallo, Schalmont

6. Mike Beckwith, Greene

7. Austin Weigel, Onteora

8. Danny Tracy, Mepham

9. Steven Schneider, MacArthur

10. Joe Koshakow, Scarsdale

11. JP Vandercliff, M-W

12. Travis Edwards, Port Jervis

13. James Marquez, Amsterdam

14. Nate Bomysoad, U-E

15. Johnny Garcia, Danbury

16. Keith Langdon, Penfield

170 Pounds:

1. Troy Seymour, Peru

2. Danny McDevitt, Wantagh

3. Joe Piccolo, HHHW

4. Christian Dietrich, Greene

5. Adis Radoncic, RKA

6. AJ Voelker, M-W

7. Jack Hatton, Burnt Hills

8. Collin Fox, Midlakes

9. Brett Perry, JJEF

10. Kyle McGuire, Newburgh

11. Matt Guerrisi, Rocky Point

12. John Messinger, Putnam Valley

13. Geno Brancati, Hudson Falls

14. Franky Nassivera, Queensbury

15. Anatoliy Anchakov, Grand Street

16. Greg Kleinsmith, Johnson City

182 Pounds:

1. Zack Zupan, Canastota

2. Tim Schaefer, Warsaw

3. Levi Ashley, Shen

4. James Corbett, Wantagh

5. Connor Leavell, Warwick Valley

6. Matt Roberts, Msgr Farrell

7. Zeki Yazak, Rocky Point

8. Thomas Murray, Yorktown

9. Steve Lambert, Mepham

10. Nathanael Rose, Eagle Academy

11. Jagger Rebozo, HHHW

12. Andy Martinez, Liberty

13. Randy Wilson, Port Jervis

14. Tyler Morson, Westfield

15. Christian Araneo, Ward Melville

16. AJ Buchanan, Highland

195 Pounds:

1. Reggie Williams, Johnson City

2. Tyler Smith, Midlakes

3. Hunter Ayen, Gouverneur

4. Steven Sabella, Yorktown

5. Deon Edmond, Kingston

6. Andrew Maxam, Glens Falls

7. Ben Honis, JD-CBA

8. Race Viedt, Burnt Hills

9. Scott Wymbs, Horace Greeley

10. Xavier Carmona, Hackley

11. Wyatt Albanese, Canastota

12. Kevin Tynes, Brooklyn Tech

13. Wayne Burt, Colonie

14. Kevin Brundage, Nanuet

15. Dan Fowler, Chaminade

16. Garrett Duval, Sherburne-Earlville

220 Pounds

1. Mike Silvis, Holley

2. Dan Breit, Nanuet

3. Dillon Hurlbert, Marathon

4. Jason Johnson, Colonie

5. Josh Langley, Holland Patent

6. Rich Sisti, Msgr Farrell

7. Rob Kelly, M-W

8. Corey Gaffney, General Brown

9. Lucas Depofi, U-E

10. Alex Ortiz, Middletown

11. Luke McKee, Peru

12. Nico Fragale, Burnt Hills

13. Robert James, Longwood

14. TJ Ragusa, Wantagh

15. Sean Fergerson, Rocky Point

16. Josh Bonneau, Minisink Valley

285 Pounds:

1. El Shaddai Van Hoesen, Columbia

2. Alex Soutiere, Ravena

3. David Varian, Yorktown

4. Terrence Cheeks, Newburgh

5. Austin DiCerbo, Colonie

6. Brent Lobien, Horace Greeley

7. Justin Douglas, New Rochelle

8. Matt Vitale, Garden City

9. Tim Wade, Middletown

10. Jacob Morris, Canastota

11. Steve Kerrigan, Susquehanna Valley

12. Mazen Hassan, Msgr Farrell

13. Mason Cross, Penfield

14. Anthony Tufano, New Paltz

15. Shaquille Williams, Brooklyn Tech

16. Ethan Smith, JJCR

17. Brennan Strovink, Rocky Point

NYWAY Kickoff Completes a Weekend Full of (Youth, HS and College) Wrestling at Niagara CCC

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For those who like to watch wrestling, this weekend provided an opportunity to watch the sport on the youth, high school and college levels all in one place – Niagara County Community College (NCCC).

“It was definitely a busy weekend,” said Keith Maute, head coach at NCCC and Executive Director of the Cobra Wrestling Club.

No doubt about it.

NCCC hosted the Niagara Frontier Wrestling Officials Association High School event on Friday and Saturday, featuring more than 35 teams, including some of the best from Sections 5 and 6. Then on Saturday night, the Thunderwolves defeated Mercyhurst in NJCAA action.

And on Sunday, the competition concluded with the second annual NYWAY Kickoff Classic for grapplers between the ages of 5 and 14.

The NYWAY event included over 300 wrestlers from a number of states, including Ohio, Pennsylvania and New York.

“The competition level was really, really good,” Maute said. “With the clubs coming from New York plus the out of state wrestlers, the tournament was tough. Ohio brought 42 kids and they were all really good – they had a qualifying tournament before to determine who would be there. Jason Locke, the coach from Ragin Raisins (in Pennsylvania) told me he was very impressed with the competition too.”

Several teams stood out, with G2 World Wrestling Academy declared the team champions. The Rochester-area club boasted a trio of first place finishers – Luca Pirozzolo, Jayden Scott and Elijah Diakomihalis.

Pirozzolo prevailed in a large 22-man bracket while Scott captured his second title of the weekend after traveling to Pennsylvania on Saturday and winning an event in the Keystone State.

Also making the finals for G2, according to co-owner Adam Burgos, were second placers Nicholas Callaghan, Max Kropman, Karamvir Hothi and Greg Diakomihalis.

