Wildcards spots have been awarded for the state tournament.
To see the full list of wrestlers by weight, including wildcards, see This link.
For the wildcard list by section, see below. Wildcards A1-A4 are in the tournament; A5-A7 are alternates.
On Thursday, the NCAA released updates to two of the key criteria used to select the field for the NCAA tournament – the Ratings Percentage Index (RPI) and the Coaches’ Panel Rankings. A number of wrestlers who compete for the six Division I schools in New York sit in those rankings. They are:
(RPI ranking, Coaches Ranking) 33 wrestlers make the field at each weight.
125:
Nahshon Garrett, Cornell (RPI 8, Coaches 6)
Steve Bonanno, Hofstra (32, 17)
133:
Jordan Thome, Army (NR, 28)
Jamie Franco, Hofstra (31, 31)
141:
Mike Nevinger, Cornell (8, 13)
Luke Vaith, Hofstra (10, 17)
Connor Hanafee, Army (26, 31)
149:
Donnie Vinson, Binghamton (7, 4)
Steve Santos, Columbia (NR, 6)
Chris Villalonga, Cornell (13, 18)
Daniel Young, Army (NR, 19)
Blake Ruolo, Buffalo (33, NR)
157:
Jake O’Hara, Columbia (21, 21)
Wally Maziarz, Buffalo (22, NR)
Tyler Banks, Hofstra (NR, 33)
165:
Kyle Dake, Cornell (2, 1)
Mark Lewandowski, Buffalo (7, 13)
Paul Hancock, Army (27, 23)
174:
Stephen West, Columbia (18, 21)
Marshall Peppelman, Cornell (16, NR)
John-Martin Cannon, Buffalo (NR, 18)
Jermaine John, Hofstra (25, NR)
Coleman Gracey, Army (NR, 33)
184:
Steve Bosak, Cornell (NR, 4)
Cody Reed, Binghamton (33, NR)
197:
Nate Schiedel, Binghamton (16, 5)
Jace Bennett, Cornell (17, 22)
Bryce Barnes, Army (30, 32)
285:
Stryker Lane, Cornell (18, 27)
Paul Snyder, Hofstra (25, 22)
For the full RPI and Panel Rankings, see this link.
Other New York natives present in one or both of the rankings are: (Feel free to provide feedback if any are missing).
133:
Nick Wilcox, Bloomsburg (13, 14)
Jimmy Morris, Rider (22, 26)
Sam Speno, NC State (26, 24)
141:
Steven Keith, Harvard (15, 11)
149:
Andrew Lenzi, Penn (NR, 33)
165:
Ryan LeBlanc, Indiana (11, 19)
Josh Veltre, Bloomsburg (23, 11)
Johnny Greisheimer, Edinboro (22, 22)
174:
James Brundage, Rider (13, 32)
197:
Christian Boley, Maryland (19, 15)
285:
Peter Capone, Ohio State (11, 12)
Ernest James, Edinboro (23, 20)
BY JEFF CHANEY
BATTLE CREEK, MI – The New York Wrestling Association for Youth Wrestling (NYWAY) is in its second year, but already the state’s youth wrestlers are making a name for themselves at the national level.
On Sunday, Feb. 10, two New York teams took part in the National United Wrestling Association Team National Duals at the Kellogg Arena in Battle Creek.
And both teams had a strong showings, as the 8-under team finished in fourth place in its division, and the 10-under took eighth place in its division.
Competing against some of the best youth teams from across the nation, like teams from Iowa, California, Ohio and Pennsylvania, the 8-U team was in a 10-team bracket, and the 10-U team was in a 12-team bracket.
There were a total of 48 teams from 13 states in the tournament covering four divisions from 14 years of age and younger.
New York’s 8-U team, coached by George Granger, consisted of J.J. Lucinski at 37 pounds, Darren Bailey at 40, Xavier Jesus at 43, Joey Florence at 46, Bryce Bailey at 49, Garrett Skeens at 52, Carter Schubert at 55, Carson Alberti at 58, Trent Reid at 61, Caden Granger at 64, Jayden Scott at 67, Brian Bieleu at 72, Wesley Barnes at 77 and Bobby Ranger at heavyweight.
