Over the course of two dominant days, it was the preseason favorites out of the Catholic League, Iona Prep, emerging with the team title behind a perfect 9-0 record!!
Challenged just once all weekend, it was the New Rochelle based program winning seven of 13 bouts to come away with a 38-27 victory over Horace Greeley, in their final appearance of the event...
IP was anchored by their quintet of state ranked personnel---#8 @138 Max Watson (4-0), #7 @152 Eric Grant (9-0), #10 @152 Konstantin Koufalis (5-0), #8 @160 Sean Degl (8-1), and #4 @285, Gabriel Garibaldi (5-0), as well as star transfer from Connecticut, Justin Shay (9-0 @132), Max Harkins (8-0 @145), and Paolo Ciatto (8-1 @138/145)
Fellow ranked competitors---#3 @118 James Carlock & #3 @160 Sean Tansey, both of collegiate, each also completed the weekend unblemished with a combined record of 17-0!
Tansey would have the highlight win of the entire tournament, as the returning NYS DII 7th knocked off 2022 DI Qualifier, Degl, 8-6, to hand him his only loss!....Degl did bounce back to pin #11 @189, Leo Venables (Carmel) in a time of 1:14 on day #2
Carlock's signature triumph was a 13-1 major decision against 2022 SI runner-up/state qualifier, Joe Gabriele (John Jay Cross River)!
Final standings:
Iona Prep (9-0)
Monsignor Farrell (8-1)
Horace Greeley (6-3)
North Rockland (6-3)
Collegiate (5-4)
John Jay-East Fishkill (3-5-1)
John Jay-Cross River (3-6)
Carmel (3-6)
Putnam Valley (0-7-2)
Arlington B (0-8-1)
In a clash of two of the best big men anywhere in the entire Evil Empire, Section II bragging rights belonged to defending S2 titlist, #6 Will Hotaling (Colonie), who claimed the top prize at 285 by scoring one TD apiece in each of the final two periods en route to a 5-2 decision over 2021 Fargo GR All-American (7th), Cameron Groncki (Mohonasen) in a clash of the #6 and #3 rated DI heavyweights!!
The win at 285 was the last of three individual golds seized by the Raiders, as they successfully put four in the finals and nine in total on the podium to beat out runner-up, Schenectady, 141.5-136.0 for the team title!!!
Joining Hotaling on the top step of the medal stand was Guy Jubert (132), and Kevin Regan (152)...
Jubert finished off a 3-for-3 pin day in the finals when he stuck Michael Splunge (Mohonasen) in 2:40....
Regan built a 6-3 lead (all takedowns) before pinning Schalmont's Mason Hebert, with 43 ticks remaining in the 2nd period!
In the lone title contest lost by Colonie, it was fifth-ranked @102/returning S2 runner-up, Vincent Graulau (Mohonasen) securing a fall in 4:56 versus Vincent Mastrianni (2022 S2 5th) at 110 pounds!
Three additional top-15s all held serve, with #3 @138 Dylan Devine (Schalmont), #4 @160 Luke Schirmacher (Mechanicville-Stillwater), and #13 (@215) Jayden Morales (Lansingburgh) all posting bonus points in their respective finals victories!!
At 126, returning sectional bridesmaid, Nico Rivera (Mohonasen) picked up an 8-5 finals decision against S2 bronze medalist, Alex Smith (Canajoharie-Fort Plain)....10 of the 13 total points registered during a wild opening period (3 TDs for Rivera, a reversal and two escapes for Smith), the Warrior sophomore [Rivera] utilized a 3rd period reversal + ride out to solidify the dub!
