Meet Our Wrestlers – 2018 NYSPHSAA Division 2 Tournament Preview

99 Pounds

Section 9 D2 Champ: Nikko Walsh
School: Rondout Valley
Class: Freshman
Season Record: 28-3
Record Against the Field: 2-2
(beat Schafer 2X; lost to Merwin, Bush)
The Field
Section 1: Jerome Scott (Pawling)
Section 2: Caleb Svingala (Maple Hill)
Section 3: Mason Bush (Central Valley)
Section 4: Dante Geislinger (Norwich)
Section 5: Jace Schafer (Palmyra Macedon)
Section 6: Andrew Lucinski (Newfane)
Section 7: Sawyer Bruce (Beekmantown)
Section 8: Jake Murphy (Seaford)
Section 9: Nikko Walsh (Rondout Valley)
Section 10: Matt Haycook (Canton)
Section 11: Joe Sparacio (Bayport-Blue Point)
PSAL:  Matt Gatto (Petrides)
At Large 1: Devin Coleman (Camden)
At Large 2: Carter Schubert (Williamson/Marion/Sodus)
At Large 3: Cody Merwin (Walton/Delhi)
At Large 4: Hunter Kurtz (Canisteo-Greenwood)

What to Watch For….
Section 3 champ Mason Bush placed 5th in the state last year at this weight and was a ESC finalist this year making him one of the favorites here.  Bush is 49-2 this season but one of his losses was to S3 wildcard Devin Coleman at the S3 Class B tournament; a loss that he would avenge in the S3 finals.  Bush has 6 wins over wrestlers in the field! Caleb Svingala is a perfect 40-0 this season and will definitely be one of the wrestlers challenging Bush for the title. Dante Geislinger from S4 has a few very close losses to Bush this season and will definitely contend as will S9 champ Nikko Walsh. Merwin (S4) has a win over Walsh and will make noise here as will Schubert and Schafer, both from S5.

106 Pounds

Section 9 D2 Champ: Matt Morris
School: Red Hook
Class: Sophomore
Season Record: 25-11
Record Against the Field: 0-1
(loss to Baer)
The Field
Section 1: Len Balducci (Pleasantville)
Section 2: Joey Scheeren (Galway)
Section 3: Micah Roes (Lowville)
Section 4: Cooper Rice (Oxford)
Section 5: Anthony Noto (HFL)
Section 6: Mike Evans (Springville)
Section 7: Robert Foley (Saranac)
Section 8: Jordan Soriano (Clarke)
Section 9: Matt Morris (Red Hook)
Section 10: Carter Baer (Gouverneur)
Section 11: Jordan Titus (Center Moriches)
PSAL: Brandon Fallon (Petrides)
At Large 1: Doug Ciszak (Pioneer)
At Large 2: Isaac Crane (Caledonia Mumford)
At Large 3: Dylan Winchell (Warrensburg/Bolton)
At Large 4: Muskan Mongar (Warsaw)

What to Watch For…
All signs point towards a showdown of last year’s D2 state title match between S5 champ Noto and S11 champ Titus.  Last year Noto won the state title with an OT pin but Titus exacted revenge in the semis of this year’s Eastern States Classic winning 5-1 in sudden victory.  There is plenty of talent here though and we can expect to see a few other guys contend for the top step on the podium. Baer (S10) and  Balducci (S1) both placed at this tournament last year and we definetely have to keep our eyes on Micah Roes who only has 1 loss this season and it was to 113 S3 D2 champ Marek Bush. Mike Evans from S6 could be a sleeper here as well!

113 Pounds

Section 9 D2 Champ: Eric Tigue
School: Port Jervis
Class: 8th grade
Season Record: 28-8
Record Against the Field: 0-1
(loss to Merwin)
The Field
Section 1: Alex Santana (Pawling)
Section 2: Zac Cummings (Sal-Cam)
Section 3: Marek Bush (Cen Valley)
Section 4: John Worthing (Tioga)
Section 5: Drew Schafer (Wayne)
Section 6: Mohamed Alshawi (Lackawanna)
Section 7: Alijah Seymour (Peru)
Section 8: Joe Contrastano (Carle Place/Wheatley)
Section 9: Eric Tigue (Port Jervis)
Section 10: Sam Searles (Malone)
Section 11: Connor Pearce (Shoreham-Wading River)
PSAL: Darryl Adler (RKA)
At Large 1: Matt Garland (South Jefferson/Sandy Creek)
At Large 2: Christopher Graham (Canisteo-Greenwood)
At Large 3: Chandler Merwin (Walton/Delhi)
At Large 4: Connor Lyons (Watervliet)