Team OHIOWAY certainly made the trip to the Empire State worthwhile. While the squad wasn’t entered into the team race, the Buckeye State wrestlers led the way with nine total champions and several other place finishers.

In addition, the host club, Cobra, also sent a large number of wrestlers to the podium, including seven champions and at least seven silver medalists. (Note: runner up results were not available for Division 3 at the time of the article).

Those titlewinners for Cobra included two pairs of brothers – Jakob and Andy Lucinski as well as Hector and Tito Colom. In addition, Carson Alberti, Cooper Gronowski and Phil Calandra won their brackets.

Taking second for Cobra were Isreal Walker, Myles Gronowski, Trent Reid, Mitch Gaiser, Jack Walters, Jacob Brewer and Billy Seiders.

In addition to the NYWAY Kickoff, several of the youth wrestlers had the thrill of wrestling alongside a college match on Saturday night. While NCCC and Mercyhurst battled, New York youngsters faced off on adjacent mats against their counterparts from Ohio.

“The kids loved it,” said Kevin Lucinski, NYWAY’s Far Western Director. “The gym was packed and the response from the crowd was great. To be able to wrestle in front of all those fans and the high school wrestlers that were there was exciting for them.”

Those bouts preceded the finals of the Niagara Frontier Officials Tournament, which provided a chance to catch a glimpse of several high school wrestlers who are serious contenders for state titles in February.

The 120-pound bracket included multiple former qualifiers, including Steve Michel of Lancaster, Kellen Devlin of Amherst, Anthony Orefice of Lockport and Austin Acquard of Iroquois. Orefice, an All-Stater wrestling up a weight, dropped a 4-2 decision to Michel in the semis. And in the finals, the Lancaster grappler edged Devlin, 3-2. Fans can expect to see those competitors go deep into the tournament in Albany.

Speaking of going deep at the Times Union Center, the 145-pound finals paired two wrestlers who have done just that. Royalton Hartland’s Drew Hull, a runner up in 2012, topped Lancaster’s Eric Lewandowski, also a former silver medalist, 2-0. In addition, highly ranked wrestlers such as returning New York champion Tony Recco (Lyndonville, 106), Rocco Russo (Frontier, 126), Renaldo Rodriguez-Spencer (Cheektowoga, 132), Dan Reagan (Lewiston Porter, 138) and heavyweight Matt Montesanti (Medina) all won crowns. For full results, see here.

“We were extremely happy with the weekend,” Lucinski said. “We believe the NYWAY event is growing and we look forward to having more representation from the whole state next year. We still want to bring in great wrestlers from out of state too. It’s great that events like these showcase the youth, high school and college levels of wrestling together as we work to grow the sport.”

 

Below are Results from the  NYWAY Kickoff:

Division 1- Top Three Placers By Weight

37 Pounds: JJ Lucinski (Cobra/Lockport), Thomas Crumpler (NFPC), Brandon Jopp (Tonawanda)

40 Pounds: Simon Inboden (OHIOWAY), Isreal Walker (Cobra), Mason Dole (Eden)

43 Pounds: Cooper Gronowski (Cobra), Lucas Mason (Canisteo), Holden Kelly (Powerhouse)

46 Pounds: Jacob Stephenson (NWAA), Noah Leitten (Powerhouse), Griffin LaPlante (Tonawanda)

50-55 Pounds: Teshaun Matthews (NFPC), RJ Rudolfs, Bronx Buchholz (Batavia)

60-65 Pounds: Elijah Diakomihalis (G2), Shey Williams (Lockport), Gage LaPlante (Tonawanda)

Division 2- Top Three Placers By Weight

45 Pounds: Casper Caizzo (OHIOWAY), Jaden Crumpler (NFPC), Gavin Ciarfella (Roy-Hart)

50 Pounds: Ashton Homan (OHIOWAY), Myles Gronowski (Cobra), Korey Halford (NWAA)

55 Pounds: Carson Alberti (Cobra), Nicholas Callaghan (G2), Colin Bradshaw (Phoenix)

60 Pounds: Nick Molchak (OHIOWAY), Julien Griffin (OHIOWAY), Carter Schubert (Superior)

65 Pounds: Carter Neves (OHIOWAY), Trent Reid (Cobra), Gannon Jaquay (Ragin Raisins)

70 Pounds: Jayden Scott (G2), Mitch Gaiser (Cobra), Casey Bixby (Titletown FC)

75 Pounds: Brian Bielec (Grand Island), Ethan Sanderson (Titletown FC), Shane McClellan (NFPC)

80-85 Pounds: Simon Lingle (Newfane), Scott Winchell (Titletown FC), Kevin Daskavitz (Lockport)

Hwt: Logan Ramadan (Grand Island), Drew Mascio (Hamburg), Herman Wooten (NFPC)