Finals
110: Vincent Graulau (Mohonasen) pin Vincent Mastrianni (Colonie) 4:56
118: Dominic Witko (Schenectady) dec Derik Carey (Lansingburgh) 8-4
126: Nico Rivera (Mohonasen) dec Alex Smith (Canajoharie-Fort Plain) 8-5
132: Guy Jubert (Colonie) pin Michael Splunge (Mohonasen) 2:40
138: Dylan Devine (Schalmont) tf Alhusein Alzabidi (Shaker) 17-0
145: Tabriz Khetab (Albany) maj dec Matt Lofstrom (Mohonasen) 24-10
152: Kevin Regan (Colonie) pin Mason Hebert (Schalmont) 3:17
160: Luke Schirmacher (Mech-Still.) pin Christian Burke (Canajoharie-FP) 3:36
172: E-Sonne Ponzo (Schenectady) pin Cross Vargas (Albany) 1:51
189: Eric Loya (Lansingburgh) dec Michael Daley (Mechanicville-Stillwater) 6-4
215: Jayden Morales (Lansingburgh) pin Michael Cavanaugh (Schalmont) 4:38
285 Will Hotaling (Colonie) dec Cameron Groncki (Mohonasen) 5-2
BRACKETS
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Kicking off their 2022-2023 campaign was the #1 ranked/two-time defending NYS Dual champs out of Section 9, Minisink Valley, who breezed through the event (5-0) despite facing some tough customers in the collective units marched out by DI #7 Ballston Spa (51-15) and DII #24 Warrensburg-Bolton (70-6)!!!
In the aforementioned clash of large school top-10 squads versus the Scotties, the Green & White machine (without the serves of #2 in the nation/3x State champ, Zack Ryder) got their arms raised in 10 of 13 bouts, including a streak of nine in a row from 132-285...
While the Penn State commit [Ryder] was out of action, two of his fellow 2022 NYSPHSAA DI gold medalist teammates---#1 PJ Duke (5-0) and #1 Ethan Gallo (4-0) took care of business at 152/160 & 215 respectively...
Duke lit up the scoreboard to the tune of a 23-8 technical fall over 2022 State 7th/current #3 @160, Connor Gregory....Gallo posted a 6-1 decision in a war of #1 vs. #2 over Darrien Insogna (2022 State 7th)!
#15 @118 Wyatt Boice, also scored a banner win, as he highlighted his 3-2 resume by upending #9 Tristan Hinchcliff, by a score of 5-3!
2022 State qualifiers, Zack Mckernan (132; 5-0), #12 Anthony Tresch (4-0) and #3 Luke Greiner (145; 5 -0), not to mention 2x State placer, #4 Andrew Filip (4-0) pinned and/or teched their way through the event...Quinten Morgan (160/172) rounded out the list of immaculate Warriors with his own 5-0 record!
Among the top-15s in the field, the following emerged unscathed:
*#3 @110 Ralph Keeney (Ballston Spa): 4-0
*#9 #118 Avi Berg (Glens Falls): 3-0
*#6 @126 Cameron Hinchcliff (Ballston Spa): 5-0
*#12 @172 Skyler Sturdevant (Glens Falls): 4-0
*#1 @285 Tristan Hitchcock (Warrensburg-Bolton): 5-0
Rank vs. Rank matches
118: #15 Wyatt Boice (Minisink Valley) dec. #9 Tristan Hinchcliff (Ballston Spa, 5-3
118: #6 Justin Mullis (Hudson Falls) pinned #15 Wyatt Boice (Minisink Valley) 1:56
118: #9 Avi Berg (Glens Falls) dec. #15 Wyatt Boice (Minisink Valley), 6-4
118: #9 Tristan Hinchcliff (Ballston Spa) pinned #6 Justin Mullis (Hudson Falls) 4:48
126: #9 @118 Avi Berg (Glens Falls) dec. #9Rian Kirker (Red Hook), 10-4
145: #3 Luke Greiner (Minisink Valley) pinned #9 Dante Corriveau (Warresnburg-Bolton) 3:48
160: #1 @152 PJ Duke (Minisink Valley) TF #3 Connor Gregory (Ballston Spa), 23-8
172: #3 @160 Connor Gregory (Ballston Spa) pinned #13 @189 Jesse Mullis (Hudson Falls) 3:02
215: #1 Ethan Gallo (Minisink Valley) dec. #2 Darrien Insogna (Ballston Spa), 6-1
Cicero-North Syracuse would not crown a single individual champion Saturday, but depth proved to be their winning formula as the Northstars took home the team title thanks to the contributions of their NINE placers...
