Author: Mike Carey

Match-by-match results from Day 1!!!!

Round of 32
170 – Jones (VC) dec Colon (Warwick)
170 – Glickman (Corn) wbf Rivera (Mont)
170 – Garcia (Wash) Harding (New Paltz)
220 – Brafi (MW) wbf Robinson (Midd)

Round of 16
99 – Brown (MW) bye
99 – Urena (PB) dec 6-4 Segali (NFA)
99 – Giumarra (Corn) dec 12-0 Buchalter (Wall)
99 – Tresch (MV) maj 12-0 Aleci (Corn)
99 – Ketcham (Wash) wbf :44 Rutondo (FDR)
99 – Futia (Wall) dec 10-7 Piazza (MW)
99 – Weeden (VC) dec 6-0Saenz (Midd)
99 – Greco (War) over 4:33 Mera (King)

106 – Morales (Midd) bye
106 – Hickman (Corn) dec 7-2 Perales (Gosh)
106 – Cuppett (NP) wbf 1:00 Acardo (War)
106 – Vidacovich (VC) wbf :42 Barak (King)
106 – Connelly (MW) wbf 2:59 Tarshis (PB)
106 – McKernan (MV) wbf :37 Duffy (PB)
106 – Merli (NFA) wbf 1:20 Calvente (Wash)

113 – Marchese (Wash) bye
113- Degon (VC) wbf 3:41 Santiago (Midd)
113 – Reed (Corn) wbf 1:13 Hovling (Wall)
113 – Giumarra (Corn) wbf 1:06 Sanchez (FDR)
113 – Ricciuto (VC) wbf :54 Lamberty (Gosh)
113 – Javorsky (MW) wbf 1:20 Croce (PB)
113 – Greiner (MV) wbf 2:21Gonzalez (War)
113 – Hansen (NFA) bye

120 – Ocasio (MW) bye
120 – Nilson (War) dec 7-5 Colon (Midd)
120 – Davis (Wall) wbf 1:18 Bruno (PB)
120 – Picariello (MV) wbf 3:17 O’Rourke (Corn)
120 – Maddox (Wash) wbf Hovling (Wall)
120 – Barczak (MW) wbf 2;12 Bugsby (NFA)
120 – Norris (Midd) maj 8-0 Brady (Gosh)
120 – Chenier (King) wbf :57 Ballantine (Corn)

126 – Ryder (MV) bye
126 – Coiteux (NP) wbf 2:47 Greer (PB)
126 – Armedariz (NFA) 3:26 Serafin (Wash)
126 – Ferro (King) dec 5-3 Gonzalez (War)
126 – Poppe (Wash) over Spaulding (Corn)
126 – Diaz (Midd) wbf 5:27 Hernandez (Mont)
126 – Macaluso (MV) wbf 4:35 Crocco (NP)
126 – Greco (War) wbf 2:40 Flores (Gosh)

132 – Suarez (MV) bye
132 – Gennaro (Wash) dec 9-2 Gibson (NP)
132 – Phillips (VC) wbf 1:20 Redzeposki (Mont)
132 – Weinstein (Gosh) dec 11-6 Samuel (MW)
132 – Romano (VC) wbf 1:47 Joy (PB)
132 – Pennell (PB) wbf 2:37 Raby (Corn)
132 – Futia (Wall) wbf 2:33 Burroughs (Wash)
132 – Sam (Midd) wbf 5:42 Posta (War)

138 – Savacool (MV) bye
138 – Feshold (NP) wbf 1:26 Mitchell (Gosh)
138 – Francisco (King) dec 7-6 Ham (Wash)
138 – Eberlein (War) wbf 2:54 Aljamal (Wash)
138 – Downs (MW) wbf :52 Avila (Wall)
138 – Gibson (NP) 1:04 Concklin (VC)
138 – Grogan (NFA) wbf 4:12 Nesbitt (FDR)
138 – Lombardi (MV) bye

145 – Galarz (PB) bye
145 – Chico (Mont) dec 5-3 Lara (Gosh)
145 – Burgos (PB) wbf 1:22 Patterson (VC)
145 – Gonzalez (MV) wbf 1:46 Mazzella (War)
145 – Cuppett (NP) wbf :58 Colon (War)
145 – Richter (King) maj 12-2 Inman (NFA)
145 – Baumkirschner (Wash) wbf 3:33 Velazquez (Midd)
145 – Palanca (NP) wbf 3:15 Aleci (Corn)

Girls Championship Finals

126 – Grace Pauls (MV) wbf :53 Citrus Triplett (Red Hook)
132 – Sanyadia Wheeler (Fallsburg) dec 10-4 Kaida Miller (Midd)
138 – Carolyn Santiago (NFA) wbf 3:47 Eneka Goicolea-Cid (NP)
145 – Alexa Ligouri (FDR) win by dq 4:45 Shakira Morris (King)
152 – Eliyah Constant (PB) wbf Jazmine Taylor (Midd)
170 – Jo Jo Tanzi (NP) vs Gabrielle Colon (NFA)

152 – Askey (PB) bye
152 – Gordon (King) maj 14-6 Straker (King)
152 – Zrelak (MW) wbf :57 Jennings (War)
152 – Fini (MW) maj 16-3 Norton (Wash)
152 – Wyns (NP) maj 8-0 Cavallo (Corn)
152 – Orlando (War) wbf 5:32 Horton (PB)
152 – Ponesse (NFA) wbf 3:32 Fogelman (Gosh)
152 – Filip (MV) bye

160 – McGinty (MW) bye
160 – Tibbs (Midd) wbf 2:30 Croce (PB)
160 – Price (Gosh) tech 19-2 Oestrich (Mont)
160 – Manzi (NFA) wbf 1:145 Atkins (Wall)
160 – Gibbons (War) wbf 1:54 Furst (Corn)
160 – Paulino (MW) dec 11-2 Demarco (Wash)
160 – Garcia (Midd) dec 10-8 Timbrouck (King)
160 – Hirsch (MV) wbf :43 Sanchez (FDR)

