Suffern senior Eric Watts defeated Wantagh’s Bill Germann 2-1 to win the 112 lb state title in 1965
It’s safe to say that we are all going through some pretty crazy time right now. With hope of providing a healthy distraction, every day or so I will be posting a decade-by-decade history of our Section 9 Championships which will include every Section 9 Champion as well as an All-Decade Team. I would like to extend my sincere gratitude to our Section 9 Chairman Jeff Cuilty who has provided me with a large percentage of the information that will be used in these posts. Any omissions or corrections can be emailed to me at sectionixwrestling@gmail.com.
Let’s take a look at sectionixwrestling.com’s All-Decade Team from the years 1963 through 1969. For those of you who are relative newcomers to the sport here are a few things to keep in mind and perhaps avoid some confusion. Rockland County was part of Section 9 through 1984 – starting in 1985 they joined Section 1. Also, our current two division system which separates small schools and large schools did not begin until 2008.
The 1960’s All-Decade Team
95: Ron Lewis (Liberty) 103: Lee Klepper (Suffern) 112: Eric Watts (Suffern) 120: John Scanlon (Pearl River) 127: Art Trovei (Port Jervis) 133: Mike Steckler (Clarkstown) 138: Al Favata (Newburgh) 145: Kevin McClintock (Suffern) 154: Mark Faller (Port Jervis) 165: William Sweet (Pearl River) 175: Alex Montgomery (Nyack) HWT: Joe Radivoy (Middletown) UNL: Paul Ciccone (Suffern)
1963 95 Eric Watts (Suffern, 10) 103 Ralph Sherry (Clarkstown, 12) 112 John Wallach (Suffern, 12) 120 Peter Brennan (Suffern, 12) 127 Howie McMillan (Suffern, 10) 133 Richard Johnson (Suffern, 12) 138 Tom Human (Haverstraw, 12) – 2nd NYS 145 Al Askew (Nyack, 12) – 3rd NYS 154 John Harvey (Nyack, 11) 165 William Hampton (Clarkstown, 12) 180 Bruce Rich (Middletown, 12) 215 Joe Radivoy (Middletown, 12) – 3rd NYS
1964 95 Ray Aherns (Pearl River, 10) 103 Eric Watts (Suffern, 11) 112 Ramon Rodriguez (Haverstraw, 12) 120 Craig Ketchum (Haverstraw, 11) 127 Howie McMillan (Suffern, 11) – 3rd NYS 133 Jerry Leo (Nanuet, 12) 138 Tom Bayer (Port Jervis, 12) 145 Tom Lewis (Liberty, 12) – 3rd NYS 154 John Harvey (Nyack, 12) 165 Dick Sullivan (Haverstraw, 12) 175 Tom Reed (Liberty, 12) 215 Roger Preisch (Spring Valley, 12) – 4th NYS UNL Tom Meyers (Liberty, 12)
1965 95 Robert Johnston (Suffern) 103 Burt Royce (Suffern, 12) – 4th NYS 112 Eric Watts (Suffern, 12) – NYS Champion 120 Craig Ketchum (Havestraw, 12) 127 Mike Drapala (Port Jervis, 12) 133 Howie McMillan (Suffern, 12) 138 John Eng (Suffern, 11) 145 Paul Salierno (Pearl River, 10) 154 Steve Klein (Liberty) 165 John Todoverto (Monroe Woodbury) 180 Mark Baretz (Spring Valley) 235 Ken Johnson (Newburgh) UNL Ed Girodoakus (Havestraw)
1966 95 George Davis (Nyack, 12) 103 John Scanlon (Pearl River, 9) – 4th NYS 112 Ray Aherns (Pearl River, 12) 120 Burt Royce (Suffern, 12) 127 Tony Ptak (Middletown, 11) – 3rd NYS 133 Doug Stewart (Pearl River, 12) 138 John Watts (Suffern, 11) 145 John Eng (Suffern, 12) 154 Mark Faller (Port Jervis, 12) – 4th NYS 165 Roman Fediuk (Middletown,12) 175 George Petermen (Clarkstown) 215 Rick Schumacher (Suffern) UNL Drew Kumechi (Haverstraw)
1967 95 Ron Lewis (Liberty, 12) 103 Marshall Stanton (Pearl River, 12) 112 John Scanlon (Pearl River, 10) 120 Mike Steckler (Clarkstown, 11) 127 Sal Favata (Newburgh, 12) – 4th NYS 133 Tony Ptak (Middletown, 12) 138 Al Favata (Newburgh, 10) – 4th NYS 145 Bill Ogden (Middletown, 12) 154 Paul Salierno (Pearl River, 12) 165 William Sweet (Pearl River, 12) – 4th NYS 175 Alex Montgomery (Nyack, 12) 215 Howard Broadhead (Middletown, 12) UNL Paul Ciccone (Suffern, 9)
1968 95 Lee Klepper (Suffern, 11) – NYS Champion 103 Skip Cuomo (Suffern, 12) 112 Steve Keys (Port Jervis, 12) – 4th NYS 120 John Scanlon (Pearl River, 11) – 4th NYS 127 Paul Paquin Sr. (Cornwall, 12) 133 Mike Steckler (Clarkstown, 12) – 2nd NYS 138 Al Favata (Newburgh, 11) – NYS Champion 145 Ted Lewis (Liberty, 10) 154 John Hassler (Nanuet, 12) 165 William Sweet (Pearl River, 12) – NYS Champion 175 Charlie Kwiecinski (Clarkstown, 12) 215 John Kavanaugh (Clarkstown, 12) UNL Paul Ciccone (Suffern, 10)