Leading the way for the team champs were the likes of Javone Dawkins (2nd at 110 pounds), Kennedy Thomas (4th at 138), Jonah Geller (4th at 145), John Sherbourne (3rd @172), and Joseph Kozubowski (3rd at 285), who all clawed their way to top-4 finishes to bank very valuable points!!
Two schools were blessed in terms of individual acts of heroism were the contingents from Falconer and Homer, who each recorded a pair of champions...
Winning gold on behalf of the guests from Section 6 [Falconer] were the back-to-back lightweight duo of Dylan Newman (102) and Karsen Lundgren (110)...
The youth phenom (8th grader), Newman, who did not start the season in the top-15 polls, certainly made quite an argument as to why he belongs there in the next installment, as he'd use a takedown with :35 remaining in sudden victory to come away with an 8-6 win in the quarterfinals over top-seeded/#6 ranked, Freddy Pagan (Fulton)...He added a second "w" over a numbered foe in the finals when he converted a takedown in the 1st period and then tacked on a reversal in the 3rd to pitch the 4-0 shutout over 2022 Fargo Women's AA/#11 ranked, Zoey Jewett (General Brown)!
Lungren, a 5th place performer at the sectional level in 2022, got his junior year off on the proper footing, as he pinned his way through his bracket, highlighted by a mat slap over the previously recognized Dawkins at the 2:23 mark!...Dawkins reached the finals behind a fall against #4 @102 Owen Clark (Lansing)
Going all the way for the [Homer] Trojans were a pair of defending NYS DII titlists---#2 @118 Talan Hubbard (126) and Sam Sorenson (285)....
Hubbard's golden moment came when he turned a 3-2 deficit into a 7-3 triumph when he earned a TD and then added NF in the final half minute to prevail, 7-3, over ninth-ranked Phillip Provenzano (Fairport) in the 126-pound finale!
The two-time State champ/Army commit, Sorenseon, who we were not sure we were going to see this weekend, only saw the 2nd period once (fall in 2:52 against Kozubowski in the semis) all weekend, as he closed out his tournament conquering by pinning 14th ranked/returning S5 4th, Jeffrey Craddock (Fairport) in 97 seconds!
In addition to the Homer victories over ranked opponents, the finals contests at 132, 145, 160, 172, 189, and 215 all featured mano-a-man clashes of gentlemen with # decorating their names!!
Already leading 2-0 (following a 1st period TD), #2 @138/2022 NYS DII 3rd, Trey Kimball (Camden) left no doubt when he added a TD + NF in the 2nd period to record the 7-0 goose-egg over #8/2022 state qualifier, Colin Scherer (Marcellus-Onondaga) at 132 pounds!!
Jumping out to a 5-2 advantage at the end of 2:00, it was #3 @152/2022 NYS DI 5th, Renso Montalvo (Amsterdam) adding a 2pt NF in the 2nd and an escape + TD in the 3rd to get the better end of a 10-6 decision versus #13 Austin Chase (Falconer)...To his credit, the 3x S6 medalist avoided surrendering bonus points when he answered back with a reversal + NF of his own to cut into the margin!
Outstanding at 160 pounds was #13 Jonathan Clohency (Fulton), who had to upend a pair of ranked oppositions (#14 Cael Buckley-General Brown & #9 @152 Anthony McMillen-Lansing) just to punch his ticket to the finals...Once there, the 2022 S3 silver medalist capitalized off of the opportunity, pinning 2022 NYS DII 4th, Mason McCombs (Windsor) in the last :07 of the match!...
Making it appear easy at 170 was top-ranked/returning NYS DI 3rd, Brady Unger (Fairport), who wrapped up his superb debut by earning his fourth fall in as many appearances on Saturday over #4 ranked/NYS DII 4th, Dominick Weaver (Windsor) at the 1:20 mark...As a complement, the University of Buffalo commit [Unger] also notched a 1:11 fall over S3 runner-up, Sherbourne, in the semis!