170 – Velazquez (Midd) wbf 2:36 Jones (VC)
170 – Karystinakis (Gosh) maj 16-6 Meijas (King)
170 – Hathaway (VC) wbf :37 Hart (Corn)
170 – Patterson (NFA) maj 12-0 Thomas (NP)
170 – Brown (MW) wbf 1:20 Glickman (Corn)
170 – McLaughlin (MV) wbf 2:43 Arroyo (PB)
170 – Winkler (Gosh) wbf 1:48 Levato (PB)
170 – Wernicki (MW) wbf :17 Garcia (Wash)

182 – Gallo (MV) bye
182 – Harvey (Midd) dec 12-5 Castelonia (Corn)
182 – Lyle (Wall) wbf 3:53 Reyes (Mont)
182 – Michael (NP) bye
182 – Banegas (NFA) bye
182 – Felice (MW) wbf 1:23 Tavormina (PB)
182 – Paravati (MW) wbf 1:51 York (King)
182 – Mazzella (War) bye

195 – Russell (NFA) bye
195 – Parker (Corn) dec 8-2 Betcher (Wall)
195 – Burgoa (NFA) dec 5-1 Bieling (War)
195 – Bennet (King) wbf 1:02 Kiselak (FDR)
195 – Giacch (Midd) wbf 5:07 Barak (King)
195 – Callahan (Wash) dec 6-2 Ormond (NP)
195 – Wilkins (PB) dec 5-0 Siracusa (Gosh)
195 – Geysen (MV) bye

220 – Decapua (NFA) maj 10-0 Brafi (MW)
220 – Goggins (Mont) fft over Diponio (NP)
220 – Holmes (King) wbf 1:05 Robertson (FDR)
220 – Duke (Midd) wbf :16 Jimenez (FDR)
220 – Cabrera (MV) wbf :11 Dahowski (Gosh)
220 – Augustus (Midd) dec 6-1 Rosario (War)
220 – McVey (Wash) fft over Harrison (NFA)
220 – Henry (MV) wbf 1:21 Velazquez (MW)

285 – Fenner (MV) bye
285 – Nguyen (NFA) wbf 1:48 Valenzano (Corn)
285 – Hernandez (MW) wbf :29 Ingram (NP)
285 – Hickey (War) wbf :58 Montes (VC)
285 – Garcia (Wash) wbf 3:07 Paterno (FDR)
285 – French (Midd) wbf 2:22 Fakler (Wall)
285 – Jansen (NP) wbf 1:25 Deentremont (Gosh)
285 – Monchery (Midd) wbf :18

Quarterfinals

99 – Brown (MW) wbf :56 Urena (PB)
99 – Tresch (MV) dec 4-3 Giumarra (Corn)
99 – Ketcham (Wash) dec 8-5 Futia (Wall)
99 – Greco (War) dec 3-1 Weeden (VC)

106 – Morales (Midd) wbf :46 Hickman (Corn)
106 – Cuppett (NP) wbf 1:36 Roger (Midd)
106 – Vidacovich (VC) wbf 5:54 Connelly (MW)
106 – Merli (NFA) maj 9-0 McKernan (MV)

113 – Marchese (Wash) wbf 2:16 Degon (VC)
113 – Giumarra (Corn) dec 3-0 Reed (Corn)
113 – Ricciuto (VC) wbf 3:06 Javorsky (MW)
113 – Hansen (NFA) dec 7-1 Greiner (MV)

120 – Ocasio (MW) maj 17-5 Nilson (War)
120 – Davis (Wall) dec 5-4 Maddox (Wash)
120 – Picariello (MV) wbf 2:28 Barczak (MW)
120 – Chenier (King) wbf 2:54 Norris (King)

126 – Ryder (MV) wbf :22 Coiteux (NP)
126 – Armendariz (NFA) dec 3-1 Ferro (King)
126 – Diaz (Midd) wbf 4:57 Poppe (Wash)
126 – Macaluso (MV) wbf 1:28 Greco (War)

132 – Suarez (MV) wbf :43 Gennaro (Wash)
132 – Phillips (VC) wbf 1:34 Weinstein (Gosh)
132 – Romano (VC) wbf 1:01 Pennell (PB)
132 – Sam (Midd) maj 17-4 Futia (Wall)

138 – Savacool (MV) wbf 1:05 Feshold (NP)
138 – Eberlein (War) dec 3-0 Francisco (King)
138 – Downs (MW) wbf 3:09 Gibson (NP)
138 – Lombardi (MV) wbf 2:34 Grogan (NFA)

145 – Galarza (PB) maj 15-5 Chico (Mont)
145 – Gonzalez (MV) wbf 5:28 Burgos (PB)
145 – Cuppett (NP) wbf 1:49 Richter (King)
145 – Palanca (NP) wbf 1:12 Baumkirschner (Wash)

152 – Askey (PB) wbf 1:31 Gordon (King)
152 – Zrelak (MW) dec 10-5 Fini (Gosh)
152 – Wyns (NP) dec 3-2 Orlando (War)
152 – Filip (MV) maj 9-0 Ponesse (NFA)

160 – McGinty (MW) wbf :56 Tibbs (Midd)
160 – Manzi (NFA) dec 11-4 Price (Gosh)
160 – Gibbons (War) dec 8-4 Paulino (MW)
160 – Hirsch (MV) dec 8-2 Garcia (Midd)

170 – Velazquez (Midd) wbf :30 Karystinakis (Gosh)
170 – Patterson (NFA) wbf 4:30 Hathaway (Wall)
170 – Brown (MW) dec 6-0 McLaughlin (MV)
170 – Wernicki (MW) wbf :42 Winkler (Gosh)

182 – Gallo (MV) wbf :28 Harvey (Midd)
182 – Michael (NP) tech 19-4 Lyle (Wallkill)
182 – Banegas (NFA) dec 3-0 Felice (MW)
182 – Mazzella (War) dec 7-2 Paravati (MW)

195 – Russell (NFA) wbf 5:25 Parker (Corn)
195 – Bennet (King) maj 14-1 Burgoa (NFA)
195 – Giacchi (Midd) dec 8-2 Callahan (Wash)
195 – Geysen (MV) wbf :40 Wilkins (PB)

