Well the 2-pound growth allowance has been applied and we had an entire slate of holiday tournaments, namely the Mid-Hudson, so let’s see what changes there are in Section 9 Individual Rankings! As expected, many wrestlers have dropped down a weight however there a few other who are expected to, but haven’t yet! For this set of rankings, wrestlers will only be ranked in a weight class which they have already wrestled. We will also rank 99 pounders for the first time this season! Mistakes and oversights happen so please send respectful comments and feedback to sectionixwrestling@gmail.com.
99 Pounds
1. Manny Saenz (Middletown, junior)
2. Anthony Tresch (Minisink Valley, 7th)
3. Rocco Futia (Wallkill, freshman)
4. Marco Giumarra (Cornwall, freshman)
4. Mason Ketcham (Washingtonville, 7th)
This is going to be a great weight class to watch for the remainder of the season. Perhaps the biggest question is whether or not MW’s Brown drops down to this weight! For now we have Saenz, a junior from Middletown, on top followed by MV 7th grader Tresch who only has one loss and that is to an undefeated Section 2 opponent. Futia finished 4th at the Mid-Hudson and has a common opponent win over Guimarra who sits at #4 followed by Ketcham who lost to Giumarra early in the season. A few others to watch at 99 are Nick Weeden from VC, Kevin Segali from NFA, and Marco Piazza from MW.
106 Pounds
1. Justin Morales (Middletown, senior)
2. Jordan Brown (Monroe Woodbury, freshman)
3. Jackson Merli (NFA, sophomore)
4. Alex Greco (Warwick, freshman)
5. Zak McKernan (Minisink Valley, freshman)
No changes in the top 4 at 106 but we do have a shake-up at #5. Morales won the Massapequa Holiday Tournament but a showdown between him and MW’s Brown did not happen as Brown is resting an injured thumb. Merli took 2nd at the Mid-Hudson and stays at #3 while Greco remains at #4 after a solid showing at the Wildcat Duals. Our new #5 is Minisink Valley freshman McKernan who has a wbf over Rian Kirker from Red Hook. Kirker just defeated former #5 Vidacovich at the Mid-Hudson so McKernan jumps over both of them to take over as the new #5! Kirker and Vidocovich are definitely wrestlers to watch as is last year’s D2 99 pound champ Trevor Tufano from Port Jervis who is having a very solid season!
113 Pounds
1. Andrew Marchese (Washingtonville, sophomore)
2. Jaden Hansen (NFA, junior)
3. Nick Ricciuto (VC, junior)
4. Luke Greiner (Minisink Valley, 8th)
5. Tyler Reed (Cornwall, freshman)
Same scenario as 106 – no changes in top 4 at 113 but we have a new #5! Andrew Marchese remains at #1 and has looked awesome this year! Hansen took 3rd at Mid-Hudson and Ricciuto took 2nd but they never met head-to-head and they both lost by fall to the champion so no need to swap them here – Hansen remains #2 and Ricciuto stays at #3. Greiner battled hard at the Linn Crawn in NJ but dnp and stays at #4 while our new #5 at 113 is Cornwall freshman Tyler Reed who placed 5th at the Mid-Hudson and had a head-to-head win over previous #5 Peter Bender from Highland. MW’s Max Javorsky and Middletown’s Kenny Santiago are both wrestling well and will contend for medals at 113 this year!
120 Pounds
1. Jacob Chenier (Kingston, senior)
2. Santos Ocasio (MW, senior)
3. Elliott Crocco (New Paltz, senior)
4. Joey Curerri (Eldred, junior)
5. Sofia Macaluso (Minisink Valley, sophomore)
Kingston’s Jacob Chenier drops down to 120 and takes over the top spot! Chenier was the S9 D1 champ at 113 last year. He placed 4th at the Mid-Hudson in a very tough bracket. MW’s Ocasio took 2nd in a very tough bracket at Massapequa and he’s our #2 followed by Crocco from New Paltz who placed 2nd at the Pearl River Tournament. Our new #4 is Joey Curerri from Eldred who’s dropped down from 126 and he’s followed by Sofia Mac who made it to the finals in Kittatinny. Gabe Guimarra dnp at the Mid-Hudson but had no “bad” losses and could definitely be ranked here. Drost from Saugerties is going to be one of the favorites at 120 D2 but we can’t forget about Ryan Ross from Port Jervis. Matt Davis from Wallkill placed 6th at the Mid-Hudson and is having a great year and we should also watch out for Ivan Colon from Middletown.
126 Pounds
1. Nick Picariello (Minisink Valley, senior)
2. Matt Morris (Red Hook, senior)
3. John Antonelli (Marlboro, senior)
4. Drew Greco (Warwick, junior)
5. Austin Maddox (Washingtonville, junior)
Picariello is still at 126 for now and remains our #1 after picking up the Gold at Kittatinny, NJ. Morris, Antonelli, and Greco all drop down and take over the next three slots and that pushes Maddox down to #5. Morris was a finalist at Mid-Hudson and has a common over Antonelli who picked up his 100th career win this weekend. Greco and Maddox are both very tough and will contend here. A few others to keep our eyes on at 126 are Joe Ferro from Kingston, Devin Greer from Pine Bush, Grant Barczak from MW, Jayden Norris from Middletown, and Steven Armendariz from NFA.
