Several of Section 9’s best have been entered into the 2017 Journeymen Classic, one of the toughest preseason events in the country! The OverFlo Tournament takes place on Saturday…winners from this event will be entered into Sunday’s main event which takes place at Union College in Schenectady. Good luck to everyone entered!!!
Congratulations to Steve Fischbein, Wayne Carroll and Stefan Banach for being inducted into the Upstate NY Chapter of the National Wrestling Hall of Fame. Fischbein and Carroll were inducted for Lifetime Service to the sport of wrestling while Banach was inducted as an Outstanding American.
Coach Fischbein (right) with his brother Gary (center) and longtime MW and S9 wrestling supporter Tom Kennedy.
Coach Fischbein recently retired as head wrestling coach from his alma mater, Monroe Woodbury High School. As a wrestler, Fischbein was a Section 9 champion and placed 4th in NYS. He wrestled at the collegiate level at SUNY Albany and SUNY Brockport and was also a Gold Medalist at the 1986 Empire State Games in Greco Roman. As a coach, Fischbein led 2 teams to #1 rankings in NYS (2000 & 2014) and had 9 other teams finish in the top 10! He also coached two state champions, Mike Mormile and Jamie Franco.
Wayne Carroll (right) with Tom Kennedy
Wayne Carroll is a graduate of Goshen High School where he was an accomplished wrestler. He was a Section 9 champion and finished 5th in NYS at 145 as a senior. He went on to wrestle in college at East Stroudburg University. Carroll’s biggest contribution to the sport of wrestling has been as an official where he has been selected to officiate the NYS Wrestling Championships and impressive 10 times! Wayne is also a recent inductee of the NYSPHAA Wrestling Hall of Fame.
Colonel (retired) Stefan Banach was also honored at this weekend’s ceremony with the Outstanding American Award. Banach was a standout wrestler for Port Jervis High School and a NYS placewinner. He wrestled in college at Clemson University and then transferred to Iowa where he joined his brothers Ed and Lou, both 1984 Olympic gold medalists. After retiring from wrestling Banach served 27 years in the US Army and received numerous awards including the Bronze Star Medal with “Valor Device” for heroism under fire in combat.
Congratulations to all three men….Section 9 is very proud!!!
Well it’s 4th of July weekend so what else is there to do other than put together a list of the top returning seniors in Section 9! This season’s senior class may not have the accolades that we are accustomed to seeing, however there may be more depth than we’ve seen in the past!
Lightweights Dylan Earl from Monroe Woodbury was the Section 9 Champion at 106 pounds and he finished 5th at the NYS tournament in Albany. He is the lone returning NYS place winner from Section 9. His opponent in the Section 9 finals last year was Greg Fischer from NFA. Greg was a wildcard entry in the NYS tournament last year where he went 0-2 however both of his losses were in sudden victory. Minisink Valley’s Connor Greiner is no stranger to the NYS tournament! Connor missed most of last season due to an injury but was able to make it to the Section 9 finals. He was the S9 champion, however, in 2016 and 2015. Expect Greiner to come back with a vengeance this season!
Middleweights
Rondout Valley’s Ian Houck was the Division 2 Section 9 champ at 132 last season. He has put in a lot of extra work this off season and we could expect to see him place in Albany this coming season! One of Houck’s losses last year was to the D1 S9 132 champion Vinny Vetrano from Minisink Valley who will be returning for his senior campaign. Vinny’s twin bother, Dominic Vetrano, is a 2X S9 champion and is hoping to finish his career on the medal stand in Albany. Onteora’s Zach Chartrand was the D2 champ at 145 last year and should be primed for another great year, and we should expect Pine Bush’s Shaun Burgos to improve upon his runner-up finish at D1 145 last season. Chartrand’s teammate Dillon Ross was the D2 152 pound champion last season and he went 1-2 at states. His losses however were 4-1 and 4-2 to the kids who finished 2nd and 4th in the state. Expect Ross to get on the podium this year! One of Ross’s toughest competitors last season was Red Hook’s Tristen Schiafo who should also have a monster season! Minisink Valley’s Tim Ganuncio was the S9 finalist at 160 pounds last year. He lost 8 matches to NYS wrestlers last season – all 8 of those wrestlers were NYS place winners!
Heavyweights
Middletown’s Adonis Morano was the Section 9 champion at 170 last season and could definitely make some noise in Albany this season! One of the wrestlers to defeat Morano last year was Minisink Valley’s Joey Yanis who finished 2nd at 182 last season. Yanis received an at-large birth into the state tournament where he went 2-2 and was one win away from placing! John Goodell from Eldred/Liberty/Sullivan West was the D2 S9 champ at 220 and should have a great senior season as should Minisink Valley 285 pounder Andrew Fenner who has finished 3rd and 2nd, respectively, the last two seasons at heavyweight!
Several of Section 9’s best have been entered into the 2017 Journeymen Classic, one of the toughest preseason events in the country! The OverFlo Tournament takes place on Saturday…winners from this event will be entered into Sunday’s main event which takes place at Union College in Schenectady. Good luck to everyone entered!!!