“I thought the team wrestled outstanding, everyone did great,” George Granger said. “We didn’t place last year at this tournament, so we’re very happy this year to take fourth.”
The 8-U team was placed in Pool A and went 3-1, beating teams from Michigan, Ohio and Indiana, and dropping a close match against a team from California.
Then in the third-place match, New York was edged by a team from Georgia, 28-27.
During the day, Alberti finished with a perfect record, while Skeens ended up with a single loss. And Bryce Bailey and Caden Granger suffered only two losses.
New York’s 10-U team was coached by Gary Ferro, and consisted of Mason Franklin at 45 pounds, Lucas Simco at 50, Gavin Henrickson at 55, Andy Lucinski at 60, Myles Griffen at 65, Jalen McCarty at 70, Ethan Ferro at 75, Ethan Stotler at 80, Anthony Rasmusson at 85, Castin Ostrander at 90, Blake Bieler at 95, Nick Franco at 100, Tyler Benjamin at 105, Trent Skeens at 110 and Patrick Ganter at heavyweight.
The 10-U team was placed in Pool B and lost to California and Ohio, but beat teams from Michigan, Indiana and Illinois. Then in the seventh-place match, the squad lost 37-27 to Georgia.
“We took fourth last year, but the storm in the East Coast affected our roster,” Gary Ferro said. “We had a couple of late fill-ins, so it was tough.”
McCarty and Ethan Ferro had solid days, ending up with a lone loss.
“It was tough,” Ethan Ferro said of the tournament. “But this tournament helps show me what I need to work on. I like the tough competition, it makes me better.”
And that’s why the coaches love bringing teams to the National Duals.
“This tournament is awesome,” Gary Ferro said. “The competition here is second to none. The main reason we come here is to get the kids exposed to new styles and away from competition on the East Coast.”
Added George Granger, “We love this venue and tournament. This gives our kids a chance to go against kids with similar or better ability, and that’s how you get better.”
The following are changes that we are aware of to the original Sectionals schedules. Some of the tournaments were not impacted. Please contact us at newyorkwrestlingnews@gmail.com with any additional information.
Section 1: Division I and II tournaments now on Sunday at Pace University, with DI finishing on Monday
Section 2: Tournaments moved to Sunday at Queensbury High School
Section 4: Tournaments now only on Saturday
Section 5: Tournaments now Saturday and Sunday at Brockport
Section 8: Division I tournament is now on Sunday and Tuesday at the Mack Sports Arena at Hofstra; Division II tournament on Sunday at Carle Place
Section 9: Division I tournament now Sunday (Monroe Woodbury) and Monday (Valley Central)
Section 11: Division I tournament now begins Tuesday at the Mack Sports Arena at Hofstra; Division II tournament not certain as of Sunday night
PSAL: Tournaments to be held only on Sunday at Truman High in the Bronx
CHSAA: Postponed (not this weekend)
The postseason is finally here. Soon, we’ll find out who will have the opportunity to battle for a state title in Albany. But before the Sectional championships get underway, here’s a look at where our panel thinks things stand across the weights in New York State. There are sure to be some surprises and some great performances in the coming weeks by these wrestlers and by others. Please feel free to provide comments or suggestions and we’ll consider them as long as they are done respectfully.
Good luck to all . . .
99 Pounds:
Photo by BV
A Few Notes: Busiello re-enters the rankings after splitting matches with John Arceri, although the Huntington wrestler came out on top in their bout this past weekend. The Suffolk tournament will no doubt be tough at this weight with those two wrestlers and Jesse Dellevecchia all in the top 8. Holley’s Andrew Flanagan also joins the list after edging Jake Yankloski of Wayne. Flanagan looks to improve upon last year’s fourth place finish in this class in Albany.
106 Pounds:
A Few Notes: Golan Cohen of Colonie looked great at Eastern States and will likely be in the mix at the state tournament. However, Luis Weirebach‘s recent decision against Cohen vaults him into the rankings, a year after placing at 99 pounds for Hoosick Falls.
Photo by BV
113 Pounds:
A Few Notes: The departure of Anthony Orefice to 120 pounds moved several wrestlers up a few slots from the last time. In addition, Tyler Walsh of West Islip joins the rankings after his victory over Walt Whitman’s Joe Calderone, a returning fourth placer, in last weekend’s qualifier. Andrew Shomers has been solid all year long with a 42-1 record, including wins over All-State wrestlers Orefice and Drew Marra.
