Author: Mike Carey

Section 9 wrestling fans were treated to an incredible day of wrestling at Minisink Valley High School for Day 2 of the Section 9 Dual Meet Championships! When all was said and done, Minisink Valley prevailed as your Division 1 champions by defeating rival Monroe Woodbury by a score of 48-24. On the Division 2 side, Eldred/Liberty/Sullivan West and Highland were all tied up 36-36 after the 15 matches so the officials had to go to criteria. By virtue of winning 8 matches to 7 matches, E/L/SW was crowned D2 champions!

Final Results
Minisink Valley 48 MW 24 E/L/SW 37 Highland 36

Prior to the finals, fans were treated to side-by-side action as the Division 1 semifinals took place on adjacent mats. One one mat we saw Minisink Valley top NFA by a score of 57-15 and on the other mat we saw Monroe Woodbury defeat Middletown 47-24.

Semifinal Results
Minisink Valley 57 NFA 15 Monroe Woodbury 47 Middletown 24

Day 2 Highlights….
Minisink Valley sophomore Adam Fenner capped of an incredible evening for the Warriors by defeating last year’s S9 runner-up at 285 Preston Havison of MW. Havison pinned Fenner in their previous match back in December. Fenner also defeated NFA’s Caleb Williams in their semifinal bout. One of the most impressive performances of the day came from MV’s Jordan Suarez who pinned Brandon Delarosa from NFA in the semis and then also pinned Ryan Burgos from Monroe Woodbury in the finals! Also having 2-pin days for the Warriors were Zack Ryder, Nick Picariello, and Sean Savacool. Other two-win performances for MV came from Joe Habert, Nick Albornoz, Ethan Gallo, and Scott Geysen. Up two weights from his normal 120 pound weight class, MW senior Marco Vespa notched a workmanlike 9-4 win over Middletown’s Josh Sam in the semifinal round. The Crusaders had two-win performances from Vespa, Joe McGinty, and Sam Santander.

After an exciting Day 1 of the Section 9 Duals we are all set up for the semifinals and finals on Wednesday at Minisink Valley HS. The Division 1 semifinals will begin on two mats at 5:00. On one mat it will be Minisink Valley taking on NFA and on the adjacent mat Monroe Woodbury and Middletown will square off! Then at 6:30, also on 2 mats, we will get to see the D1 and D2 finals simultaneously! The winners of the D1 semis will wrestle on one mat while Highland and Eldred/Liberty/Sullivan West will battle it out for the D2 championship! Take a look below at tomorrow’s schedule but please remember….

For the second year in a row, there will be a Food Drive at Minisink Valley for Day 2 of the Section 9 Duals. Last year’s drive was a huge success and we hope to do even better this year. All donations will be given to The Food Bank of the Hudson Valley. PLEASE consider bringing a canned/non-perishable food donation with you to Minisink Valley on Wednesday. Your generous donations are truly appreciated by those in need in the Hudson Valley. Thank You.

Section 9 Duals – Day 2 – Minisink Valley

Division 1 Semifinals – 5:00
Minisink Valley vs Newburgh Free Academy
Monroe Woodbury vs Middletown

Finals – 6:30
Division 1: TBD
Division 2: Eldred/Liberty/Sullivan West vs Highland

Day 1 – Tuesday 1/8

NFA Location – Division 1
Rd 16
(1) Minisink Valley – bye
(9) Kingston 49 (8) Saugerties 33
(5) Valley Central 46 (12) Washingtonville 33
(4) NFA 75 (13) Wallkill 6
NFA Location R16 Highlights….
NFA’s Tyler Serafini recorded his 105th career PIN to become the all time pin leader for Newburgh Free Academy! Congrats Tyler! Marchese from Washingtonville 8-2 over Ricciuto from VC. Maddox over VC’s Romoano 8-5!

Quarterfinals – 7:30
Minisink Valley 69 Kingston 3
NFA 49 Valley Central 21
Newburgh Location Quarterfinal Highlights….
Kingston’s Chenier with the major over MV’s Habert 12-2. MV’s Carson Henry with a sudden victory win over Hayden Barley.

Pine Bush Location – Division 1
Rd 16
(3) Middletown 85 (14) Goshen 0
(6) Cornwall 39 (11) Warwick 24
(10) Pine Bush 63 (7) New Paltz 18
(2) Monroe Woodbury – bye

Quarterfinals – 7:30
Middletown 37 Cornwall 29
Monroe Woodbury 71 Pine Bush 15

Port Jervis Location – Division 2
Quarterfinals
(1) Port Jervis – bye
(4) Highland – bye
(3) E/L/SW 72 (6) Ellenville 12
(2) Red Hook 60 (7) Chester 24

Semifinals – 7:30
Highland 45 Port Jervis 27
E/L/SW 64 Red Hook 18

Day 2 semifinals (Division 1) and finals (Divisions 1 & 2) will take place at Minisink Valley High School on Wednesday 1/9. Semifinals will begin at 5:00 and finals should begin at approximately 6:30.

For the second year in a row, there will be a Food Drive at Minisink Valley for Day 2 of the Section 9 Duals. Last year’s drive was a huge success and we hope to do even better this year. All donations will be given to The Food Bank of the Hudson Valley. PLEASE consider bringing a canned/non-perishable food donation with you to Minisink Valley on Wednesday. Your generous donations are truly appreciated by those in need in the Hudson Valley. Thank You.