Andrew Bailey (Chittenango) got his school on the title board when the #3 ranked stud broke a 1-1 tie with a TD and then proceeded to pin 12th ranked Trey Darmody-Latham (Syracuse) with 1:34 remaining in the 3rd period!!
Central Square's #3 Rocky Flies utilized an escape in the final :05 of overtime to emerge as a 3-2 winner versus #2 ranked/2022 NYS DII 6th, Garrett Bidwell (Windsor)
#13 Tomah Gummow (Indian River), #7 @132 #7 Culley Bellino (Canastota), & #1 Owen Hicks (Fonda-Johnstown) rounded out out champs with the gold at 118, 138, and 152!!
Finals:
102 Dylan Newman (Falconer) dec Zoey Jewett (General Brown) 4-0
110 Karsen Lundgren (Falconer) pin Javone Dawkins (Cicero-North Syracuse) 2:23
118 Tomah Gummow (Indian River) pin Carson Mantelli (Camden) 1:11
126 Talan Hubbard (Homer) dec Philly Provenzano (Fairport) 7-3
132 Trey Kimball (Camden) dec Colin Scherer (Marcellus) 7-0
138 Culley Bellino (Canastota) dec Manuel Gonzales (Indian River) 8-5
145 Renso Montalvo (Amsterdam) dec Austin Chase (Falconer) 10-6
152 Owen Hicks (Fonda-Fultonville-Johnstown) tf Brady Lynch (Indian River) 4:28
160 Johnathan Clohecy (Fulton) pin Mason McCombs (Windsor) 5:53
172 Brady Unger (Fairport) pin Dominick Weaver (Windsor) 1:20
189 Andrew Bailey (Chittenango) pin Trey Darmody-Latham (Syracuse) 4:26
215 Rocky Files (Central Square) dec Garrett Bidwell (Windsor) 3-2 TB-1
285 Sam Sorenson (Homer) pin Jeffrey Craddock (Fairport) 1:37
BRACKETS
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One week into the season and already #1s are doing down...At 132 pounds, it was 6th-ranked/NYS DII 8th, Patrick Grimsey (Lowville), topping #1 @126/2x NYS medalist, Liam English (Cobleskill-Richmondville), 3-1, to home the brass ring the 132 pounds!
Grimsey's crown was the first of a pair earned by the Red Raiders, as teammate, Sean Kelly (#8) recorded a 7-2 decision in his finals bout over 2022 S3 4th, Owen Atchie (Liverpool)!
In fact, the day belonged to ranked wrestlers as 11 of 13 titles were seized by individuals currently holding top-15 status!!
Joining Lowville with two individual gold medalists were Cobleskill-Richmondville, Adirondack, and South-Jefferson/Sandy Creek!!
Putting the bite into the competition for the [Cobleskill-Richmondville) Bulldogs at back-to-back weights was #10 @110 Ashten Haley and 2x NYS placer/2022 runner-up, Gabriel English, who bumped up and refused to be denied at 118 and 126 pounds...
The former [Haley] was never extended the 1st period, as he went 4-for-4 in securing falls, including a 1:07 matslap in the finals over Pierce Goodave (Liverpool)!
English followed a similar path, pinning his initial three foes in 1:00 or less...An injury default in the 126-pound finale over #11 @132, Jacob Strain (Adirondack) completed his trek to Titletown!
Rising to the occasion on behalf of Wildcat Nation [Adirondack] was Ray Hennessey and Colin White!!!
Seeded 11th and 5th respectively at 160 and 215 pounds, the duo was equally dominant as they combined to rack up nine falls in nine outings on Saturday (all but one coming in under 1:00)....Hennessey's last hurrah came in the form of a 58-second pin over former (2020) S3 6th place finisher, Connor Everson (Beaver River), while White cemented his five pin day by making quick of 10th ranked/2022 S7 champ, Trey McGee (Northern Adirondack), sticking him in a mere 16 ticks!!
A mix of young and old was the recipe of success for the Spartans of SJSC, as it as freshman, Brock Frederick, handling business down low at 110 pounds, while senior leader, Chase Lawton, rose to the occasion in the middle at 138!!