120 Pounds:
A Few Notes: The top five hasn’t changed since the last version of the rankings. Muldoon did lose a match in overtime to Nanuet’s Anthony Calvano (who has a number of solid wins), but Muldoon avenged that loss shortly thereafter. The injury to Nick Tolli of Arlington moved him off the list and Steve Michel re-entered. The returning state placer from Lancaster has several quality wins this year including over Sean Peacock, Anthony Orefice (twice) and Kellen Devlin of Amherst (twice). We expect to see strong surges from proven postseason performers such as Robert Person and Trey Aslanian.
Photo by Josh Conklin
126 Pounds:
A Few Notes: The top four remain the same as last time at 126. However, there is a bit of a shake-up afterwards. Islip’s Brad Wade moves into the rankings. He has been impressive, beating Corey Jamison twice and state runner up Justin Cooksey. Honestly, eight slots don’t seem to be enough in this class. Wrestlers such as Mike Raccioppi of Minisink Valley, Rocco Russo of Frontier, Laken Cook of Ilion, Jake Nicholson of Waterloo and Freddie Dunau of St. Anthony’s, among others, could do a lot of damage in Albany.
132 Pounds:
A Few Notes: Sam Ward of Locust Valley will be someone to watch in the Division II ranks. He upended Vinny Turano shortly after Eastern States and also had a win over Conor O’Hara in early December. Two wrestlers that may be under the radar for those outside of Section 5, Jacob Sepor of Pavilion and Clyde Carey of Addison, are ones to keep tabs on as well.
Photo by Josh Conklin
138 Pounds:
A Few Notes: Nothing has changed here. However, one wrestler we will be following the rest of the way is Danny Graham of West Seneca East. Before the season, he was mentioned to us by a Section 6 coach as someone who could have a breakout year. Thus far, he is undefeated.
145 Pounds:
A Few Notes: Louis Hernandez holds the top spot and Eric Lewandowski remains in the rankings, although both dropped a match since our last update. Hernandez’s only setback of the year came up a weight at 152 against the tough Michael Marrero. However, Hernandez’s run through some of New York’s best at Eastern States kept him in the same position. Tom Grippi has been on a tear since dropping a close one to Lewandowski at Eastern States.
Brendan Dent enters the rankings after an impressive campaign, including a win over Sachem East’s Jackson Mordente, while Jordan Torbitt blanked Norwich’s Frank Garcia, a wrestler who came within one win of placing in Albany last year. Nick Koelmel of Immaculate Heart Central handed Derrick Gray of Indian River (see 138 pound rankings) his only loss early in the season and has remained undefeated. Fredonia’s Jude Gardner placed in the Times Union Center last year and has only lost to Drew Hull this season (twice). He may get another shot at Hull this weekend.
Photo by Josh Conklin
152 Pounds:
A Few Notes: The small school tournament in Section 3 will be extremely tough this weekend at 152 pounds. Tyler Spann, Rowdy Prior and two-time state placer Isaiah Riccio of Beaver River will fight it out for the title. Riccio has taken third and fifth the past two years in Albany and knows how to perform on the biggest stage. Rasheed and Koo keep cruising to victories.
160 Pounds:
A Few Notes: There haven’t been any changes here. Staying on our radar is General Brown’s Tyler Silverthorn, a placer in Albany last year, who seems to be picking up some steam as the most important matches of the year approach. In addition, returning All-Stater Dale White of John Jay East Fishkill is back after injuries kept him on the sideline for much of the season. He’ll be someone to watch as well.
Photo by Josh Conklin
170 Pounds:
A Few Notes: Joe Piccolo goes to third after pinning Carlos Toribio at the Islip Cup. Previously, Toribio had notched a 5-0 decision over Piccolo. The rubber match could happen in a few days. Mike Green makes his debut in the rankings. The Section 2 wrestler is 40-1 with his loss coming against Vrasidas. He has defeated state placer Brad Burns and previously ranked Brett Perry of John Jay East Fishkill. Brockport’s Jared Mesiti is another wrestler who could made a big impact at the state tournament.