Monroe Woodbury, Pine Bush, Warwick @ Shoreline Tournament
Monroe Woodbury crowned 2 champions and placed 10 in the top-6 on their way to winning the team title at the 2019 Shoreline Tournament! Marco Vespa was the MOW of the tournament. Vespa won the 120 pound title and defeated 2X state place winner Ivan Garcia by a 6-4 margin in the finals. Preston Havison was the Crusader’s other titlist winning the 285 pound weight class. Rob Estevez (138), Joe McGinty (145), and Sam Santander (195) took second place honors while Santos Ocasio (113), Mike Paravati (182), and David Strauss (220) finished 3rd. Also placing for the Crusaders were Dylan Winters who took 4th at 106 and Nick Haddallar who was 5th at 160. Pine Bush had one champion and placed 4 wrestlers in the top 6. Nick Florin won the 152 pound weight class while Kevin Urena took 4th at 126. Tommy Askey took 5th place in an absolutely brutal 145 pound weight class and Lucas Pennell finished 6th at 160 pounds! Warwick also had one place winner – Drew Greco took 4th place at 120!

Minisink Valley @ Chris Hernandez Tournament
The Warriors took a handful of wrestlers down to Yonkers and finished the day with 3 champions and 2 other top-4 place winners. Luke Greiner was the 99 champion and was selected as freshman MOW of the tournament (even though he’s a 7th grader). Andrew Filip returned to action and won the title at 113 while the Warrior’s third champion was 145 pounder Jaccob Gonzalez who was also voted sophomore MOW. Brian Lombardi took 2nd place at 132 and Mia Macaluso finished 4th at the same weight.

Saugerties @ Russ Cordell Rotary Tournament
Colby Amell defeated the top 2 wrestlers in Section 4 on his way to the 99 pound crown at the Russ Cordell Rotary Tournament in Oneonta. Amell defeated Elmira’s Donovan Smith 6-0 in the semis then went on to pin Tyler Ferrara of Chenango Forks in the finals to take the title. Jimmy Heinlein and Anthony Owen took 2nd place for Saugerties who finished 6th in the team race.

Burke @ Somers Tournament
Burke placed three wrestlers in the top 6 at the Somers Tournament. James Shaw and Brendan Douthit took 5th place at 152 and 160 pounds respectively. Francesco Isola finished in 6th place at 285!

Kingston, Goshen, Highland, New Paltz, and Washingtonville @ Mat Wars
Hayden Barley was crowned champion at 195 helping Kingston win the team title at the 12-team Ketcham Mat Wars. The Tigers had 2 other finalists in Jacob Chenier (113) and Zavier Bennet (182). Marlboro’s John Antonelli won the title at 120 defeating Galway’s Brandon Grupe 6-5 in the finals. Washingtonville had 2 champs as Andrew Marchese won at 99 and Tommy Maddox took home the 132 pound title! Maddox recorded a 6-0 win over Highland’s Mat Malherio who took 3rd at the weight. Vincent Gennaro fished 2nd at 152 for Washingtonville. Highland’s Peter Bender was the runner-up at 106 while Goshen’s Kerry Connors (160) and New Paltz’s Devin Dixon (220) also fell in the finals. New Paltz’s Ethan Palanca took 4th place in a very tough 138 pound weight class.

Rondout Valley @ Stan Elinsky Tournament
Nikko Walsh cruised through the competition en route to winning the title at 113 at the Stan Elinsky Tournament! Lucas Ospina also won his weight class by defeating teammate Landen Frey in the finals at 106 pounds. Rondout Valley finished 4th as a team. Ellenville was also at the tournament and had a finalist in Jason Lonstin who took 2nd at 285.

Stan Elinsky Final Results

Chester, Onteora @ Jamie Mormile Tournament
Liam Bullock took 1st place honors at 120 pounds to lead Chester to an 8th place team finish at the Jamie Mormile Tournament. Bullock wasn’t Chester’s only finalist – Devin McGovern came in 2nd place at 285! Also placing for Chester were Jared Pincus (6th @ 99) and Mark Brukenstein (5th @ 132). Ontoera was also at the tournament and had 2 finalists. Nick Ross won the title at 138 pounds and his brother Nate took home gold at 152 pounds!

Monticello @ Warrensburg Duals

Weight by Weight Breakdowns

Lightweights Middleweights Heavyweights

99 Pounds
The 99 pound weight class is always fun to watch at the ESC because often times this is the first opportunity for some of our first year varsity wrestlers to test themselves against seasoned competition.  There will be several wrestlers in the hunt at 99 but let’s start with Gregor McNeil. The Ontario native who now attends Hilton is undefeated and has absolutely dominated nearly every opponent this season. At Super 32, McNeil notched wins over NJ stud John Manno and NYS D2 champ Dante Geislinger wrestling up at 106! His one close decision this year was a 4-2 sudden victory win over Pal-Mac’s Jace Schafer who was 5^th in NYS last year and is also in the field at the ESC. We should also definitely keep an eye on Marc Anthony McGowan from Citrus Park Christian in Florida!  He has been absolutely dominating the competition on the youth circuit and won the MS S32 this past year! Massapequa’s Anthony Connetta was a state qualifier last year and should contend as will Saugerties’ Colby Amell who just won the Mid-Hudson Tournament.  Mahopac’s Angelo Centrone is undefeated and has a win of Shaker’s Jashon Holmes  – both will contend for medals here and we can expect big things of Kevin Lopez from Long Beach and Jared Weinhaus from Sachem East. Some of the other wrestlers to keep an eye on at 99 include Max Gallagher from Bayport-Blue Point, Braidon Woodward from Canisteo-Greenwood, Jackson Polo from Cold Spring Harbor, Donovan Smith from Elmira, Killian Foy from MacArthur, Andrew Marchese from Washingtonville, and Anthony Scicutella from Locust Valley.