1969 95 Rich Keener (Middletown, 12) 103 Lee Klepper (Suffern, 12) – NYS Champion 112 Art Kahn (Suffern, 12) 120 John Scanlon (Pearl River, 12) – 2nd NYS 127 Art Trovei (Port Jervis, 12) – 2nd NYS 133 Bill Anderson (Suffern, 12) – 4th NYS 138 Al Favata (Newburgh, 12) 145 Kevin McClintock (Suffern, 12) – 3th NYS 154 T.A. Kolvenbach (Port Jervis, 12) 165 Mike Gould (Port Jervis, 12) 175 John Hohmann (Pearl River, 12) 215 Gary Lake (Middletown, 12) UNL Paul Ciccone (Suffern, 11)
1990 NYS Champions with MOW Troy Bouzakis (Pine Bush, 126) and Mike Bucci (Red Hook , 215)
Now that the 2020 high school season is officially in the books, let’s take a “By the Numbers” look at the history of Section 9 – specifically how we have performed at the NYSPHSAA Championships. Just a few notes before we get started. Rockland County was part of Section 9 until 1984. Starting in the 1985, Rockland County became part of Section 1. From 1963 until 1973, the state tournament only recognized the top 4 finishers as place winners. In 2004, the NYSPHSAA split into its current two-division format. Division 1 is the large schools, Division 2 is the the small schools. Lastly, in 2007 the NYSPHSAA instituted the wildcard or at-large system which makes it possible for a section to have multiple entries in each weight class. Special thanks to my friends Tim Monahan and Tracy Sutera for helping me with this post. If I have omitted anyone, please email me at sectionixwrestling@gmail.com.
3X NYS Placewinners John Scanlon (Pearl River) – 4,4,2 Ed Banach (Port Jervis) – 5,2,1 Gary Fischbein (Monroe Woodbury) – 5,3,1 Kevin Troche (Port Jervis) – 2,5,5 Phil Consiglio (North Rockland) – 6, 6,1 Kevin Lawrence (NFA) – 6,6,5 Mike Mormile (Monroe Woodbury) – 3,2,1 Ricky Scott (Valley Central) 5,1,1 Vinny Vespa (Monroe Woodbury) – 5,3,5 Evan Barczak (Monroe Woodbury) – 6,6,3 Ryan Ferro (Warwick) – 3,1,1 Marco Vespa (Monroe Woodbury) – 4,3,6 Zack Ryder (Minisink Valley) – 2,1,1
2X NYS Placewinners Al Favata (NFA – 4,1); William Sweet (Pearl River – 4,1); Lee Klepper (Suffern – 1,1); Joe Goldsmith (Ramapo – 1,1); Jim Horvath (Ramapo – 3,1); Mike Harris (NFA – 5,3); Steve Bello (Tappan Zee – 6,3); Paul Pietropaolo (Nanuet – 4,2); Paul Margulies (Tappan Zee – 4,5); Todd Giles (Ramapo – 6,3); Lou Banach (Port Jervis – 1,3); Tim Ferranti (New Paltz – 6,2); Brian Keys (Port Jervis – 4,2); Jeff Keys (Port Jervis – 4,5); Peter Valois (Clarkstown South – 4,2); Paul Bailey (Nanuet – 6,5); Jeff Duque (Valley Central – 2,3); Jeff Lewis (Valley Central – 2,3); Lou Ruggirello Sr. (Valley Central – 3,1); Mike Zigrossi (Goshen – 5,4); Marcus Hutchings (Monticello – 4,5); Paul Paquin (Cornwall – 1,1); Gino Brown (NFA – 5,6); Steve Garland (Middletown – 2,2); Rocco Mansueto (Middletown – 1,1); Nick Rasenberger (NFA – 4,3); Chris Cartwright (NFA – 6,5); John Gartiser (Monroe Woodbury – 5,2); Jason Jones (Port Jervis – 6,1); Pat Lloyd (Valley Central – 5,1); Ed Bordas (Valley Central – 6,1); Eric Biccum (Port Jervis – 5,5); Darrel Ford (Minisink Valley – 4,3); Taylor Laraia (NFA – 3,2); Ricky Scott (Valley Central – 5,1); JD Zitone (Port Jervis – 4,2); Steven Butler (Port Jervis – 4,2); Mike Santella (Warwick – 5,4); Corey James (Kingston – 4,2); Mitchell Wightman (Warwick – 5,1); Johnny Stramiello (Pine Bush – 6,6); Daniel DeCarlo (Port Jervis – 5,3); AJ Aeberli (Minisink Valley – 5,1); Kendall Elfstrum (Monroe Woodbury – 4,1); Nick McShea (Monroe Woodbury – 5,2); Ryan Ellefsen (Goshen – 2,3); Da’mani Burns (NFA – 5,3); Mike Fekishazy (Wallkill – 6,2); Noah Curreri (Eldred – 5,2); Dylan Earl (Monroe Woodbury – 5,5); Will Leonard (Cornwall – 6,1); Maxx DeCapua (NFA – 6,3); Tommy Askey (Pine Bush – 4,1); Joey McGinty (Monroe Woodbury – 4,2); Adam Fenner (Minisink Valley – 5,3), Matt Morris (Red Hook – 6,6), Nicholas Ross (Onteora – 3,2); James Oosterom (Port Jervis – 5,3); PJ Duke (Carmel/Minisink – 1,1); Ethan Gallo (Minisink Valley – 6,1)