Frederick, who entered 2022-2023 ranked 7th after being a 2022 NYS DII qualifier, knocked off not just one fellow ranked opponent, but rather pulled off the deuce, sticking #14 Cole Croniser (Adirondack) in 1:46 in round 1 of a five-person round-robin, before then needing only half a minute to defeat #6 @102/2022 Section 7 gold medalist, Hayden Bartlemous (Northern Adirondack), in round 2!
#9 Lawton, a two-time section medalist, who is looking to return to the NYSPHSAA tournament after earning a berth in 2020, caught his journey off to a positive start when he polished off a 5-0 vitae behind a 1:48 pin of 11th ranked/2022 State Qualifier, Luke Yorke (Cobleskill-Richmondville)!
Derek Walseman (102), Kayleb Martin (152), and Jared Bilinski (189) finalized list of ranked champs....
A Section 3 4th place finisher a year ago, #8 Walseman (Beaver River) iced the hardware in the lightest weight class when he pinned returning S7 bronze medalist, Jackson Labarge (Northern Adirondack) in 34 ticks!!
Pinning his way through pool-play, fifth-ranked/2022 NYS DII qualifier, Martin (Sackets Harbor), was forced to do the distance for the first-time all tourney, but still came out on top, as he recorded a hard-fought 5-4 decision over Ryley Monica (SJSC)!
Back for one final season after placing 5th in Albany in 2022, #5 Bilinski (Dolgeville) posted wins of 9-0 and 10-5 over 2022 Section 5th place, Luke Pryor (Cobleskill-Richmondville) to win both his pool initially and then eventually the finals!!
BRACKETS
Two emphatic statements were made on the campus of Horseheads during the opening weekend of the 2022-2023 season.
#1 Trent Sibble is the real deal!!
#2 The pundits better put some respect on the name of Monroe Woodbury!!
In what may have been the overall premier bout of the entire week, it was the 2022 NYS DII runner-up/2022 NHSCA National runner-up out of Bolivar-Richburg posting a banner triumph in a battle of preseason #1s over Middletown's multiple-time state medalist/2022 Fargo Jr. GR All-American (4th), Stephan Monchery, 8-4!
The match scoreless after the first 2:00, the future Binghamton Bearcat took control in the 2nd period, when an escape, TD, and 2pt turn enabled him to carry a 5-2 advantage into the final period!
A reversal from Monchary early in the 3rd cut the deficit to 5-4, but Sibble closed strong, adding an additional escape and takedown in the final 1:00 to double up his larger opponent!
Turning our attention to the team front, the Crusaders [Monroe Woodbury] stepped on the mat on Friday as one of only two teams not holding ranked or Honorable Mention status....Showing that numbers don't mean a thing, they proceeded to go a perfect 7-0, highlighted by a 41-19 victory in the final round of competition over #2 ranked/2022 NYS DII Dual runners-up, Canisteo-Greenwod!
Getting their arms raised in nine of 13 individual bouts, the Section 9 perennial contender was sparked by 2x State medalist/#1 ranked at 138, Jordan Brown, who put an exclamation on an unblemished (7-0) weekend when he recorded a 20-5 tech fall over CG's #3 @145/2022 NYS DII 6th, Colton Havens!
Speaking of Browns making noise, earlier in the dual, it was Elijah Brown making a bit to be included in the next set of polls when he completed his own unbeaten campaign when he pitched the 6-0 shutout over #9 @102, Cael Stewart!
All in all, six different reps from MW ended the two-day affair as the owners of perfect tallies (5 or more wins)...Joining the Brown clan was the likes of Kelly Sullivan (7-0), Liam Hayes (7-0), Brandon Carcaterra (5-0), and Eryk Shammgod (6-0)!!
Top-15 ranked wrestlers that remained unscathed included: #6 @160, Beau Zeh (7-0; Canisteo-Greenwood), #1 @172, Braidon Woodward (7-0, Canisteo-Greenwood), #4 @110 Gary McDowell (7-0; Bolivar Richburg), #3 @118 Kiernan Magee (3-0; Penfield), and of course, SIBBLE (7-0)!!!