106 Pounds
This weight class is loaded with several very talented wrestlers but the heavy favorite here is Stevo Poulin from Shenendehowa.  Poulin was the 2018 ESC champion, the 2018 NYS champion, 2018 S32 champion and is currently ranked #1 in the nation by both FloWrestling and Intermat! We could however see a match between last year’s D1 and D2 99 pound state champs if Stevo were to lock horns with Norwich’s Dante Geislinger, who also took 4^th at last year’s ESC! Poulin’s opponent in the state finals was Chase Liardi from Massapequa who will also contend here as will NYS 4^th Matt Schrieber from Horace Greeley and NYS 5^th place finisher Rocco Camillaci from Hilton. Minisink Valley 7^th grader Zack Ryder has opened some eyes this season and his only loss on the season has been to Stevo in early December – do not be surprised if he goes deep in this tournament. Michael Rapuano from Xavier, CT just won the Mid-Hudson Tournament in very convincing fashion and will be in the hunt. Middletown’s Justin Morales was a Section 9 champ last season and placed 8^th at 99 at last year’s ESC. A few others to watch here are Joe Sparacio from Bayport-Blue Point, Matthew Cracchiola from Ward Melville, Jeremiah Echevarria from Long Beach, Blake Brooks from Elmira, and both Cam and Zack Soda from Burlington, MA.

113 Pounds
Some weight classes are “top heavy” with nationally ranked studs while other weights may lack the hammers, but they are loaded with depth. The 113 pound weight class has both! Don’t be surprised if we see state place winners not advance to Day 2! The favorite here is definitely Greg Diakomihalis. The Hilton junior is a 3X NYS champion and he is currently ranked #5 in the nation by FloWrestling (@120).  Diakomihalis will be tested though!  Anthony Noto from Honeoya Falls-Lima, a 2X NYS champion, and Terry Adams from Monsignor Farrell, a 2018 state champion, are both entered here. Jordan Titus from Center Moriches is a 2X state finalist and defeated Noto at the preseason Journeymen Classic will also be in the hunt as will Mason Bush, a 2X state placer from Central Valley Academy. We’re not done yet…Luke Smith from Hauppauge who finished 3^rd in NYS and Josiah Encarnacion from Wantagh who took 5^th in Albany are also entered at 113! You want more? We have Micah Roes from Lowville who placed 4^th at states and just recorded a 4-0 win over Mason Bush as well as Jake Eckerle from Commack finished 7/8 in NYS. Let’s keep an eye on Nikko Walsh from Rondout Valley who just won the Mid-Hudson Tournament and Amos Rivera from Fox Lane looked great in winning Wrangle on the Plains last month. A couple other guys worth keeping on our radar are Alex Almonte from Farmingdale, Marvin Canales Vanegas from Smithtown West, Jacob Chenier from Kingston, and Cody Merwin from Walton.

120 Pounds
There are at least one dozen wrestlers entered at 120 pounds who have placed in their state tournament.  Yes, that means at least 4 former state placers will not step on the podium here and in all likelihood, a few of them won’t even make it to Day 2! Sam Latona from Thompson, AL is a former state champion, a Fargo All-American, and one of the favorites at 120.  He had an awesome run at the 2018 Super32 where he finished 2^nd and notched wins over nationally ranked studs Nic Bouzakis and Eddie Vetresca! NYS will have several wrestlers in the hunt here namely Marek Bush from Central Valley Academy who was a NYS champion last year and Sean Carter from North Babylon who placed 4^th in NYS last year at this weight. Caleb Robinson from Walton is a 3X NYS place winner, Matt Garland from South Jefferson – Sandy Creek is a 2X NYS place winner, Ivan Garcia from Port Chester is a 2X NYS place winner, Christian Gannone from Eastport South Manor is a 2X place winner, and Len Balducci from Pleasantville is a 2X NYS place winner! Not done yet – Michael Joyce is Rhode Island state champ, CJ McMonegal from North Rockland is a NYS place winner as are Thomas Hughes from Fulton, Joe Contrastano from Wheatley, and Carter Schubert from Williamson-Marion-Sodus. To add some additional depth to this already stacked weight class we have Evan Matias from Rocky Point who recently beat Garcia at the Mid-Hudson, Caleb Burgess from Pal-Mac who has only two loss this year (to Greg Diakohihalis and Carter Schubert), and a few other state qualifiers in John DeConno from Burnt Hills, Cole Mulhauser from Central Square, and Kai Yudelson from Brooklyn Tech. George Oroudjov,a freshman from Syosset, looks to be well on his way to continuing the legacy of his brothers – Nick and Vito Arujau! There will also be a 7^th grade stud from Citrus Park Christian, FL at 120, Bas Diaz. Section 9 will have a few of their best battling for a spot on the podium in Nick Picariello from Minisink Valley, John Antonelli from Marlboro, and Jacob Chenier form Kingston.