What to Watch For...
This is going to be an awesome weight to follow with 5 former state place winners all vying for the title!  Marek Bush (S3), John Worthing (S4), Drew Schafer (S5), Joe Costrastano (S8), and Matt Garland (S3) have all placed in Albany!  S7 champ Seymour only has 2 losses – both at ESC and one was a 4-2 loss to D1 S11 champ Sean Carter. Throw in Merwin (S4) and  Alshawi (S6) and this becomes a very deep weight. One of the more intriguing wrestlers here may be S9 champ Eric Tigue who notched a 5-3 win over 2016 state champ Jon Charles.

120 Pounds

Section 9 D2 Champ: Ethan Palanca
School: New Paltz
Class: Freshman
Season Record: 35-2
Record Against the Field: 0-0
The Field
Section 1: Joel Andrade (Irvington)
Section 2: Trent Svingala (Maple Hill)
Section 3: Dean Shambo (Mexico)
Section 4: Caleb Robinson (Walton/Dehli)
Section 5: Brad Cheek (Can-Green)
Section 6: Brendan Ramsey (Chaut Lake)
Section 7: Logan Dubuque (Peru)
Section 8: Keith Cassar (Oyster Bay)
Section 9: Ethan Palanca (New Paltz)
Section 10: Joe McIntosh (Gouverneur)
Section 11: Mike O’Brien (Mount Sinai)
PSAL: Michael Hernandez (Bronx Studio)
At Large 1: Aidan Cullen (Greenville)
At Large 2: Brady Worthing (Tioga)
At Large 3: Joe Powers (Port Byron)
At Large 4: Nick Bierfeldt (Olean)

What To Watch For:
The Section 2 champion Trent Svingala is a returning state champ and has a perfect 38-0 record this year making him a definite favorite to take home title number two! Svingala has scored bonus points in nearly every match this season however one wrestler had kept him to a regular decision twice, wildcard entry Aidan Cullen (S2). In his title run last year Svingala’s closest match was to Brad Cheek from S5 who is also in this year’s bracket and hopes to reverse the outcome of the 4-2 sudden victory loss he suffered in Albany last year. We also need to watch for last year’s 113 pound state finalist Caleb Robinson from Section 4 as well as Keith Cassar from S8 who finished 4th at 113 last year. S9 champ Palanca has made great strides this year and could end up making a run for the medal stand!

126 Pounds

Section 9 D2 Champ: Nick Ross
School: Onteora
Class: Freshman
Season Record: 28-5
Record Against the Field: 0-0
The Field
Section 1: Victor Perlleshi (P-ville)
Section 2: Orion Anderson (S-ville)
Section 3: Kevin Spann (Adirondack)
Section 4: Mike Squires (Norwich)
Section 5: Masin Schuster (Dansville)
Section 6: Zach Braddell (Tonawanda)
Section 7: Bryce Smith (Saranac)
Section 8: Gaven Bell (Cold Spring Harbor)
Section 9: Nick Ross (Onteora)
Section 10: Zach Roberts (Ogdensburg)
Section 11: Vin Miceli (Port Jefferson)
PSAL: Ibrahim Aburmelieh (Petrides)
At Large 1: Matt Campo (Mount Sinai)
At Large 2: Ethan Ferro (Palmyra-Macedon)
At Large 3: Austin Lints (Schoharie)
At Large 4: Owen Kissel (Alden/Akron)

What to Watch For…
Defending state champion Orion Anderson from Section 2 is perhaps the biggest favorite to win his weight in the entire D2 tournament!  His only loss this year was in the finals of the Eastern States Classic for Beau Bartlett from Wyoming Seminary – the 4th ranked 126 pounder in the nation according to FloWrestling! Others contending at 126 will be Matt Campo (S11) and Mikey Squires (S4) – both state place winners last year. S5 champ Schuster has only lost once this yearand will be in the mix as will Miceli from S11 and S5 wildcard Ferro!  And do not sleep on Bradell from S6 … he has an impressive 35-3 record and has posted some great wins this season!