220 – DeCapua (NFA) wbf 3:02 Goggins (Mont)
220 – Duke (Midd) dec 1-0 Holmes (King)
220 – Cabrera (MV) wbf 1:32 Augustus (Wall)
220 – Henry (MV) dec 9-3 McVey (Wash)

285 – Fenner (MV) wbf 4:16 Nguyen (NFA)
285 – Hernandez (MW) wbf 3:45 Hickey (War)
285 – Garcia (Wash) dec 6-0 French (Midd)
285 – Monchery (Midd) wbf :54 Jansen (NP)

Wrestlebacks

99 – Giumarra (Corn) dec 3-1 Urena (PB)
99 – Futia (Wall) wbf 1:54 Weeden (VC)

106 – Rogers (Midd) wbf 4:58 Hickman (Corn)
106 – McKernan (MV) wbf 2:12 Connelly (MW)

113 – Reed (Corn) tech 16-1 Degon (VC)
113 – Greiner (MV) wbf 1:31 Javorsky (MW)

120 – Maddox (Wash) dec 8-2 Nilson (War)
120 – Norris (Midd) wbf 3:48 Barczak (MW)

126 – Ferro (King) maj 12-4 Coiteux (NP)
126 – Greco (War) wbf 2:59 Poppe (Wash)

132 – Weinstein (Gosh) dec 9-5 Gennaro (Wash)
132 – Pennell (PB) wbf 2:20 Futia (Wall)

138 – Francisco (King) dec 7-4 Feshold (NP)
138 – Gibson (NP) wbf 4:07 Grogan (NFA)

145 – Burgos (PB) wbf 1:29 Chico (Mont)
145 – Richter (King) wbf Baumkirchner (Wash)

152 – Gordon (King) dec 10-8 Fini (Gosh)
152 – Ponesse (NFA) wbf 4:24 Orlando (War)

160 – Tibbs (Midd) inj over Price (Gosh)
160 – Paulino (MW) wbf 2:13 Garcia (Midd)

170 – Karystinakis (Gosh) wbf 2:29 Hathaway (Wall)
170 – McLaughlin (MV) wbf 3:47 Winkler (Gosh)

182 – Harvey (Midd) wbf :19 Lyle (Wall)
182 – Felice (MW) dec 2-0 Paravati (MW)

195 – Burgoa (NFA) dec 3-1 Parker (Corn)
195 – Wilkins (PB) dec 9-4 Callahan (Wash)

220 – Holmes (King) dec 7-2 Goggins (Mont)
220 – Augustus (Wall) dec 4-2 McVey (Wash)

285 – Nguyen (NFA) dec 3-2 Hickey (War)
285 – Jansen (NP) dec 4-1 French (Midd)

For the first time ever, Section 9 will have a Girls Division at the Section 9 Championships on Friday! Let’s take a look at the 15 who are competing in this girls only tournament. The Girls Tournament will begin at 5:00 on Friday at Monroe Woodbury HS. Finals will begin at approximately 6:00! There are a handful of other girls who will be competing against the boys this weekend and they are also listed below! Best of luck to all of the competitors – you are paving the way for generations of girl wrestlers to follow!

126 Girls
1. Grace Pauls (Minisink Valley)
2. Citrus Triplett (Red Hook)
3. Alivia Dyke (Saugerties)

132 Girls
1. Synadia Wheller (Fallsburg/Tri-Valley)
2. Kaida Miller (Middletown)

138 Girls
1. Carolyn Santiago (Newnurgh)
2. Eneka Goicolea-Cid (New Paltz)
3. Olivia Stephens (Monroe Woodbury)

145 Girls
1. Alexa Liguori (FDR)
2. Shakira Morris (Kingston)

152 Girls
1. Eliyah Constant (Pine Bush)
2. Jazmine Taylor (Middletown)

170 Girls
1. Jovanna Tanzo (New Paltz)
2. Audrey Nicolai (Fallsburg/Tri-Valley)
3. Gabrielle Colon (Newburgh)

Girls Competing in the Boys Division 1 Tournament
106 – Brooke Tarshis (Pine Bush)
126 – Mia Macaluso (Minisink Valley)
* Special shout out to MV’s Sofia Macaluso who is injured and can not compete in the championships this year. Last year Sofia became the first girl to place in the boys tournament when she took 3rd place at 120.*

Girls Competing in the Boys Division 2 Tournament
99 – Kaitlyn Potter (E/L/SW)
106 – Alyssa Reed (Port Jervis)
113 – Summer Conetta (Chester)
120 – Destiny Walsh (Rondout Valley)

Let’s take a look at the top 4 seeds along with a preview of this year’s Section 9 Division 2 Championships. The tournament takes place this Sunday February 16 at SUNY Ulster.

99 Pounds
1. Trevor Tufano (Port Jervis)
2. Anthony Theodore (Port Jervis)
3. Isaiah Hockx (Saugerties)
4. Thomas Shields (Onteora)
Tufano is the defending champ at this weight and he’s the heavy favorite to repeat. The PJ sophomore is 26-7 and made it to Day 2 at this year’s ESC. His finals opponent could be his teammate Anthony Theodore who is in 7th grade! Hockx and Shields are going to battle here but Eldred’s Kaitlyn Potter is 8-2 and definitely has a shot to place!

106 Pounds
1. Ryan Kirker (Red Hook)
2. Brandon McKay (Red Hook)
3. Alyssa Reed (Port Jervis)
4. Quintin Herzog (E/L/SW)
Kirker is having a very solid season and is the favorite here. His toughest competition will likely come from his teammate McKay who was a Section 9 finalist last season but we definitely can’t look past Alyssa Reed from Port Jervis who is dangerous!

113 Pounds
1. Ryan Ross (Port Jervis)
2. Peter Bender (Highland)
3. Lucas Ospina (Rondout Valley)
4. Robert Drost (Saugerties)
This is a great weight class with 4 legitimate title contenders in Ospina, Drost, Ross, and Bender. Ross beat Bender 5-4 last week in a dual however neither have faced Drost who is having a great inaugural season in D2. Ospina is very tough and will make noise here too!