126 Pounds
Every year, the 126 pound weight class seems to be one of the toughest weights at the Eastern States Classic – this year will be no exception! One of the definite favorites here will be Ryan Jack. The Danbury, CT junior is a 2X CT state champ, placed 3^rd at the 2018 ESC and is currently ranked #5 in the nation by FloWrestling! In order to win, Jack will need to get through a few absolute hammers from NYS namely 2018 NYS champion Zach Redding from Eastport South Manor and Ryan Burgos from Hilton who placed in NYS last year and has a recent win over state champ Marek Bush! Did I mention that Zeke Escalera from Wyoming Seminary is at 126 and he won the Nation Prep Championships last year! Josh Cote from Noble, ME was a state champion a freshman last year and will definitely contend here as will Chandler Merwin from Walton who was a state finalist last year, Tyler Kellison from Jamesville Dewitt-CBA who placed 3^rd in NYS last year and 7^th at the ESC. We have a few more state place winners at 126 namely Logan Patterson from Indian River, Bradley Cheek from Canisteo Greenwood, and Logan Dubuque from Peru. Patterson just notched an impressive 7-0 win over state champ Marek Bush!  Aiden Cullen from Greenville, Dean Shambo from Mexico, and Aiden Rabideau from Clarence are all former state qualifiers and will be competitive here and we shouldn’t overlook Gavin Damasco from Commack, Chris Cook from John Jay Cross River, Joe Henion from North Rockland, and Dove Bonjean-Alpart from Poly Prep. Section 9 will be well represented at 126 by Jordan Suarez from Minisink Valley, Eric Tigue from Port Jervis, and Brandon DeLaRosa from Newburgh Free Academy.

132 Pounds
With no clear cut favorite, 132 will be one of the most entertaining weight classes to follow at this year’s Eastern States Classic. One of the favorites will be Kyle Fields from Danbury, CT who finished 4^th here last years and is a 2X CT state champ. 2X NYS finalist Justin McDougald will definitely contend for the title here as could 3X NYS place winner Alex Samson from Victor. Logan Sciotto from Rocky Point placed 3^rd in NYS last season and is always dangerous and let’s not forget about Lincoln Heck from Wyoming Seminary who is very tough. Nick Calderone from Newfield is undefeated and will open some eyes here and we can’t overlook Gage DeNatale from Locust Valley who was a state qualifier last year and has yet to lose this year. Sean Peterson from Islip has a win over Sciotto this season and we cannot forget about Jacob Verien from Iroquois who was a NYS place winner last season as was Ethan Ferro from Pal Mac. Victor Perllishi from Pleasantville placed 8^th at last year’s ESC and will be in the mix as will Jayden Cardenas from Grand Street Campus, Joe Foxen from Garden City, and Cole French from Fulton. Section 9 has a few wrestlers who could do well here in Matt Romano from Valley Central, Mat Malherio from Highland, and Tommy Maddox from Washingtonville!

138 Pounds
Adam Busiello is a 4X NYS champion, 3X S32 High School Champion, 2X ESC Champion, and is currently ranked #2 in the nation by Intermat making him the definite favorite here at 138!  However, in order to pick up his 3^rd title at Eastern States, Busiello will have to defeat a few well decorated wrestlers! Niagara Falls junior Willie McDougald was a NYS champion and will definitely be a contender. We have a few other state champs at 138 – Ben LeBlanc from Danbury is a 2X Connecticut state champ, Samuel Martel from Noble is a Maine state champ and Mahari Miller from Springfield Central is a Massachusetts state champ. Dan Gibson from Port Washington, who finished 6^th in NYS last year, is entered here and we should also keep our eyes on Tyler Albis from John Jay East Fishkill, Kyle Althenn from Mepham, Zacc Romero from Brooklyn Tech, and Hector Rodriguez from Eagle Academy! Section 9 has a few wrestlers who could definitely contend for a spot on the medal stand at 138 in Sean Savacool from Minisink Valley and Ethan Palanca from New Paltz!

145 Pounds
Starting to sound like a broken record but this is another weight class that is absolutely loaded! There are at least a half of a dozen guys with a legitimate shot at winning this bracket! Let’s start with Hunter Shaut from Central Valley Academy. Hunter was the 2017 NYS champ and a 2018 state finalist and should definitely be a contender here. Tyler Sung from New Canaan, CT finished 3^rd at last year’s Eastern States Classic and is looking to get to the top step of the podium this year.  Niagara Wheatfield’s Warren McDougald is a 2X NYS place winner and will be in the mix at 145 as will Jonathan Spadafora from Half Hollow Hills East who took 2^nd here last year at 138! Cahal Donovan from Marcellus is a 3X NYS place winner and is always a threat and let’s not forget about Lee Mauras from Freeport who came in 4^th in NYS last year and is undefeated so far this season. Not done yet….AJ Kovacs from Iona Prep is undefeated, Brock Delsignore from Shenendehowa finished 8^th at ESC last year, Ryan Burgbacher took 6^th in NYS, and Raymond Costa from Cold Spring Harbor took 6^th in NYS and has only one loss this season … to Kris Ketchum of Rocky Point who is also entered at 145. Let’s not forget that Wyoming Seminary has two entries at this weight who are both very tough – Carter Tuttle and Niko Katsuyoshi. Tyler DeSena from Garden City is very formidable and Pine Bush’s Tommy Askey has only lost to Ketchum so far this season! Yeah, this weight class is stacked!