132 Pounds

Section D2 Champ: Carson Sauschuck
School: Port Jervis
Class: Senior
Season Record: 32-5
Record Against the Field: 0-0
The Field
Section 1: Kyle Sams (Put Val)
Section 2: Daniel Motta (Mech-Still)
Section 3: Cahal Donovan (Marcellus)
Section 4: Daniel Koll (Lansing)
Section 5: Nick Young (Alexander)
Section 6: Hector Colom (Fredonia)
Section 7: Alex Christman (Saranac)
Section 8: Raymond Costa (Cold Spring Harbor)
Section 9: Carson Sauschuck (Port Jervis)
Section 10: Cordell David (Ogdensburg)
Section 11: Luke Bokina (Mattituck)
PSAL: Hector Rodriguez (Eagle Academy)
At Large 1: Dylan Callahan (Schoharie)
At Large 2: Bryant Sexton (SVEC)
At Large 3: Matt Evans (Randolph)
At Large 4: Jacob Vergien (Iroquois)

What to Watch For…
There are 5 returning state placewinners in this bracket! Luke Bokina from S11 and Hector Colom from S6 were both state finalists last year however they both have losses this year to S3 champion Cahal Donovan who placed 4th in NYS last year. Donovan came in 3rd at ESC this year and also has a win over S5 champ Young who was a state placer last season. S1 champ Sams placed 6th in NYS last year and we definitely need to watch S6 wildcard Evans who has a win this year over Colom! S8 champ Costa should definitely not be overlooked. He has only 3 losses on the season including a tough 3-2 decision to Bokina at the ESC.

138 Pounds

Section 9 D2 Champ: Matt Malherio
School: Highland
Class: Junior
Season Record: 31-5
Record Against the Field: 0-0
The Field
Section 1: Jack Wrobel (Pawling)
Section 2: Juan Estrada (RCS)
Section 3: Ian McKenna (New Hart)
Section 4: Ben Bivar (BGAH)
Section 5: Chase Runfola (Letch)
Section 6: Johnny Putney (East Aurora)
Section 7: Kaeden Peryea (Beekmantown)
Section 8: Jack Wiebolt (Oyster Bay)
Section 9: Matt Malherio (Highland)
Section 10: Thomas Trombley (Malone)
Section 11: Mike Zarif (Mount Sinai)
PSAL: Ben Ala (Petrides)
At Large 1: Mikey Bruno (Putnam Valley)
At Large 2: Austin Lamb (Tioga)
At Large 3: Mason Gray (Warsaw)
At Large 4: Riley Gerber (Camden)

What to Watch For…
Section 4 champ Bivar is a returning state place winner and he’s having a great year.  His only loss on the season has been at 152 pounds to defending state champ Hunter Shaut. One of his closest matches all year was a 3-2 win over S11 champ Zarif.  Section 3 has two strong entries in McKenna and Gerber. McKenna has two losses on the season, both were at the Eastern States Classic and one was a 5-4 decision to ESC champ Chris Gomez. Gerber has lost 4 times to McKenna this year but each time it’s been by 2 points or fewer. Section 5 has two strong entries in Runfola and Gray and so does S1 in Wrobel in Bruno. S6 champ Putney is 42-2 with one loss coming to a kid from Sem and the other to D1 entry DeWolff.

145 Pounds

Section 9 D2 Champ: Ian Houck
School: Rondout Valley
Class: Senior
Season Record: 31-5
Record Against the Field: 0-1 (Bokina)
The Field
Section 1: Emmet McCann (Pearl River)
Section 2: Logan Duers (Hl/LG)
Section 3: Hunter Shaut (Cent Val)
Section 4: Corey Swartz (Windsor)
Section 5: Evan Wood (Alfred Almond)
Section 6: Cory Day (Iroquois)
Section 7: Zach Swyers (Peru)
Section 8: Jack Ward (Locust Valley)
Section 9: Ian Houck (Rondout Valley)
Section 10: Joseph Cummings (Gouverneur)
Section 11: Jack Bokina (Mattituck)
PSAL: Mike Diforte (Petrides)
At Large 1: TJ Philpotts (Holland Patent)
At Large 2: Caleb Riordan (Pioneer)
At Large 3: Reese Lockwood (Groton)
At Large 4: Joe Evangelista (Port Jefferson)