182 Pounds:
A Few Notes: Williamsville South’s Anthony Liberatore, who won multiple matches in the state capital last season, comes in at number eight. He has put together an impressive season with a single loss (to Egenlauf). Thomas Murray of Yorktown is also a medal contender.
Photo by Josh Conklin
195 Pounds:
A Few Notes: Ben Honis made the podium at Fargo this summer and has followed up with a strong season, including wins over wrestlers like Hunter Ayen of Gouverneur, Tyler Smith of Midlakes and Scott Wymbs of Horace Greeley. He also recently beat Joe Nasoni of Baldwinsville, who was in the last set of rankings. The two could meet again for the Section 3 crown. Joining this list at 195 is Levi Ashley of Shenendehowa, who has moved up after spending much of the campaign at 182. Syosset’s Dan Choi has been dominant and should be a contender in Albany.
220 Pounds:
A Few Notes: Matt Mott of Lynbrook enters the rankings after his undefeated campaign. He will definitely be tested this weekend, however, as he wrestles a very tough group in Section 8. Steven Mills of Sachem North will look to top Nick Lupi in Section 11 after a 34-1 season.
Photo by BV
285 Pounds:
A Few Notes: There was some movement here. The trio of Austin DiCerbo of Colonie, David Varian of Yorktown and Terrence Cheeks of Newburgh have taken turns beating each other with Cheeks coming out on top of recent meetings. Brandon Fayle of Lowville was upset last weekend, while Austin Coleman of Spencerport looks to be peaking at the right time and will be a tough matchup in the postseason.
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Special thanks to Mike Carey.
2 weeks to go until the state tournament!
It’s February and that means the road to the state championships has begun. On Saturday and Sunday, a number of postseason events took place across the state, helping to shape the brackets for this weekend’s Sectional qualifiers.
There were too many big matches and results to recap, but here are just a few of the things that caught our eye. The countdown to the first whistle at the Times Union Center is now just about two and a half weeks away!
In Section 1, Yorktown has had a strong presence in our individual rankings this season with Joe Mastro, Steven Sabella and David Varian included in the last version and Thomas Murray falling just outside our top 8 at 182. Those wrestlers continued their winning ways this weekend, with Sabella having a tough match with another high quality wrestler – Scott Wymbs of Horace Greeley. Both of those wrestlers have what it takes to make some noise later this month.
Dale White of John Jay East Fishkill made the medal stand at 145 a year ago and was someone we were tracking as a potential state title contender coming into the campaign. However, he didn’t compete due to injury until January. This weekend, he picked up a title and is undefeated in limited action thus far at 160. Perhaps his time off will benefit him down the stretch run.
Ashley, Photo by Josh Conklin
In Section 2, Levi Ashley spent a bulk of the season at 182 pounds for Shenendehowa where he took fourth at the Eastern States Classic and nearly placed at the Reno Tournament of Champions against some of the nation’s best. For the past few weeks, however, he has been up at 195 pounds and has gone undefeated there. That run includes multiple wins over the tough Wayne Burt of Colonie, including a major decision in the finals over the weekend. He seems primed for a strong postseason.
Meanwhile, El Shaddai Van Hoesen continued his total dominance, quickly pinning Colonie’s Austin DiCerbo, a wrestler who could contend for the medal stand in Albany if he earns the opportunity.
In Section 3, a few wrestlers ranked in the state were upset. At heavyweight, Canastota’s Jacob Morris beat Brandon Fayle of Lowville 3-2 in the semifinals of the Class C tournament before topping Brandon Yager of Ilion for the championship. Fayle pinned Morris to win the Class title a year ago.
In addition, Ryan O’Rourke of Adirondack (ranked at 99), fell at 106 pounds to Hunter Owen of Sherburne-Earlville while Ben Honis, who was in the honorable mention section of the rankings, continued his strong season with a 3-2 win over Baldwinsville’s Joe Nasoni. It was Nasoni’s first loss at 195 this year.
In Section 4, Jordan Torbitt of Whitney Point took center stage at the Class B Championships. Last year as an eighth grader, Torbitt won more than 25 matches and took second at the Sectional tournament at 152 pounds behind All-Stater Dan Dickman of Greene. He has continued to shine as a freshman, bringing a 33-1 mark into the weekend after avenging his only loss to Newark Valley’s Trevor Hoffmeir. Torbitt impressed again on Saturday, beating Norwich’s Frank Garcia, a returning state qualifier who was ranked in New York.