152 Pounds
The 152 pound weight class is without question one of the most wide open weights at this year’s ESC!  There are several contenders and no clear cut favorite. Let’s start with Zack Lawrence who finished 3^rd at the ESC last year and he’s a 2X NYS place winner as is Bryce Smith from Saranac, Mike Squires from Norwich, and Ryan Stencel from Lancaster. Another wrestler to watch is David Berkovich from Poly Prep who placed 5^th at National Preps last season and also took 7^th at ESC. Gaven Bell from Cold Spring Harbor is undefeated this year and has a major decision win over 160 pound contender Corey Connelly. Hauppauge’s Danny Mauriello is also undefeated and was a state qualifier last year as was Jacob Edwards from Columbia. Keagan Case from Adirondack has been dominant this season and may surprise a few people here! A few others to keep on your radar are Sammy Toggas from Evangelical Christian Institute (MD) who finished 8^th at Prep Nationals, Jack Spahn who was a state qualifier for Islip, Mike DiForte from Petrides and also Section’s Nick Florin from Pine Bush!

160 Pounds
This will definitely be a competitive weight however Kyle Mosher from South East Cyclones HS is the definite favorite at 160 pounds. Mosher is a 3X NYS place winner, 2^nd place finisher at the 2018 ESC and he is currently ranked #6 in the nation by FloWrestling! He will not be untested though because guys like 2X NYS place winner Jack Chesman from Pearl River and Corey Connelly from Rocky Point who took 4^th in NYS last year are very formidable! JD Moore from Wantagh also finished 4^th in NYS last year as did Cory Day from Iroquois and we can expect both to contend here. Jacob Null is a sophomore from Dolgeville and he is going to open some eyes at this year’s ESC. He’s undefeated and has a few wins this year over previous NYS qualifiers! Section 2 has a few intriguing entries at 160 including Charlie Grygas from Duanesburg and Peter Meshkov from Niskayuna. A couple others to watch here include Cameron Galvin from Fulton, Cole Rees from Wyoming Seminary, Jose Rodriquez from Tottenville, Alvan Cesar from Springfield Central (MA), and Steven Gazzillo from Cornwall!

170 Pounds
The 170 pound weight class will have fireworks this year! There are several legitimate title contenders in the field but let’s start with Paul Calo from Southington, CT. Calo finished 2^nd at last year’s ESC at this exact weight and he’s also a 2X CT state finalist. We also have Ross McFarland from Phoenix HS in Section 3. He finished 3^rd here last year, he’s a 2018 NYS champ and was a NYS finalist in 2017 and 2016! Dempsey Carroll from Copenhagen was a NYS champ last year and also finished 6^th at the ESC – he will definitely be in the mix! This bracket will also have Saranac’s Jacob Nolan vying for a title.  Nolan, who is a very decorated freestyle and Greco Roman wrestler, is also a 2X NYS place winner and he finished 4^th at last year’s ESC! Horace Greeley’s Aaron Wolk finished 3^rd at last year’s ESC and 5^th at the NYS tournament. He will definitely contend here, as will Wantagh’s Matt Rogers who finished 4^th in NYS last season and Zach Williams from Hannibal who took 6^th in NYS! Warsaw’s Sam Wolf will defintely be in the mix at 170 – he finished was a NYSplace winner last year and placed 8th at ESC. There are quite a few others in this bracket who have the potential to step on the medal stand including Nick Meglino from Edgemont, Nicholas Noel from Fulton, Peter Illicete from Copiague, Tyler Serafini from Newburgh Free Academy, Josh Thibeault from Niagara Wheatfield, James Araneo from Ward Melville, and 2X MA placer Dohnavin Harvey from Springfield Central.

182 Pounds
Jake Logan from New Rochelle is the heavy favorite here!  Logan was the 182 pound ESC and NYS champion last year and he is currently ranked #8 in the nation by Intermat and #9 nationally by FloWrestling! His stiffest competition will likely come from Angelo Petrakis from Massapequa who comes into the tournament undefeated! Michael Tyrell from Hauppauge is having a great year and has only lost to Petrakis this year and we should also watch out for Luis Munoz who is a MA state placer from Springfield Central. A few other to keep an eye on include Cameron Durantfrom Guilderland, Brandon Bido from Eagle Academy, Alex Behar from Byram Hills, and Paul Toscano from Newfield.  Zavier Bennet from Kingston and Elijah Babb from Middletown are perhaps Section 9’s two best chances for a medal at this weight – both are having excellent seasons!