120 Pounds
1. Joey Curreri (Eldred/Liberty/Sullivan West)
2. Maddox McCormick (Port Jervis)
3. Chris Gatto (Highland)
4. Brenon Thiel (Onteora)
Curreri is the heavy favorite here but the PJ 7th grader Maddox is scrappy. Gatto and Thiel can’t be overlooked either…could be a good weight to follow!

126 Pounds
1. Matt Morris (Red Hook)
2. Caleb Harrison (Port Jervis)
3. Cole Nelson (Red Hook)
4. Wyatt Konjas (Onteora)
Morris finished 6th in NYS last year and is the heavy favorite to win the Section 9 title at 126 this year. He’s a hard nosed wrestler who can hand with the best wrestlers in NYS from either division. Don’t be surprised if you see him on the medal stand once again in Albany. PJ junior Harrison is tough though and could push Morris if they meet in the finals.

132 Pounds
1. Joey Amato (Port Jervis)
2. John Antonelli (Marlboro)
3. Gage Belnap (Saugerties)
4. Mark Bruckenstein (Chester)
Amato from Port Jervis is having a great year and has proved he can wrestle with anyone in S9 D1 or D2. Antonelli is one of the hardest working wrestlers in Section 9. He has placed in the top 3 in this tournament for 4 consecutive years and is primed to make his first trip to Albany. Antonelli is a “shadow” wrestler – he is the only Marlboro wrestler so he shadows the Highland team and wrestles far fewer matches than most high school wrestlers. Antonelli is the only “shadow” wrestler in Section 9 history to win over 100 career matches. This could be the best final of the night if the seeds hold up!

138 Pounds
1. Alex Lopez (Red Hook)
2. Sam Buono (Onteora)
3. Walter Evans (Ellenville)
4. Crew Belnap (Saugerties)
Lopez placed 3rd in last year’s tournament and he’s the favorite here. He’s 24-6 and looking for his first trip to Albany! Buono is only a junior and at 20-7 will definitely provide a great test for Lopez if they meet in the finals!

145 Pounds
1. Logan Zehr (Highland)
2. Logan Zappolo (Port Jervis)
3. Tyler Benincasa (Red Hook)
4. Jacobus Hockx (Saugerties)
Only a 10th grader, Zehr has earned the top seed and is the favorite here. Zappolo is scrappy and Beneicasa is very dangerous and can pin anyone at any time. This will be a fun weight class to watch unfold!

152 Pounds
1. Nick Ross (Onteora)
2. DJ Perrin (Port Jervis)
3. Logan Smith (Highland)
4. Owen Allison (Onteora)
Nick finished 3rd in NYS last year and is one of the favorites to win the state title this year. He is the clear favorite to win S9 D2 at 152. A good match to follow will be the Perrin vs smith semifinal if the seeds hold up… Smith is 26-12 and only a sophomore!

160 Pounds
1. Bryce Horner (Port Jervis)
2. Pat Ross (Onteora)
3. Nick Dicurcio (Chester)
4. Luke Oefelein (Fallsburg/Tri-Valley)
Pat Ross is having a monster year which includes a 32-3 record and a 6th place finish at the ESC but he’s the #2 seed behind returning champ Horner. This will be one of the marquee match-ups of the night!

170 Pounds
1. Nate Ross (Onteora)
2. Kwalin Gonzalez (Chester)
3. Maverick Sanchez (Red Hook)
4. Matt Martinelli (Burke)
Nate Ross is without question the biggest favorite to win his weight class – either division! Nate is finished 5th in NYS last year and is looking to ascend to the top step of the podium in Albany this year! No disrespect to his opponents but Ross is on a different level and is laser focused on a state title!

182 Pounds
1. Graeme Knissel (Saugerties)
2. Aiden Maduro (Highland)
3. Henry Peters (E/L/SW)
4. Hayden Campolong (Red Hook)
This is arguably the deepest weight class in the tournament. Knissel is a talented wrestler. If he gets hot at the right time he can win his first S9 title and possibly make the podium in Albany. Maduro and Peters are going to have a great semifinal match if seeds hold and Campolong will be tested in his quarterfinal match by 5th seed Brendan Douthit from Burke! This is an excellent weight!

195 Pounds
1. Christopher Clark (Red Hook)
2. Hunter Roberts (E/L/SW)
3. Teddy Szymansky (Chester)
4. Connor Boyer (James I.O’Neil)
195 is another very deep weight in S9 D2! Top seed Clark is a legit contender but he’ll get pushed in his semi against the winner of #4 Boyer and #5 seed Ben Swart from Highland! Boyer is a shadow wrestler – he is the only JIO wrestler but he gets matches by shadowing another team (Newburgh Free Academy). He has a 19-4 record this season. Roberts and Szymansky are both having great years and will also provide a great semi!

220 Pounds
1. James Oosterom (Port Jervis)
2. Jacob Southard (Port Jervis)
3. Francisco Miguel (E/L/SW)
4. Dylan Bullock (Chester)
Oosterom placed 5th in NYS last year and he’s having an awesome 2019-2020 campaign. He is the heavy favorite to win his 2nd S9 D2 title and is hoping for a spot near the top of the medal stand in Albany in a few weeks! Southard, Miguel, Bullock, and #5 seed Bucci are all tough and will battle it out for medal stand positions!

285 Pounds
1. Devin McGovern (Chester)
2. Jon Perez (Highland)
3. Shamar Gittens (Highland)
4. Christian Kuster (Rondout Valley)
With a few legitimate contenders to take home the title, 285 will be a great weight class to follow at this year’s D2 tournament. McGovern, Perez, and Gittens all placed at last year’s tournament but Kuster may be the dark horse here and surprise the field! His record is only 5-2 but he has wins over D1 wrestlers French (major dec 11-1) and Fackler (wbf :19)…and his only 2 losses are by injury default.

Now that the wrestlers have declared their weight class and the tournament is seeded, let’s take a deeper look into this weekend’s Division 1 tournament!