Division 3- Champion By Weight

50 Pounds: Lucas Randisi (Superior)

55 Pounds: Jace Schafer(Superior)

60 Pounds: Andy Lucinski (Cobra/Lockport)

65 Pounds: Bryce Hepner (OHIOWAY)

70 Pounds: Luca Pirozzolo (G2)

80 Pounds: Justin McDougal (Niagara Falls)

85 Pounds: Donald Sinclair (Niagara Falls)

90 Pounds: Austin Leber (Niagara Wheatfield)

110 Pounds: Elijah Sobas (OHIOWAY)

Division 4- Top Three Placers By Weight

65 Pounds: Liam Logue (Malvern), Greg Diakomihalis (G2), Cole Skinner (OHIOWAY)

70 Pounds: Michael Gonyea (Journeymen), Eamonn Logue (Malvern), Ethan Turner (OHIOWAY)

75 Pounds: Trey Finnearty (OHIOWAY), Max Kropman (G2), Ryan Burgos (G2)

80 Pounds: Sam Bacon (Ragin Raisins), Christian Bradshaw (Phoenix), Danielle Stanley (Cobra)

85 Pounds: Wyatt Smith (Midlakes), Brandon MacDonnell (Midlakes), Nick Kruger (G2)

90 Pounds: William McDougald (NFPC), Sam Wolf (Warsaw), Corry Day (Bagura)

95 Pounds: Zachary Brown (Newfane), Jack Walters (Cobra), Jacob Tomlinson (Ragin Raisins)

100 Pounds: Bricker Thiel (OHIOWAY), Aaron Poe (NWAA), Nicholas Rouse (Titletown FC)

110 Pounds: Hector Colom (Cobra), Kevin Halford (NWAA), Jazzario Warr (Ragin Raisins)

120-130 Pounds: Steven Hark (Ken-Ton), Craig Pellow (Lew-Port), Henry Grunzweig (Grand Island)

140-150 Pounds: Steven Daskavitz (Lockport), Mike Leibl (Titletown FC), Hunter Thiel (OHIOWAY)

Division 5- Top Three Placers By Weight

80 Pounds: Drew Schafer (Superior), Dylan Curtis (Lew-Port), Lucas King (Superior)

88 Pounds: Tyler McKinney (Ragin Raisins), Jacob Brewer (Cobra), Seth Kerscher (Ken-Ton)

96-103 Pounds: Phil Calandra (Cobra), Billy Seiders (Cobra), Brent Bachman (Barker)

112 Pounds: Tito Colom (Cobra), Jacob Braeden (Ragin Raisins), Jacob Smeader (Hamburg)

120 Pounds: Dillon Knoll (Hamburg), Andrew Lorenz (Clarence), Austin Lutz (Ragin Raisins)

130-140 Pounds: Sean Galla (Titletown FC), Tyler Simons (Newfane), Justin Kimble (West Seneca E)

150-160 Pounds: Ian Malesiewski (Ragin Raisins), Michael Daskavitz (Lockport), Tyler Skidmore (Newfane)

Eastern States Pick Your Champions Contest!

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The Eastern States Classic is nearly here.  Over 115 teams will be represented from four states. 13 former state champions are in the field, as are 60 state placers.  The competition will be fierce at every weight.

Can you correctly pick the most champions?  Enter our Eastern States Pick Your Champions Contest and find out. The winner receives an iTunes card.

To participate in the contest, Click Here. (THE CONTEST IS NOW CLOSED. WE WILL ANNOUNCE THE WINNER NEXT WEEK).

U-E Duals Recap: Wantagh Rallies to Capture the Title . . . Plus Other Dominant and Inspiring Performances

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Wantagh entered the Union-Endicott Duals as the top team in the Empire State, and after two intense days of wrestling, the Warriors left with that number one ranking intact.

But it wasn’t easy.

After two blowout victories on Day 1 of the event, Sunday brought semifinal and final matches that came down to the wire.  Wantagh prevailed in both, rallying to defeat the number two seed, Sachem East, 35-27 for the championship.

“I’m really happy for our coaches, the guys and the fans,” said 220-pounder TJ Ragusa who has spent much of the season at 220 but wrestled at 285 at times this weekend. “A lot of times these duals are won by the guys who don’t get pinned; who don’t give up bonus. It was a total group effort.”

The finals began at 120 pounds and Sachem East controlled things early, winning six of the first eight bouts and earning a 24-10 lead after Zac Nobre’s decision at 170.

Despite trailing by a sizable margin, members of the team said they believed they would turn things around.

“Our confidence never wavered,” Ragusa said. “We never lost it. I was having a conversation with Danny McDevitt during the dual when we were losing and we were saying that we knew we’d keep fighting and win. One of the keys for our team is that we’re always confident.”

That appeared to be the case, as Wantagh took over from there, capturing six of the remaining seven matches, beginning with a pin from McDevitt at 182.

Afterwards, Wantagh received wins from James Corbett (195), Ragusa (285) and Jonathan Loew (99) to trail by just a point – 27-26.

The Section 8 power then regained the lead in emphatic fashion when 106-pounder Kyle Quinn earned a first period fall to push his squad ahead 32-27. Joe Hill then closed out the championship with a decision at 113.

“Before the match I was thinking I had to get a pin for the team,” Quinn said. “It means a lot for us to win – it gives us something to go home with. I think Wantagh just did a great job as a team.”

The excitement wasn’t limited to the finals.  The third place dual between Islip and Shenendehowa as well as both semifinals (Shenendehowa vs. Sachem East and Wantagh vs. Islip) all were decided in the very last bout.

In the battle for the bronze, the Plainsmen got out to a fast start and following a major decision for 195-pounder Levi Ashley, the Section 2 school was in front 31-15 with five matches to go.  However, Islip took the next four (including two by Shenendehowa forfeit and a huge pin at 106 pounds by Johnny DiPalma) to win 36-34.

Close matches were on tap in the semifinals as well, which started at 106 pounds. Going into the last match at 99, both duals had two point differentials – Sachem East led Shenendehowa 32-30 and Islip was ahead of Wantagh 27-25.

The wrestlers from Sachem East (Bobby Fazio) and Wantagh (Jonathan Loew) both trailed early in their respective matches.

Fazio was behind 4-1 in the second period before notching an escape and a takedown late in the stanza to tie things up going into the third. And he took over from there, earning a technical violation point, an escape, a takedown, near fall and eventually, the pin, to push his team to a 38-30 triumph.

Wantagh’s Loew faced a 2-0 deficit heading into the third but got on the board with a takedown early in that final stanza and rode his opponent out for the last minute and a half to force overtime.  In that extra session, Loew immediately went on the attack, getting the winning takedown and a 28-27 Warrior win.