195 Pounds
With a nice balance of top notch talent and great depth, the 195 pound weight class will be great to follow at the Eastern States Classic.  The pre-tournament favorite has to be Sammy Deprez from Hilton.  Deprez finished 3^rd at both the ESC and NYS tournament last year but an incredible off season has launched him into the national spotlight and he is currently ranked #9 in the nation by Intermat! To win his first ESC title, Deprez will have to contend with the likes of 2018 NYS D1 finalist Jhordyn Innocent from East Ramapo and 2018 Rhode Island state champion Tyler Riggs from Ponaganset. Darby McLaughlin from Springfield Central is a 2X MA state placer and Maxx DeCapua from Newburgh Free Academy placed 6^th last year at both the ESC and the state tournament! Let’s not overlook Nate DeGroff from Warsaw who took 6^th in NYS last year, CT state runner-up Montez Osbey from Danbury, or Wingate’s Michael Babbcort who place 6^th at ESC at 220!  Some of the other to keep an eye on at 195 includes Kyle Costello from Wyoming Seminary, Todd DeGroat from Vestal, Matt Hegi from Mepham, Nicholas Franco from Farmingdale, Kolton Gagnon from Cold Spring Harbor, Tyler Grupe from Guilderland, Kyler Martin from Indian River, Matt Kelly from Iona Prep, Jace Filion from Northern Adirondack and Peter Magiliocco from Northport.  This is an extremely deep and talented weight class!

220 Pounds
With no nationally ranked hammers, no returning state champions, and only a handful of state place winners, this weight class is wide open! Will Leonard of Cornwall placed 4^th at last year’s ESC and came in 6^th in Albany making him one of the top contenders in the bracket. Luke Cirka from Ponaganset, RI is a 2X state place winner and will be in the hunt as should Deaquan Stuart from Roosevelt and Mason Maulding from Peru, both of who are NYS place winners. Erme Mabocoglu from Midwood is undefeated with all first period pins and Ryan Hedi from Mepham has only one loss on the season making both of them medal contenders here. Some other wrestlers to keep on your radar at 220 are Jake Rankin from Oyster Bay, Armel Duke from Middletown, Mark Crisfield from Valley Central, James Oosterom from Port Jervis and Dylan Gianikos from Pat-Med!

285 Pounds
With one nationally ranked stud and about a dozen other very talented wrestlers in the bracket, the heavy weights will be great to follow this year! Joey Slackman from Commack was the 2018 ESC champ, 2018 NYS runner-up, and is currently ranked 13^th in the nation by FloWrestling.  He is definitely the favorite, but he will not sail through untested! Trentyn Rupert from Newark Valley came in 3^rd at last year’s ESC and also finished 3^rd in the state so we can expect him to contend as will Tyler Rice from Norwich who was 5^th in NYS last year. Jordan Agusto from Danbury came in 3^rd at the CT states last year and is worth keeping an eye on closely. Dalton Kriss from Peru, Jake Strangle from Ballston Spa, George Lebberes from Ardsley, and Sam Khodaparest from Oyster Bay are all state qualifiers and will be in the hunt for medals! Adam Fenner from Minisink Valley has a win by pinfall over Stangle and we shouldn’t overlook Mike Norris from Freeport who is undefeated with all pins thus far! A few others to look at in this weight class include Collin Burns from Hilton, Collin Null from Carthage, Jimaar Edwards from Iona Prep, and Mike Leibl from Canastota. Besides Fenner, Section 9 has a few others to watch at 285 namely Bryce Moore from VC, Caleb Williams from NFA, and Stefan Monchery from Middletown.

Wednesday 1/2
Goshen 45 Onteora 9
Highland 57 Red Hook 20
Monroe Woodbury 61 Washingtonville 17
Wallkill 78 Monticello 12
Middletown 36 NFA 30
Minisink Valley 60 Valley Central 14
Saugerties 54 New Paltz 29
Burke 36 Ellenville 24

Highlights….
Let’s start out in Washingtonville where we saw Marchese (Washingtonville) drop to 99 and look very tough with the tf over Toledo (MW)! Ocasio (MW) with a sold 13-6 decision over Austin Maddox (Washingtonville). Over in Middletown, with the score tied 30-30, Elijah Babb (Middletown) gets the WBF over NFA’s Joe Russel to give the Middies the win! DeCapua (NFA) had a great win over Duke (Middletown) at 220. Caleb Williams (NFA) gets the 3-0 win over Stefan Monchery (Middletown) at 285. In Valley Central, MV’s Adam Fenner wins by decision 2-0 over VC’s Bryce Moore and VC’s Satriano defeated MV’s McLaughlin 10-7. In New Paltz we had Aiden Cuppen (NP) getting a WBF over Heinlein from Saugerties! We also saw John Antonelli from Marlboro notch a nice 6-5 win over Matt Morris from Red Hook! Antonelli scored a takedown in the last 10 seconds to pull out the victory!

Thursday 1/3
Chester 42 Eldred/Liberty/Sullivan West 39
Cornwall 56 Warwick 18
Saugerties & FDR @ Red Hook

Highlights….
Chester’s Liam Bullock notches a wbf over Joey Curreri from E/L/SW. The Cornwall lightweights came through – Rourke 4-1 over Alex Greco at 99 and Reed 8-5 over Nilson. Warwick’s Schmalfuhs with the wbf over Giumarra at 145 and Heffner from Cornwall with the 3-0 win over Mazzella. Wojehowski from Cornwall with the wbf over Noteboom up at 182!

Friday 1/4
Cornwall 41 NFA 31
Port Jervis 54 Rondout Valley 36

The holiday tournaments are behind us so these are the first set of rankings after the +2 growth allowance. Although there will certainly be some movement in weight classes at the 11th hour, we can now start to see which wrestlers are going to drop a weight class and who is staying put! As always, comments are welcomed either in the comment section or I can be emailed at sectionixwrestling@gmail.com! Enjoy!!!

