Three Bearcats Win CAA Championships, Team Takes Second

Contact: John Hartrick (hartrick@binghamton.edu)

VESTAL, N.Y.—Hofstra crowned four individual champions and added two runnersup to edge host Binghamton by two points (80.5-78.5) and capture the program’s second straight CAA Wrestling Championship and 10th in the last 11 years. The seven-team event was held at Binghamton’s Events Center with seven teams and 70 wrestlers competing for the team crown and 23 NCAA individual berths.

After Hofstra and Binghamton in the team standings were Old Dominion (68.5 pts.), Boston University (34), Drexel (33.5), George Mason (30.5) and Rider.

Three Bearcats won titles: junior 149-pound Donnie Vinson, senior 157-pound Justin Lister and freshman heavyweightNick Gwiazdowski. Vinson, ranked No. 4 in the country, racked up a pin, technical fall and major decision and earned Most Outstanding Wrestler honors. In the finals against second-seeded Justin Accordino, Vinson rolled to a 12-3 major decision. Lister posted two pins en route to his title at 157. he put a stamp on his third straight CAA crown with a pin in 1:32 over second-seeded John Nicholson of ODU. Gwiazdowski won twice to capture the heavyweight title. In the final, he earned a 3-1 decision over top-seeded Kyle Frey of Drexel.

Junior 184-pound Nate Schiedel won twice to place second, junior 133-pound Patrick Hunter went 3-1 to place third and freshman 174-pound Caleb Wallace won twice to take third. Hunter’s only loss was a tiebreaking 6-4 decision at the hands of eventual runnerup Jamie Franco of Hofstra and he knocked off the top two seeds in his weight class. Wallace won twice, including a dramatic pin of Hofstra’s Jermaine John in the third-place bout, before losing to Boston’s Kyle Czarnecki 7-3 for “true” second with an NCAA spot on the line. Also suffering a heartbreaking defeat was sophomore 197-pound Cody Reed, who was ahead 5-3 with 11 seconds left in his third-place match with Joe Budi of ODU. Budi, however, took advantage of a false whistle and grabbed an uncontested takedown to force overtime. In the one-minute tiebreaker, Budi shot in and ended the match, leaving Reed to await a possible NCAA at-large bid next week.

“Our top-level guys wrestled extremely well,” head coach Pat Popolizio said. “They are wrestling their best at the right time. I thought Patrick (Hunter) had a great tournament. I don’t know what happened in Cody’s match. Now he’s on the bubble for NCAAs.”

Four Bearcats secured NCAA Championship berths: Vinson, Lister, Schiedel and Gwiazdowski. Reed and senior 165-pound Matt Kaylor will hope for NCAA at-large selections next week. Kaylor went 2-2, suffering a 6-4 tiebreaker loss to eventual champion Paul Gillespie of Hofstra in the semifinals.

Cornell Edges Lehigh to Win 6th Straight EIWA Title

The 2012 EIWA team race came down to the very last match Saturday afternoon at Jadwin Gym in Princeton, New Jersey.

Cornell came into the heavyweight bout with 151.5 points, Lehigh with 149.   As Ryan Flores of American and Zach Rey of Lehigh took the mat, there was nothing further the Big Red could do but sit and watch.  Or, in head coach Rob Koll’s case, not watch.

“I left the gym, I couldn’t be there,” Koll said.  “I listened to the crowd.  I knew a lot of cheering meant trouble and since I didn’t hear much noise, I knew we had a chance.  You could say I’m a fan of Ryan Flores.”

Flores defeated Rey in last year’s 285-pound EIWA title match and did it again, earning a 3-1 decision on a takedown in sudden victory.  That result sealed the EIWA crown for the Big Red for the sixth consecutive time.

“It’s so hard when you don’t have a guy out there and your team’s outcome is being determined,” added Cornell assistant coach Damion Hahn. “I have to say thank you to Flores.  He’s my favorite wrestler on another team right now.  He helped Cornell make history today with our sixth in a row.”

The Big Red came into the final session with a lead of 2.5 points over the Mountain Hawks after an eventful morning.

Frank Perrelli helped to extend that lead with a 7-4 win in the 125 pound championship bout over Princeton’s Garrett Frey.  The senior was on the offensive all weekend as he notched two technical falls and a major on his way to his second consecutive EIWA title.

“Frank went after guys the whole tournament,” Hahn said. “He’s at his best when he’s attacking and he’s in such good shape that we keep telling him to keep shooting.  He will have a lot of success at NCAAs, especially if he keeps that up.”

The Big Red had the chance to increase the margin at 141 pounds when Mike Nevinger took on Matt Mariacher.  But the defending conference champion from American dominated in neutral, earning three takedowns in a 6-4 triumph.

“The finals match wasn’t indicative of what Mike can do,” Koll said.  “He was out of his stance way too many times.  But he had a huge win in the semis [over Lehigh’s Stephen Dutton]. I can’t say enough about how excited I am about his improvement.”

“Nevinger is the epitome of what you want in a college wrestler.  He’s tough and a workhorse,” Hahn added. “We expect him on the podium and I know he expects that of himself.  It might be forgotten at this point but his win in the semis was huge, it really propelled us towards the title.”

At 149 pounds, Lehigh had an opportunity to narrow the gap with surprise finalist Shane Welsh.  The junior had been in and out of the lineup for the Mountain Hawks, but upset Chris Villalonga in overtime in the quarters and received a medical forfeit in the semis from Corey Jantzen to make the title bout.   He took full advantage, soundly defeating American’s Kevin Tao 4-0.

It was Cornell’s turn to respond and two-time national champion Kyle Dake did just that.  He used a takedown at the end of the second period and an escape in the third to score a 3-0 win over Harvard’s Walter Peppelman.

“When Kyle goes out there, I just sit back and just watch,” Hahn said. “There’s no doubt in my mind that he’ll win. I don’t get nervous at all.  He’s a pleasure to watch.  It doesn’t matter if the guy has Kyle in the air, on his back, whatever.  He’ll wrestle the position and come out on top.  He’s a winner, plain and simple.”

Then it was Lehigh’s turn again.  Brandon Hatchett missed nearly two months of action with an injury but lived up to his number one seed at 165 pounds by topping last season’s EIWA victor Scott Winston of Rutgers in sudden victory.

The only head to head meeting between the top two teams was next with Robert Hamlin of Lehigh taking on Steve Bosak of Cornell at 184 pounds.  Hamlin had beaten Bosak three out of the four times they wrestled, with every match going down to the wire.  This time, it was no different.

In a 1-1 bout late in the third, Bosak took a shot that Hamlin countered for a takedown of his own.  With just seconds left, Bosak came close to the winning points, but ran out of time in a 3-2 decision.   The team from Bethlehem jumped out to a 149-147.5 advantage.

“We came in with a little bit of a different strategy than the dual meet,” Hahn said of Bosak’s 2-1 win over Hamlin on January 8. “Steve was a little frustrated that he wasn’t offensive enough in that match.  But that late in the match, he didn’t need to force the action. He went after it and got scored on.  He’ll probably get another chance at him in a few weeks.”

Now in second place, Cornell needed a win from 197-pound senior Cam Simaz.  He faced a very familiar foe, Micah Burak of Penn, whom he had defeated eight times during his career coming into the bout.

This match yielded the same results as Simaz picked up a 9-4 win en route to his fourth EIWA title and Most Outstanding Wrestler honors.  He also received the John Fletcher Trophy as the wrestler who scored the most points for his team at EIWAs during his career.

“Truthfully, we were hoping for some bonus points,” Hahn said of his 197 pounder, who had won 23 of his 25 matches by bonus heading into the finals. “He had an opportunity in the second period when he put Burak on his back and I thought he was about to pin him.  But Burak wrestled a very strategic match and kept things somewhat close.   I believe Cam is the most dominant wrestler in college this year and it showed again this weekend.”

After that bout, the score read Cornell 151.5 and Lehigh 149 and after Flores got his hand raised, that score became final.

Several other wrestlers played important roles in bringing the conference trophy back to Ithaca.

Chris Villalonga bounced back to take third at 149, avenging a dual meet loss to Columbia’s Steve Santos along the way.  Marshall Peppelman earned fourth at 165, winning in dramatic fashion against last season’s EIWA runner up Eren Civan late on Saturday to stay alive for an NCAA qualifying slot.  Nick Arujau overcame a difficult 3-2 loss to top seeded Steven Keith in his first match on Sunday to take fifth at 133.  All three punched their tickets to NCAAs in St. Louis with their performances.

“We put a lot on our young guys this year and this weekend, they wrestled well,” Hahn said.  “Jeremy [Spates] puts together highlight-lowlight videos for the guys and when Marshall saw his, he was shocked with how he handled some situations in matches this year.  I think he came in with a different perspective and he showed progress.  He has phenomenal talent and will continue to put it all together.”

“Villalonga looked really good and Arujau performed,” Hahn added. “Arujau had two losses to tough guys he could have beaten.  He was right there and he knows it.  He just needs to take that next step.”

Heavyweight Maciej Jochym has taken many steps forward during the course of the season.  He picked up some key team points with two pins and his fifth place showing.   He handed eventual third place finisher Kevin Lester of Columbia his only loss of the weekend and will wait to see if he receives a wildcard for nationals.

Despite the excitement in the finals, the drama most people were talking about took place in the morning at 174 pounds in the bout between Cornell’s Billy George and Lehigh’s Nathaniel Brown.  The stakes were high, with a relatively close team competition and an NCAA berth for the winner.  George grew increasingly frustrated in the third period of a close loss.  After the clock ran out, he struck Brown with his knee, knocking the Mountain Hawk wrestler to the ground, where he stayed for several minutes.  George was disqualified and the points he had earned were subtracted from Cornell’s team score.  In addition, the bout was ruled a disqualification rather than a decision, adding extra points to Lehigh’s total.

“Obviously, Billy got caught up and let his emotions get the best of him,” Hahn said.  “He was frustrated and he lost control.  How he handled things was completely unacceptable and we will sit down and evaluate it and what the consequences will be.  It’s a shame. He’s a great kid from a great family.  But he let his emotions take control.  We hope Brown is okay.”

The Lehigh freshman did not wrestle his match for third place and further information on his status was not available after the tournament.

It was a low point in a day that should have been a celebration of an achievement not seen in the modern era.  No team had captured six in a row since prior to World War II.