NYS Finalists from Section 9 – Champions in ITALIC BOLD 1963: Tom Human (Haverstraw, 138) 1965: Eric Watts (Suffern, 112) 1968: Lee Klepper (Sufferm, 95), Mike Steckler (Clarkstown, 133), Al Favata (NFA, 138), William Sweet (Pearl River, 165) 1969: Lee Klepper (Suffern, 103), John Scanlon (Pearl River, 120), Art Trovei (Port Jervis, 127) 1971: Joe Goldsmith (Ramapo, 105), Rubin Salero (Middletown, 119), Jim Hohman (Pearl River, 177) 1972: Joe Goldsmith (Ramapo, 112), Willie Manning (Ramapo, 155), Jim Horvath (Ramapo, 167) 1975: Paul Pietropaolo (Nanuet, 105), Steve Silverburg (Ramapo, 126), Paul Georgeades (Nanuet, 132), Scott Ketcham (Clarkstown South, 250) 1977: Matt Roth (Nanuet, 132), Ed Banach (Port Jervis, 155), Lou Banach (Port Jervis, 177) 1978: Kevin Troche (Port Jervis, 138), Ed Banach (Port Jervis, 167) 1980: John Stewart (Port Jervis, 132) 1981: Brian Keys (Port Jervis, 105) 1983: Tim Ferrante (New Paltz, 138), Gary Fischbein (Monroe Woodbury, 145), Tom Ladka (Monroe Woodbury, 215) 1984: Phil Consiglio (North Rockland, 105) 1985: Doug Keys (Port Jervis, 105), Dick Bouzakis (Pine Bush, 126) 1986: Troy Bouzakis (Pine Bush, 91) 1987: Troy Bouzakis (Pine Bush, 105), Jeff Lewis (Valley Central, 119) 1988: Johan Duque (Valley Central, 138) 1989: Troy Bouzakis (Pine Bush, 119), Lou Ruggirello Sr. (Valley Central, 138) 1990: Troy Bouzakis (Pine Bush, 126), Mike Bucci (Red Hook, 215) 1991: David Hardwick (Valley Central, 91), Mike Castro (Washingtonville, 126), Joe Yanis (Minisink Valley, 250) 1994: Steve Garland (Middletown, 91) 1995: Steve Garland (Middletown, 98) 1996: Phillip Mansueto (Middletown, 98), Paul Paquin (Cornwall, 112), Rob Padilla (NFA, 167) 1997: Rocco Mansueto (Middletown, 96), Phillip Mansueto (Middletown, 103), Paul Pauquin (Cornwall, 125) 1998: Rocco Mansueto (Middletown, 112), Phillip Manueto (Middletown, 119) 1999: Keith Pickell (Ellenville, 103), Brian Benson (Valley Central, 119), Joe Sahl (Valley Central, 215) 2000: Mike Mormile (Monroe Woodbury, 103), Alva Conklin (Middletown, 275) 2001: Mike Mormile (Monroe Woodbury, 112), John Gartiser (Monroe Woodbury, 125), Jason Jones (Port Jervis, 135), Scott Proscia (Port Jervis, 215) 2002: Scott Prutzman (Valley Central, 96) 2003: Pat Lloyd (Valley Central, 130) 2004 D1:Lou Ruggirello Jr. (Valley Central, 96), Ricky Scott (Valley Central, 171) 2005 D1: Lou Ruggirello Jr. (Valley Central, 112), Sean Bauer (Valley Central, 125), Ricky Scott (Valley Central, 171), Ed Bordas (Valley Central, 215) 2006 D1: Jamie Franco (Monroe Woodbury, 112), Lou Ruggirello Jr. (Valley Central, 119) 2007 D1: Cody Ruggirello (Valley Central, 103) 2008 D1: Cody Ruggirello (Valley Central, 119), Jamie Franco (Monroe Woodbury, 125), Sean Floor (Port Jervis, 140), Corey James (Kingston, 285) 2009 D1: Jamie Franco (Monroe Woodbury, 125), Matt Parlier (Port Jervis, 171), Steven Butler (Port Jervis, 215), JD Zitone (Port Jervis, 285) 2010 D1: Taylor Laraia (NFA, 130), Cody Ruggirello (Valley Central, 135) 2011 D1: Mitchell Wightman (Warwick, 160), Kyle Diesel (Minisink Valley, 160) 2015 D1: Michael Raccioppi (Minisink Valley, 145), Nick McShea (Monroe Woodbury, 195) 2016 D1: Ryan Ferro (Warwick, 152), AJ Aeberli (Minisink Valley, 160), Ryan Ellefsen (Goshen, 220) 2017 D1: Ryan Ferro (Warwick, 160), Mike Fekishazy (Wallkill, 182), Kendall Elfstrum (Monroe Woodbury, 195) 2017 D2: Noah Curreri (Eldred, 160) 2018 D2: Dillon Ross (Onteora, 170) 2019D1: Zack Ryder (Minisink Valley, 106), Will Leonard (Cornwall, 215) 2020 D1: Zack Ryder (Minisink Valley, 126), Tommy Askey (Pine Bush, 152), Joe McGinty (Monroe Woodbury, 160) 2020 D2: Nicholas Ross (Onteora, 152)
Most NYS Champions – By School 10 – Valley Central 6 – Minisink Valley 4 – Monroe Woodbury, Port Jervis, Pine Bush, Ramapo 3 – Cornwall, Middletown, Warwick, Suffern 1- Clarkstown South, Nanuet, NFA, North Rockland, Pearl River, Red Hook, Washingtonville