99 Pounds
1. Colby Amell – Saugerties
2. Richie Toldeo – Monroe Woodbury
3. Jackson Merli – NFA
4. Nicolo Ricciuto – Valley Central
5. Alex Greco – Warwick
As expected, Amell drops down to 99 and takes over the #1 spot after absolutely dominating the competition at the Mid-Hudson. Toledo, who in the placed top 6 at Massapequa, drops down to #2. Merli notched 2 head-to-heads over #4 Ricciuto and grabs the #3 spot while Greco comes in at #5. Tufano from Port and MW’s Brown are also having great years and deserve mention here!

106 Pounds
1. Zack Ryder – Minisink Valley
2. Andrew Marchese – Washingtonville
3. Justin Morales – Middletown
4. Dylan Winters – Monroe Woodbury
5. Matthew Davis – Wallkill
The Minisink Valley 7th grader keeps mowing through the competition and takes over the #1 spot at 106. Ryder took first place at the Linn Crwn Tournament in Kittatinny, NJ. Marchese slides up to #2 while Morales, who placed 3rd at Massapequa, takes over the #3 spot. Winters comes in at #4 and Matthew Davis drops down from 113 and is our new #5 at 106! Warwick’s Nilson is also having a nice season and we need to start keeping our eye on NFA’s Jaden Hansen who continues to improve each week and finished 3rd at the Mid-Hudson Tournament!

113 Pounds
1. Nikko Walsh – Rondout Valley
2. Matt Morris – Red Hook
3. Joe Habert – Minisink Valley
4. Santos Ocasio – Monroe Woodbury
5. Austin Maddox – Washingtonville
Walsh left little doubt about who the top 113 pounder in S9 was with his MOW performance at the Mid-Hudson. He convincingly defeated Amendola from Rocky Point and Fitzsimons from Ward Melville – both are considered top notch 113 pounders in the very powerful Section 11 D1! Morris also placed at Mid-Hudson and remains #2 followed by MV’s Habert. Monroe Woodbury’s Ocasio dropped down to 113 and placed at the Massapequa Tournament and takes over the #4 spot while Austin Maddox rounds out our top 5! We still need to keep an eye on Gonzalez from Warwick and Kohrs from MW. Andrew Filip from MV should return to action soon and could get in the mix here!

120 Pounds
1. Marco Vespa – Monroe Woodbury
2. Nick Picariello – Minisink Valley
3. Jacob Chenier – Kingston
4. John Antonelli – Marlboro
5. Liam Bullock – Chester
As expected, 2X NYS place winner Marco Vespa drops down from 126 and he is our new #1 in S9 at 120. Vespa mowed through the competition at Massapequa winning both his weight class and the aggregate pin award! Picariello (4th at Linn Crawn), Chenier, Antonelli (3rd at Mid-Hudson), and Bullock all slide down a spot and round out the top 5. A few others to look out for at 120 are Drew Greco from Warwick and Joey Curreri from Eldred/Liberty/Sullivan West who took 5th at the Windsor Christmas Tournament!

126 Pounds
1. Jordan Suarez – Minisink Valley
2. Eric Tigue – Port Jervis
3. Brandon DeLaRosa – NFA
4. Kevin Urena – Pine Bush
5. Travis Phillips – Valley Central
Jordan Suarez is our new #1 wrestler at 126 pounds! The MV junior has only two losses on the season and both have been to great wrestlers – 2X NYS placer Vespa and NJ state qualifier Dom DiGena! Tigue, who was a win away from placing at D2 states last year, drops down from 132 and is the new #2 at 126. Tigue placed 3rd at the Bethlehem Christmas Tournament in PA. DeLaRosa, who placed 5th at the Mid-Hudson, is #3 followed by #4 Urena from Pine Bush. Phillips from VC is our new #5 but we still need to see if and when Faison (Wallkill) and Burgos (MW) return from injuries because both would definitely contend here! Weinstein from Goshen is also having a nice season.

132 Pounds
1. Mat Malherio – Highland
2. Matt Romano – Valley Central
3. Pat Ross – Onteora
4. Tommy Maddox – Washingtonville
5. Luke Fischer – NFA
Malherio from Highland was our biggest “mover” in these rankings! He went from #5 at 138 to #1 at 132 because of his MOW worthy performance at the Mid-Hudson where he defeated defending D1 S9 champ Romano in the finals! Romano slides down to #2 followed by Ross, Maddox, and NFA’s Luke Fischer. A few others to keep an eye on at 132 are Sam from Middletown, Lombardi from MV, Amato from Port Jervis, and Heinlein from Saugerties.

138 Pounds
1. Sean Savacool – Minisink Valley
2. Ethan Palanca – New Paltz
3. Nick Ross – Onteora
4. Robert Estevez – Monroe Woodbury
5. Caesar Luna – Highland
No changes in the top 4 at 138! Savacool wins the title in Kittatinny and remains #1 followed by last year’s D2 120 pound champ Palanca from New Paltz who is now D1! Onteora’s Nick Ross had and extremely performance at Mid-Hudson. He finished 3rd, narrowly losing 2-0 in the semis to Logan Sciotto from Rocky Point – Sciotto finished 3rd in NYS D1 last year! Estevez from MW comes in at #4 and our new #5 is Highland’s Caesar Luna who placed 4th at the Mid-Hudson.