What to Watch For….
145 will be awesome to follow – we have a state champion, state finalist, and a state 3rd in this bracket!  Section 3 champ Hunter Shaut was a state champion last year and is having a great year this year.  His only 2 losses were close decisions to D1 wrestlers at the Eastern States Classic. He defeated S3 wildcard Philpotts 2-1 in ot to win the title this year; Philpotts finished 3rd in NYS last year and will definitely contend for a title.  S11 champ Jack Bokina finished 2nd in the state at 126 last year but has handled the jump to 145 quite well! He is 42-2 thsi season with his two losses coming at ESC to D1 studs Shanahan and Mosher – ironically they are the same two wrestlers who have defeated Shaut this year. Cory Day from S6 is having a great year and we should also keep an eye on S9’s Ian Houck who is poised to make a run at the medal stand. This weight is deep too – we should expect to see Duers (S2) and Wood (S5) contend for spots on the medal stand!

152 Pounds

Section 9 D2 Champ: William Harrison
School: Port Jervis
Class: Junior
Season Record: 36-3
Record Against the Field: 0-0
The Field
Section 1: Jack Chesman (Pearl Riv)
Section 2: Zack Lawrence (Duanesburg)
Section 3: Zach Williams (Hannibal)
Section 4: Shane Hoover (BGAH)
Section 5: Zander Sharp (Can-Green)
Section 6: Zach Brown (Newfane)
Section 7: Johnny Devins (Saranac)
Section 8: Sebastian Sandler (Cold Spring Harbor)
Section 9: William Harrison (Port Jervis)
Section 10: Brody Sheppard (Ogdensburg)
Section 11: John Carl Petretti (Shoreham-Wading River)
PSAL: Daniel Bogie (Eagle Academy)
At Large 1: Dylan Ingrao (Falconer)
At Large 2: Mason Compton (Attica/Batavia)
At Large 3: Dempsey Carroll (Copenhagen)
At Large 4: Richard Forbes (Catskill)

What to Watch For…
This class is loaded with four returning state placewinners and several others who not only have a shot at placing, but could actually take home the title!  S1 champ Jack Chesman finished 3rd in NYS last season and is 31-3 this year. Two of his losses, however, are to wrestlers in this bracket – Petretti from S11 and Carroll from S3 (by forfeit). Chesman’s opponent in last year’s medal round match was Dylan Ingrao from S6 who needed a wildcard this year because he lost in the S6 finals to Zach Brown! Section 2 champion Zach Lawrence finished 5th in NYS last year and is 47-2 this year! His two losses were down at 145 at the ESC where he lost to Gissendanner and Bokina. PSAL champ Bogie finished 6th in NYS last year and will definitely contend here. Both S3 entries, Williams and Carroll, could place high here as could both S5 entries, Compton and Sharp.

160 Pounds

Section 9 D2 Champ: Tristen Schiafo
School: Red Hook
Class: Senior
Season Record: 31-6
Record Against the Field: 0-1
(loss to Wilmot)
The Field
Section 1: Carmine Pedoto (Pawling)
Section 2: Ethan Cooper (Cobl-Rich)
Section 3: Isaiah Roes (Lowville)
Section 4: Max Johnson (Tioga)
Section 5: Sam Wolf (Warsaw)
Section 6: Dan Torres (Falconer)
Section 7: Jacob Nolan (Saranac)
Section 8: John DeRidder (Carle Place/Wheatley)
Section 9: Tristen Schiafo (Red Hook)
Section 10: Tyler Tambini (Malone)
Section 11: John O`Neill (Center Moriches HS)
PSAL: Justin Ebron (Eagle Academy)
At Large 1: Dillan Palaszewski (Galway)
At Large 2: Bryce Rowe (Chautauqua Lake)
At Large 3: Charlie Grygas (Duanesburg)
At Large 4: Mike Wilmot (BGAH)

What to Watch For...
Where to start, where to start??? Jacob Nolan is a multi-time NYS placewinner and he finished 4th last year. He also took 4th at the ESC this year. Dan Torres placed 5th at the state tournament last year and his having a great year. He is 54-1 on the season and his one loss was avenged in the S6 finals to wildcard entry Rowe. Cooper (S2) and Roes (S3) both are having great seasons and could place high here as can S11 champ O’Neil. DeRidder from S8, Palaszewski (S2), Johnson (S4), and S9 champ Schaifo will all be in the hunt as well!  Great weight at 160 D2!