“Rob [Koll] brushes it off like it’s no big deal, but it’s an amazing accomplishment,” Hahn said. “He deserves to be honored.  What he has done in his time at Cornell is spectacular.  We keep saying that the best is yet to come and I believe it.  We’ve been close to our goal of winning NCAAs and it will happen. That’s what we’re ultimately shooting for.”

Hahn acknowledges that Cornell is not frequently mentioned among the contenders for this year’s NCAA crown, but with three returning All-Americans in the title hunt (Dake, Bosak and Simaz) and eight automatic qualifiers, Hahn thinks the team will make its presence felt in St. Louis.

“Our confidence is high going into the nationals,” he said.  “We’re an underdog but we’re ready to perform.   We can’t wait.”

 

–Betsy Veysman

Never Say Never: Stanton, Greene Wrestlers Defy the Odds at States

By Betsy Veysman

One team member was told in junior high that he would never wrestle again.  Another believed his season was finished over a month ago after a car accident.  A third was unable to effectively use his right hand due to a pinched nerve and a fourth failed to place in two tournaments early in the campaign.  But on the biggest weekend of the high school calendar, the squad from Greene High School overcame adversity to produce three medalists, including a dominant state champion, and a fourth place finish in the Division II points race.

You can’t talk about the Greene weekend without mentioning 2:57.  Two minutes and fifty-seven seconds. That’s all it took for 220 pounder Kyle Stanton to pin all four of his weekend opponents and capture the state championship in his final high school match.

“It was one of the most amazing feelings ever,” Stanton said. “I’ve been dreaming about this for a long time.  I watched [former Greene wrestlers] Nick Wilcox and Tyler Beckwith win titles and wanted it so badly for myself.”

Not bad for someone who thought just a few years ago that he had hung up his wrestling shoes forever.

When he was in seventh grade, doctors told Stanton that he had a genetic defect in his back.  The first medical opinion he received was that he would never wrestle again.  It was devastating news for someone who had been successfully competing in the sport since he was in peewees.

“Everything was based around wrestling for me at that time,” he said. “I felt like my whole life was being taken away.”

But another surgeon told him that there was hope.  He believed he could operate and insert two titanium rods in his back to support the vertebrae.  If Stanton followed a slow and controlled rehabilitation process, getting back on the mats would be a possibility.  Stanton happily agreed.

“Kyle just lit up when he heard there was a chance,” said Greene head coach Tim Jenks. “He was so excited and willing to do whatever the doctor told him.”

After the procedure, Stanton was not cleared to wrestle as a ninth grader, although he was allowed to play basketball.  But he couldn’t stay away from his favorite sport.  He stayed involved with the grapplers by keeping the team statistics and attending every meet that didn’t conflict with hoops.

“I promised the doctor I would follow everything he said, word for word,” Stanton said. “When he told me to, I started doing some strength training with Dickie White.  That made a huge difference.  When I went back to the doctor after my freshman year, he was amazed at how I recovered.  He said that he saw no reason I shouldn’t wrestle.”

So finally, during his sophomore campaign, he was allowed to strap on the headgear again.  There were some initial concerns but those were soon alleviated.  Just getting back on the mat was an achievement; the results seemed secondary.  After all, he hadn’t participated in the sport in years.

However, Stanton surprised many, including his coach and himself, by taking second at the Section IV tournament after very little mat time.

“That was unbelievable,” Jenks said. “Without much wrestling for so long, the fact that he made it that far was amazing.”

He intensified his training and lifting and came into his junior year ready to take the next step to the state tournament.   After a solid year, a knee injury sustained in football worsened a few weeks before the sectionals. He fought through it, took second and qualified for the state tournament, where he placed fourth.

“I think the knee hurt me a little bit, but in general I thought I wrestled one of my best tournaments at states that year,” Stanton said.  “I felt that I was pretty calm for my first trip to states.  I wanted more than fourth, though.”

Immediately after the season was over, he underwent knee surgery.  Rehab was nothing new to him and he attacked it with the same ferocity that he attacked his opponents this past weekend.

Finally healthy, he came into his senior year with a new attitude and a single-minded goal.

“I knew it was my last shot and that motivated me more,” he said. “I also felt good that nothing was holding me back like all the other years.”

“Because of what happened to him, Kyle had a really special commitment in the room and outside of it too,” Jenks added. “When we did goals at the beginning of the year, he said he would be satisfied with nothing less than a state championship.  Sometimes kids say that but don’t put everything into making it happen.  Kyle lived it.  He practiced every day with states on his mind. He didn’t take anything for granted.”

Stanton, who plans to wrestle at the Division I level in college, established himself as the Empire State’s best at 220, compiling a 33-2 record with the only two losses coming to nationally-ranked AJ Vizcarrondo of Wyoming Seminary.

When he got to Albany, he didn’t waste any time demonstrating he was the best.

“I thought the finals at least would be a close match,” Jenks said. “But Kyle told me before the match started that he felt great and he thought he was going to pin the kid. He was so pumped, so confident.  He just had a whole different attitude.  He wanted it over quickly.  He was just so happy to be there.”

Also happy to be there was junior 160-pounder Mike Beckwith.  He began the year with 15 straight wins in contested matches, including a victory over 2012 state placer Stephen Lumley of South Glens Falls.  However, he was in a car accident in January and sustained a back injury that put the rest of the season in question.

According to Jenks, Beckwith was determined to wrestle at the sectional tournament.  However, it seemed that he wouldn’t be adequately prepared with just two light practices under his belt prior to the event.

“He did a little drilling but no live wrestling at all,” he said. “We were thinking it would be so difficult to get through four matches at sectionals when he couldn’t even practice with our 126 pounder. How many people could win sectionals with just two practices?”

Beckwith did, earning his ticket to states by picking up two majors and two pins on the way to the Section IV title.

“Mike had a fairly tough bracket at sectionals and to see him win it without practice was really impressive,” Stanton said.

In Albany, Beckwith went 1-2 with two close losses, including a 3-1 overtime setback in the wrestlebacks.

“Mike had to stop doing what he’s really good at,” Jenks said. “He’s an upper body wrestler. But it’s so hard to work the upper body stuff with an injured back.  He fought hard, but it was really his conditioning that lost him those two close matches.  He’ll be ready for next year.”

Also looking toward next year is 152-pounder Dan Dickman.

The junior had a rocky beginning to the campaign, with a 13-6 record at the end of 2011.  He didn’t place at the Jarvis Wildcat Memorial or the Windsor Christmas Tournament and moved around in the lineup, from 160 to 152 to 145 pounds.

“Dan had some down times early on,” Jenks said. “He was the runner up in the section last year but he had some trouble adjusting after moving up a few weights.”

Things started to turn around at Eastern States, where he had some quality wins and ended up on the podium at 145 pounds.   Even so, the cut was difficult so he moved back to 152, where he settled in at the end of January and won 10 straight bouts to give him momentum going into the state tournament.

He was unseeded in Albany and after a second round loss to eventual runner up Derek Pfluger, bounced back with three victories in the consolation bracket, all by two points or less, to take fourth.   Jenks said that he “couldn’t even breathe” in most of Dickman’s matches because they all went down to the wire.

“I was impressed with how Dan turned things around,” said senior Keegan Cerwinski. “Toward the end of the year, he got his head together and wrestled.  Instead of caring how he looked out there, he focused on his performance and it worked.”

“Dan came a long way since the beginning of the year,” added Stanton. “I was really proud of his performance.  Everything seemed to click at Eastern States and after that he started doing well.  He wrestled great at states.”

Also wrestling great at states was Cerwinski, who finished second at 182 pounds.  The senior outscored his opponents 16-2 in his first two matches before edging Warsaw’s Tim Schaefer 1-0 in the semifinals.  Cerwinski defeated Schaefer by the same score earlier in the season.

“Keegan was outstanding,” Jenks said. “He did a tremendous job to get where he did. I think I lost about seven pounds in the match against Schaefer.  [Schaefer] knew he had to get out from bottom but Keegan wouldn’t let him.  Although he lost to a very tough Tony Lock in the finals, Lock took neutral against Keegan which shows how tough he is on top.”

Not only is he tough on top, he’s tough in general.  He’s competed with knee and ankle injuries and a week before the state tournament, he suffered a pinched nerve in his shoulder.  He said he had very little strength in his right hand and was unable to open and close the hand or even hold a pencil in it.  Nevertheless, he finished his high school action with a state silver medal and has at least four meetings with Division I college programs in the coming weeks.

Afterwards, however, Cerwinski was talking about what his frequent workout partner Stanton had achieved.

“I don’t really know how to explain what Kyle did,” Cerwinski said. “He really came out of his shell.  He opened up.  I was surprised by how aggressive he was, even in the finals.”

Stanton has been thinking about a state title since he was in elementary school. Yet, the weekend exceeded his expectations.

“I couldn’t have imagined it happening like this,” he said of his four pins. “I thought I would have decent matches on Friday and then I would squeak out two close ones on Saturday.  It was better than I ever expected.”

For a young man told he may never wrestle again, better is hard to imagine.

Simaz Named Ivy League Wrestler of the Year for the Second Time

ITHACA, N.Y.—Cornell senior Cam Simaz has earned his second-straight Ivy League Wrestler of the Year honor it was announced by the conference on Monday. Simaz joinsFrank Perrelli and Steve Bosak in earning first-team All-Ivy honors, while the Big Red totals eight All-Ivy selections. The Big Red won its 10th-straight Ivy League title this season after finishing with a 5-0 record. Cornell has won 53 straight Ancient Eight matches.

Simaz (197), Perrelli (125) and Bosak (184) all earned first-team honors at their respective weight classes, while Chris Villalonga (149), Craig Eifert (165) and Maciej Jochym(HWT) all earned second-team spots. Kyle Dake (157) and Mike Nevinger (141) were honorable mention.

Simaz (Allegan, Mich.) is the fourth-straight Cornell wrestler to earn Wrestler of the Year honors, joining Mack Lewnes ’11 who claimed the award in 2009 and 2010. Simaz is the topped ranked wrestler in the country at 197 pounds. He is now a four-time Ivy League first team honoree and rounds out his Ancient Eight career with an impressive 20-0 Ivy League record. Four of his five conference wins this season were bonus including a pin, two technical falls and a major decision. Simaz was named Ivy League and EIWA rookie of the year in 2009. He is a three-time All-American and three-time EIWA champion. The Big Red senior captain is 22-1 this season with his only loss coming from an injury default.

At 125 pounds, Perrelli (Hackettstown, N.J.) earns his second All-Ivy honor this season with a 5-0 conference record. The Big Red wrestler is 25-5 overall this season and is currently ranked No. 7 in the country.