99 Pounds
The clear favorite here is top seeded Jordan Brown from Monroe Woodbury. Brown, a freshman who has been wrestling for less than two years, has beaten every other contender in the field – most of them soundly! His closest match from a local wrestler was his 5-1 win back in late November over 2nd seeded Alex Greco from Warwick who placed 5th at this weight last year. Pine Bush’s Rey Ortiz has looked great at 99 and will definitely contend for a medal here as will Washingtonville’s Mason Ketcham. This is a deep weight with several quality wrestlers at 99 who will be fighting for a step on the podium including Minisink’s Anthony Tresch, VC’s Nick Weeden, Cornwall’s Marco Giumarra, Wallkill’s Rocco Futia, and NFA’s Kevin Segali.

106 Pounds
The top seed here is 2X state qualifier Justin Morales from Middletown. Morales was the champ at 99 in 2018 and was runner-up to eventual state finalist Zack Ryder last year at 106. Morales has looked tough this year going 32-2 and his only two losses came at the Eastern States Classic. One local wrestler he has not faced yet is NFA sophomore Jackson Merli who is the #2 seed here. Merli placed 3rd at 99 last season and is having a great year. He is 31-4 and his only local loss was to Brown who is now at 99. A Morales vs Merli final could be a tournament highlight! Other wrestlers to keep an eye on at 106 include Valley Central’s Sebastian Vidacovich, Minisink Valley’s Zak McKernan, Middletown’s Jacob Roger, MW’s Dan Connelly, Middletown’s Jacob Roger, and New Paltz’s Cole Cuppett.

113 Pounds
The top seed here is Washingtonville sophomore Drew Marchese who was the S9 champ at 99 last year. Marchese is having a great year! He is 31-3 and two of his three losses have been to the #2 ranked 113 pounder in the nation, Stevo Poulin. His other loss was at the Eastern States Classic to a wrestler from CT. Marchese is the favorite however he will not go untested as NFA junior Jaden Hansen in looking sharp. Hansen is 39-4 and has not lost to a local wrestler this year. He will definitely contend for the top spot here. A few other to keep an eye on at 113 are Minisink Valley’s Luke Greiner, Valley Central’s Nic Ricciuto, Cornwall’s Tyler Reed and Gabe Giumarra, MW’s Maxim Javorsky, and Middletown’s Kenny Santiago!

120 Pounds
Wow did this weight class get interesting over the last few weeks of the regular season! Minisink’s Nick Picariello is the returning champ at this weight and was considered the favorite to repeat by most. That was until last week however when Picariello was upended 2-1 by Kingston’s Jacob Chenier, last year’s 113 pound S9 champ. So those are the top two seeds right? Nope! Chenier lost a few weeks ago to Monroe Woodbury’s Santos Ocasio who is the #1 seed here! And the depth at 120 doesn’t stop there because we can’t forget about Matthew Davis from Wallkill and Austin Maddox from Washingtonville. We should also keep an eye on MW’s Grant Barczak, Cornwall’s Gabe Giumarra and Middletown’s Ivan Colon and Jayden Norris.

126 Pounds
Perhaps the biggest favorite to win his weight class this year is Minisink Valley’s Zack Ryder who is 40-3 this season. Ryder, only an 8th grader, was a state finalist last year as a 7th grader losing a 4-3 decision to nationally ranked Stevo Poulin in the finals. None of Ryder’s losses this year have been to local wrestlers. The others in this bracket who are looking to upend Ryder are Drew Greco from Warwick, Jacob Poppe from Washingtonville, and Steven Amendariz from Newburgh Free Academy. Kingston’s Joe Ferro and Middletown’s Moises Diaz are medal contenders here as well!

132 Pounds
This weight class could be a battle! Minisink Valley senior Jordan Suarez is a returning Section 9 champion and the top seed here. He has a 38-4 record this season and has wins over two of the other top contenders here, Matt Romano from Valley Central and Josh Sam from Middletown. Romano, who took Suarez into sudden victory at the MV vs VC dual, is a 2X state qualifier. One of Romano’s other losses is to Sam at ESC. Suarez has beated Sam 1-0 and 5-0 this season. While Suarez, Romano, and Sam are the favorites at 132, Goshen’s Eli Weinstein, VC’s Travis Phillips, and Pine Bush freshman Braydon Pennell are definitely going to add depth here as all three are having great seasons.

138 Pounds
This weight will be another one that’s going to be great to follow! Minisink Valley’s Sean Savacool is the returning champ here and is the top seed. He is having a great year at 27-3 with two of his losses coming at ESC and the other at The Clash. His closest match against a Section 9 opponent was a 6-2 win over his teammate Brian Lombardi in the finals of the Gene Brigham. Lombardi will definitely contend here as will Monroe Woodbury’s Dan Downs who will make some noise here as will Kingston’s Christian Francisco-Agostin and Warwick’s Liam Eberlein.

145 Pounds
The 145 pound weight class has some talented wrestlers and many felt it would come down to a showdown between New Paltz junior Ethan Palanca and Minisink Valley junior Jaccob Gonzalez. All that changed however when Pine Bush senior Gabe Galarza decided to bump up and take his chances at 145. Galarza defeated Palanca 4-2 earlier this year. Palanca’s teammate Aiden Cuppett is tough and will definitely contend here as will Pine Bush’s Dylan Burgos. Goshen’s Isaiah Price and Kingston’s Gavin Richter add depth and will definitely contend for a medal at 145.

152 Pounds
Pine Bush senior Tommy Askey is the top seed here. Askey finished 4th in NYS at 145 last year, he won the Eastern States Classic this year, and he is currently a perfect 34-0 on the season. Yeah he’s a pretty heavy favorite. The wrestlers who will be battling it out to get a chance to upend Askey are Goshen’s Chris Fini, New Paltz’s Levi Wynn, Monroe Woodbury’s Mike Zrelak, and freshman Andrew Filip from Minisink Valley. All four are having great seasons and would love the chance to pick off the top dog Askey here.