170 Pounds

Section 9 D2 Champ: Dillon Ross
School: Onteora
Class: Senior
Season Record: 44-2
Record Against the Field: 2-1
(beat O’Brein, Rifanburg;
lost to McFarland)
The Field
Section 1: Nicholas Meglino (Edgemont)
Section 2: Rich Conte (HL/LG)
Section 3: Ross McFarland (Phoenix)
Section 4: Grady Alpert (SVEC)
Section 5: Blake Wolfanger (Perry)
Section 6: Robbie Penhollow (Falconer)
Section 7: Jace Filion (Northern Adirondack)
Section 8: Bailey O’Brien (Locust Valley)
Section 9: Dillon Ross (Onteora)
Section 10: Gavin Thornton (Canton)
Section 11: Lajess Sawyer (Center Moriches)
PSAL: Brandon Bido (Eagle Academy)
At Large 1: Ty Rifanburg (Norwich)
At Large 2: Jacob Sarow (Akron/Alden)
At Large 3: Trent Ingraham (Central Valley Academy)
At Large 4: Matthew Martusciello (Livonia/Wayland/Cohochton)

What to Watch For…
Section 3 champ Ross McFarland was a state finalist last season and is definitely one of the favorites to take the title this year! He has not lost to a D2 wrestler all season however one of his toughest wins was a 3-2 victory over S9 champ Dillon Ross who is also one of the favorites here. Section 6 champ Penhollow has an impressive 54-1 record and will be in the hunt here as will S2 champ Conte as will S5 champ Wolfanger. Don’t sleep on Rifanburg from S4 or O’Brein from S8…both are very tough.

182 Pounds

Section 9 D2 Champ: Jason Butler
School: Port Jervis
Class: Senior
Season Record: 35-5
Record Against the Field: 0-0

The Field
Section 1: Lucca Brooker (OLL)
Section 2: Nolan McNeil (War/Bolton)
Section 3: Connor Fredericks (Chittenango)
Section 4: Brennan Slater (Norwich)
Section 5: Ryan Damboise (Livonia/WayCo)
Section 6: Giuseppe Hoose (Southwestern)
Section 7: Chance LaPier (AuSable Valley)
Section 8: Mike Silipo (Seaford)
Section 9: Jason Butler (Port Jervis)
Section 10: Kyle Jenkins (Gouverneur)
Section 11: Mike Sabella (Mount Sinai)
PSAL: Sean Gillespie (Petrides)
At Large 1: Julian Nixon (Newfane)
At Large 2: Pat Walsh (Olean)
At Large 3: Kaiden Davis (Letchworth)
At Large 4: Zack Thurston (Hornell)

What to Watch For….
There is plenty of talent in D2 at 182 but S7 champ LaPier, S4 Champ Slater, and S3 champ Fredericks are probably the top 3 dogs! Lapier placed 3rd in NYS last year and finished 5th in the ESC this year after dropping a close 5-3 decision to eventual champ Jake Logan in the semis! Fredericks placed 5th at the state tournament last year and Slater took 8th at the ESC this year. Mike Sabella from S11 is very tough and we also should keep an Hoose from S6. Butler from S9, Damboise from S5, and McNeil from S2 will also contend for a spot on the podium here.

195 Pounds

Section 9 D2 Champ: Ryan Hobson
School: Red Hook
Class: Senior
Season Record: 23-10
Record Against the Field: 0-1
(loss to Spoon)
The Field
Section 1: Eoghan Murphy (Hastings)
Section 2: Sterling Spoon (Water-Heatly)
Section 3: Doug Simmons (Canastota)
Section 4: Richie Knapp (Susque Valley)
Section 5: Wyatt Holley (Keshequa)
Section 6: Corey Keefe (Falconer)
Section 7: Mason Maulding (Peru)
Section 8: Joseph Libretti (Cold Spring Harbor)
Section 9: Ryan Hobson (Red Hook)
Section 10: Tanner Donaldson (Gouverneur)
Section 11: Jake Croston (Mount Sinai)
PSAL: Ervis Spahiu (Petrides)
At Large 1: Zak Trim (Maple Grove)
At Large 2: Trey Floyd (Tioga)
At Large 3: Nate Degroff (Warsaw)
At Large 4: Harold Sherman (Cato Meridian)