At 184 pounds, Bosak (State College, Pa.) earns his second first-team All-Ivy honor. The Big Red captain was second-team All-Ivy in 2010. The All-American is 26-3 overall and 4-0 against the Ancient Eight. Bosak is currently ranked No. 5 by InterMat.

Two-time NCAA champion Dake was named All-Ivy honorable mention at 157 pounds after going 1-0 in Ivy League matches. Dake is 26-0 for the season and is currently ranked No. 1 in the country.

The Big Red will look to capture its sixth-straight EIWA title on March 3-4 at Princeton University.

Wrestler of the Year
Cam Simaz
, Cornell, 197 (Sr., Allegan, Mich.)

Rookie of the Year
*Lorenzo Thomas
, Penn, 165 (Fr., Pittsburgh)

First Team (10)
*Frank Perrelli
, Cornell, 125 (Sr., Hackettstown, N.J.)
*Steve Keith, Harvard, 133 (Jr., Shoreham, N.Y.)
*Zack Kemmerer, Penn, 141 (Sr., East Greenville, Pa.)
Steve Santos, Columbia, 149 (Jr., Brick, N.J.)
Daniel Kolodzik, Princeton, 157 (Sr., Bellbrook, Ohio)
*Lorenzo Thomas, Penn, 165 (Fr., Pittsburgh)
*Stephen West, Columbia, 174 (Jr., Fresno, Calif.)
*Steve Bosak, Cornell, 184 (Sr., State College, Pa.)
*Cam Simaz, Cornell, 197 (Sr., Allegan, Mich.)
*Steve Graziano, Penn, 285 (So., Syosset, N.Y.)

Second Team (10)
Billy Watterson
, Brown, 125 (So., Pound Ridge, N.Y.)
Bryan Ortenzio, Penn, 133 (Sr., Camp Hill, Pa.)
Adam Krop, Princeton, 141 (So., Urbana, Md.)
Chris Villalonga, Cornell, 149 (So., Totowa, N.J.)
Walter Peppelman, Harvard, 157 (Jr., Harrisburg, Pa.)
Craig Eifert, Cornell, 165 (So., Mason, Mich.)
David Foxen, Brown, 174 (Sr., Garden City, N.Y.)
Shane Hughes, Columbia, 184 (Fr., Sussex, Wis.)
Micah Burak, Penn, 197 (Jr., Colorado Springs, Colo.)
Maciej Jochym, Cornell, 285 (Sr., Williston Park, N.Y.)

Honorable Mention (9)
Robert Dyar
, Columbia, 125 (Jr., Birmingham, Ala.)
Kyle Gilchrist, Columbia, 133 (Sr., Jefferson, Ohio)
Mike Nevinger, Cornell, 141 (So., Perry, N.Y.)
Steve Robertson, Penn, 149 (Fr., Lombard, Ill.))
Kyle Dake, Cornell, 157 (Jr., Ithaca, N.Y.)
Andy Lowy, Princeton, 174 (Sr., Brookeville, Md.)
Ophir Bernstein, Brown, 184 (Fr., Allen, Texas)
Sterling Hecox, Brown, 197 (Fr., Loves Park, Ill.)
Kevin Lester, Columbia, 285 (Sr., Nampa, Idaho)

*-Unanimous selection

It's Almost Tournament Time! Take a Weight-by-Weight Look at Division I

We’re less than two days away from the first whistle at the NYPHSAA Championships. Here’s a weight-by-weight look at what could happen this weekend in Division I.

99

Kyle Kelly, undefeated this season at 33-0, is the favorite to repeat at New York’s lightest weight class.  Among his victories this year was a technical fall over second-seeded Jonathan Haas of Spencerport (35-1).  To meet Kelly again, Haas will potentially have to get past 42-1 junior Alex Tanzman as well as an impressive freshman from Section 8, Jose Rodriguez.  The Wantagh wrestler sports an unblemished 41-0 record and has been dominant throughout the season, including winning an Eastern States title.

Prediction: Kelly gets back-to-back titles with a hard fought win over the outstanding ninth grader Rodriguez.

 

106

Unlike at 99 pounds, neither of last year’s finalists return to 106, but the bronze medalist, Nick Piccininni is back.   The Ward Melville wrestler is unbeaten this year and has been held to a decision on only three occasions, but there is no shortage of experienced medalists ready to challenge this weekend.  In fact, last year’s fourth, fifth and sixth place finishers at 96, Lockport’s Anthony Orefice, St. Anthony’s Freddy Dunau and Fairport’s Bryan Ruggeri all sit in the top half of the bracket with Piccinnini. Mike Parise of Brewster, who dropped from 113 at the beginning of 2012 and has put up some impressive results, including third at Eastern States, joins them.  (Ruggeri and Piccinnini meet in the first round).

On the other side, MacArthur’s Justin Cooksey has compiled a 40-3 mark and a runner up finish at Eastern States.  He defeated Krishna Sewkumar three times, including in the Section final.  Seeded second and third, they could meet again in the semifinals.

Prediction: Piccininni moves two spots higher on the podium with a victory over Cooksey.

 

113

Both Mark Raghunandan of Long Beach and Dylan Realbuto of Somers took second place in Albany a year ago, at 103 and 96, respectively.  They met in the finals at the Eastern States Classic in January in a match won 7-6 by the Long Beach wrestler. Another meeting on the evening of February 25 for the state title wouldn’t be a surprise, although Realbuto’s loss during the Section 1 tournament put him a difficult position where he could potentially meet Corey Jamison of Huntington in the second round.

Jamison (38-1) has had a strong season, with solid victories over contenders such as William Koll of Lansing (top seed in Division II) and Brandon Lapi of Amsterdam, the number three seed and a possible semifinal opponent.

Among those potentially in Raghunandan’s path is fourth seeded Vincent DePrez of Hilton (fourth at 103 in 2011), who is 46-0.   He’ll match up with Pat Skinner of Kellenberg (sixth at 103 in 2011) in the opening round.

Prediction: Realbuto fights back to reach the finals, but Raghunandan gets his title as a senior.

 

120

Matt Leshinger earned the top spot in the bracket after an impressive run through the Suffolk County tournament, during which he beat Sean McCabe of Connetquot (third at 119 last year), Mark West of Hauppauge (2010 State champion) and TJ Fabian of Shoreham-Wading River in succession.  McCabe battled back to take third in Section XI and with a 37-2 record, is in the number two spot.  If he is victorious in his first match, the “reward” could be facing a familiar foe in Fabian (43-4).  Also a threat out of the bottom half is Frontier’s Rocco Russo (42-1).

No stranger to tough bouts, Leshinger will be tested right off the bat with Roslyn’s John Lanzillotti, the Section 8 winner, who is 37-1.  Also waiting is Pittsford’s Brady Baron (37-1) whose only setback was to two-time state finalist in Division II, Tristan Rifanburg.

Prediction: Section XI featured incredible competition at 120 this year with former state champion West not even qualifying for the tournament.  McCabe had valuable experience in Albany last season and avenges his county loss with a state finals victory over Leshinger.

 

126

Fox Lane’s Sam Speno was a runner up in 2011 at 112 pounds but will be the favorite to finish one spot higher this time around.  He has followed up his finals appearance with a 42-1 season in which he has racked up a number of quality victories this season, including over Division II standouts Nick Tighe and Drew Longo as well as the third and fourth seeds in the class, Dylan Caruana of Kenmore West and Al Dierna of Webster Schroeder, respectively.  Speno’s only loss came at the hands of nationally ranked Dom Malone of Wyoming Seminary at Eastern States.

Grabbing second at that event was Maverick Passaro of Eastport-South Manor, who is the two seed after a 46-3 campaign.  Passaro topped Caruana (sixth at 125 in 2011) at the Eastern States and a rematch could occur this weekend in the semis.

Prediction: Speno continues his success against Empire State wrestlers, beating Passaro on the biggest stage.

 

132

Some would argue that the top three performers at 132 in New York in 2011-12 are in the bottom bracket together.  Nick Kelley of Shenendehowa was fourth a year ago at 130 and has looked very good all year while earning 41 wins in as many matches.  He cruised to the title at Eastern States, defeating Nick Mauriello of Hauppauge, 10-4.  The two could see a rematch in the second round. Mauriello came back from life threatening illness last year to have an inspirational 39-2 campaign and capture a Suffolk County championship.

St. Anthony’s Jamel Hudson, who raised some eyebrows with several wins over nationally ranked opponents at the Super 32 tournament in North Carolina last fall, has continued rolling with a 31-1 mark this year. The only loss came against out of state opponent Shyheim Brown of Central Dauphin in Pennsylvania. He has pinned 11 of his last 12 foes and would meet the Kelley/Mauriello victor in the semifinals should all advance.

Dan Ventura of Fox Lane notched the top spot after a 42-4 campaign in which took fourth at Eastern States. (He lost to Mauriello during that event).  Ventura has big match experience after his runner up finish at 119 in 2011.  Set to challenge him in the top half of the bracket is Jimmy Porteus of Brockport, who is 21-1 with his only setback against Kelley.

Prediction: Whoever survives the gauntlet on the bottom of the bracket takes the title.   It’s a tough one to pick, but we’ll say Hudson sends Ventura to his second consecutive silver medal.

 

138

James Dekrone of John Glenn finished second last year in Albany, losing the championship match at 130 pounds by one point.  He followed that up with a 41-4 season, but his path to back to the feature match on Saturday night won’t be easy.  If he wins in round one, he’ll face the winner of Shenendehowa’s David Almaviva, a returning placer who has won 11 in a row, and Fox Lane’s Tom Grippi, who has captured 43 victories.  Also in the same section of the bracket is top seed Danny McDevitt of Wantagh (40-5) who defeated Dekrone early in the campaign.

Dekrone is the fourth seed because he took third at the Section XI tournament behind Longwood’s Malik Rasheed and Brentwood’s Alexis Blanco.  They competed three times during the season, with Rasheed taking the last two bouts, including the one for the Suffolk crown.  Warwick Valley’s Shane Connolly is among those trying to stop a fourth meeting between Rasheed and Blanco from happening this weekend.

Predictions: Dekrone bounces back and earns the hardware with a victory over Rasheed.

 

145

James Kloc will try to make it two in a row at 145 after his 4-3 triumph over Rocky Point’s Matt Ross last February earned him his first state title.   Undefeated Evan Wallace of Columbia (47-0) resides in the top of the bracket as does fourth seed John Northrup of Rush-Henrietta, who has the tough Louis Hernandez of Mepham (25-2) in the first round.