In other placement matches, Clarence topped Monroe Woodbury for fifth, 34-28, and MacArthur beat Spencerport, 33-29, for seventh.

For full results from all 15 teams see:  Full results here.

A Few Additional (Random) Notes:

Dominance from the Binghamton Trio:  There was some talk at the event about who the most impressive wrestler was for the weekend.  While there was no absolute agreement, two names came up numerous times – Nick Kelley of Shenendehowa and Kyle Kelly of Chenango Forks. Both cruised through the competition.

Their future Binghamton teammate, David Almaviva of the Plainsmen, also was outstanding, including controlling a 2-0 bout with the tough Jackson Mordente of Sachem East in the semifinals.

Long Island Looking Good: Suffolk squad Rocky Point, currently ranked #2 in the state Dual Meet poll, wasn’t at U-E this weekend, but Long Island did just fine, taking the top three spots at the event. In addition, MacArthur was seventh despite missing some key contributors such as Justin Cooksey.

Look Out for Clarence:  The Section 6 team didn’t come in as one of the tournament’s most talked about groups, but was very impressive in racking up a 4-1 record on the way to fifth place.  The Red Devils defeated the teams listed #4 and #5 in the first New York State Sportswriters Dual Meet rankings, North Rockland and Monroe Woodbury, by eight and six points, respectively.  (The one loss was to Sachem East).  The lineup’s bookends, heavyweight Nate Ward and 99-pounder Dylan Arena were among those who looked good over the weekend and the team is solid throughout.

And One Last Thing. . . : It’s always a pleasure to see such high level wrestling, but one of the standout performances came from Monroe Woodbury’s Vinny Vespa. Many New York wrestling fans know about Vespa’s fight with cancer this spring and summer. From the start, he and his family were confident that he would not only beat cancer, but also get back on the mat and win. Watching him do that in person was inspiring.

Wantagh Wins U-E Duals; Full Results Available

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Full results here for the Union-Endicott Duals. Recap coming tomorrow.

 

 

 

Union-Endicott Duals – Day 1 Results

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After a day full of wrestling, the semifinals are set at the Union-Endicott Duals. Top seeded Wantagh will meet Islip and the number two and three seeded squads, Sachem East and Shenendehowa will also do battle for the right to wrestle in the finals.  Semifinal action is set for 11 a.m. while the championship will be at 3 p.m.

New York Wrestling News will provide LIVE coverage of the semis and finals at this link

Here are the results from Saturday’s competition:

 

12 p.m. Matches

Pool A:

Spencerport 43, Chenango Forks 27

Wantagh had a bye

Pool B:

Sachem East 55, Brockport 22

Clarence 33, North Rockland 25

Pool C: 

Shenendehowa 58, Union-Endicott 19

MacArthur 33, Minisink Valley 30

Pool D:

All teams had a bye

 

2 p.m. Matches

Pool A:

Wantagh 62, Chenango Forks 9

Spencerport had a bye

Pool B:

Sachem East 59 North Rockland 8

Clarence 43 Brockport 19

Pool C: 

Pool C has a bye

Pool D:

Islip 51 Johnson City 12

Monroe Woodbury 60 Fulton 10

 

4 p.m. Matches

Pool A:

Wantagh 50 Spencerport 15

Chenango Forks had a bye

Pool B:

Pool B has a bye

Pool C: 

Shenendehowa 51 Minisink Valley 21

MacArthur 47 Union-Endicott 18

Pool D:

Islip 49 Fulton 16

Monroe Woodbury 48 Johnson City 21

 

6 p.m. Matches

Pool A:

Pool A had a bye.

Pool B:

Sachem East 40 Clarence 24

North Rockland 36 Brockport 29

Pool C: 

Shenendehowa 49 MacArthur 21

Minisink Valley 55 Union-Endicott 15

Pool D:

Islip 36 Monroe Woodbury 20

Johnson City 64 Fulton 21

Top NY Teams to Battle at the Union-Endicott Duals – LIVE Coverage on Day 2

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New York Wrestling News will provide LIVE blog and/or video coverage of Sunday’s semifinals/finals at the Union-Endicott Duals. 

The coverage page will be at this link.

———————————————————————————————————————

The outcome of the Union-Endicott Duals typically has a significant influence on the New York State dual rankings.  That seems very likely again this year, in the 30th edition of the event, as four of the top five in the NYS Sportswriters Dual Rankings are in the field.  In fact, 14 of the 15 squads set to compete at the event are either in the top 10 or are listed as honorable mention.

“We always get excited about it,” said Union-Endicott head coach Josh Ruff. “But this year is probably one of the best we’ve had in a while. We feel like we have the best teams and everyone is pretty tough. It should be a fun weekend of wrestling.”

Indeed, it should.

Wantagh, the returning Dual Meet State Champions in Division I, comes in as the top seed.  The Warriors are stocked with quality wrestlers throughout the lineup, including several who are ranked at the state level such as Kyle Quinn (106), Chris Araoz (126), Vinny Turano (132), James Corbett (182) and Dan McDevitt (170).

A year ago, in a contest that essentially decided the Empire State’s top dual team, Wantagh battled to a tie with Shenendehowa at the Civil War Duals and the Warriors were declared the winners on criteria.  A rematch between the two powers could happen this weekend, as the Plainsmen are the number three seed.

While Shenendehowa lost a meet earlier this year to Burnt Hills (with some starters out), the squad was back to dominant form at the Teike Bernabi tournament, with seven finalists and four champions, led by Binghamton bound seniors Nick Kelley (138) and David Almaviva (145), both ranked #1 in New York at their respective weights.

A battle between Wantagh and Shenendehowa would certainly be exciting, but there are a number of other teams traveling to Section 4 who have the ability to make the finals as well.  Among those are the #2 and 4 seeds, Sachem East and Monroe Woodbury.