160 Pounds
Monroe Woodbury senior Joey McGinty is one of the biggest favorites to win his weight at this tournament. McGinty, who is heading to D1 Hofstra in the Fall, finished 4th in NYS last season. His season record is 30-4 and he has not lost a match to NYS D1 wrestler all season. The wrestlers who are looking to make some noise by picking off McGinty on Saturday are Evan Gibbons from Warwick, Jace Hirsch from Minisink Valley, and Elijah Price from Goshen, all of whom are having great years! Elijah Timbrouck from Kingston, Luis Paulino from MW, and Anthony Manzi from NFA have some nice wins this season and should not be overlooked.

170 Pounds
This is going to be a great weight class to follow! On paper the favorite is top seeded Joe Velazquez from Middletown. He is currently 38-6 and placed 6th at this year’s ESC. Velazquez also placed 3rd in S9 at 160 last season. Although he is this favorite, 170 is not a one horse race. Marcus Brown from Monroe Woodbury has put together a great season as have Alden Hathaway from Wallkill and Nick Patterson from NFA. Discounting Minisink Valley’s Chris McLaughlin would be a bad idea and Max Wernicki from Monroe can wrestle with anyone in this bracket. We should also keep an eye on Mejias Tanner from Kingston, and Max Winkler and Ionnis Karystinakis from Goshen.

182 Pounds
Minisink Valley freshman Ethan Gallo is the top seed and the favorite to win 182 and take his first trip to Albany. Gallo is 37-4; one of his losses came at The Clash and the other three at the ESC where he placed 8th. The only Section 9 wrestler to keep it close with Gallo was Jeremy Mazzella from Warwick who is the second seed here. Gallo defeated Mazzella 13-6 in an early season dual meet and 5-1 at the ESC. Will he continue to close the gap? The other contenders at this weight are Logan Michael from New Paltz, Steven Felice and Mike Paravati from Monroe Woodbury, Darwin Banegas from NFA, and Justin Lyle from Wallkill.

195 Pounds
The #1 seed here is NFA junior Joe Russell. Without question, Russell is one of the most improved wrestlers in Section 9, and perhaps NYS. Russell, who finished 4th in S9 last year, is currently sitting on a 41-2 record and he placed 5th at this year’s ESC. The two wrestlers with the best chance of pushing Russell on Saturday are Scott Geysen from Minisink Valley and Brian Giacchi from Middletown. Geysen was majored by Russell last month but he does have a win by fall over Giacchi. Giacchi, however, just lost a 6-4 nail biter to Russell last week. Others to watch at this weight include Zavier Bennett from Kingston, David Burgoa from NFA, and Justin Callahan from Washingtonville.

220 Pounds
NFA senior Maxx DeCapua is a 2X NYS place winner – but he has never won a Section 9 title. DeCapua placed 6th at 195 in 2018 and 3rd at 220 last year but both of his trips to Albany have been via wildcard. Will this be the year that DeCapua adds a Section 9 title to his trophy case? He’s the #1 seed at 220 and is definitely the favorite however he will not go untested. Minisink Valley junior Carson Henry is a 195 pounder who is bumping up to 220 for the Sections. Henry dropped a hard fought 6-3 decision to DeCapua at the S9 Duals and is primed for a rematch. Minisink has a second entry at 220 who can make some noise, JC Cabrera. The MV senior is having a great season and has a win over another contender here, Armel Duke from Middletown. Kingston’s Stephon Holmes is also having a solid season at 220 and should not be overlooked!

285 Pounds
The heavy favorite to take home his second Section 9 title at this weight is Minisink Valley junior Adam Fenner. Last year Fenner placed 5th in NYS at this weight and this season he is currently 40-1 with 33 pins which ranks him 2nd in NYS to Hilton’s Ryan Burgos. Although Fenner has pinned every Section 9 wrestler he has faced this season, there are a few locals who we should not overlook. Middletown 8th grader Stephan Monchery is extremely talented and was having a good match with Fenner before being pinned in the final seconds of their match. Washingtonville’s Freddy Garcia is strong and athletic and shouldn’t be overlooked and we can’t discount Monroe Woodbury’s Frank Hernandez, Warwick’s Logan Hickey or Middletown’s Bruce French.

Let’s take a look at the seeds for the 2020 Section 9 Division 1 Tournament. Monroe Woodbury HS will once again host the tournament which takes place on Friday and Saturday. Click below for the Master Schedule.

2020 Section 9 Division 1 Top 8 Seeds

99 Pounds
1. Jordan Brown (Monroe Woodbury)
2. Alex Greco (Warwick)
3. Rey Ortiz (Pine Bush)
4. Mason Ketcham (Washingtonville)
5. Anthony Tresch (Minisink Valley)
6. Marco Giumarra (Cornwall)
7. Rocco Futia (Wallkill)
8. Nick Weeden (Valley Central)

106 Pounds
1. Justin Morales (Middletown)
2. Jackson Merli (NFA)
3. Sebastian Vidacovich (Valley Central)
4. Cole Cuppett (New Paltz)
5. Jacob Roger (MIddletown)
6. Dan Connolly (MW)
7. Zack McKernan (Minisink)
8. Robert Hickman (Cornwall)

113 Pounds
1. Andrew Marchese (Washingtonville)
2. Jaden Hansen (NFA)
3. Niccolo Ricciuto (Valley Central)
4. Gabe Giumarra (Cornwall)
5. Tyler Reed (Cornwall)
6. Maxim Javorsky (Monroe Woodbury)
7. Luke Greiner (Minisink Valley)
8. Kenny Santiago (Middletown)

120 Pounds
1. Santos Ocasio (MW)
2. Jacob Chenier (Kingston)
3. Nick Picariello (Minisink Valley)
4. Austin Maddox (Washingtonville)
5. Matt Davis (Wallkill)
6. Grant Barczak (MW)
7. Jayden Norris (MIddletown)
8. Ivan Colon (Middletown)