Rank vs. Rank matches
138: #5 @145 Ryan Massengale (Horseheads) pinned #5 Gavin Bob (Canisteo-Greenwood) 0:53
145: #1 @138 Jordan Brown (Monroe Woodbury) TF Colton Havens (Canisteo-Greenwood), 20-5
172: #1 Braidon Woodward (Canisteo-Greenwood) TF Tavyn MacDonell (Bolivar-Richburg), 19-4
285: #1 @215 Trent Sibble (Bolivar-Richburg) dec. #1 Stephan Monchery (Middletown), 8-4
We promised you a blockbuster at 145 pounds and wouldn't you know it, the wrestling gods delivered!!
The most loaded bracket in the entire field at the Marino with four top-15 competitors, the finals match-ups that we all anticipated came to fruition, as 3x NYS medalist/2x Super 32 AA, #2 Cameron Catrabone (Williamsville North-East) squared off with fellow 3x placer, #1 Nicholas Noto (HFL) in a clash of kings!!
Scoring a TD approximately 45 ticks into the first period, the future University of Michigan Wolverine [Catrabone] added a 2pt NF to lead 4-0 at the end of 2:00....He'd tack on his second takedown of the match in the 2nd, and then locked up bonus points with a third period reversal to emerge with the 8-0 major decision!!!
Prior to the victory of Noto, Catrabone had a 53-second fall over #10 @138/2022 NYS DI Qualifier , Dino Battisti (Brockport), in the crossover semifinals!!
145 was one of four brackets where the individual crown was decided by a war of ranked oppositions....Also boasting elite field were 118, 126, and 152!
An All-Section V battle for bragging rights at 118, the conclusion was not what anybody wanted to see, as it was returning S5 runner-up, Richard Wood (Brockport) taking home the title via an injury default less than half a minute into his match with returning NYS DII 4th, #5 Jacob McVige (Honeoye Falls-Lima)...Just to reach the finale, Wood also bested 2x CHSAA State Champion, #4 Austin Zimmerman (St. Joe's Collegiate), via a 5-2 decision in the semis!!!
2022 NYS bronze medalist, #2 Chase Nevills (Copenhagen), put on quite the show in his last outing of the weekend, as he struck for five takedowns (2 each in the 2nd/3rd periods) to runaway with the 11-3 major decision over returning DII bridesmaid, #6 Andrew Spaulding (HFL), 11-3!!...During pool-play, Nevills recorded a 25-10 TF over S4 runner-up, Dylan Mollo (Union-Endicott)...He pinned Section III 6th, Caleb Jolly (Phoenix) at the 1:20 mark of their crossover semifinal contest!
After four straight technical falls between pool-play and the championship crossover bracket, it was 4th-ranked/NYS DII 8th Tavian Camper (Copenahgen) becoming the second Golden Knight to hoist hardware when he established a 5-1 edge before pinning #15 @145/2022 S6 bronze medalist, Dylan Pringle (Niagara Wheatfield) with :05 remaining in the 1st period!
Three additional polled standouts also tasted victory, as Christopher Noto (110), Jazz Spaulding (138), and Casey Robinson (215) all lived up to their high billings!!!
Noto, ranked 3rd after earning State bronze on behalf of HFL last winter, cruised to his brass ring last weekend, as he pinned all four of the opponents! His final victim in the crossover finals was Waterloo's Robert Pullen, who Noto took down and stuck in 61 seconds!
7th ranked/returning NYS DII 7th, Spaulding (also of HFL) provided free light shows (falls) from start to finish of pool-play...In the crossover finals, he finally went the full 6:00, scoring a TD in the 1st, an escape in the 2nd, and riding out the entire 3rd to come away with a 3-0 decision against Section 6 silver medalist/NYS Qualifier, Tremell Mathews (Niagara Wheatfield)!
#14 @189, Robinson (Niagara Wheatfield), bumped up to 215 and looked strong at the higher weight, pinning all four of his opponents to finish atop the five-man round-robin....The 2022 S6 runner-up/NYS Qualifier only saw the 2nd period once all day, as it took him 3:27 to defeat HFL's Owen Englert in round 3!