Most NYS Placewinners by School – Top 10 50 – Monroe Woodbury 47 – Valley Central 45 – Port Jervis 39 – Minisink Valley 27 – Newburgh Free Academy 22 – Middletown 13 – Cornwall 14 – Warwick 14 – Pine Bush 12 – Ramapo
Top 5 Best Finishes as a Section 1975 – Champions!!! 2022 – Champions!!! 2005 – 2nd Place (Division 1) 1999 – 4th Place 1968 – 4th Place 2016 – 4th Place (Division 1)
Well as we all know by now, the 2020 Friends of Section 9 Banquet of Champions was cancelled due to the Covid-19 outbreak. This doesn’t mean, however, that we are not going to pay special recognition to all of the wrestlers, coaches, scorekeepers, parents, and fans that did so much to make 2019-2020 an incredible year for Section 9 wrestling! Congratulations to all of the winners!!!
Special Awards FS9 Referee of the Year – John Scesa Officials Sportsmanship Award – John Antonelli (Marlboro) FS9 Presidents Award – Anthony Ng (Wallkill/SUNY Sullivan) FS9 Special Recognition Award – Kristen Rummel (Newburgh) Parent of the Year – Tara Landrigan (Middletown) Coaches Wife of the Year – Lauren Gartiser (Monroe Woodbury) Modified/Youth Coach of the Year – Doug Morse (Rondout Valley) Scorekeeper of the Year – Madison Garcia (Washingtonville) Scorekeeper of the Year – Riley Sauschuck (Port Jervis) Scorekeeper of the Year – Alexis Greer (Pine Bush) Scorekeeper of the Year – Maddie Noble (Newburgh) Fan of the Year – Kjerstin DeCapua (Newburgh) Assistant Coach of the Year – Will Parks (Newburgh) Most Improved Team of the Year – Red Hook Mark Faller Coach of the Year – Scott Hendershot (Minisink) Frank Tschan Team of the Year – Minisink Valley Dave Simmons Courageous Wrestler – Sean Savacool (Minisink) Comeback Wrestler of the Year – JC Cabrera (Minisink) FS9 Coach of the Year – Ryan Pullman (New Paltz) FS9 Person of the Year – Sandy Strauss (Valley Central) John Bell S9 Lifetime Achievement – Matt Urciuoli (Kingston) Troy Bouzakis Sr. Wrestler of the Year – Tommy Askey (Pine Bush)
Scholarship Winners Pat D’Aliso Scholarship – Josh Sam (Middletown) DeCapua Scholarship – Jacob Chenier (Kingston) DeCapua Scholarship – John Antonelli (Marlboro) DeCapua Scholarship – Josh Sam (Middletown) DeCapua Scholarship – Nick Picariello (Minisink Valley) DeCapua Scholarship – Joe McGinty (Monroe Woodbury) DeCapua Scholarship – Tommy Askey (Pine Bush) DeCapua Scholarship – Joe Amato (Port Jervis) DeCapua Scholarship – James Oosterom (Port Jervis) DeCapua Scholarship – Matt Morris (Red Hook) DeCapua Scholarship – Evan Gibbons (Warwick) DeCapua Scholarship – Jeremy Mazzella (Warwick)
Awards Already Given Out At Sections D1 MOW Section 9 Tournament – Tommy Askey (Pine Bush) D2 MOW Section 9 Tournament – Nick Ross (Onteora) MJD Most Exciting Match D1 Finals – Palanca (NP) vs Galarza (PB) MJD Most Exciting Match D2 Finals – Amato (PJ) vs Antonelli (Marlboro)
Placewinners – Top 4 D1 & Top 2 D2
99 D1 Champ – Jordan Brown (Monroe Woodbury) *6th in NYS* 99 D1 Runner-Up – Alex Greco (Warwick) *8th in NYS* 99 D1 3rd Place – Mason Ketcham (Washingtonville) 99 D1 4th Place – Rocco Futia (Wallkill) 99 D2 Champ – Trevor Tufano (Port Jervis) 99 D2 Runner-Up – Isaiah Hockx (Saugerties)
Section 9 had two wrestlers compete in this past weekend’s National Junior College Athletic Association (NJCAA) Wrestling Championships in Council Bluffs, IA. Liam Bullock from SUNY Sullivan, a Chester HS graduate, and Daniel Heffner from SUNY Ulster, a Cornwall HS graduate, both qualified for the national tournament. Bullock went 0-2 at 125 dropping his first round match to 7-4 to Nick Gigiacomo from Rowan and then losing in the consies to Joel Avila of Southwest Oregon by a 17-12 margin. Heffner qualified at 157 pounds. He was pinned in the opening round by eventual finalist Joel Romero of Clackamas and then dropped a 14-6 decision to Adam Blonski of Joliet in the first consolation round. Congratulations to Liam and Daniel for qualifying for the tournament – that alone is a huge honor!