Longwood’s Corey Rasheed was fifth at 112 last season.  He jumped up to 145 and has adjusted to the increase in weight well with a 32-2 mark, including 17 consecutive victories to end the regular season.  Rasheed could meet up with Mike Caputo of North Rockland for the third time after splitting matches during the campaign, but Caputo would first have to face the winner of a bout between Eastern State medalists Dale White of John Jay East Fishkill and Bret Sauschuck of Port Jervis.

Prediction:  Two in a row for Kloc, but Rasheed makes it difficult.

 

152

Brian Realbuto of Somers will look to notch his third state title at a third weight.  He has rolled over the competition throughout this season with the exception of his Eastern States finals bout against Dylan Palacio of Long Beach.   A rematch would have been a can’t miss bout to watch, but with Palacio at 160 for the postseason, Realbuto’s main competition in the top half of the bracket could come from Steve Maier of Spencerport, who has beaten multiple qualifiers in his 39-2 campaign.  Maier’s two losses were to two-time state champion Chris Nevinger up at 160 and in sudden victory to Tristan Hamner.

Returning fourth place medalist Nick Hall of Longwood (32-2) sits in the number two slot, with Suffolk rival John Keck of Shoreham-Wading River (44-2) at number three.  The two have split bouts this season and could meet for the tiebreaker in the semifinals.

Prediction: Realbuto gets ready for his collegiate career at Cornell by beating future EIWA opponent Keck (Navy).

 

160

Dylan Palacio has shown all season long that he is one of the state’s best wrestlers.  He is on a mission to win his first title after previous finishes of third and fourth. The Long Beach senior has had no trouble with the opposition this campaign, going 37-0.  Among those trying to prevent him from making the showcase match on Saturday night could be last year’s 140-pound titlist Connor Sutton of LaSalle or Wayne’s Eastern States champion Frank Affronti.

On the other side, Tyler Grimaldi of Half Hollow Hills West is 45-1 as a junior and has beaten a pair of tough Long Island wresters who are in the same part of the bracket — Joe Cataldo and Zak Mullen (twice).   Mullen starts with Jorge Jiminez, who put together a successful 35-1 campaign.

Prediction: Palacio gets the title missing from his resume, handing Grimaldi his second setback.

 

170

Dan Spurgeon of Plainedge is a perfect 46-0 this year, including an early win over the wrestler all the way on the other side of the bracket – Rrok Ndokaj of Monsignor Farrell.  The Catholic league grappler is 39-5 and if he wins his first round bout, he may face Dylen Seybolt.  Seybolt is 31-3 on the year, with losses to one of the nation’s best, Eric Morris of Wyoming Seminary, as well as Gio Santiago and Joe Piccolo. (He came back to beat Piccolo in mid February).  Shayne Brady of Carthage also resides in the bottom half of the bracket as the three-seed after a 35-1 campaign.

Senior Stephen Lumley of South Glens Falls, the number four seed, will be among those to challenge Spurgeon on the top side.

Prediction: Spurgeon runs the table, beating upset-minded Seybolt.

 

182

McZiggy Richards of Wingate is 34-1 and the favorite in the class.  Jacob Berkowitz of Scarsdale has had a very strong season as well, going 48-2 with only one of his losses coming to an in-state wrestler, a 2-1 decision to Tim Schaefer of Warsaw.  Richards and Berkowitz will be the favorites to meet in the semifinals.

On the other side, Matt Lashway comes back after a runner up finish at 171 in 2011 with hopes of getting to the top of the podium.  The Queensbury wrestler’s only loss on the mat this year came in a 3-2 decision to Richards.  Joining Lashway is Plainedge’s Andrew Jones, who lost three of his first five matches and then reeled off 38 in a row to conclude the season.  A pair of familiar foes, Gio Santiago and Nick Bellanza could also make a run.

Prediction: Richards brings a title to the PSAL with his second tight victory over Lashway this year.

 

195

Tony Fusco has been the top ranked grappler at 195 throughout the season.  The Shenendehowa senior was fourth a year ago at 189 and hasn’t skipped a beat this year, with an unblemished 33-0 record.  Kingston’s Deon Edmond sits on Fusco’s side of the bracket, after a 40-1 year, where his only loss was a default against one of the top Division II wrestlers at the weight, Austyn Hayes.

Johnson City sophomore Reggie Williams, a sixth place medalist as a freshman, cruised through the season at 37-2 with both of his setbacks coming against Fusco, once in December and again at the Eastern States.  Another returning medalist in the field is Brockport’s Jesse Kozub, who moved between 195 and 220 throughout the season, posting a 41-2 mark.  He avenged his only loss at 195 in the Sectional final against Fairport’s Colton Kells.  The two Section V grapplers could met in the second round, although Kells matches up in his first bout against Eastern States placer Mike Spinelli of Mahopac, who went 42-3 with two losses to Williams.

Prediction: This has been Fusco’s year and it will continue to be.  The Shenendehowa senior beats Williams for the third time.

 

220

There aren’t any returning placers from 2011 at this class but there are a number of wrestlers who medaled at the Eastern States in January.  On the top side, LaSalle’s Jon Babson (fourth at Eastern States) could meet Patrick Kopcynski (fifth at Eastern States) of Brooklyn Tech in the second round.   Also in that portion of the bracket is top seeded Josh Lackey of Fairport who has compiled a 36-1 record this year, losing only to Shenendehowa’s Fusco.  Lackey has had a number of solid wins, including a pin of the second seed in Division II, Nick Talcott, and two victories over Max Antone of Niagara Wheatfield, who is positioned on the opposite side of the bracket as the two seed.

Antone (35-3) has a number of challengers in the bottom half.  In his second bout, he could face the winner of a battle between Eastern States placers Tyler Lilly of New Rochelle and Alex Pontiff of Queensbury.  The number three seed Dom DeVita of Somers begins with Nick Lupi of Huntington (28-4), who could be a sleeper at the weight.  Derrek Dalton (40-1), a dangerous returning qualifier, lost his only bout of the season up at 285 pounds.

Prediction: Josh Lackey takes a championship back to Fairport after topping DeVita.

 

285

Cole Lampman is the sole returning heavyweight placer from 2011, when he was fifth.  He comes in as the third seed after losing in the Section II final against Cory Quintana of Mohonasen in overtime on a last second reversal.  The two could compete again in the semifinals, as Quintana earned the two seed.

On the other side, Ethan Stanley of Saugerties is in the top position after a 36-2 season in which he took third at Eastern States and had multiple wins over another competitor he could see, Seth Stauble of Kingston.  Stauble faces a tough first round bout with Evan Kappatos of Syosset who was 41-1, suffering his only setback of the season in the Sectional final against Dante Salkey (36-2). Union-Endicott’s Tyler Bayer got the four seed after going 43-5 with a pair of losses to Stanley.

Prediction: Lampman avenges his last defeat in the semis and takes the title in his final high school bout against Kappatos.

 

–Betsy Veysman

It's Tournament Time! Division II New York State Championships Preview

It’s almost here!  The NYSPHSAA Wrestling Championships start on Friday morning.  Here is a weight-by-weight look at Division II.

99

The lightest weight class is often a showcase for future superstars.  Leading the charge this year is sophomore Joe Nelson of Oxford, who suffered his only loss of the season while up at weight against Cody Carbury (the number three seed at 106). Nelson won all but one of his matches at 99 by bonus points this year and that was a 6-2 decision in the Section finals against Dylan Wood of Walton, one of three victories over Wood.

Wood opens action in the first round with Andrew Flanagan of Holley, a 42-5 junior who returns to Albany for the second time.  The winner of that match could face Lyndonville’s Tony Recco (43-3) who decisioned Flanagan 3-1 on the last weekend of the season.

Also in the bottom half is the third seed, Alex Herringshaw, who has piled up 40 wins against just four losses this season.  He could face the winner of Joe Dillon of Nanuet (27-8) and Alexis Bleau (41-3), who was the first-ever qualifier from Schoharie.  One of five eighth graders at 99, Bleau is the only female in the field.

Among the contenders looking to defeat Nelson in the top half are the number four seed, Luis Weirebach of Hoosick Falls, who has had a solid 28-2 campaign, as well as Edgemont’s Tyler Aslanian who has gone 28-6 in his sophomore season.

Prediction: Joe Nelson looks to be the top performer in the field and shows it, beating Herringshaw.

 

106

106 this year may wind up looking a lot like 96 last season.  The 96 pound finals match in 2011 pitted Lucas Malmberg of Marathon against Ryan Snow of General Brown in a bout Malmberg captured 12-2.  This year’s 106 bracket features Malmberg as the top seed and Snow as the number two. Snow’s only setbacks of the campaign came up at 113 pounds.

Cody Carbury of Chittenango was sixth a year ago at 96 and after a 31-4 campaign, with two of his losses to Malmberg and Snow, enters 106 as the three seed.  Corey Hollister of Perry is in the fourth position after a 40-4 year.   Although there are some tough wrestlers in the field, it looks like a rematch of the 2011 finals on Saturday night.

Prediction: Same participants, same results, as Malmberg wins two in a row.

 

113

There is no question that this will be a competitive weight with 7 of the 16 entrants returning placers from 2011. The lone champion, William Koll of Lansing, is the top seed.  He will face a difficult path, with Dillon Stowell of Gouverneur (third at 103), 40-4 Kyler Harrington of Hudson Falls and Sean Peacock of Midlakes (third at 96) in the same portion of the bracket.  Peacock, 45-2 this season, fell to the fourth seed after losing his Section championship to Warsaw’s Austin Keough, 3-2. 

Keough, who took fourth at 112 a year ago, has had a stellar campaign with just one loss (plus two forfeits) and earned the three seed.  He will have an immediate challenge in the first round from Illion’s Laken Cook, a fifth place medalist at 103 last season.  Cook is 35-5 with a fifth place finish at Eastern States in January.

Also on the bottom half with Keough and Cook is returning fourth place medalist Cody McGregor of Tonawanda and last year’s runner up to Koll at 103, John Aslanian of Edgemont (36-1).  With top-notch talent throughout the class, this should be an exciting weight to watch.

Prediction: Both Koll and Keough navigate a deep field to make the finals, where Koll earns his second consecutive title.