Sachem East is undefeated and stands atop the current Suffolk rankings.  Undefeated 145-pounder Jackson Mordente has led the way for a lineup that is solid throughout.  The upperweight combination of Cristian Nunez (195), John Vigh (220) and Josh Edmondson (285) has gone a combined 38-4 and two more competitors, Conor O’Hara (132) and Michael Pistone (152) sit in the top two in Section 11.

Monroe Woodbury’s starting group has cruised through the competition. Vinny Vespa, Evan Barczak, JP Vandercliff and AJ Voelker have all made a big splash, including winning the Massapequa Holiday Tournament. Like the teams mentioned above, it’s difficult to find a weak spot in the Crusaders lineup.

The following is a look at each of the pools, including some individual matches of interest. To view the schedule, see here.

 

Pool A: #1 seed Wantagh, Spencerport and Chenango Forks

Spencerport is led by Jon Haas, Trent Egenlauf, Collin Pittman and Austin Coleman.  The first three are all included in the statewide rankings and 285-pounder Coleman was strongly considered. Chenango Forks features one of New York’s best, two-time state champion Kyle Kelly as well as another wrestler who will be in the mix in the postseason – Jake Green.

We expect Wantagh will come out on top of this group, and here are three of the individual matches we’re excited to see.

106 Pounds: Kyle Quinn (Wantagh) vs. Jon Haas (Spencerport) – Both are in the top eight of our first New York State rankings.  Quinn, an NHSCA All-American last year and Haas, a returning state qualifier, are both coming off tournament titles – Haas at the Teike Bernabi and Quinn at the Raider Invitational.

126 Pounds: Chris Araoz (Wantagh) vs. Jake Green (Chenango Forks) – Araoz is fresh off a Most Outstanding Wrestler performance at the Raider Invitational, while Green took third in a tough Windsor Christmas Tournament weight after capturing gold at the PSAL Holiday event.  Both are likely to be fighting for All-State honors in February.

182 Pounds: James Corbett (Wantagh) vs. Trent Egenlauf (Spencerport) – Both Egenlauf and Corbett are ranked in the top eight in New York and both have registered multiple quality victories this year.  (For example, Egenlauf topped Anthony Liberatore of Williamsville South and Corbett beat All-Stater Gio Santiago of Sachem North).  Both are candidates to go far at the Times Union Center. Isaiah Zimmer of Chenango Forks, a bronze medalist at Windsor, shouldn’t be overlooked.

 

Pool B: #2 seed Sachem East plus Clarence, North Rockland and Brockport

Sachem East has faced a challenging slate of opponents and is 12-0.  The Suffolk squad will see more strong foes at the U-E Duals including 18-0 North Rockland, a balanced team led by Matt Caputo, Blaise Benderoth and the DiMarsicos – Jake and Derek; a Clarence group that comes off a runner up performance at the Teike Bernabi and always-tough Brockport, which has received standout showings from Jared Mesiti and Barton Peters.

Despite the stiff competition, we think Sachem East should live up to the second seed and earn a date in the semis. Here are three matches from this pool that we look forward to seeing.

113 Pounds: Barton Peters (Brockport) vs. Derek DiMarsico (North Rockland) – Peters won his first 15 matches after an appearance at the state tournament last year while DiMarsico already has around 20 wins.

126 Pounds: Brandon Glaubner (Clarence) vs. Anthony Messina (Sachem East) – Glaubner was the champion at the Teiki Bernabi Tournament while Messina has put together a very solid 15-1 season. His only setback was a one-point loss to returning state second placer Justin Cooksey of MacArthur.  Troy Feniger of North Rockland could have some interesting matches at this class as well.

145 Pounds: Jackson Mordente is unbeaten and in the top 8 in New York. Matt Caputo has just one loss and has been putting up a lot of bonus point victories. Should be a fun one to watch. [Caputo may wrestle at 138 pounds].

 

Pool C: #3 seed Shenendehowa plus MacArthur, Minisink Valley and Union-Endicott

MacArthur has already seen a number of top notch opponents this year and has solid wrestlers up and down the lineup. Minisink Valley has received strong contributions from returning state qualifier Mike Raccioppi as well as others such as Josh Bonneau (220) and Union-Endicott had six placers at the Windsor Christmas Tournament, including finalist Andrew Brinser at 285 and third placer Xavian Hughes at 132.

Still, at the end of the day, it will be difficult for any of the teams in the pool to overcome Shenendehowa.

Here are three matchups we look forward to:

120 Pounds: Chris Cataldo (MacArthur) vs. Kevin Parker (Shenendehowa) – Cataldo, 17-1, has won his last five bouts by pin or technical fall.  The Generals wrestler lost his opening contest of the campaign at 126 pounds and has been on a winning streak since.  Meanwhile, Parker pinned his way to the finals of the Teike Bernabi Tournament, where he finished second behind Steve Michel. He is a returning state qualifier.

Cooksey, Photo by BV

126 Pounds: Justin Cooksey (MacArthur) vs. Mike Raccioppi (Minisink Valley) – The two wrestled a year ago in the state tournament at 106 pounds where second-seeded Cooksey earned a 7-3 decision.  Will the match be similar months later and up several weights?

138 Pounds: Nick Kelley (Shenendehowa) vs. Rob Bennett (MacArthur) – Kelley is always fun to watch as he keeps pushing the pace for the entire duration of the match. Bennett sat on top of the Section 8 rankings at this weight, (although he did drop a match in the dual against Sachem East), and is a quality wrestler.