Congratulations to the Army West Point wrestling team for finishing 3rd at the EIWA championships and qualifying six wrestlers for the NCAA Championships in Minneapolis. The Black Knights finished with 112 team points which was the second highest total in program history only surpassed by the 1987 squad’s 132.25 points. Army finished 3rd in this year’s team race behind champions Lehigh (154 points) and Cornell (120 points). Navy (104.5 points) and Princeton (100 points) rounded out the top 5 in the team race.
The Black Knights also qualified six wrestlers for the NCAA Championships which takes place on 3/19 – 3/22 in Minneapolis, MN. Congratulations to the following Army wrestlers:
125 – Trey Chalifoux (Nashville, TN) 157 – Markus Hartman (Barrington, IL) 165 – Cael McCormick (Yorktown, IN) 174 – Ben Harvey (New Palestine, IN) 184 – Noah Stewart (Lewistown, PA) 197 – JT Brown (Elyria, OH)
Congratulations to Pine Bush senior Tommy Askey and Minisink Valley 8th grader Zack Ryder for being crowned 2020 NYSPHSAA Wrestling Champions! Askey was the champion at D1 152 while Ryder won gold at D1 126. Section 9 had 2 other finalists with Onteora junior taking second at D2 152 and Monroe Woodbury senior Joe McGinty grabbing silver at D1 160. Section 9 had a total of 13 place winner. Congratulations go out to Monroe Woodbury’s Jordan Brown (6th @ 99 D1), Warwick’s Alex Greco (8th @ 99 D1), Middletown’s Justin Morales (6th @ 106 D1), Washingtonville’s Andrew Marchese (5th @ 113 D1), Red Hook’s Matt Morris (8th @ 126 D2), Middletown’s Joe Velazquez (6th @ 170 D1), Minisink Valley’s Ethan Gallo (6th @ 182 D1), Port Jervis’ James Oosterom (3rd @ 220 D2), and Minisink Valley’s Adam Fenner (3rd @ 285 D1).
Tommy Askey wrapped up a dream season with an 8-5 win in the state finals over AJ Kovacs from Iona Prep. Kovacs was the 2019 state champ at 145 and is currently ranked #5 in the nation at 152 according to InterMat. The Pine Bush senior also defeated 3rd place finisher Dennis Robin and 6th place finisher Wenchard Pierre Louis on his way to the title. Askey finished the year a perfect 41-0 and also won the Eastern States Classic back in January. He finished 4th in NYS last year at 145. Congratulations to one of the hardest working wrestlers in Section 9!
NYS 126 D1 Champ Zack Ryder
Zack Ryder is only in 8th grade and he is already a 2X state finalist! Last year Ryder put NYS on notice when he pushed nationally ranked Stevo Poulin to the limit dropping a 4-3 decision in the 106 state finals. This year Ryder was not to be denied, The MV middle schooler capped of an incredible 47-3 season by pinning previously undefeated George Oroudjov in the finals. Ryder also defeated 3rd place finished Rocco Camillaci and 6th place finished Ivan Garcia on his way to the title at 126, arguably the toughest weight class in the tournament this year! Congrats Zack – the future is bright!
Tournament Notes: Greg Diakomihalis was voted D1 MOW. Greg finished his high school career as a 5X state champion with an incredible 221-1 career record. His only loss was to Dylan Ryder in ESC finals. Anthony Noto, now a 4X state champion, was voted D2 MOW. Stevo Poulin was absolutely dominating in winning his 3rd state title.
Let’s take a weight by weight look at the 2020 NYSPHSAA Division 2 Championship tournament! The tournament takes place on Friday 2/28 and Saturday 2/29 at The Times Union Center in Albany, NY. Click here for tournament schedule!