Dietrich, Photo by Josh Conklin
The Greene middle/upper weights looked solid with Mike Beckwith and Christian Dietrich grabbing first place. Teammate Joel Roselle missed some time in the lineup but returned at 182 pounds where he took second behind Unatego’s Ryan Marszal.
In Section 5, a pair of wrestlers ranked in New York squared off in the finals of the Class A tournament at 99 pounds, with #1 Yianni Diakomihalis pinning Wayne’s Jake Yankloski. It was a good day for a number of Diakomihalis’s teammates as well, as brothers Vincent, Anthony and Lou Deprez all won Class A crowns.
In that same tournament, Yankloski’s teammate Bryan Lantry picked up a major decision over Brockport’s Barton Peters, who had come in with a 22-2 mark.
Like Diakomihalis, Hornell’s Zack Bacon sat atop our last set of individual New York State rankings. The 220 pounder has rarely been challenged this season as he won by bonus points in his first 33 matches. However, John Martisch presented an formidable obstacle as Bacon edged the Penn Yan wrestler 2-1.
In Section 6, in a battle of All-State wrestlers, Steve Michel of Lancaster pinned Anthony Orefice for his second victory over the Lockport wrestler this season at 120 pounds. (The first was a close decision). It wouldn’t be surprising to see the two of them square off again next weekend as they look to get back to Albany.
In another meeting of previous placers, returning state runner up Drew Hull of Royalton Hartland edged Jude Gardner at 145 pounds. It was Hull’s second victory over the Fredonia wrestler this year.
Gardner’s teammate Chris Saden brought an unblemished record into the weekend, however, he was upended in the finals, as Steven Warthling of Tonawanda earned a 9-6 decision. It should be an interesting weight at Sectionals.
Troy Seymour became the first-ever wrestler from Section 7 to reach 200 wins. On Thursday night, the Peru senior pinned Hunter Bishop in the first period at 170 pounds to pick up the milestone victory. In addition, Peru captured the Champlain Valley title over Saranac.
Hernandez, Photo by Josh Conklin
In Section 8, Mepham’s Jamie Dunn was an All-County wrestler in 2012 and figured to contend for the Nassau title this year. However, he entered the qualifier with a 23-15 record. He exited with a title, winning four straight matches, including avenging a loss to Matt Krause and beating top seeded Lucas Pincus in the finals. His teammates Louis Hernandez and Dan Tracy breezed to championships as well with all bonus wins and look to return to the Times Union Center for the second straight time.
138 pounds will certainly be interesting in the Nassau tournament. Highly ranked wrestlers like Rob Bennett of MacArthur, Quinn Knauer of Baldwin and Rob Rosenberg of Hewlett were among those upset and new contenders emerged, such as Brian Quiroz of Valley Stream Central who came in with a 3-1 record with all four matches in December up at 152 pounds.
Also of note, returning state runner up Justin Cooksey of MacArthur didn’t compete.
Section 9 held its JV Championships over the weekend. For full results, see here.
In Section 10, Gouverneur closed out another undefeated conference season with a home victory over Massena. Senior Dillon Stowell collected his 150th career victory and will try for his first state title in a few weeks after placing multiple times.
In Section 11, there were a number of rematches between wrestlers ranked statewide. At 99 pounds, John Arceri of Huntington avenged a loss by fall to John Busiello by edging the Eastport South Manor wrestler 3-2 on Saturday.
In another rematch between two of the top grapplers in New York, Alex Tanzman defeated James Szymanski again, this time by pin. The two had recently wrestled a close bout at 106.
In addition, Islip’s Brad Wade topped Huntington’s Corey Jamison at 126 pounds by a 2-1 score for the second time this season. Wade has been on a very impressive run after a few early losses and looks like a threat to win some matches in Albany – if he can get through the challenging 126-pound Suffolk bracket.
Tyler Walsh of West Islip lost 9-4 to returning fourth placer Joe Calderone of Walt Whitman earlier in the campaign. This weekend, he prevailed by the same score against Calderone. Walsh has quietly had a very strong 32-2 year with his only other setback coming against Danbury’s Kevin Jack, the Eastern States Champion at 120.