126 Pounds
1. Zack Ryder (Minisink Valley)
2. Drew Greco (Warwick)
3. Jacob Poppe (Washingtonville)
4. Joe Ferro (Kingston)
5. Steve Amendariz (NFA)
6. Moises Diaz (Middletown)
7. Elliot Crocco (New Paltz)
8. Devin Greer (Pine Bush)

132 Pounds
1. Jordan Suarez (Minisink Valley)
2. Josh Sam (Middletown)
3. Matt Romano (Valley Central)
4. Eli Weinstein (Goshen)
5. Travis Phillips VC)
6. Braydon Pennell (Pine Bush)
7. Jerome Futia (Wallkill)
8. Finn Gibson (New Paltz)

138 Pounds
1. Sean Savacool (Minisink Valley)
2. Brian Lombardi (Minisink Valley)
3. Dan Downs (Monroe Woodbury)
4. Liam Eberlein (Warwick)
5. Christian Francisco-Agostin (Kingston)
6. Makeil Scott (Kingston)
7. Mitchell Gibson (New Paltz)
8. John Westbrook (Cornwall)

145 Pounds
1. Gabe Galarza (Pine Bush)
2. Ethan Palanca (New Paltz)
3. Aiden Cuppett (New Paltz)
4. Jaccob Gonzalez (Minisink Valley)
5. Dylan Burgos (Pine Bush)
6. Isaiah Price (Goshen)
7. Gavin Richter (Kingston)
8. Jack Baumkirschner (Washingtonville)

152 Pounds
1. Tommy Askey (Pine Bush)
2. Andrew Filip (Minisink Valley)
3. Levi Wyns (New Platz)
4. Chris Fini (Goshen)
5. Mike Zrelak (MW)
6. Justin Orlando (Warwick)
7. Joe Ponesse (NFA)
8. Myles Gordon (Kingston)

160 Pounds
1. Joe McGinty (MW)
2. Jace Hirsch (Minisink Valley)
3. Evan Gibbons (Warwick)
4. Anthony Manzi (NFA)
5. Elijah Price (Goshen)
6. Luis Paulino (MW)
7. Elijah Timbrouck (Kingston)
8. Joey Croce (Pine Bush)

170 Pounds
1. Joe Velazquez (Middletown)
2. Max Wernicki (MW)
3. Marcus Brown (MW)
4. Nick Patterson (NFA)
5. Alden Hathaway (Wallkill)
6. Chris McLaughlin (Minisink Valley)
7. Max Winkler (Goshen)
8. Tanner Mejias (Kingston)

182 Pounds
1. Ethan Gallo (Minisink Valley)
2. Jeremy Mazzella (Warwick)
3. Darwin Banegas (NFA)
4. Logan Michael (New Paltz)
5. Justin Lyle (Wallkill)
6. Steve Felice (MW)
7. Mike Paravati (MW)
8. Joe Castelonia (Cornwall)

195 Pounds
1. Joe Russell (NFA)
2. Scott Geysen (Minisink Valley)
3. Brian Giacchi (Middletown)
4. Zavier Bennet (Kingston)
5. Davis Burgoa (NFA)
6. Justin Callahan (Washingtonville)
7. Ed Wilkins (Pine Bush)
8. Joe Parker (Cornwall)

220 Pounds
1. Maxx DeCapua (NFA)
2. Carson Henry (Minisink Valley)
3. JC Cabrera (Minisink Valley)
4. Armel Duke (Middletown)
5. Stephon Holmes (Kingston)
6. Tyrell Augustus (Wallkill)
7. Jack McVey (Washingtonville)
8. Rachir Goggins (Monticello)

285 Pounds
1. Adam Fenner (Minisink Valley)
2. Stephan Monchery (Middletown)
3. Fredy Garcia (Washingtonville)
4. Logan Hickey (Warwick)
5. Frankie Hernandez (MW)
6. Bruce French (Middletown)
7. Evan Jansen (New Paltz)
8. Alex Nguyen (NFA)

Division 1 – Friday & Saturday @ Monroe Woodbury HS

Friday
4:15 – Outbrackets (4 mats)
5:00 – Girls Division Semifinals (1 mat)
5:15 – Round of 16 (3 mats)
6:15 – Girls Division Finals and Consolation Finals (2 mats)
7:30 – Quarterfinals (4 mats)
9:00 – Wrestlebacks (4 mats)
10:00 – Approximate Finish Time

Saturday
11:00 – Semifinals (2 mats)
1:15 – Break
1:45 – Consolation Semifinals (3 mats)
3:30 – Consolation Finals (3 mats)
5:15 – Finals Introductions
5:30 – Finals (1 mat)
8:15 – Approximate Finish Time

Division 2 – Sunday @ SUNY Ulster

Sunday
11:15 – Outbrackets & Round of 16 (3 mats)
11:45 – Quarterfinals (3 mats)
1:15 – Semifinals (2 mats)
1:15 – Wrestlebacks (1 mat – all 3 mats when semis conclude)
2:30 – Consolation Semifinals (3 mats)
3:15 – Break
3:45 – Consolation Finals (3 mats)
4:45 – Finals Introductions
5:00 – Finals (1 mat)
7:15 – Approximate Finish Time

This past Friday, Goshen finished up their regular season schedule by wrestling Washingtonville at Goshen High School. Washingtonville defeated Goshen by a score of 45-34, however that was not the headline of the evening! Goshen senior Christopher Fini and a few of his teammates were instrumental in making this dual meet a Pin Cancer event in order to raise money for cancer research. The event is best summarized Vision Wrestling founder Brian Vutianitis who is Fini’s club coach and a cancer survivor. Let’s take a look at Coach Vutianitis’ social media post following the event.

“This weeks Vision Wrestler of the Week is a Senior from Goshen HS, Chris Fini. Although Chris won both of his matches this week the reason he has earned this honor shows that it’s not all about winning. Chris and his teammate worked with @pincancer in order to raise money for the foundation by putting on a dual event and raising nearly $2000 for the cause. A year after creating Vision Wrestling I was diagnosed with cancer and was told I may need a surgery that wouldn’t allow me to continue doing the exact thing that I love most, coaching wrestling. Having support from a community that kept me positive through everything was and is the reason I have never looked back on making it my mission to support and inspire every wrestler to chase their dreams and be the best person they can be, no matter what anyone says about it.