132 Pounds
1. Zack Ryder (Minisink Valley, 8th)
2. Luke Fischer (NFA, senior)
3. Josh Sam (Middletown, senior)
4. Eli Weinstein (Goshen, senior)
5. Joey Amato (Port Jervis, senior)
Ryder is clearly the top dog here! The MV 8th grader won the title at Kittatinny and he’s undefeated on the season. Fischer did not wrestle at the Mid-Hudson but he’s had a great year and is our #2 followed by Middletown’s Josh Sam who has a few losses at 138 and 145 but was the 132 champ at the Lancer Invite in CT. Weinstein’s only two losses are outside of S9 and has solid wins over Greco, Ferro, and Travis Phillips from VC. Amato drops down to 132 and takes 3rd at Bethlehem and he’s our #5 here. The aforementioned Phillips, PJ’s Caleb Harrison, PB’s Brayden Pennell, and Middletown’s Moises Diaz are on the cusp of the top 5 here.
138 Pounds
1. Jordan Suarez (Minisink Valley, senior)
2. Eric Tigue (Port Jervis, sophomore)
3. Matt Romano (Valley Central, senior)
4. Brian Lombardi (Minisink Valley, junior)
5. Dan Downs (Monroe Woodbury, junior)
This weight class is loaded! The top 3 kids have been to the state tournament in Albany a collective five times! Suarez won Kittatinny and is undefeated so we’ll keep him at #1 followed by Tigue who dropped down to 138 and placed 2nd at the Bethlehem Tournament in PA. Romano looked sharp in placing 3rd in a tough weight at the Mid-Hudson and is our #3 at 138. Lombardi won the Pearl River Tournament and is at #4 followed by MW junior Dan Down who cracks the rankings after a strong showing at Massapequa which included a win over Middletown’s Josh Sam. We still need to keep an eye on Red Hook’s Alex Lopez and on Kingston’s Christian Francisco Agostin who will both contend at this weight!
145 Pounds
1. Sean Savacool (Minisink Valley, senior)
2. Jaccob Gonzalez (Minisink Valley, junior)
3. Gabe Galarza (Pine Bush, senior)
4. Ethan Palanca (New Paltz, junior)
5. Aiden Cuppett (New Paltz, senior)
Another very tough weight class to rank! It’s probably the first time we have ever had 4 wrestlers from 2 schools ranked top 5 in a weight! We will go with Savacool at #1 and Gonzalez at #2 for now. Both Warriors are undefeated and having great seasons. Savacool was idle this weekend – Gonzalez won a very tough weight at the Kittatinny tournament. Galarza missed the Mid-Hudson but he takes over at #3 based on his win over #4 Palanca who is having a great year! His teammate Cuppett has not lost to any S9 opponents and has an impressive wbf over Ricter from Kingston who is definitely one to watch here. PB’s Dylan Burgo picked up a win over Richter at Mid-Hudson and will definitely be a contender here as will Red Hook’s Tyler Benincasa who had a great run this weekend and took 2nd place at the Mid-Hudson!
152 Pounds
1. Tommy Askey (Pine Bush, senior)
2. Nick Ross (Onteora, junior)
3. Chris Fini (Goshen, senior)
4. Andrew Filip (Minisink Valley, freshman)
5. Levi Wyn (New Paltz, senior)
The Mid-Hudson finals at 152 was awesome…two state placers – best D1 kid vs best D2 kid – Askey vs Ross! The #1 spot is Askey’s after a convincing 10-5 win over Ross where the PB senior scored 5 takedowns! The match was intense and very heavy handed – great battle between two wrestlers who will land high on the podium in Albany! Goshen’s Fini was idle and is our #3 followed by a new wrestler to the rankings – Andrew Filip. The MV freshman won 152 at the Pearl River Tournament and had a head-to-head win over our #5 Levi Wynn from New Paltz. MW’s Mike Zrelak is having a great year and will contend for a S9 medal as will Highland’s Logan Smith.
160 Pounds
1. Joey McGinty (Monroe Woodbury, senior)
2. Patrick Ross (Onteora, junior)
3. Jace Hirsch (Minisink Valley, junior)
4. Elijah Timbrouck (Kingston, junior)
5. Adian Maduro (Highland, junior)
McGinty loses to a MA stud in Massapequa Tournament but he’s still #1 here. The MW senior is having a great win and should place very high in NYS! Our new #2 is Patrick Ross as he and brother Nate have swapped weight classes. Pat was dominant in taking home the title at the Mid-Hudson. Our new #3 is MV junior Jace Hirsch who has only lost to McGinty and just won the Kittatinny tournament in convincing fashion! Kingston’s Timbrouck is our #4 and we have a new #5 as Maduro drops down from 170! Gibbons from Warwick has been out so he’s off the board for now but will definitely contend here when he returns. Goshen’s Elijah Price and Ports’s Bryce Horner should not be overlooked here at 160!