An article on the PSAL Dual Championship won by Brooklyn Tech, can be found here.
In CHSAA action, Monsignor Farrell crowned seven champions in the New York City qualifier and at least 19 wrestlers from the squad will compete in the Catholic States next weekend. In the Nassau-Suffolk CHSAA League Finals, St. Anthony’s Johnny Vrasidas was named Most Outstanding Wrestler while teammate Joe Russ earned Champion of Champion accolades.
The following is a compilation of some of this weekend’s results. More will be added when available. That countdown to Albany continues . . .
Section 8, Division I at Mepham
Catholic Qualifier (Upstate)
Sectional singlets are back.
It appeared that all wrestlers would wear their school colors at the state tournament in February for the first time in recent memory after the NYSPHSAA Executive Committee decided in May of 2012 to eliminate Sectional uniforms for all sports.
Today, that changed. According to NYSPHSAA Executive Director Robert Zayas, a 12-10 Committee vote dictated that Sectional uniforms will be allowed in all individual state championship sports “as long as no cost is incurred by the student, school or Section*.” In addition, he emphasized that the ruling means that Sectional singlets are permitted, but are not required.
The close vote was preceded by what Zayas called “a high quality discussion” which touched on a number of topics, including cost, tradition and the spectator experience at state championship events. In addition, there was talk about the need, particularly in wrestling, for a referee to be able to quickly identify what Sections the wrestlers are from to see whether he can officiate the match.
“I think all the different aspects of the uniform decision were discussed and everyone truly understood all the issues involved,” Zayas said. “In the end, it was a very close vote. I think it’s a vote that will be received very positively by the wrestling community. I enjoyed seeing the passion in New York for wrestling and the strength and interest of the wrestling community.”
That strength and interest was demonstrated by the petition started in December by Tim Herman, the Editor of armdrag.com. Discussions of that petition can be found here and here. Ultimately, close to 1300 people signed the online document.
“When I heard the uniform issue was back on the table, I knew that there was a good chance it’d be overturned,” Herman said. “I’m not sure if the petition had anything to do with it, but it certainly spread like wildfire and must’ve turned some heads. Thanks to a passionate wrestling community, we reached 1,000 signatures within a few days. Not long after, rumors of a revote began to circulate. I’m optimistic that all Sections will find a way to provide their wrestlers singlets, but we’ll have to wait and see. I realize that money is an issue for some, but where there’s a will, there’s a way. Some Sections already have a solution in place where cost is not an issue. Let’s hope others will follow suit and that we’re not revisiting this issue year after year.”
Whether the Sections decide to wear their traditional state tournament uniforms or have their wrestlers compete in their school singlets remains to be seen. But on Tuesday, a number of wrestlers expressed excitement about the outcome of the NYSPHSAA meeting.
“It was disappointing to everyone [when the decision was announced] because wearing that Sectional singlet and getting that Sectional gear is something that everyone looks forward to,” said returning state champion Nick Piccininni of Ward Melville. “It’s really exciting now.”
“It means a lot to me to represent Section 4,” added Johnson City junior Reggie Williams, the top ranked 195-pounder in the state, echoing the sentiments of several others. “Anyone can wear a school singlet but wearing the Sectional singlet means a lot more. I was really upset when I heard we wouldn’t be able to wear the Section singlets and I’m really happy that changed.”
————–
* When asked about the cost stipulation mentioned above, Zayas said that there would likely be some questions or discussion on what is and isn’t permissible.
What a weekend. From dual meet championship tournaments to tough individual events, there were great matchups all over the state. The following touches upon some of the notable results and more may be added later.
South Jefferson and Johnson City captured Dual Meet Championships in Section 3 and 4, respectively. The Spartans dominated their finals matchup with General Brown while the Wildcats won a four-point dual over Union-Endicott.
In individual tournament action:
• Shenendehowa won its own event with five champions, with St. Anthony’s and Yorktown taking second and third. Among the titlewinners for the Plainsmen were highly ranked Nick Kelley, David Almaviva and Levi Ashley.