A wrestling community is built on more than just wins and loses, and bringing the community together to support a cause that so many people are affected by shows the type of people a strong wrestling community breeds.

Congrats to Chris on earning Vision Wrestler of the week! #visionwrestling #pincancer #section9wrestling @varsity845 @ Goshen Central High School”

Congratulations to the Middletown JV wrestling team for taking home the team title at Saturday’s JV Wrestling Championships in Warwick. The Middies had 7 finalists, 3 champions and tallied 255.5 team points to top Minisink Valley in the team race. The Warriors had 7 finalists, 6 champions and finished with 236 team points. Pine Bush had 4 finalists and 1 champ and took 3rd in the team race with 228.5 points.

Team Scores
1 255.50 MIDDLETOWN
2 236.00 MINISINK VALLEY
3 228.50 PINE BUSH
4 189.00 WASHINGTONVILLE
5 160.00 CORNWALL
6 147.00 MONROE-WOODBURY
7 125.00 WARWICK VALLEY
8 57.00 PORT JERVIS
9 53.00 VALLEY CENTRAL
10 50.00 MIDDLETOWN ‘B’
11 38.00 NEWBURGH FREE ACADEMY
12 33.00 MONROE-WOODBURY ‘B’
13 25.00 WALLKILL
14 19.00 MONTICELLO
15 16.00 JOHN S. BURKE CATHOLIC
16 8.00 MINISINK VALLEY ‘B’
17 5.00 CORNWALL ‘B’
18 4.00 PINE BUSH ‘B’
19 0.00 WARWICK VALLEY ‘B’

Championship
99 MARCO GIUMARRA (CORN) Dec RICHIE URENA (PB) 5-2
106 JACOB ROGER (MIDD) Fall ROBERT HICKMAN (CORN) 3:40
113 RICHIE DEGON (VC) Dec JAVIER BRAVO (PB) 8-4
120 A. CARASCO (MV) Dec M. TOMBLINSON (MIDD) 10-2
126 LOGAN SERAFIN (WASH) Fall C. SPAULDING (CORN) 2:46
132 BRAYDON PENNELL (PB) Fall D. BURROUGHS (WASH) 1:19
138 RORY HAMILTON (MV) Fall JARED HOWELL (MIDD) :59
145 DYLAN JUERS (MV) M-Dec JUSTIN MYZHEVYCH (CORN) 10-2
152 GEORGE RACZ (MV) Fall BRYSON TIBBS (MIDD) 1:51
160 MATTHEW OOSTEROM (PJ) Dec DEVIN DOTY (MV) 2-1
170 J. MARRERO (MV) Dec J. ROSENBLOOM (MW) 15-6
182 J. SANTIAGO (MIDD) Dec A. TAVORMINA (PB) 8-7
195 KRISTJAN CULAJ (WASH) Fall ED WILKINS (PB) :35
220 L. ROBINSON (MIDD) Dec J. CHARLES (MIDD) 3-1
285 TQ MILLER (MV) Dec DAN JABBOUR (MW) 7-4

Consolation
99 MARCO PIAZZA (MW) Fall JAMES DUFFY (PB) 3:41
106 BROOKE TARSHIS (PB) Dec ALYSSA REED (PJ) 2-1
113 T. BALLANTINE (CORN) Fall J. TORRES (MIDD) 1:25
120 TOM FRANKO (MW) Fall AYDEN MALDONADO (PB) 2:28
126 R. GONZALEZ (WAR) Dec M. TOMBLINSON (MIDD) 5-3
132 TYLER JOY (PB) Fall JOHNCARLO NAPOLITANO (VC) 3:44
138 DEVIN HAM (WASH) Fall PHIL KRAVITZ (WAR) 3:35
145 J. VELAZQUEZ (MIDD) Fall M. COLON (WAR) 3:46
152 T. NORTON (WASH) Dec NICHOLAS CAVALLO (CORN) 6-3
160 E. SHAMMGOD (MW) Fall A. WANAMAKER (MW) 4:30
170 CRISTIAN ARROYO (PB) Dec JHONNY GARCIA (WASH) 4-3
182 OLIVER BIELING (WAR)Fall ELI REYES (MONT) 3:19
195 DAVID BURGOA (NFA) Dec AIDEN GOVE (MV) 2-1
220 BRETT ROSARIO (WAR) Dec AIDEN HARRISON (NFA) 7-3
285 LUIS LOWERY (MIDD) Fall VICTOR CRUZ (PB) 3:45

5th Place
99 J. ANICET (MIDD) Fall MUSA AL JAMAL (WASH) 1:34
106 ANTHONY VALICENT (CORN) fft T. HOVLING (WALL)
113 SEAN ZWART (PB) Fall MIKE FRANCO (MW) 2:30
120 KADEN MANN (WASH) Fall J. FIGUEROA (MW) ‘B’, 3:31
126 A. SGAMBATI (MIDD) ‘B’ Fall N. REDZEPOSKI (MONT) 2:43
132 TYLER DUMOND (MV) Fall MATTHEW RIZZO (WALL) 1:53
138 ABRAHIM AL JAMAL (WASH) Fall R. LIGGIO (MW) 2:33
145 JACK MAZZELLA (WAR) Fall AARON BERNARD (MW) 1:46
152 JOEY CROCE (PB) Dec JASON CINTRON (MIDD) ‘B’ 3-1
160 GAVIN FURST (CORN) Dec JUAN VALLE (WASH) 3-0
170 CRAIG LADKA (MW) ‘B’ Fall JOE BACENET (WAR) 1:58
182 LIAM SCOTT (CORN) ‘B’ FALL A. WINGFIELD (CORN) :43
195 Y. HERNANDEZ (MIDD) Fall CONNER MITCHELL (CORN) :50
220 SCOTT DELANEY (MV)Dec MIKE LOUNDSBURY (MV) 2-1
285 KENNY BELL (BURKE) Fall NICK VALENZANO (CORN) :48