145 Pounds
1. Tommy Askey – Pine Bush
2. James McGinty – Monroe Woodbury
3. Nick Albornoz – Minisink Valley
4. Nick Curreri – Eldred/Liberty/Sullivan West
5. Robert Giumarra – Cornwall
No changes whatsoever in the top 5 at 145 as all five had great weeks! Askey lost in the finals on the Mid-Hudson to a very tough Kris Ketchum from Rocky Point. McGinty keeps rolling and won Massapequa while Albornoz made it to the finals of Kittatinny. Curreri placed 6th at the Windsor Christmas Tournament and Giumarra was solid at the Mid-Hudson.

152 Pounds
1. Nate Ross – Onteora
2. Nick Florin – Pine Bush
3. Jaccob Gonzalez – Minisink Valley
4. Dan Heffner – Cornwall
5. Vincent Gennaro – Washingtonville
Ross dropped down to 152 and made a statement in the finals the Mid-Hudson pinning previous #1 Florin in :42! Florin drops to #2 followed by MV’s Gonzalez who is still undefeated on the season! Heffner from Cornwall placed 6th at the Mid-Hudson and is #4 followed by Gennaro from Washingtonville. Destin Morano from Middletown placed 4th at Massapequa and needs to be watched and we should also keep our eye on Thomas from Wallkill and Posta from Warwick!

160 Pounds
1. Steve Gazzillo – Cornwall
2. Ethan Gallo – Minisink Valley
3. Alden Hathaway – Wallkill
4. Joe Velazquez – Middletown
5. Dylan Burgos – Pine Bush
Gazzillo made it to the finals of the Mid-Hudson and lost to one of the best wrestlers in the state so he remains #1 in S9 at 160! MV 8th grader Gallo made it to the finals at Kittatinny and moves up to #2 followed by Hathaway from Wallkill. Velazquez took 3rd at Massapequa and is at #4 followed by Dylan Burgos from Pine Bush who finished 6th at Mid-Hudson and enters the rankings at #5 this week. Patterson from NFA is having a good year and should be watched and MW’s Wernicki should be back from injury soon and will make noise either here or at 152!

170 Pounds
1. Tyler Serafini – NFA
2. Matt Bucci – Saugerties
3. Pasquale Satriano – Valley Central
4. William Noteboom – Warwick
5. Chris McLaughlin – Minisink Valley
No changes in the top 5 at 170! Serafini takes 3rd at the Mid-Hudson and had wins by pinfall over both #2 Bucci and #3 Satriano. Bucci took forth at Mid-Hudson and Satriano finished fifth. Noteboom and McLaughlin round out the top 5 and 170 but Felice from MW and Garcia from Middletown are definitely going to contend for medals here!

182 Pounds
1. Zavier Bennet – Kingston
2. Elijah Babb – Middletown
3. Luke Wojehowski – Cornwall
4. Graeme Knisell – Saugerties
5. Michael Cassidy – Cornwall
Bennett was idle and holds on to the #1 spot but 182 has a few new names this week! Middletown’s Babb took 4th at Massapequa and he is our #2 while Wojehowski from Cornwall placed 4th at the Mid-Hudson and he’s our new #3. Knissel, who placed 6th at the Mid-Hudson is #4 followed by another Green Dragon Cassidy. Geysen from MV, Paravati from MW, and Russell from NFA should definitely stay on your radar here!

195 Pounds
1. Sam Santander – Monroe Woodbury
2. Maxx DeCapua – NFA
3. Anthony Owen – Saugerties
4. Carson Henry – Minisink Valley
5. Hayden Barley – Kingston
This was the toughest weight to select a #1….DeCapua placed in NYS last year but he did so on a wildcard because he was pinned in the S9 semis by Santander! We’ll go Santander #1 and DeCapua #2 for now but this will definitely be settled on the mat at some point! Owen from Saugerties is #3 followed by MV sophomore Carson Henry who is having a great year! Barley from Kingston is our #5 at 195!

220 Pounds
1. Will Leonard – Cornwall
2. Armel Duke – Middletown
3. James Oosterom – Port Jervis
4. Mark Crisfield – Valley Central
5. Davis Strauss – Monroe Woodbury
Returning state placer Leonard continues to roll! He won the Mid-Hudson by beating #4 Crisfield in the finals by a 8-0 major decision. Duke was a finalist at Massapequa where he defeated Strauss for the second time this season and is #2 followed by Oosterom from PJ who was the champ down in Bethlehem, PA. The aforementioned Crisfield sits at #4 while MW’s Strauss cracks the top-5 here at 220!

285 Pounds
1. Preston Havison – Monroe Woodbury
2. Adam Fenner – Minisink Valley
3. Bryce Moore – Valley Central
4. Caleb Williams – NFA
5. Stephan Monchery – Middletown
Havison takes 2nd at Massapequa and remains #1 here followed by Fenner from MV who was the champ at Kittatinny. Bryce Moore defeated Caleb Williams head-to-head at the Mid_Hudson so they swap #3 and #4 followed by Middletown’s 7th grader Monchery who took third place in Massapequa!