• Monroe County in Section 5 has a new champion for the first time in 22 years. Spencerport had captured the last 21 titles, but this weekend it was Fairport earning that school’s first county championship. A number of wrestlers who appear in our latest state rankings won titles at this event, including Colton Kells of the champion Red Raiders, who topped Spencerport’s Collin Pittman in overtime at 195.
• At the Islip Cup, a pair of New York contenders at 170 pounds, Joe Piccolo of Half Hollow Hills West and Carlos Toribio of Brentwood, squared off for the second time this season. Toribio took the first meeting by decision but in the rematch, Piccolo recorded an early pin. It continues a strong run by Piccolo, who was third at the Eastern States Classic last Saturday.
• Huntington took first at the Kohl Invitational with five titlewinners, including Most Outstanding Wrestler Joseph Puca at 152 pounds. Puca upset state ranked Dan DeCarlo of Port Jervis.
• Edgemont, led by 120-pound winner Trey Aslanian, was the team champion at its tournament over the weekend, finishing ahead of Section 1 foe Pearl River.
• Clarence took the ECIC Championship, led by champions Ryan Burns (106), Jake Weber (160) and Nate Ward (285). Taking MOW honors was Cheektowoga’s Renaldo Rodriguez-Spencer, who won the 132 pound class with a pin.
• At the Beacon, Valley Central won a close team race by three points over Arlington. Leading the way was top ranked Alex Delacruz of Ossining, who notched a technical fall in the finals.
For more details on these stories, read on:
Section 3 and 4 Dual Meet Championships
Johnson City, the top seed in Section 4, opened with a 50-24 victory over Sidney before defeating Vestal by a 42-27 score in the semifinals. In the championship dual, Johnson City took a commanding lead, clinching the dual with three matches remaining. Union-Endicott’s late rally made the final score 40-36.
In Section 3, the conclusion lacked drama. Top seeded South Jefferson, ranked seventh in the latest state dual poll, looked like one of New York’s elite squads throughout the competition. The Spartans began with a 51-23 result against Cicero-North Syracuse before topping Cazenovia 58-22. In the semifinals, the team had its closest meet of the event, 43-31, over Baldwinsville. In the finals, South Jefferson left little to chance, emerging with a dominant 45-19 score.
Earning wins in the opening three duals for the champions were Jared Carroll (99), Caleb Beach (106), Trevor Cowles (160), Dan Smith (170), Logan LaFlamme (182) and Ryan Charlebois (220).
For more on the championships by Johnson City and South Jefferson, check back tomorrow for a more detailed story.
Shenendehowa Tournament
The host team collected 209.5 points, well ahead of St. Anthony’s at 149 and Yorktown’s 95. The Plainsmen received championship performances from five grapplers – Kevin Parker (120), Nick Kelley (138), David Almaviva (145), Chris Naccarato (160) and Levi Ashley (195).
A host of additional wrestlers ranked statewide took the mat in Section 2. At 113 pounds, returning state runner up Cheick Ndiaye edged St. Anthony’s Ben Lamantia 3-2 and Joe Mastro of Yorktown grabbed gold at 152.
A pair of ranked wrestlers were upended in the finals – Luis Weirebach of Hoosick Falls topped Eastern States medalist Golan Cohen of Colonie at 106 while Elliot Antler of Xavier edged St. Anthony’s Johnny Vrasidas at 170. In a battle of 182-pound wrestlers we expect to make some waves in Albany, Thomas Murray of Yorktown topped Hoosick Falls’s Brad Burns.
For further results from the event, see here.
Monroe County Tournament
As mentioned previously, Fairport won its first Monroe County league title after 21 consecutive years of championships for Spencerport. The Red Raiders had a large number of placers, including titlewinners Colton Kells at 195 and Jordan Seidel at 170.
Courtesy of Jason DePrez
This event featured a number of grapplers who are featured prominently in the latest individual state rankings. Among them were top 99 pounder, Yianni Diakomihalis of Hilton, who earned a major in the title match and took lightweight Most Outstanding Wrestler honors. He was joined on top of the podium by teammates Vincent DePrez (138), Anthony DePrez (145) and Mike Spallina (152), an eighth grader. Spallina wasn’t the only young wrestler to take top billing. After impressing nearly everyone in attendance at the Eastern States last weekend, seventh grader Frankie Gissendanner of Penfield put up another outstanding performance, taking the 126-pound crown over top seed Rosario Venniro, 3-1.