 

Pool D: #4 seed Monroe Woodbury plus Islip, Johnson City and Fulton

Section 9’s Monroe Woodbury has looked like one of the top dual teams in the state this year.  Islip has also excelled, with an 11-1 mark. (The loss was to Sachem East).  Johnson City boasts one of the state’s top wrestlers in 195-pounder Reggie Williams as well as other state qualifiers like Greg Kleinsmith and Zach Colgan.  Fulton, always one of the best in Section 3, has been propelled by a number of wrestlers, such as Mitchell Woodworth (106) and Thomas Hill (120) this year.

It looks like it should be a great battle between the Crusaders and the Buccaneers for a spot in the semifinals.

Here are three of the many matches of interest:

106 Pounds: Mitchell Woodworth (Fulton) vs. Evan Barczak (Monroe Woodbury) – Both Woodworth and Barczak have made a habit out of making the finals of big tournaments. Woodworth, the top ranked wrestler at his weight in Section 3, finished second at both the Andersen and the Kenneth Haines Memorial while eighth grader Barczak recently won the Massapequa Tournament and is #1 in Section 9.  Johnson City’s Isiah Colgan may also make an impact at this weight.

170 Pounds: AJ Voelker (Monroe Woodbury) vs. Greg Kleinsmith (Johnson City) – Voelker stood on top of the podium at the Massapequa Holiday Tournament and has been a strong presence in the Monroe Woodbury lineup all season. Kleinsmith, a 2012 state qualifier as a freshman, recently returned to action at the Teike Bernabi event, where he took second place.

Williams, Photo by BV

195 Pounds: Reggie Williams (Johnson City) vs. Craig Hinrichs (Islip) – Williams is the top wrestler in New York at 195. Hinrichs has piled up wins this year, with a single loss – to the previously mentioned Nunez of Sachem East.

 

We will be providing blog and/or video coverage of the Union-Endicott Duals on Sunday. 

The coverage page will be at this link.

 

Five Cornell Wrestlers Make the Semi-Finals at the Southern Scuffle; Several Army and Big Red Grapplers Remain in Consis

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Cornell will send five semifinalists to the mat on Wednesday at the Southern Scuffle in Chattanooga, Tennessee.  Nahshon Garrett and Mike Nevinger punched their tickets to the final four at 125 and 141, respectively, with major decisions.  Kyle Dake notched his second pin of the day to move closer to his fourth consecutive Scuffle finals, while Chris Villalonga and Steve Bosak joined him in the semis.

New York native Nick Gwiazdowski of Duanesburg High and North Carolina State will face defending NCAA champion Tony Nelson of Minnesota in the heavyweight semifinals.

A number of wrestlers from the Big Red and from Army remain alive in the consolations brackets and will continue to fight for third place when action resumes in the morning.

Here are the next matches for the New York-based competitors still in the tournament. For full results, see here.

Semifinals Involving NY Wrestlers

125 Pounds: Nahshon Garrett (Cornell) vs. Nico Megaludis (Penn State)

141 Pounds: Mike Nevinger (Cornell) vs. Nick Dardanes (Minnesota)

149 Pounds: Chris Villalonga (Cornell) vs. Jordan Oliver (Oklahoma State)

165 Pounds: Kyle Dake (Cornell) vs. Nick Sulzer (Virginia)

184 Pounds: Steve Bosak (Cornell) vs. Kevin Steinhaus (Minnesota)

285 Pounds: Nick Gwiazdowski (Duanesburg, North Carolina State) vs. Tony Nelson (Minnesota)

Wrestlebacks Involving NY Wrestlers

133 Pounds:

Jordan Thome (Army) vs. Joseph Martinez (Virginia)

Mark Grey (Finger Lakes Wrestling Club) vs. Colton Rasche (Navy)

141 Pounds:

Connor Hanafee (Army) vs. Tyler Rauenzahn (Army)

149 Pounds:

Ryan Dunphy (Cornell) vs. James English (Penn State)

John Belanger (Army) vs. Luke Frey (Penn State)

165 Pounds:

Paul Hancock (Army) vs. Harrison Hightower (Ohio)

174 Pounds:

Duke Pickett (Cornell) vs. Todd Porter (Missouri)

Marshall Peppelman (Cornell) vs. Mathew Miller (Navy)

197 Pounds:

Jace Bennett (Cornell) vs. Nik Brown (UTC)

Weekend Recap: Windsor, Teike Bernabi, Massapequa and So Much More

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There has been a tremendous amount of high quality wrestling around the Empire State over the past few days. For a quick recap of some of the many events, read on.

 

Kelly Earns Fourth Windsor Crown, Jamison Picks Up OW Honors as Huntington Wins Team Title

Chenango Forks senior Kyle Kelly joined an exclusive club on Friday when he earned his fourth Windsor Christmas Tournament championship. He didn’t waste any time getting his hand raised, winning by fall in the first period against Dylan Wood of Walton.

Huntington traveled from Long Island to Section 4 and the trip was worthwhile as the Suffolk squad won the team title  with four champions.  Leading the way was 126 pounder Corey Jamison, who took home Outstanding Wrestler honors for the second consecutive year at this event.  He defeated Lansing’s William Koll 3-1 in the title bout in one of the deepest brackets.  (The other Huntington titlewinners were John Arceri at 99, Brandon Mendez at 145 and Anthony Puca at 285).

In addition to 126, another weight with a lot of firepower was 220. Waverly’s Ryan Wolcott continued his strong start to the season by upsetting Huntington’s nationally-ranked Nick Lupi 2-1 for the crown.

Photo by BV

Greene, which finished in second place overall, boasted a pair of champions in Christian Dietrich at 170 and Mike Beckwith at 160. Beckwith was one of five repeat champions from 2011, along with Kelly, Jamison, Puca and Norwich’s Tristan Rifanburg, who completed a dominant tournament with a first period pin in the 132 pound finals.