 

120

Sam Recco was sixth at 112 last year but has his sights set much higher for this weekend.  The Lyndonville senior is 41-1 with his only setback coming against Wyoming Seminary’s Evan Botwin in the finale at Eastern States.  At that event, Recco piled up some quality triumphs, including a 1-0 win over this bracket’s second seed Jeff O’Lena of East Rochester and an 8-5 decision over the top seed in the Division I bracket, Matt Leshinger of Sayville.

O’Lena’s 48-4 mark includes an eighth place finish at the Eastern States.  He dropped a 3-0 decision to Recco in the Section 5 final.  Looking to stop a third meeting between Recco and O’Lena on Saturday night are a number of tough senior challengers including, but not limited to, Adirondack’s Pat Webster, Sidney’s Scott Stafford and Corinth’s Zach Marcel.

Prediction: The familiar foes meet again with the same result: Recco over O’Lena.

 

126

126 pounds boasts several wrestlers who have previously been in the finals.  Top seeded Nick Tighe of Phoenix was in the Saturday night spotlight last year when he captured the 119-pound crown.  The second and third seeds, Norwich’s Tristan Rifanburg and Ardsley’s Drew Longo squared off in the 96 pound championship bout in 2010, with Rifanburg earning the hardware.

In the Section IV title match, Rifanburg handed Corey Dake his first loss of the year.  The Lansing senior has made the podium in all three of his appearances in Albany.

Outside of the favorites, upset threats abound, including Noah Valastro of Hudson Falls on the top half (47-2) and Palmyra Macedon’s Dylan Rifenburg (43-2).

Prediction: Tristan Rifanburg gets to his third finals in three tries and in a battle of former champions, edges Tighe.

 

132

After a third place medal in 2011 at 135, Wesley Blanding showed no letdown.  The Chittenango wrestler is 36-0 despite seeing action at several weights.  He had a few impressive victories at 138 and 145, including a pair of triumphs over Canastota’s Anthony Finocchiaro.  Since moving down to 132, he has had some tight wins over the field, including overtime wins over Jessy Williams and Lansing’s Connor Lapresi, which went to the ultimate tiebreaker.

That was Lapresi’s only loss in a campaign in which he won a deep Section IV.  Blanding and Lapresi could be on a collision course in the semis.

In the other half, another pair of familiar foes could meet again.  Kevin Strong of Frewsburg earned a 1-0 win over Eden’s Tom Page during the season, however at the Section final, Page reversed the result in sudden victory.  Page, a three-time placer, and Strong, a two-time medalist, both were third a year ago.

Former state champion Jacob Goddeau of Peru and 45-match winner Curt Rowley of Duanesburg are among the other contenders looking to make a title run.

Prediction:  In his last Albany appearance, future American University Eagle Tom Page gets over the hump to capture a state title over Lapresi.

 

138

Murphy, the winningest wrestler in Empire State history, is the odds on favorite to win his fourth New York title at his fourth different weight.  The Indiana-bound grappler has been impressive all year, with 55 wins, 52 of which were by bonus points.

Looking to earn his first crown is Canastota’s Anthony Finocchairo who has put up a strong resume of his own this year after grabbing third at 130 a year ago.  The senior has compiled a 35-4 mark with victories over Division I qualifiers such as Tom Grippi, David Almaviva and Aaron Benedict.  None of his four losses were to wrestlers in this bracket.  Finochairo edged Beaver River returning placer Isaiah Riccio (37-2) in the Section tournament 1-0 a few weeks ago and could face Riccio again with a finals berth on the line.  Junior Jude Gardner of Fredonia is also a threat.

On the other side, Murphy could see last season’s sixth place medalist, Dan Regan of Lewiston-Porter, who he soundly defeated earlier in the campaign.

Prediction: In the end, we expect the top two seeds to square off on Saturday night with Quinton Murphy joining the exclusive club of four-time state champions.

 

145

There is a lot of familiarity at 145 pounds. Three entrants come from Section III, including the top two seeds, General Brown’s Nathan Silverthorn and Phoenix’s Tyler Button.  The pair met in the 145 pound third place match a year ago with Button coming out on top, 9-3.  This year, Silverthorn turned the tables, beating Button to maintain his 46-0 record.

Also qualifying from the same section is 41-2 Mitch Janes, whose only losses are to Silverthorn and Button and who could face the top seed early on.

Both Drew Hull (35-2, Royalton Hartland) and Jacob Demmon (24-2, Clifton-Fine) earned sixth last year, at 135 and 140, respectively and are back to make the stand again.  Olean’s Jake Baer split matches with Hull this season and will be a threat in the bottom half.

Prediction: Tyler Button and Nathan Silverthorn take the mat against each other yet again. Button won their last meeting in Albany and takes this one.

 

152

Three wrestlers who finished in the top three a year ago sit at this weight.  The top seed, Lehigh-bound Ben Haas, was the 145-pound champion while 140-pound runner up Derek Pfluger is the second seed.  (Pfluger was a state champion in 2010 and a third place medalist in 2009). Tristan Hamner of Medina was third at 152 and sits as the number three seed.

Haas suffered his only loss of a 38-1 season to Hamner in early January but got revenge a month later when he beat the Medina wrestler 14-11.  That result was Hamner’s only blemish all year.

Meanwhile, Pfluger has yet to suffer a setback, ringing up 40 victories, all by bonus.  While there are several other worthy challengers in the field, including 47-match winner Brooks Boyle, these three past medalists look to battle for the title.

Prediction: Pfluger notches the second championship of his career, defeating Haas on Saturday night.

 

160

Chris Nevinger has won eight straight matches at the State tournament and looks for his third consecutive title.  The Buffalo-bound grappler has rolled through the season, winning all 47 matches, with the closest bout being a seven-point victory.  Looking to stop Nevinger’s streak on the top half of the bracket is General Brown’s Tyler SIlverthorn, who has impressed in his sophomore season with a 44-2 mark. Both losses came at the hands of Sandy Creek senior Jared Soule, the second seed, who has had a successful year of his own with a 35-2 record. 

Joining Soule (fifth at 152 in 2011) in the bottom half of the bracket is Hudson Falls senior Aaron Dudley (43-1), who took second in a deep class at the prestigious Eastern States, falling in the finals in overtime to highly ranked Frank Affronti of Wayne.

Mike Beckwith of Greene could also make an impact.  The returning qualifier has been at several weights this year and hasn’t lost a bout on the mat (forfeited out of Eastern States).

Prediction: Nevinger continues his unbeaten streak in Albany with another trip to the top of the podium after topping Dudley.

 

170

While neither of last year’s finalists are back in this weight class, four medalists from 2011 appear in the 170 pound class as the top four seeds.  Nick Mitchell, third at 160 last season, earned the top spot after a 42-0 campaign with 24 pins.  The Frewsburg senior beat second seed Marcus Dwaileebe of Olean (third at 171 last year) twice by decision and also topped possible opponent Burke Paddock of Warsaw.  (Paddock beat Mitchell in the semifinals last year on his way to a runner up finish).

Dwaileebe could face Canastota junior Zach Zupan, fifth at 171 last season, whose one setback this campaign was against nationally ranked Eric Morris of Wyoming Seminary in the Eastern States finals.  Zupan owns a victory over Paddock in January.  It goes without saying that the semifinals should demonstrate very competitive, high level wrestling.

Prediction: Mitchell runs the table for the 2011-12 season by beating Zupan in a squeaker.

 

182

Both Tony Lock (second at 171) and Keegan Cerwinski (sixth at 160) stood on the medal stand last year in Albany.  Both have followed up with stellar seasons.  Lock is the state’s top ranked wrestler after a 47-0 campaign that includes just one decision.  He dominated the Division I frontrunner, McZiggy Richards, by technical fall in the Eastern States championship bout.

Cerwinski dropped matches to Division I standouts Richards, Jacob Berkowitz and Matt Lashway in a 32-3 effort that included handing Lansing’s Ryan Todd his only loss.  He also edged Warsaw’s Tim Schaefer 1-0 at the Eastern States Classic, although Schaefer bounced back to place third while the Greene senior took sixth.

Schaefer began in December at 160 pounds and moved back and forth between that weight and 182 before settling in at the latter class for the end of the season.  Another showdown between Cerwinski and Schaefer seems fairly likely in the bottom half of the bracket for the right to match up with Lock.

Prediction: Tony Lock returns to the championship bout where he gets his first title over Schaefer.

 

195

Ryan Todd returns after making a run to the finals at 189 last year where he placed second.  He followed up that silver medal performance with a 28-1 season in which he has taken the mat at three different weights for Lansing.  After his one loss, to Keegan Cerwinski at 182, he moved to 195 pounds for the remainder of the campaign.  At that weight, he went he went 18-0 with 15 falls over the course of the season.  A possible early opponent is Bryce Mazurowski, who went 43-1 with 42 bonus wins.  His only loss came against undefeated Tony Lock.

Three other highly ranked wrestlers sit in the bottom half of the bracket.  Austyn Hayes, who took sixth last year at 171, sports a 38-1 mark with his only setback coming in the Eastern States final against the state’s top ranked grappler, Tony Fusco of Shenendehowa.  Hayes recorded a major decision over Whitehall’s Zach Diekel, a possible opponent in the semifinals.

Diekel has racked up 36 wins and just a pair of losses – to Hayes and Fusco.   Jon Nickerson of Maple Grove could pose an early challenge to Hayes after a 34-1 regular season.  Dan Breit has had a solid year and could make a run in the top half.

Prediction: Austyn Hayes ends his campaign with the top prize after defeating Todd.

 

220

Kyle Stanton has been dominant, placing second at Eastern States and compiling a 33-2 record, with the two losses to nationally ranked AJ Vizzcarondo of Wyoming Seminary.   The fourth place finisher at 215 in 2011, Stanton has defeated several top notch Division I grapplers such as Dom DeVita, Patryk Kopczynksi and Nick Lupi.

Fellow Section IV competitor Nick Talcott tested Stanton in his last bout, a 3-2 victory for the Greene senior.  Talcott, from Tioga, is the number two seed.  Junior Zack Bacon of Hornell (28-1) and senior Austin Blackley of Barker will be among the many challengers.

Prediction: Kyle Stanton shows why he’s the state’s best at 220 with another decision over Talcott.

 

285

Kacee Sauer looks to move one step higher on the podium this year after runner up performances at this weight as a sophomore and junior.  The only returning placer at heavyweight, Sauer’s only setbacks this year have been by medical forfeit at the Eastern States.