99 Pounds The lightweights are always fun to watch because it’s often a showdown between many of our young studs from around NYS. This year is no different. The top seed here is Trey Kimball from Section 3 Camden. Kimball is 39-2 and both of his losses were back in early December at 106. There are a few wrestlers on his side of the bracket who definitely have the potential to pick him off though. Avi Berg from Section 2 Glens Falls has been impressive this year as have Martin Ohlsson from Section 6 and Gavin Bob from Section 5. Gianni Silvestri from Section 4 Tioga is 36-1 with his only loss coming to wrestler he would beat later in the season, Brayden Fahrbach from Section 11 Mt. Sinai. Fahrbach is on the bottom half of the bracket and is one of the favorites to make it to the finals. To do so he’ll have to navigate through a tough half of the bracket which includes Section 6 7th grader Aiden Gillings and undefeated Section 5 champ Xavier Dejesus-Remch. Section 9’s entry is Trevor Tufano who is making his second trip to the state tournament.
2019 State Champ Jace Schafer
106 Pounds This is a great weight class with plenty of talented wrestlers however all signs point towards a rematch of last year’s 99 pound state final – Jace Schafer vs Andy Lucinski. Schafer was last year’s state titlist. The Pal-Mac junior is 50-2 this season with both losses coming at ESC. One loss was to D1 wrestlers Rivera and the other to a wrestler from Wyoming Seminary, Dom Federici. Lucinski, a junior from Section 6 Newfane, is 45-2this season. One of his losses was an early season 5-2 decision to Schafer and the other came in the ESC finals to Brandon Cannon from Wyoming Seminary. Lucinski, however, had wins over both Rivera and Federici at ESC. A Schafer vs Lucinski rematch would be a tournament highlight however both wrestlers will need to beat some quality kids to get to the finals. Caden Bellis from Section 4 Tioga and Matt Gatto from PSAL Petrides are both having awesome season and will contend here as will Carl Santariello from Section 3 and Chris Pettys from Section 2!
2X NYS Champ Dante Geislinger
113 Pounds Dante Geislinger from Section 4 Norwich is a 2X NYS champion and he is the heavy favorite to make it #3 this year. Geislinger is 31-2 this season with his two losses coming to Stevo Poulin in the ESC finals and to Mason Bush up at 120. Geislinger is the top seed and the favorite but will not go untested. Max Gallagher from Section 11 finished 3rd in NYS last year and is having a great year! He is 37-1 and finished 3rd at the ESC this year at 106 only losing to Cannon from Sem. Daniel Kirsch from Section 6 Pioneer is a perfect 43-0 and must definitely be watched as should Jackson Polo from Section 8 who placed 7th at ESC and Braidon Woodward from Section 5 who placed 4th in the state last year and is sporting a 43-3 record. A few others to keep an eye on here are Ryan Ross from Section 9, David Ball from Section 6 and Logan Campbell from Section 2.
Top seed Anthony Noto from Setion 5
120 Pounds This weight class has an awesome mix of star power and balance. Let’s start with the start power – Anthony Noto! Anthony is a 3X NYS champion and 33-1 this season. His only loss came in the finals of the Eastern States Classic to nationally ranked 126 pounder Jordan Titus. Noto is without question the heavy favorite to pick up state title number four but this weight is loaded with talent. Let’s start with Mason Bush from Section 3; he’s 51-2 and is a 3X NYS place winner. Avery Leonard was the Section 3 runner-up and received a wildcard to Albany. He placed 3rd in NYS last year and has traded wins with Bush this year. Len Balducci from Section 1 Pleasantville is 43-3 this year and is a 2X NYS placewinner. Joe Contrastano is also no stranger to the podium in Albany and he’s having another great year with a 22-3 record and let’s not forget about fellow Long Islander Joe Sparacio who placed 4th in NYS last year. There are others to watch here too! Don’t sleep on Section 4 hammer Donovan Smith, Section 6 stud Carson Alberti, and the very dangerous Joe Curreri from Section 9!
Nationally Ranked Jordan Titus from Section 11
126 Pounds This is another weight class with no shortage of talent however there is definitely a clear favorite! The top seed here is returning state champion Jordan Titus from Section 11 Center Moriches. Titus is having an incredible season which has seen him go 35-0 and win titles at the Walsh Ironman and the Eastern States Classic! He is currently ranked #12 in the nation at 126. Titus is awesome but he will be tested! Micah Roes from Section 3 Lowville is 40-4 this season and he finished 2nd in the state at 113 last season! Section 2 champion Caleb Svingala was a state finalist last year and is a perfect 42-0 this season! Section 9 champ Matt Morris from Red Hook placed 6th in the state last year and is very scrappy and we can’t overlook Jordan Soriano from Section 8 Clarke. Soriano is a perfect 19-0 with 18 pins and a tech fall! Others who will likely be in the medal hunt at 126 include Kyle Willard from S4, Hunter Devins from S7, Hunter White from S5, and Jack Bosco from the Independent Schools.