Spencerport was well represented among the titlewinners as well, with champions Jonathan Haas at 106, Trent Egenlauf at 182 and Austin Coleman at heavyweight. Grabbing heavyweight MOW honors was 160-pound champion Josh Powell of Churchville-Chili.
For more details, see here.
Islip Cup
Brentwood sat atop the team standings at the Kris McDonald Islip Cup, ahead of Sachem North and Islip. Leading the way for the top squad were champions Alex Romero (145), Luis Rodriguez (152) and David Rodriguez (285).
Photo by BV
Several state title contenders also picked up first place as the Half Hollow Hills West duo of Tyler Grimaldi (160) and Joe Piccolo (170) were victorious. As mentioned earlier, Piccolo avenged an earlier season loss to Brentwood’s Carlos Toribio with a first period pin. Both will be in the podium picture in Albany. Sachem North’s Gio Santiago has experience on the medal stand at the Times Union Center, as he took sixth a year ago. He continued his solid campaign with a fall over Jagger Rebozo in the 182-pound final.
For more results, see here.
Kohl Tournament
Huntington racked up 268 points, outdistancing Monroe Woodbury (201.5) and Port Jervis (166) for the title. The Blue Devils were led by Most Outstanding Wrestler Joseph Puca, who upset state-ranked Dan DeCarlo of Port Jervis for the 152-pound crown, 1-0. Also making the top of the podium for Huntington were John Arceri (99), Corey Jamison (126), Nick Lupi (220) and Anthony Puca (285).
For full brackets, see here.
Edgemont Panther Tournament
Photo by BV
Edgemont won its own tournament by five points over Pearl River on Saturday, spurred by champion Trey Aslanian at 120 pounds. Also making the finals for the host team were Kyle Aslanian (99), Chris Kim (170) and Jason Worobow (182). One of the top 145 pounders in the Empire State, Tom Grippi of Fox Lane, pinned his way to the title.
For more results, see 2013 Edgemont Bracket FINAL RESULTS
ECIC Championships
In Section 6, Clarence won the title by almost 100 points over Lancaster. Clarence had eight finalists, including three title winners. For full results, see here.
Beacon
In addition to the dominance of Ossining’s Alex Delacruz, there were many standout showings at this tournament. One of those was the 195-pound championship for Horace Greeley’s Scott Wymbs. When Wymbs, named the Outstanding Wrestler, beat Kingston’s Deon Edmond for the title, he became his school’s all-time wins leader.
Dual Meets
For additional dual meet results from the weekend, see here.
Congratulations to our Pick Your Champion Contest winner from Eastern States . . . who chose to be identified as “John Stamos”. He correctly picked 11 out of the 15 titlewinners. There were a number of people right behind him – 8 entrants accurately predicted 10 of the 15 champions.
A quick look at the contest results:
There were a number of weights where the champion was dominant in the voting, as well as on the mat.
Johnson City’s Reggie Williams was the top vote getter at any weight, picking up close to 75% of the tallies in the 195-pound class.
Coming in not too far behind were a pair of Long Island wrestlers who cruised through the weekend – Corey Rasheed of Longwood (152) and Nick Piccininni of Ward Melville (113). Both were just shy of 70% of the vote.
In addition, around 60% of the respondents chose returning state champion Zack Zupan of Canastota (182), Nick Kelley of Shenendehowa (138) and Columbia’s El Shaddai Van Hoesen (285).
On the flip side, some of the champions were more of a surprise to the participants in the contest.
A Section 9 wrestler collected over 40% of the votes at 99 pounds – but that was Monroe Woodbury’s Vinny Vespa. Champion Chris Cuccolo of Pine Bush received around 7% of the tallies.
The votes at 106, 120 and 126 were quite fragmented with more than 10 wrestlers getting support in each of those weights. None of the winners of those classes, Nick Barbaria of New Rochelle, Kevin Jack of Danbury or TJ Fabian of Shoreham-Wading River were the top vote getters in their bracket, however they all gathered between 12 and 20% of the vote (as did Tristan Rifanburg at 132 and Dan Breit at 220).
Thanks to everyone that participated. We appreciate your input and opinions!
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