The other side of the bracket features several wrestlers with excellent records. Beekmantown’s Hayden Head piled up 37 wins against just two losses and has a quality victories over Columbia’s El Shaddai Gilmore-VanHoesen and Kingston’s Seth Stauble.    Brandon Fayle of Lowville also has just two setbacks (along with 35 wins, 23 coming by fall).

Prediction: Sauer came within a point of a crown in 2010 and 2011 and we predict he will not come up short this time as he gets by Fayle.

 

–Betsy Veysman

No. 19 Binghamton Overwhelms No. 23 ODU in Finale

VESTAL, N.Y.—No. 19 Binghamton wrestling celebrated its Senior Night in grand style with a commanding 29-9 win over CAA rival and No. 23 Old Dominion Friday at West Gym.

The Bearcats (15-4) won seven of the 10 bouts and with the victory in their final dual, BU broke the program’s Division I-era record for highest win percentage in a season (.789), set by last year’s team (16-6, .727). Two pins and two major decisions allowed Binghamton to rack up the points against a strong Monarchs squad that entered the match with five ranked individuals.

“This is an important win for team momentum heading into the conference tournament,” head coach Pat Popolizio said. “Old Dominion has had our number over the years so it’s great to turn the tide over a conference rival. Our mindset and focus now has to shift to getting our guys peaking at the right time as we go into the CAA Championship in two weeks.”

Before the match, BU honored its three outgoing seniors – Matt Kaylor, Justin Lister and Mike McKeever. Then the Bearcats got rolling with a key win in the opening match. Junior 125-pound Derek Steeley hit a reversal with 1:20 remaining in his match against No. 29 Jerome Robinson. Already holding riding time, Steeley gave up a reversal but earned the escape with 28 seconds left and then fought off a late takedown attempt from Robinson to secure a 7-5 win.

After ODU countered with back-to-back wins at 133 (9-4) and 141 (11-4), BU rode the strength of its middle weights to the tune of five straight wins – including two pins and a major – to seal the lopsided win.

Junior No. 4 Donnie Vinson began the run with a 15-5 major decision at 149 pounds. Vinson led 12-2 after the first period and compiled five takedowns to lift his record to 30-4, 18-1 in duals. Vinson has lost just twice in 41 duals over the last two seasons (39-2).

Lister, ranked No. 9 at 157 pounds in the latest NCAA Coaches’ Panel, recorded his historic 100th win in style with a first-period pin of Jacob Kingett. Lister put Kingett to his back just 20 seconds into the match and ended it shortly thereafter with his 13th pin of the season and 36th career fall. Lister, a 2010 All-American, is now 100-36 in his career, including a 23-5 mark this season.

Kaylor, No. 25, continued the run with a solid 8-2 win over No. 21 Tristan Warner at 165 pounds. Kaylor, ranked No. 4 in the CAA, was aggressive from the opening whistle against No. 2 Warner, and built a 5-0 first-period lead thanks to a takedown and back points. He added a third-period takedown and riding time to notch his 110th career win. Kaylor is 22-8 overall.

After a decision by freshman 174-pound Caleb Wallace, junior 184-pound Nate Schiedel, No. 20, notched a takedown just over one minute into his match with Billy Curling and ended it with his seventh pin of the season in 1:28. Schiedel improved to 26-7 overall, 14-3 in duals.

Freshman heavyweight Nick Gwiazdowski, No. 18, trailed Grant Chapman 2-1 after one before a second-period takedown and subsequent back points gave him control. The true freshman then rattled off five takedowns in the third period to produce the 19-6 major decision.

Binghamton now sets its focus on the postseason and its host role for the upcoming CAA Championship on March 3. The event will serve as the NCAA qualifier with numerous Bearcats eying a trip to St. Louis for the NCAA Championship on March 15-17.
No. 19 Binghamton 29, No. 23 Old Dominion 9
125 Derek Steeley (BU) dec. #29 Jerome Robinson (ODU), 7-5
133 Scott Festejo (ODU) dec. Patrick Hunter (BU), 9-4
141 #26 Justin LaValle (ODU) dec. Joe Bonaldi (BU), 11-4
149 #4 Donnie Vinson (BU) maj. dec. Brennan Brumley (ODU), 15-5
157 #9 Justin Lister (BU) pinned Jacob Kingett (ODU), 1:07
165 #25 Matt Kaylor (BU) dec. #21 Tristan Warner (ODU), 8-2
174 Caleb Wallace (BU) dec. Brett Miller (ODU), 6-3
184 #20 Nate Schiedel (BU) pinned Billy Curling (ODU), 1:28
197 Joe Budi (ODU) dec. #31 Cody Reed (BU), 3-2
Hwt #18 Nick Gwiazdowski (BU) maj. dec. Grant Chapman (ODU), 19-6

Contact: John Hartrick (hartrick@binghamton.edu)

Rankings are the Feb. 7 NCAA Coaches’ Rankings

Albany-Bound? A List of Division I State Qualifiers

 

99 Pounds (By Section)

1: Nick Barbaria (New Rochelle)

2: Kevin Parker (Shenendehowa)

3: Dempsey King (New Hartford)

4: Kyle Kelley (Chenango Forks)

5: Jon Haas (Spencerport)

6: Tyler Hartinger (Lancaster)

8: Jose Rodriguez (Wantagh)

9: Gerald Daly (Minisink Valley)

10: Ryan Brown (Canton)

11: Alex Tanzman (West Beach)

C: John Twomey (St. Anthony’s)

P: Josh Antoine (Grand Street)

A1: Vinny Vespa (Monroe Woodbury)

A2: Bryan Lantry (Wayne)

A3: Joe Calderone (Walt Whitman)

A4: Steven Lee (West Babylon)

 

106 Pounds (By Section)

1: Mike Parise (Brewster)

2: Corey Ali (Shenendehowa)

3. Kevin Paul (Baldwinsville)

4: Jimmy Overhiser (Corning)

5: Barton Peters (Brockport)

6. Anthony Orefice (Lockport)

8: Justin Cooksey (MacArthur)

9: John Stramiello (Pine Bush)

10: Nate Marshall (Messina)

11: Nick Piccininni (Ward Melville)

C: Freddy Dunau (St. Anthony’s)

P: Zin Htoo (Brooklyn Tech)

A1: Krishna Sewkumar (Long Beach)

A2: Bryan Ruggeri (Fairport)

A3: Dominic Inzana (Saratoga)

A4: Michael Raccioppi (Minisink Valley)

 

113 Pounds (By Section)

1: Alex Delacruz (Ossining)

2: Brandon Lapi (Amsterdam)

3: Thomas Hill (Fulton)

4: Jacob Green (Chenango Forks)

5: Vincent DePrez (Hilton)

6: Kellen Devlin (Amherst)

8: Mark Raghunandan (Long Beach)

9: T.J. Kreider (Cornwall)

10: Skyler Cameron (Massena)

11: Corey Jamison (Huntington)

C: Patrick Skinner (Kellenburg)

P: Santo Curatolo (Tottenville)

A1: Dylan Realbuto (Somers)

A2: Robert Person (Bellmore JFK)

A3: Jesse Porter (Shenendehowa)

A4: Ron Duguay (Kenmore West)

 

120 Pounds (By Section)

1: Jake DiMarsico (North Rockland)

2: Zach Joseph (Shenendehowa)

3. Derrick Gray (Indian River)

4: Richard Burke (Ithaca)

5: Brady Baron (Pittsford)

6: Rocco Russo (Frontier)

8: John Lanzillotti (Roslyn)

9: Justin Corradino (Warwick)

10: Cody Bond (Canton)

11: Matt Leshinger (Sayville)

C: Blaise Rufo (Monsignor Farrell)

P: Keanu Thompson (Grand Street)

A1: Sean McCabe (Connetquot)

A2: Steve Michel (Lancaster)

A3: TJ Fabian (Shoreham-Wading River)

A4: Casey Jones (Queensbury)

 

126 Pounds (By Section)

1: Sam Speno (Fox Lane)

2: Matt Greene (Columbia)

3: Antonio DeLuco (Roman Free Academy)

4: Brock Post (Maine-Endwell)

5: Alec Dierna (Webster Schroeder)

6: Dylan Caruana (Kenmore)

8: Mike Lofrese (Garden City)

9: Tom Murphy (Monroe-Woodbury)

10: Isaiah Perry (Massena)

11: Maverick Passaro (Eastport South Manor)

C: Sam Melikian (Fordham Prep)

P: Michael Gannone (Tottenville)

A1: Matt Caputo (North Rockland)

A2: Josh St. John (Queensbury)

A3: Giovanni Sanchez (Central Islip)

A4: Drew Oligney (Lansingburgh)

 

132 Pounds (By Section)

1: Danny Ventura (Fox Lane)

2: Nick Kelley (Shenendehowa)

3: Connor Grome (West Genessee)

4: Curtis Grant (Elmira)

5: Jimmy Porteus (Brockport)

6. Eric Lewandowski (Lancaster)

8: Maurice Irby (Freeport)

9: Luke Roth (Cornwall)

10: Curtis Barney (Canton)

11: Nick Mauriello (Hauppauge)

C: Jamel Hudson (St. Anthony’s)

P: Ahmed Elsayed (Wingate)

A1: Joey Butler (Burnt Hills)

A2: Brendan Morgan (Columbia)

A3: Nick Cegelski (Penfield)

A4: Dylan Cohen (Williamsville East)

 

138 Pounds (By Section)

1: Tom Grippi (Fox Lane)

2: David Almaviva (Shenendehowa)

3: Aaron Benedict (CBA/Jamesville-Dewitt)

4: Trevor Hoffmeir (Newark Valley)

5. Angelo DeAngelis (Spencerport)

6: Mike Feeney (Lockport)

8: Dan McDevitt (Wantagh)

9: Shane Connolly (Warwick)

10: Jamel Steapleton (Malone)

11: Malik Rasheed (Longwood)

C: Timmy McCann (Monsignor Farrell)

P: Camilo Rodriquez (Curtis)

A1: Gus Clark (Schenectady)

A2: Adam Wallace (Fulton)

A3: Alexis Blanco (Brentwood)

A4: James Dekrone (John Glenn)

 

145 Pounds (By Section)

1: Mike Caputo (North Rockland)

2: Evan Wallace (Columbia)

3: JT Romagnoli (CBA/Jamesville-Dewitt)

4: Richie Lupo (Union-Endicott)

5: John Northrup (Rush-Henrietta)

6: James Kloc (Iroquois)

8: Louis Hernandez (Mepham)