Section 3 Champ Marek Bush
132 Pounds The Division 2 132 pound weight class is wide open and will be fun to watch unfold! There are at least a half of a dozen wrestlers who have the potential to come out on top! Section 8 champion Gage DeNatale is the top seed and definitely one of the favorites. DeNatale finished 4th in NYS last year and placed 4th at this year’s ESC. The next wrestler we should discuss is former NYS champion Marek Bush from Section 3 Central Valley Academy. Bush is 50-5 this year and placed 3rd in NYS last season. The wrestler Bush defeated in the S3 finals is also a contender here – Dean Shambo from Mexico. Shambo placed 4th in NYS last year and is sporting a 37-6 record this year. Three other wrestlers who will definitely be in the hunt are Alex Chrisman from S7, Aiden Cullen from S2, and Mitchell Gaiser from S5. All three have what it takes to place high here and we should also keep an eye on are Josh Post from S4, Luke Tomlinson from S6, and Joey Amato from S9!
2019 State Champ Brady Worthing
138 Pounds This is another good weight with a handful of returning state place winners however the favorite to win it all is Brady Worthing from Section 4. The Tioga senior was the state champion at 132 last year and he is a perfect 42-0 this season. Worthing dominated almost every opponent this year,however his closest match of the season was a 3-1 decision over Mike O’Brien from Section 11 Mt. Sinai who is also in this bracket. O’Brein is a former state placer and is 40-5 on the season. Another top conteder at 138 D2 is Kaleb Burgess from Section 5 Pal-Mac. Burgess is 50-4 this season and he is battle tested! His losses are to Beau Bartlett, Ryan Burgos, Nick Sanko, and Justin McDougald – he has wins over Gavis Damasco and Ben Rogers! Carter Baer from Section 10 is no stranger to Albany and he will contend here as well. He is 38-3 with no bad losses on his ledger – McDougald twice and Damasco once. A few other wrestlers to keep our eyes on at this weight are Greg Hotaling from Section 2, Riley McHale from Section 1, and Zach Harrington from Section 4.
#1 Seed Brody Oleksak from S4
145 Pounds This will be one of the more wide open weight classes at this year’s state tournament. Top seeded Brody Oleksak from Section 4 lost his first match of the season back in early December. He dropped a 4-2 decision to Sean Malenfant from Section 2 who has finished the season undefeated. Since that match, Oleksak, a 5th place finisher at last year’s state tournament, has reeled of 35 consecutive wins. Eagle Academy senior Hector Rodriguez will also contend for a title here. The PSAL senior is 30-4 and is very scrappy. Section 5 champ Ethan Ferro is having a monster year at 49-3 as is Booby Treshock from Section 2 Tamarac who is 39-2. Section 7 champ Alijah Seymour is tough as nails Hi is 31-3 and will definitely contend here. We also shouldn’t look past Section 6’s two entries here in Ryan Nugent and Carmeron Riordan.
Section 3 Champ Keagan Case
152 Pounds This weight class is stacked! Christian Hansen from Section 8 Cold Spring Harbor is your top seed and the favorite. Hansen 36-2 this season. He finished 3rd at ESC with his only loss coming in sudden victory to D1 stud Askey. His other loss was up at 170 to Matt Campo. Hansen is the favorite but this is not a one horse race. Keagan Case from Section 3 Central Valley Academy has a 50-3 record this season. All three of his losses came at the ESC where he finished 6th – two of those losses were competitive decisions to Hansen. Section 9 champ Nick Ross finished 3rd in NYS at 138 last year and will definitely contend for the title here. To do so however, Ross will need to avenge a loss to Bryce Smith from Section 7 Saranac who pinned Ross at ESC. Section 5 champ is undefeated at a perfect 37-0 and will definitely make some noise at this weight! Emmett Wood from Tioga is 36-6 and looks tough as does Aiden Canfield from Section 1 Pleasantville who is 33-3. This weight has several guys with very impressive records! A few others here to keep an eye on are Joe Cummings from S10, Hunter McKenna from Section 2, and Thomas Giaramita from S11.
NC State bound Jacob Null
160 Pounds This weight class has plenty of talent however the heavy favorite is definitely Jacob Null from Section 3. The NC State bound junior finished 2nd in NYS last year and is a perfect 43-0 this year and won the Eastern States Classic at a very tough weight! One of Null’s biggest challenges will likely come from Section 6 champ Giovanni Schifano who is 42-1 this year. Section 1 champ Will Carano lost 7-2 to Null back in December and will certainly be in the mix here as will Section 9 champion Patrick Ross how is 35-3 and placed 6th at the ESC. Ethan Stotler from Section 4 has had an awesome season. He is 41-1 and his only loss was to nationally ranked Cooper Kropman. Section 5 wildcard Justin Smith is 40-4 and definitely can’t be over-looked but the whole bracket needs to look out for the S5 champion Andrew Englerth who is 47-0 with some absolutely dominating wins! A few others to watch here are Lucas Abatiello from Section 8 and Ryder Slayton from Section 5!