Robinson's triumph in the next to last weight class was the second title of the day for a Falcon squad that put 14 reps on the podium (2 champs, 4 runners-up, 4 bronze medalists, a pair of 5ths and 6ths) to grab the team title, 241.5-203.5 over Honeoye Falls-Lima!
Iain O`Donnell earned mat slaps in each of his two bouts to be the top-man in a 3-person round-robin at 172 to join Robinson in making the NW fan base proud!
Finals:
102: Jackson Harrison (Webster Schroeder) went 4-0 to win a round-robin
110: Christopher Noto (HFL) pinnedRobert Pullen (Waterloo) 1:01
118: Richard Wood (Brockport) won by injury default over Jacob McVige (HFL) 0:28
126: Chase Nevills (Copenhagen) Maj Dec. Andrew Spaulding (HFL), 11-3
132: Waylan Winseman (HFL) went 5-0 to win a round-robin
138: Jazz Spaulding (HFL) dec. Tremell Mathews (Niagara Wheatfield), 3-0
145: Cameron Catrabone (Williamsville North-East) Maj Dec. Nicholas Noto (HFL), 8-0
152: Tavian Camper (Copenhagen) pinned Dylan Pringle (Niagara Wheatfield) 1:55
160: Joseph Caudle (Brockport) Maj Dec. Joseph Cicco of Niagara Wheatfield), 13-2
172: Iain O`Donnell (Niagara Wheafield) went 2-0 to win a round-robin
189: Matthew Trim (Maple Grove) pinned Hunter Worden (Waterloo) 0:40
215: Casey Robinson (Niagara Wheatfield) went 4-0 to win a round-robin
285: Zaid El Nasser (Williamsville North-East) pinned TJ Phelan (Gates Chili) 1:54
BRACKETS
Propelled by a tournament-best four individual titlists and 16 total place-winners, the beach most certainly was defended and/or won by the host Marines [Long Beach]
The owners of a 4-1 record in finals contests, a year removed from setting the table with eventual NYS DI State Champion, Dunia Sibomana-Rodriguez, it seems that the 102 weight class remains in good hands thanks to the presence of Ethan Andreula, who recorded bonus points in all three of his appearances (2 TFs, 1 pin) en route to ascending to the top of the podium....An offensive machine that demonstrated that he can score from anywhere, the 7th grader utilized six takedowns and two sets of NF to emerge with an 18-3 technical fall in the finals over top-seeded Sean Gallagher of Calhoun!
Speaking of our defending Large School State champ [Sibomana-Rodriguez], NYWN's top-rated 2026 prospect had little trouble making it back-to-back crowns for his school, as he converted four takedowns, earned a reversal, and tacked on NF to post a 12-3 finals victory over Oceanside's Jake Strianese, to prove why he is the current #1 man in the 110-pound division!!
Senior 172-pounder, Luke Anfossi, better be checking the rankings later this week; because he certainly made about as good an argument as possible to be a fresh face in the polls....On the same side of the bracket as two ranked foes, Anfossi made a hard job look easy, as he secured falls in nearly matches time of 1:34 and 1:30 over #15 @189 #15 Jared Marine (Oceanside) and #8/Defending Nassau gold medalist, Noah Corwin (Wantagh) in the quarter and semifinal rounds....He completed his mission in the finals when he pinned Hewlett's Ryan Goodman in the last 15 ticks of the 2nd period!!!...Goodman reached the finale by upsetting his teammate, #3 Oleg Daniloff, 5-3, in the semis!
Big man, Ben Shapiro, gave the Marines bookend crowns, when he pinned his way into the semis and then finished a takedown in the last :50 of the 3rd period to win the 285-pound gold, 3-2, over Christopher Maiorano (Hewlett)
Also registering multiple champs this past Saturday was the Black & Gold Warriors of Wantagh, who advanced 5 to the finals, going 2-1-1 (2 wins, 1 loss, 1 head-to-head victory over a teammate) in the session to wrap up a solid weekend for the [Paul] Gillespie mentored cohort!!