Host Windsor put a wrestler on top of the podium as Nate Hayes won a 4-0 decision at 120 pounds. Additional champions included Corning’s Jimmy Overhiser (106), Lansing’s Connor Lapresi (138), Chenango Valley’s Kyle Halliday (152), Walton’s Mike Beers (182) and BGA’s Mark Viviano (195).

For more information, see here.

 

Connetquot Captures Massapequa Holiday Tournament; Koo Grabs MOW Honors

Vespa, Phototrens.com

The second oldest holiday tournament in the state (after Windsor) also finished up on Friday and Suffolk County’s Connetquot took home the Massapequa Holiday Tournament title, led by four champions.

120 pounder Steven Bulzomi edged Hauppauge’s Austin Munro 1-0 to notch first place and after Munro’s teammate Mark West took the crown at 126, Connetquot won three championships in a row – Gino Titone at 132, Greg Chery at 138 and Brendan Dent at 145. In fact, the squad had another finalist at 152, however, the tournament’s MOW, Chris Koo of Great Neck South, ended the T-Birds streak of gold medals when he defeated Steve Schmit by 20-5 technical fall.

Finishing in second was Section 9’s Monroe Woodbury which continues to show strength throughout its lineup. The Crusaders featured four titlewinners – Vinny Vespa (99), Evan Barczak (106), JP Vandercliff (160) and AJ Voelker (170).

Long Beach sported a pair of champions (Steven Sewkumar at 113 and Zamarr Allen at 195), as did Section 5’s Pittsford (Chad Howard at 182 and Tyler Schaefer at 220). Host Massapequa also was represented at the top of the podium as Tim Gungor captured the heavyweight crown.

For more information, see here

 

Shenendehowa Wins Teike-Bernabi With Four Champs; Spencerport Boasts Three Title Winners

With seven finalists and four champions, Shenendehowa cruised to the team title at the Teike-Bernabi Tournament hosted by Spencerport.  The Plainsmen were led by co-Most Outstanding Wrestler Nick Kelley (138) as well as fellow gold medalists David Almaviva (145), Zach Joseph (152) and Ali Hashimee (170).

Taking runner up honors for the Section 2 school were Kevin Parker (120), Jesse Porter (132) and Justin Noble (182).

Sharing OW accolades with Kelley was Lockport’s 113 pounder Anthony Orefice, who won a battle of state placers with Gouverneur’s Dillon Stowell, 7-1.

Williams, Photo by BV

Orefice wasn’t the only Lockport grappler to make the top of the podium. Teammate Marshall Taylor grabbed the 220 pound crown. In addition, a number of fellow Section 6 wrestlers won titles, including Clarence teammates Jake Weber (160) and Brandon Glaubner (126) as well as Cheektowoga returning state runner up Renaldo Rodriguez-Spencer (132), Lancaster’s Steve Michel (120) and St. Joseph’s Collegiate’s Garrett Baugher (99 – CHSAA).

The hosts from Spencerport were led to third place in the team standings by a trio of champions – Jon Haas at 106, Trent Egenlauf at 182 and Austin Coleman at 285.  Another Rangers wrestler, Collin Pittman, also made it to the finals but dropped a tight contest to two-time All-Stater Reggie Williams of Johnson City at 195.

For more information, see here.

 

Also in Section 5 . . . Midlakes Unbeaten at Dick Vincent Duals, Edges Warsaw 43-42

Peacock, Photo by BV

At the Dick Vincent Duals at Letchworth High, two teams stood above the rest. In the end, one point separated them. Midlakes finished the event 9-0 while Warsaw compiled an 8-1 mark with the difference being the Screaming Eagles 43-42 dual victory over the Tigers.

Interestingly, 12 of the 15 bouts in the dual were decided by pin. For Midlakes, it was Cody Maher at 152, Jeryd Graham at 182, Hammond Raes at 99, Rafael Mateo at 120, Sean Peacock at 126 and Derian Woodard at 132 who picked up six points with falls. Tyler Smith won by major at 220 and Will Raes by decision at 106.

Palmyra Macedon went 7-2 during the event.

 

Three Teams Go 7-1 at the Holley Holiday Duals; Devlin and DePrez Get Top Billing

A trio of squads – Brockport, Hilton and Webster Schroeder all finished the Holley Holiday Duals at 7-1. Brockport was declared the event’s winner based on tiebreaking criteria. The first place team’s loss was to Webster Schroeder, whose only loss was to Hilton. In turn, Hilton was defeated by Brockport.

Kellen Devlin of Amherst and Vincent DePrez of Hilton were named “MVP”s in the tournament summary. For the dual scores and the All-Tournament Team, see here.

 

Fairport Dominates Kenneth Haines Memorial Tournament With Six Champions

Section 5’s Fairport traveled to SUNY Oswego and put on an impressive performance in taking the team title at the Kenneth Haines Memorial Tournament. The Red Raiders finished almost 100 points ahead of runner up Fulton. Fairport had 10 finalists and six champions, including five straight winners from 106 to 132 pounds (Bryan Ruggeri, Zach Barker, Andy Pieri, AJ Pesci and Les Brown). Colton Kells added the last crown at 195 pounds.

While Fairport took control in the lightweights, Mexico did the same in the middleweights, capturing titles at 138 (Jay Kisselstein), 145 (CJ Loomis), 152 (Trevor Allard) and 170 (Jacob Woolson). Derek Owen (220) and Brennan Roberge (285) earned first place for runner up Fulton.