170 Pounds
1. Nate Ross (Onteora, senior)
2. Joe Velazquez (Middletown, senior)
3. Marcus Brown (Monroe Woodbury, junior)
4. Chris McLaughlin (Minisink Valley, senior)
5. Alden Hathaway (Wallkill, senior)
Nate Ross bumps up to 170 and becomes our new #1! He looked great at the Mid-Hudson finishing in second place behind S11 hammer James Araneo. Velazquez looks awesome – he’s only losses are to nationally ranked Cooper Kropman from S5 and to two out-of-state opponents. Marcus Brown from Monroe is having a great year and is #3 and he is followed by MV’s McLaughlin who was a finalist in Kittatinny. Choosing a #5 was not easy – Gennaro from Washingtonville, Patterson from NFA, or Hathaway from Wallkill? Hathaway placed 5th at Mid-Hudson and avenged an early season loss to Patterson by pinning him in the medal match so we will go with him for now! Peters from Eldred, Douthit from Burke, and Tanner from Kingston are worth keeping an eye on here!
182 Pounds
1. Ethan Gallo (Minisink Valley, freshman)
2. Jeremy Mazzella (Warwick, senior)
3. Logan Michael (New Paltz, senior)
4. Mike Paravati (Monroe Woodbury, senior)
5. Graeme Knisell (Saugerties, senior)
Gallo won the Linn Crawn in Kittatinny, NJ and he remains undefeated on the season! MW’s Wernicki has not wrestled since the first week of the season so he’s off the board for now and Warwick’s Mazzella slides into the #2 spot followed by Logan Michael from New Paltz who took 3rd at Pearl River. MW’s Paravati moves up to #4 and our new #5 is Graeme Knisell from Saugerties. Knisell has bounced back from a few early season losses and looked good in the Mid-Hudson placing 4th. Others to watch at 182 include Banegas from NFA, Quick from Port, and Lyle from Wallkill.
195 Pounds
1. Joe Russell (NFA, junior)
2. Carson Henry (Minisink Valley, junior)
3, Scott Geysen (Minisink Valley, junior)
4. Brian Giacchi (Middletown, senior)
5. Steve Felice (Monroe Woodbury, senior)
The 195 D1 weight class in Section 9 is going to be great to watch – it is arguably the most wide-open weight with about a half dozen wrestlers in contention for the title. Russell from NFA has made a strong case for being the front runner with his 1st place showing at the Mid-Hudson. MV juniors Henry and Geysen are our #2 and #3 – both finished in 3rd at Kittatinny at 220 and 195 respectively. Giacchi has moved up to to #4 in the rankings and we may be selling him short. The Middletown senior took 1st place in a strong field at the Massapequa tournament. MW’s Felice is having a very good season and he’s our #5 but we cant forget about James I. O’Neil’s Connor Boyer and Kingston’s Zavier Bennet. Boyer took 3rd and Bennet 6th at the Mid-Hudson. Swart from Highland, Laurey from Saugerties, and Siracusa from Goshen add even more depth to this very tough weight class!
220 Pounds
1. James Oosterom (Port Jervis, senior)
2. Maxx DeCapua (NFA, senior)
3. Armel Duke (Middletown, senior)
4. Stephon Holmes (Kingston, senior)
5. Christopher Clark (Red Hook, senior)
Major changes at 220! Section 9 has two absolute studs at 220 – Maxx Decapua in D1 and James Oosterom in D2 – both are NYS place winners! For this week’s ranking we are going with Oosterom at #1 and Decapua at #2! Oosterom won the title at the very competitive Bethlehem Holiday Tournament and Decapua finished 2nd at the historic Mid-Hudson. I think everyone would like to see this D1 vs D2 showdown at the Eastern States Classic. Third ranked Armel Duke will be right in the mix too ! The Middletown senior just finished 3rd at the Massapequa tournament. Kingston’s Stephon Holmes placed 4th at the Mid-Hudson and takes over #4 here and our new #5 is Red Hook senior Christopher Clark who is putting together a very solid year!
285 Pounds
1. Adam Fenner (Minisink Valley, junior)
2. Stephan Monchery (Middletown, 8th)
3. Frankie Hernandez (Monroe Woodbury, senior)
4. Bruce French (Middletown, senior)
5. Logan Hickey (Warwick, senior)
Minisink junior Fenner is leaving little doubt about who is top dog at 285 in S9 but Monchery is definitely creating some buzz. Fenner won Kittatinny in dominating fashion and Monchery electrified the crown at Massapequa when he pinned Sean Shaller from Connetquot in the finals to win the title! Monchery’s teammate French placed 6th at Massapequa but he is our #4 because he was defeated head-to-head by MW senior Frankie Hernandez who placed 4th andis our new #3 in S9. Warwick’s Logan Hickey has a common opponent win over Chester’s McGovern so he takes over as #5 and pushes McGovern to honorable mention. Let’s also watch Highland’s Shamar Gittens and Jon Perez as both had solid showings at the Mid-Hudson.