Section 11 Champ Matt Campo
170 Pounds Section 4 senior Mikey Squires from Norwich is your top seed and favorite at 170. Squires was a state finalist at 152 last year and he is 45-2 this season and finished 3rd at the ESC. His only loss at ESC was a 6-3 decision to eventual champ Andrew Donahue from Wyoming Seminary. Squires will definitely be pushed though – and possibly soon! His quarterfinal opponent could wind up being Nate Ross from Section 9 Onteora. Ross placed 6th in NYS last year and also gave Donahue a great match at ESC losing 3-0 to the eventual champ. One of Squires closest matches this year was a 6-4 win over Matt Campo from Mt. Sinai. The Section 11 champ is 40-2 and seeded 2nd here. This weight is well balanced! Some others that we should keep an eye on are Alec Richards from Section 2, Kaul Runfola from Section 5, Jake Minier from Section 5, and Dean Sheinman from Section 8.
182 Finals – Eastern States Classic Ethan Cooper (l) vs Brock Delsignore (r)
182 Pounds This weight class has three undefeated wrestlers in the bracket – and none of them are the #1 seed! The top seed here is Ethan Cooper from Section 2 Colbeskill-Richmondville. Cooper is 36-3 this year and he was an ESC finalist. He finished in 3rd place in NYS at 170 last year. Now let’s talk about the undefeated guys. Anthony Rasmussen is your Section 3 champion. He is 33-0 this year and he finished 4th in NYS last year. Brock Conaway won the Section 5 title this year. He sports an impressive 51-0 record this year with 33 pins. Joe Goodrich is also undefeated. The Section 11 Mt. Sinai senior is 44-0 on the season and will definitely contend here. Jacob Shippee from Section 10 Gouverneur is tough as nails and can’t be overlooked and the same can be said for Mitch Knapp from Section 4 who placed 6th in NYS last year as well as sophomore Gabe Monroe from Section 4 Windsor. A few others to watch here are Ethan Eldred from Section 3 and Ceric Kristin from Section 6.
2X PA Placewinner Mousaw is the S3 Champ
195 Pounds This is a solid weight with several very talented wrestlers but the favorite here is top seeded Tyler Mousaw from Section 3 South Jefferson/Sandy Creek. Mousaw is a perfect 31-0 on the season with 21 pins and he’s a 2X Pennsylvania state place winner. The #2 seed in this bracket is Hudson Evingham from Section 5 who is sporting an impressive 54-1 record this season. The only wrestler to pick off Evingham this season is the #3 seed Nate DeGroff from Section 5 Warsaw. Evingham avenged the loss with a 2-0 win over DeGroff in the Section 5 finals. Kolton Gagnon from Section 8 is 29-4 while Bryce Dare from Section 3 is 41-2. These two placed 5th and 6th in NYS respectively last season and will definitely be in the hunt here. Brandon Butler from Section 4 is 35-3 and will also contend here as will Noah Kennedy from Section 4 and Brenden Covey from Section 2. Also keep an eye on Hunter Roberts from Section 9 and Tim Gadway from Section 7.
Section 8 Champ Karl Osmond-Bouyer
220 Pounds Last year’s 220 pound 3rd, 4th, and 5th place winners all return this year and will all contend for the top spot here. Carl Bouyer from Section 8 Clarke finished 3rd in NYS last year and is 39-1 this year. Who beat him? The kid who came in 4th in NYS last year – Jeff Crooks from Section 2 Colbeskill-Richmondville. Crooks has misses a good portion of the season and is only 13-0 but one of his wins was a 5-1 decision over Bouyer at the state duals in Syracuse. Bouyer also had a win in Syracuse against the James Oosterom from Section 9 Port Jervis. Oosterom finished 5th in NYS this year and is 35-2 for the season. His other loss was also at Syracuse and it was to Bouyer. Colby Suglia from Section 11 Mattituck is having a great season and will contend here as will Section 3 champ Sam Sorenson from Homer. Sorenson is a freshman 195 pounder who decided to bump up to 220 for Sections and the gamble paid off! The wrestler he defeated in the S3 finals, Alex Thompson, received a wildcard and will definitely be in he mix making his second trip to states! Tyler Smith from Section 5 is 50-3 this season and he hasn’t lost a match since the middle of December. A few others to watch here are Connor Walsh from Section 6 Olean, Collin Bidwell from Section 4 Windsor, and Scott Barnhart from Section 4 Walton.
Section 4 Champ Tyler Rice (left)
285 Pounds The Division 2 heavyweights will be a hotly contested weight this year. There is no clear favorite and several wrestlers with the ability to come out on top on Saturday evening. Section 1 champion George Lebberes is 37-4 this year and he’s your top seed here. The Ardsley senior placed 6th at the ESC and has shown that he can wrestler with any wrestler in the state D1 or D2. His biggest competition coming out of the top half of this braket will likely be from Jaden Heers from Section 6 Newfane who is 42-2. The bottom half of the brakect is set up to gave a great semifinal if the seeds hold up! The #2 seed is Mike Leibl from Section 3 Canastota. Leibl is a perfect 42-0 this season and finished 5th in NYS last year and will likely meet up with Section 4 champ Tyler Rice in the semis. Rice is 31-5 this year however he has a win over top seeded Lebberes. A few other we need to keep an eye on here are Mike Raschiatore from Section 5, Jake Skinner from Section 6, and Devin McGovern from Section 9.