Getting the Beltagh Avenue brutes on the title board at 132 pounds would be #3 ranked/2022 NYS DI bronze medalist, Joseph Clem, who showed no mercy in his intra-squad showdown with fellow defending S8 champion/NYS Qualifier, #5 @126 Ryan Arbeit...Jumping out to a 6-1 lead (TD + two sets of NF) at the end of the 1st period, added a turn for the full allotment in the 2nd and an escape in the 3rd to polish off a 10-2 major decision over his friend/training parter....One round earlier, Clem racked up a 15-0 TF over 15th-ranked Michael Berube (Long Beach)!
Possessing a murderer's row in the middle of the order, Wantagh quickly turned one brass ring into three when Thomas Bonasera & Jesse Vanorden, went back-to-back at 145 and 152 pounds!
Bonasera, ranked 2nd in DI after making it to the blood round of the NYSPHSAA tournament in 2022, struck for takedowns in the 1st and 3rd periods, coupled with an escape and penalty point in the 2nd to post a 6-1 decision versus 12th-ranked Jack Valentin (Long Beach)!
Vanorden, who picked up his 100th career varsity win earlier in the year (dual against Chaminade), continued to add to that quantity, as he peeled off four straight falls to reach the title bout and then relied on a 1st period TD + a 2nd period reversal to close the show with a 4-1 decision over 7th-ranked/2022 NYS DII qualifier, Devone Bogie (Eagle Academy)!
With two parties having accounted for more than half of the total individual hardware, the remaining six weight classes was evenly divided among six different schools, including a quartet of ranked champs!
Earning Hewlett their only title of the day at 118 pounds was #14 @126, Eric Gendlin, who dropped down to stick fellow Bulldog, Carlos Salazar, in 2:11!!
Preventing Calhoun from getting shutout was second-ranked/2022 NYS DI 4th, Ray Adams, who won a somewhat controversial 7-5 decision in sudden victory over #3/2022 State 4th, Anthony Clem (Wantagh), at 126 pounds...Fighting back from a 4-1 deficit at the end of the 2nd period, Adams still found himself trailing 5-4 in the waning seconds before a stall call with :01 to go in regulation extended the match. In the extra frame, he pounced, converting the winning takedown 16 ticks into SV!
2020 NYS DII 8th, Cameron Mayfield (#8 in the polls), finished one takedown apiece in each of the three periods, complemented by a 1st period turn, and a 3rd period escape on his way to a 9-2 decision against Kellenberg's Thomas Pasqua....The win over the Firebird in the finals was the only time the Eagle did not secure bonus points (2 falls, 1 TF prior)!
#1 Jack Forte (2x NYS medalist) pinned teammate/2022 NYS Qualifier, Justin Gonzalez, in 1:59 to seize gold at 160!
Finals:
102: Ethan Andreula (Long Beach) TF Sean Gallagher (Calhoun), 18-3
110: Dunia Sibomana-Rodriguez (Long Beach) Maj Dec. Jake Strianese (Oceanside), 12-3
118: Eric Gendlin (Hewlett) pinned Carlos Salazar (Hewlett) 2:11
126: Ray Adams (Calhoun) dec. Anthony Clem (Wantagh), 7-5 sv
132: Joseph Clem (Wantagh) Maj Dec. Ryan Arbeit (Wantagh), 10-2
138: Cameron Mayfield (Eagle Academy) dec. Thomas Pasqua (Kellenberg Memorial), 9-2
145: Thomas Bonasera (Wantagh) dec. Jack Valentin (Long Beach), 6-1
152: Jesse Vanorden (Wantagh) dec. Devone Bogie (Eagle Academy), 4-1
160: Jack Forte (Clarke) pinned Justin Gonzalez (Clarke) 1:59
172: Luke Anfossi (Long Beach) pinned Ryan Goodman (Hewlett) 3:45
189: Christian Scarlata (Oceanside) pinned Jesse Jean (Lynbrook) 5:57
215: Ralph Caputo (Lynbrook) pinned Andrew Foy (Calhoun) 1:24
285: Ben Shapiro (Long Beach) dec. Christopher Maiorano (Hewlett), 3-2