For more on the tournament, see here

Penfield Goes Undefeated at the Mountain Duals; Nasoni Notches Upset Victory 

Penfield went 8-0 at the 16-team Mountain Duals at Dolgeville. Two of the many wrestlers to lead the way were 120 pounder Matt Langenskamp and seventh grade standout Frankie Gissendanner (126/132). In the eighth round of action, Penfield topped General Brown 37-27, handing the Lions their only loss of the event.  Also going 7-1 was Burnt Hills (which lost to General Brown).

While Penfield’s performance was a headline from a team perspective, another discussion topic was the upset victory of Baldwinsville’s Joe Nasoni over Canastota’s Zack Zupan by fall. Canastota’s returning state champion was wrestling up a weight against Nasoni and held a lead at the time of the fall. However, Nasoni continued his impressive start to the season and showed he is one to watch in the upperweights this year.

For more information, see here.

Sachem East Wins Five at the Long Island Challenge

Sachem East swept five opponents at the Long Island Challenge at MacArthur High. The squad picked up wins over Clarkstown South, Kellenberg, Half Hollow Hills West, MacArthur and Islip with the smallest margin of victory a 12-point win over the host Generals. A number of videos from that dual, as well as some other battles between top Long Island wrestlers such as Tyler Grimaldi vs. Steven Schneider at 160 and Carlos Toribio vs. Joe Piccolo at 170, are available here.

Leading the way for Sachem East were Conor O’Hara (138), Jackson Mordente (145), Cristian Nunez (220) and Josh Edmondson (285), who were unbeaten during the event.

Islip went 5-1 while Brentwood put up a 4-1 mark.

Commack Takes Six Titles at the Sal DiFazio Holiday Tournament at Half Hollow Hills East

Tanzman, Photo by 27east.com

Commack was the big winner at Half Hollow Hills East with six champions and a team title by over 60 points.  The Cougar titlewinners were Champion of Champions CJ Labate (145), Mike D’Angelo (126), Brian Gully (113), Mark Milo (152), Dan Fiorvanti (182) and Ali Halimi (285). A number of wrestlers ranked in our first New York State rankings for the 2012-13 season also took titles, including 106 pounder Alex Tanzman of Westhampton Beach, 120 pounder Robert Person of Bellmore JFK and 132 pounder Matt Leshinger of Sayville.

For more information, see here.

John Glenn Comes Out on Top at the Raider Invitational 

A young team from John Glenn captured the title at the Raider Invitational at Patchogue-Medford, with Wantagh taking second.

John Glenn was paced by champions Zach Ancewicz (99), Matt Porrello (145) and Anthony Pino (195) as well as runners up Chris D’Amico (120), Arman Akhund (132) and Bryan Smith (220).

Wantagh’s Chris Araoz was named the Most Outstanding Wrestler and he was joined on top of the medal stand by teammates Kyle Quinn (113), Vinny Turano (138), Connor Contorno (152), Dan McDevitt (170), James Corbett (182) and TJ Ragusa (220).

 

Sachem North Undefeated at Joe Davidson Memorial Duals

On their home turf, the Sachem North wrestlers went unbeaten at the Joe Davidson Memorial Duals, an event that included 10 teams. The Flaming Arrows were led by 182 pounder Gio Santiago and 132 pounder Sean O’Hagan, who both picked up victories in each of the duals.

Yorktown Captures Mid-Hudson Tournament With Four Champions

Yorktown came out on top at the Mid-Hudson Tournament with championship showings by Joseph Mastro (152), Thomas Murray (182), Steven Sabella (195) and David Varian (285).  A number of teams had a pair of titlewinners. For Pine Bush, it was Chris Cuccolo (99) and Johnny Stramiello (113), for Ketcham it was Danny Murphy (132) and Brad Marvin (145) and for Ossining it was Alex Delacruz (126) and Trent Lofaro (220).

For more on the tournament, see here.

 

Phoenix Represents the Empire State; Takes Fifth in Louisiana

Tighe, Photo by BV

While there was a lot of great action in the Empire State, Phoenix traveled to Louisiana for the Deep South Bayou Duals.  On the first day, the squad cruised to first place in Pool A, defeating teams from the host state plus Florida and Oklahoma.  The closest meet was a 33-point win by the Firebirds over Fontainbleau, Louisiana.

Then, it was on to the championship bracket. After a 36-33 loss to Jesuit, the New York team won three in a row to earn fifth place and an overall 7-1 mark.  Nick Tighe, Rowdy Prior and Justin Rhodes led the way on Day 2, combining for 12 wins – 11 by pin and one by technical fall.

 

More results to be added . . . to report results e-mail newyorkwrestlingnews@gmail.com

Binghamton's Donnie Vinson Takes Second at the Midlands Tournament at 149 Pounds

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Binghamton’s Donnie Vinson has accomplished quite a bit in the past few years.  A third place finish at the NCAA tournament. The CAA Wrestler of the Year honors. A win over Cornell’s Kyle Dake.

But there was a wrestler who got the best of Vinson in both his sophomore and junior seasons – Columbia’s Steve Santos.

This weekend, Vinson got another chance at Santos and took full advantage. In the semifinals of the prestigious Midlands tournament, Vinson topped the Lion wrestler, 6-1.

In the finals, Vinson dropped a 3-1 decision to Virginia Tech’s Nick Brascetta, who had an extraordinary tournament, defeating former All-Americans Nick Lester of Oklahoma and Montell Marion (a post grad from Iowa) prior to the title bout.

Against Vinson, Brascetta jumped out to a 2-0 lead in the opening period with a takedown with less than 45 seconds left. The wrestlers traded escapes in the second and third periods to result in a 3-1 decision for the Hokie wrestler.

Vinson was the only finalist from the New York State Division I squads at the 50th Annual Midlands, but not the only placer. Santos took fourth at 149 while Buffalo had a pair of medalists – Mark Lewandowski (sixth at 165) and John-Martin Cannon (fourth at 174).