9: Kyle Wierzbicki (Warwick)

10: Ryan Spinner (Malone)

11. Corey Rasheed (Longwood)

C: Matt Matouzzi (Kellenburg)

P: Emin Aliyev (Abraham Lincoln)

A1: Dale White (John Jay East Fishkill)

A2: Bret Sauschuck (Port Jervis)

A3: Anthony Pistone (Sachem East)

A4: Mike Roman (Spencerport)

 

152 Pounds (By Section)

1: Brian Realbuto (Somers)

2: Angelo Kress (Columbia)

3: Tony Torrese (Fulton)

4: Greg Kleinsmith (Johnson City)

5: Steve Maier (Spencerport)

6: Luke Falzone (Williamsville South)

8: Danny Tracy (Mepham)

9: Ryan Bedross (Warwick)

10. Ed Foote (Canton)

11. Nick Hall (Longwood)

C: Matt Szilagyi (St. Anthony’s)

P: Cristian Masaya (Brooklyn Tech)

A1: John Keck (Shoreham-Wading River)

A2: Thomas Carta (South Glens Falls)

A3: Zach Skiba (Kenmore West)

A4: Josh Maier (Brockport)

 

160 Pounds (By Section)

1: Matt Pasqualini (Fox Lane)

2: Connor Sutton (LaSalle)

3: Nick Woodworth (Fulton)

4: Zach Colgan (Johnson City)

5: Frank Affronti (Wayne)

6: Joseph Catalano (Lake Shore)

8: Dylan Palacio (Long Beach)

9: Dan DeCarlo (Port Jervis)

10: Cody Dominque (Canton)

11: Tyler Grimaldi (HHHW)

C: John Vrasidas (St. Anthony’s)

P: Jorje Jimenez (Grand Street)

A1: Joe Cataldo (MacArthur)

A2: Mike Garrison (Amsterdam)

A3: Zak Mullen (Shoreham-Wading River)

A4: Jake Weber (Clarence)

 

170 Pounds (By Section)

1: Steven Sabella (Yorktown)

2: Stephen Lumley (South Glens Falls)

3: Shayne Brady (Carthage)

4: Dillon Franco (Corning)

5: Jared Mesiti (Brockport)

6: Anthony Liberatore (Williamsville South)

8: Dan Spurgeon (Plainedge)

9: Colin Casey (Washingtonville)

10: Cody Smith (Malone)

11: Dylen Seybolt (Longwood)

C: Rrok Ndokaj (MF)

P: Anatoliy Anchakov (Grand Street)

A1: Mike Hewitt (Queensbury)

A2: Jacob Gullo (Jamestown)

A3: Joe DiFrancesco (Niagara Falls)

A4: Jessi Kimmerli (Spencerport)

 

182 Pounds (By Section)

1: Jacob Berkowitz (Scarsdale)

2: Matt Lashway (Queensbury)

3: Garrick Cook (Indian River)

4: James Benjamin (Vestal)

5: Josh Reed (Webster Schroeder)

6: Will Bickelmann (Williamsville East)

8: Andrew Jones (Plainedge)

9: Bilal Hasan (Valley Central)

10: Jacob Moose (Canton)

11: Gio Santiago (Sachem North)

C: Matt Roberts (Monsignor Farrell)

P: McZiggy Richards (Wingate)

A1: Josef Carter (Brockport)

A2: Nick Bellanza (John Glenn)

A3: Anthony Sannella (Minisink Valley)

A4: John Luxmore (Bellmore JFK)

 

195 Pounds (By Section)

1: Mike Spinelli (Mahopac)

2: Tony Fusco (Shenendehowa)

3: Patrick Nasoni (Baldwinsville)

4: Reggie Williams (Johnson City)

5: Jesse Kozub (Brockport)

6: Jake Kelly (Niagara Wheatfield)

8. Rob Zorn (Sewanhaka East)

9: Deon Edmond (Kingston)

10: Jerry Malone (Massena)

11: Zack Conner (Islip)

C: Rich Sisti (Monsignor Farrell)

P: Andreas Kokkoros (Brooklyn Tech)

A1: Pavel Gorelov (Warwick Valley)

A2: Ryan Kelly (Miller Place)

A3: Colton Kells (Fairport)

A4: Daquan Rodriguez (Orchard Park)

 

220 Pounds (By Section)

1: Dom DeVita (Somers)

2: Jon Babson (LaSalle)

3: Derrek Dalton (Indian River)

4: Anthony Osman (Vestal)

5: Josh Lackey (Fairport)

6: Max Antone (Niagara Wheatfield)

8: Andrew Cole (Uniondale)

9: Connor Leavell (Warwick)

10: Adam Weidner (Canton)

11: David Rubino (Commack)

C: Andrew Auriemma (St. Anthony’s)

P: Patryk Kopczynski (Brooklyn Tech)

A1: Nick Lupi (Huntington)

A2: Tyler Lilly (New Rochelle)

A3: Alex Pontiff (Queensbury)

A4: Nicolas Burgos (Kenmore West)

 

285 Pounds (By Section)

1: David Varian (Yorktown)

2: Cory Quintana (Mohonasen)

3: Pat Carroll-Marsh (Liverpool)

4:Tyler Bayer (Union-Endicott)

5: Jake Debuyser (Greece Olympia)

6: Brandon Lathrop (Kenmore West)

8: Dante Salkey (Uniondale)

9: Ethan Stanley (Saugerties)

10: Nolan Terrance (Massena)

11: Michael Hughes (Smithtown West)

C: Kyle DiPirro (St. Mary’s)

P: Leon Gonzalez (Franklin Roosevelt)

A1: Cole Lampman (Shenendehowa)

A2: Seth Stauble (Kingston)

A3: Evan Kappatos (Syosset)

A4: El Shaddai Gilmore-VanHoesen (Columbia)

***(Only wildcards A1-A4 listed)

Who is Going to Albany? A List of Division II Qualifiers

 

99 Pounds (By Section)

1: Tyler Aslanian (Edgemont)

2: Luis Weierbach (Hoosick Falls)

3: Alex Herringshaw (Holland Patent)

4. Joe Nelson (Oxford)

5: Tony Recco (Lyndonville)

6: Dylan Lundmark (Southwestern)

7: Ethan Feazelle (Peru)

8: Nick Casella (Locust Valley)

9: Dean Stanton (Tuxedo)

10: Tanner LaPiene (Ogdensburg Free Academy)

11: Lucas Webb (Mattituck)

P: Dolan McColgan (Petrides)

A1: Andrew Flanagan (Holley)

A2: Dylan Wood (Walton)

A3: Joe Dillon (Nanuet)

A4: Alexis Bleau (Schoharie)

 

106 Pounds (By Section)

1: Vinny Stokos (Nanuet)

2: Carter Merecki (Salem)

3: Ryan Snow (General Brown)

4.Lucas Malmberg (Marathon)

5: Corey Hollister (Perry)

6: Drew Marra (Olean)

7: Kyler Agoney (Peru)

8: Hunter Dusold (Locust Valley)

9: Austin Ingraham (Highland)

10: Aaron Bush (Gouverneur)

11: Michael Menzer (Center Moriches)

P: Cheick Ndiaye (Brooklyn International)

A1: Cody Carberry (Chittenango)

A2: Sean Ballard (Whitney Point)

A3: Jerome Gladney (R-C-S)

A4: Matt Boyle (Batavia)

 

113 Pounds (By Section)

1: Trey Aslanaian (Edgemont)

2: Kyler Harrington (Hudson Falls)

3: Laken Cook (Ilion)

4. William Koll (Lansing)

5: Austin Keough (Warsaw)

6: Ryan Kromer (Lew-Port)

7: Max Marte (Peru)

8: Jack Leguelaff (Oyster Bay)

9: Declan Dwyer-McNulty (Red Hook)

10: Dylan Stowell (Gouverneur)

11: Hunter Hulse (Stony Brook)

P: Edwin Uruchima (Robert F. Wagner)

A1: Sean Peacock (Midlakes)

A2: Cody McGregor (Tonawanda)

A3: Pat McCarthy (Fredonia)

A4: Nate Hayes (Windsor)

 

120 Pounds

1: Anthony Calvano (Nanuet)

2: Zach Marcel (Corinth)

3: Pat Webster (Adirondack)

4. Scott Stafford (Sidney)

5: Sam Recco (Lyndonville)

6: Dakota Gardner (Fredonia)

7: Codie Gillette (Saranac)

8: Cassidy Exum (Oyster Bay)

9: Eric Januszkiewicz (New Paltz)

10. Zach Ayen (Gouverneur)

11. Justin Underwood (Bayport-Blue Point)

P: Metin Vrlaku (Petrides)

A1: Jeff O’Lena (East Rochester)

A2: Andrew Lazickas (East Aurora)

A3: Al Aubin (Whitehall)

A4: Austin Ryan (Unatego)

 

126 Pounds

1: Drew Longo (Ardsley)

2: Noah Valastro (Hudson Falls)

3: Nick Tighe (Phoenix)

4. Tristan Rifanburg (Norwich)

5: Dylan Rifenburg (Pal-Mac)

6: Renaldo Rodriguez (Cheektowaga)

7: Jordan Bushey (Peru)

8: Ryan Arnel (Oyster Bay)

9: John Hodes (Rondout Valley)

10. Skyler Way (Gouverneur)

11. Sean Kelly (Babylon)

P: Abubokarr Sow (Brooklyn)

A1: Corey Dake (Lansing)

A2: Emory Rowe (Ripley)

A3: Dustin Greene (Chenango Valley)

A4: Jake Nicholson (Waterloo)

 

132 Pounds

1: David Occhipinti (Croton)

2: Curt Rowley (Duanesburg)

3: Wesley Blanding (Chittenango)

4. Connor Lapresi (Lansing)

5: Clyde Carey (Addison)

6: Tom Page (Eden)

7: Jacob Goddeau (Peru)

8: Robert Heney (Locust Valley)

9: Collin Dimler (Rondout Valley)

10: Joey Love (Gouverneur)

11. Ryan Hake (Bayport-Blue Point)

P: Paul Schoenberg (Baruch)

A1: Kevin Strong (Frewsburg)

A2: Matt Herringshaw (Holland Patient)

A3: Frank Garcia (Norwich)

A4: Jessy Williams (Windsor)

 

138 Pounds

1: Dean Rogener (Westlake)

2: John Diekel (Whitehall)

3. Anthony Finocchiaro (Canastota)

4. Adam Greene (Chenango Valley)

5: Quinton Murphy (Holley)