What to Watch For…
Section 3 champ Simmons was a state finalist last season and finished 5th at this year’s ESC making him the favorite at 195 D2 but he will not run through this weight class untested! Section 6 champion Corey Keefe placed 6th at last year’s state tournament and lost a 1-0 nail-biter to Simmons earlier this year. Keefe defeated Zach Trim in his Section 6 final but Trim defeated Keefe earlier in the season so he’s certainly in the conversation as is Section 4 champ Richie Knapp who is putting together a solid season! S5 champ Holley is 33-3 and could go deep here as could the S5 wildcard Degroff who has a win over Holley this year. A few other to watch include Spoon from S2, Croston from S11, and Floyd from S4.

220 Pounds

Section 9 D2 Champ: Devin Dixon
School: New Paltz
Class: Junior
Season Record: 27-8
Record Against the Field: 0-0
The Field
Section 1: James Bellucci (Pawling)
Section 2: Reggie Poulin (Cohoes)
Section 3: Joe Benedict (SJ/SC)
Section 4: Tyler Rice (Norwich)
Section 5: Tylor Barnhart (Livonia/WayCo)
Section 6:  Michael Rigerman (Pioneer)
Section 7: Jaden Maldonado (Beekmantown)
Section 8: Karl Bouyer (Clarke)
Section 9: Devin Dixon (New Paltz)
Section 10: Robert Gordon (Canton)
Section 11: Khrystian Magee (Center Moriches HS)
PSAL: Francis Tawiah (Petrides)
At Large 1: Dylan Dunham (Whitney Point)
At Large 2: Jack Binder (Warrensburg)
At Large 3: Keagan Carmenatty (South Seneca)
At Large 4: Ben Szymanowski (Chautauqua Lake)

What to Watch For…
Section 3 champion Joe Benedict is a 2X NYS finalist and he plans on ascending up the podium to that top spot this year!  Benedict is undefeated and had pinned nearly every opponent in the first period including in the finals of this year’s Eastern States Classic.  He has scored bonus points in all but 2 matches this year. Benedict’s stiffest competition will likely come from S6 champion Rigerman who’s only loss on the mat this season was a 5-1 loss to D1 stud Andreesen. A few others to watch in this bracket include Section 5 champ Barnhart and Section 4 champ Rice.

285 Pounds

Section 9 D2 Champ: Liam Dietrich
School: Red Hook
Class: Sophomore
Season Record: 29-5
Record Against the Field: 1-1
(beat Sawyer; lost to Wood)
The Field
Section 1: George Lebberes (Ard/DF)
Section 2: Craig Sawyer (Hoosick Falls)
Section 3: Nathan Briggs (Onod/Tully)
Section 4: Leroy Williams (Oneonta)
Section 5: Josh Barber (Attica-Batavia)
Section 6: Anthony Robinson (Starpoint)
Section 7: Dalton Criss (Peru)
Section 8: Sam Khondaparast (Oyster Bay)
Section 9: Liam Dietrich (Red Hook)
Section 10: Zach MacCaulay (Gouverneur)
Section 11: John Hartnett (Bayport-Blue Point HS)
PSAL: Jayson Gomez (Eagle Academy)
At Large 1: Bailey Wood (Walton/Delhi)
At Large 2: Kiar Parker (Cheektowaga)
At Large 3: Nick Becker (Randolph)
At Large 4: Stephen Taylor (Tioga)

What to Watch For…
This is a very open weight class but PSAL champ Gomez and S6 champ Robinson seem to be the favorites. Robinson placed 4th at ESC and posted a 4-3 win over Wood in the tournament.  Gomez only has 1 loss and that was to D1 stud Rabinovich. Both Section 4 entries, Williams and Wood, could place high here as could S3 champ Briggs. Section 9 champ Liam Dietrich is only a sophomore but has been showing great improvement. He could definitely surprise some people here.