6: Jude Gardner (Fredonia)

7: Nick Forget (Peru)

8: Matt Long (Mineola)

9: Ian Morse (Rondout Valley)

10: Nate Murdock (Ogdensburg Free Academy)

11. Dylan Roberts (Port Jefferson)

P: Anthony Padulo (Baruch)

A1: Isaiah Riccio (Beaver River)

A2: Dan Reagan (Lewiston Porter)

A3: Matt McCauley (Royalton Hartland)

A4: Matt Dillon (Nanuet)

 

145 Pounds

1: Brett Pastore (Irvington)

2: Geno Brancati (Hudson Falls)

3. Nathan Silverthorn (General Brown)

4: Kyle Halliday (Chenango Valley)

5: Austin Hedges (Letchworth)

6: Jake Baer (Olean)

7: Hunter Carpenter (NAC)

8: Jordan Formicola (Locust Valley)

9: Ricky Treu (Red Hook)

10: Jake Demmon (Clifton-Fine)

11. Dom Evangelista (Port Jefferson)

P: Adis Radoncic (Riverdale Kingsbridge)

A1: Tyler Button (Phoenix)

A2: Drew Hull (Royalton Hartland)

A3: Mitch Janes (Port Byron)

A4: Connor Lawrence (Duanesburg)

 

152 Pounds

1: Scott Porter (Pawling)

2: Nick Gallo (Schalmont)

3: Derek Pfluger (Sandy Creek)

4: Dan Dickman (Greene)

5: Brooks Boyle (Lyndonville)

6: Ben Haas (Salamanca)

7: Jackson Suderland (NAC)

8: Blake Meyer (Oyster Bay)

9: Paul Sommer (Rondout Valley)

10: Curtis Fuller (Gouverneur)

11. Paul Cavanagh (Port Jefferson)

P: Max Zhang (Baruch)

A1: Tristan Hamner (Medina)

A2: Tyler Spann (Adirondack)

A3: Tyler Newton (Bolivar Richburg)

A4: Conner Fox (Midlakes)

 

160 Pounds

1: Mike Boyle (Dobbs Ferry)

2: Aaron Dudley (Hudson Falls)

3. Jared Soule (Sandy Creek)

4: Mike Beckwith (Greene)

5: Chris Nevinger (Letchworth)

6: Zach Buckley (Fredonia)

7: Justin Kellett (NAC)

8: Joe Massaro (Mineola)

9: Austin Weigel (Onteora)

10: Brenden Ward (Gouverneur)

11. Travis Baskerville (Center Moriches)

P: Tyson Simon (Petrides)

A1: Hayden Wagner (South Seneca)

A2: Tyler Silverthorn (General Brown)

A3: Matt Fisher (Oneida)

A4: Brandyn Ainsworth (Johnstown)

 

170 Pounds

1: John Messinger (Putnam Valley)

2: Brad Burns (Hoosick Falls)

3. Zach Zupan (Canastota)

4: Ryan Wolcott (Waverly)

5: Burke Paddock (Warsaw)

6: Nick Mitchell (Frewsburg)

7: Troy Seymour (Peru)

8: Rob Morgan (Oyster Bay)

9: Mike Rauch (Red Hook)

10: Andrew Cole (Ogdensburg Free Academy)

11: Tomasz Filipkowski (Mattituck)

P: Isaiah Blake (Baruch)

A1: Marcus Dwaileebe (Olean)

A2: Adam Hughey (Watkins Glen)

A3: Mike Green (Cobleskill)

A4: Matt Casullo (Berne-Knox)

 

182 Pounds

1: Oliver Mold (Pawling)

2: Mike Morris (Salamanca)

3. William Koelmel (Immaculate Heart Central)

4: Keegan Cerwinski (Greene)

5: Tim Schaefer (Warsaw)

6: Tony Lock (Pioneer)

7: Nate Wood (Saranac)

8: Dylan Rankin (Oyster Bay)

9: Andy Martinez (Liberty)

10: Kyle Bigwarfe (Gouverneur)

11. Brian Loskamp (Babylon)

P: Nathanael Rose (Eagle)

A1: Dallas Mesick (Duanesburg)

A2: Cody Houppert (Beaver River)

A3: Mike Beers (Walton)

A4: Jeff Day (Letchworth)

 

195 Pounds

1: Dan Breit (Nanuet)

2: Zach Diekel (Whitehall)

3. Austyn Hayes (Phoenix)

4: Ryan Todd (Lansing)

5: Bryce Mazurowski (Avon)

6: John Nickerson (Maple Grove)

7: Ben Perry (Saranac)

8: Dave Gorry (Mineola)

9: Dustin MacKenzie (Onteora)

10: Hunter Ayen (Gouverneur)

11. Chris Baglivi (Mattituck)

P: Miguel Perez (Eagle)

A1: Tyler Smith (Midlakes)

A2: Jeffery Lake (Alden)

A3: Mark Viviano (Bainbridge-Guilford)

A4: Kegan Levesque (Norwich)

 

220 Pounds

1: Matt Acevedo (Pawling)

2: Joe Sprung (Berne-Knox)

3. Travis Conklyn (Canastota)

4: Kyle Stanton (Greene)

5: Zach Bacon (Hornell)

6: Austin Blackley (Barker)

7: Luke McKee (Peru)

8: Ian Estevez (Oyster Bay)

9: Dominique Vales (Eldred-Fallsburg)

10: Brayden Wood (Gouverneur)

11: Kevin Giron (Hampton Bays)

P: Christopher Durazzo (Petrides)

A1: Nick Talcott (Tioga)

A2: Travis Harvey (Alfred-Almond)

A3: Mike Silvis (Holley)

A4: Dillon Hurlbert (Marathon)

 

285 Pounds

1: Obum Anyichie (Pleasantville)

2: Alex Soutiere (RCS)

3. Brandon Fayle (Lowville)

4: James Merritt (Owego Free Academy)

5: Kacee Sauer (Holley)

6: Matt Montesanti (Medina)

7: Hayden Head (Beekmantown)

8: Ricardo Salinas (Carle Place)

9: Anthony Tufano (New Paltz)

10: Nate Sarkin (Ogdensburg Free Academy)

11: Harrison DeSousa (Bayport-Blue Point)

P: Elvin Gervacio (Brooklyn)

A1: Brian Ervin (VVS)

A2: Derek Wise (Cassadaga Valley)

A3: Dan Ognibene (Alexander)

A4: Reid Castner (Penn Yan)

 

Illinois Edges Cornell in National Duals Regional, 19-16

By Betsy Veysman

The finals of the National Duals Regional held in Ithaca, NY came down to the heavyweight match. But it was a 197 pounder that made the difference for Illinois, leading them to the Final Four next Sunday.

The Illini never trailed in the matchup with host Cornell.  After 184 pounds, the visitors led 17-10 and with #1 Cam Simaz ready to go for the Big Red, the Illinois coaches decided to put backup Marty Smith on the mat against Simaz and bump regular 197 starter Mario Gonzalez up a weight to face Cornell’s Maciej Jochym.

Simaz delivered a pin for home squad to knot the score at 16, (Illinois lost a team point for unsportsmanlike conduct), setting up the winner-takes-all bout at 285.

Gonzalez made the strategy work, coming through for his team with an 8-2 decision to end the dual 19-16 in favor of the Big 10 school.

“We had been talking about that move for a while,” said Illinois head coach Jim Heffernan.  “We thought if we needed a win at heavyweight, we would give it a shot.  I almost chickened out when we were at 174, but we decided as a staff to stay with it.  I’m happy we did.”

“I wasn’t expecting them to bump him up, but it didn’t totally surprise me,” Cornell head coach Rob Koll said. “I would have done the same thing.  Maciej wrestled hard but Gonzalez was a tough style matchup, a little unorthodox.”

The Illini got off to a strong start in the dual, marching out to an 8-0 advantage on the strength of an 8-3 decision by Jesse Delgado over Frank Perrelli at 125 and an 18-3 technical fall by BJ Futrell over Nick Arujau.

“It was a gigantic win by Jesse to start the dual off,” Heffernan said. “It was a toss up match so it was big for us.  BJ is one of our captains and a leader.  He hustled and put a lot of points on the board.  He really sparked us.”

Cornell’s Mike Nevinger then stopped the momentum temporarily with a 9-0 major decision over Daryl Thomas at 141 to cut the lead to 8-4.

“Mike just keeps improving,” Cornell head coach Rob Koll added.  “I’ve been a fan of his since Day 1 and I think he’s starting to make believers out of a lot of people now.”

The Illini responded by winning three of the next five bouts to take a 17-10 lead.  Eric Terrazas (149), Conrad Polz (165) and Jordan Blanton (174) all won by decision while Kyle Dake (157) and Steve Bosak (184) each earned three points for their team, setting up the exciting conclusion.

To reach the finals, Cornell topped Purdue, 29-6 while Illinois defeated Oklahoma 21-18, giving the Illini a pair of victories over top 12 teams on the day.

“We had two really big wins today,” Heffernan said. “We didn’t think we matched up great with either team, so I’m extremely happy with the way our guys competed.  We’re excited to move on to the next round next weekend.”

The Big Red wrestlers, the defending National Duals champions, were disappointed with the loss but took away some positives from the performance.

“We wanted to win, but we’re not completely devastated,” Koll said. “Lots of the kids wrestled really well.  You look at someone like Billy George.  He lost at 174 [7-6 to Blanton] but he wrestled hard and scored last against a very good opponent.  I’m proud of the way Billy competed. Marshall [Peppelman] wrestled a full seven minutes and didn’t back down.  We can take some good things away from today.”

Bosak agreed.

“Illinois wrestled smart.  They’re a good team and they kept matches close when they needed to,” he said. “We have three weeks to get better from now until EIWAs and then NCAAs. We’ll train hard and build from the positives we saw today.  Now we have some extra motivation.”

For the first time, the National Duals event was held in a regional format rather than a two-day tournament in one location.  Koll felt that the new structure was worth getting behind.

“We believe we need to be supportive of this event.  It’s necessary to put more emphasis on dual meets to successfully market the sport,” he said.  “We realize that there will be some kinks that need to be figured out in the first year, but we need all hands on deck to make this a huge event to help our sport.  We like how it started.”

“It was a great event,” Bosak agreed. “It was exciting and we were very happy to have it at home.  The crowd was great.  The fans gave us a lot of energy.  I wish we could have given them a win.”