Section 9 had an outstanding showing at the 2024 NYSPHSAA Girls Wrestling Invitational. We crowned two champions and had six other ladies place in the top-6 in their weight class. Huge congratulations to Monroe Woodbury’s Gigi Sullivan and New Paltz’s Rebecca Brennan for taking home gold medals! Sullivan entered the tournament as the #7 seed yet pinned her way through the entire bracket including her :48 win by fall in the finals over defending champ Zoey Jewett from Section 3 General Brown. Brennan, the #6 seed, had to grind her way through her bracket with a pin, a 7-5 sudden victory win, a 3-0 decision before notching a pin at the 5:37 mark in the finals over defending champ Madison Westerberg from Section 5 Waterloo! Great job Gigi and Rebecca!!!
Six other Section 9 ladies earned their way to the podium. At 107 pounds, Minisink Valley’s Keira Filip lost her opening round match but reeled off four straight wins before losing a 2-1 decision in her medal match and took home 4th place honors. Filip’s teammate Sara Pauls made a podium appearance for the second year in a row. The Minisink Valley freshman followed up last year’s championship performance with a gutty 3rd place finish at 114 pounds at this year’s tournament. Pine Bush senior Brooke Tarshis was a finalist at last year’s Girls Invitational and once again only lost one match at this year’s tournament and placed 3rd at 120. Tarshis’s only loss was in the semis to eventual champion Yianna Foufas from Section 8 Mepham. Minisink Valley had another 2X place winner in Jaida Macaluso who placed third at 132 pounds. Macaluso went 4-1 with her only loss coming in the semifinals to eventual champion Mia Collins from Ballston Spa. Liberty senior Zoe Kip went 3-3 at a very tough 152-pound bracket and took home 6th place honors. Minisink Valley’s Patricia Deslandes went 4-1 at 235 pounds and took home the bronze. Her only loss was in the semis to eventual champion Peyton Mullin from Section 5 Dundee.
Congratulations to all of our Section 9 girl wrestlers for laying it all on the line and making history! Girls Wrestling is the fastest growing sport in America and YOU are the reason why!!!
Finals 94: Gigi Sullivan (Monroe Woodbury) f :47 Z. Jewett (General Brown) 100: Barone (N. Wheatfield) f 5:19 Severin (Bethpage) 107: Hernandez (Rocky Point) dec 5-2 Sibble (Bol-Rich) 114: Drake (Shaker) f 5:00 Peterson (Bay Shore) 120: Foufas (Mepham) maj 12-3 Viera (Rocky Point) 126: Retell (Tamarac) dec 9-5 Satarino (Columbia) 132: Collins (Ballston Spa) f 3:58 Doxey (Newfane) 138: Griffith (Gouverneur) dec 6-0 Guilmette (Shen) 145: Brennan (New Paltz) f 5:36 Westerberg (Waterloo) 152: Shepardson (Little Falls) f 3:43 Gretzinger (Shen) 165: Palumbo (Pleasantville) f 5:05 Thomas (Iroquois) 185: Sutton (Columbia) f 3:55 Mangual (Carmel) 235: Mullin (Dundee) f 1:05 Laforest (Waverly)
3rd/4th Place – Section 9 Girls 107: Phelps (Sidney) dec 2-1 Filip (Minisink Valley) 114: Pauls (Minisink Valley) f 1:00 Gonzales (Hicksville) 120: Tarshis (Pine Bush) dec 4-2 Diaz (Seaford) 132: Macaluso (Minisink Valley) f 3:39 Maragioglio (Bellport) 235: Deslandes (Minisink Valley) dec 4-0 Durdon (Windsor)
5th/6th Place – Section 9 Girl 152: Gonzales (Phoenix) f 3:34 Kip (Liberty)
Semifinals 94: Gigi Sullivan (MW) f 1:03 F. Jewett (General Brown) 94: Z. Jewett (General Brown) f 1:58 Kelley (Camden) 100: Barone (N. Wheatfield) f 1:25 Bonnie (Phoenix) 100: Severin (Bethpage) dec 14-7 Cozzali (Harrison) 107: Sibble (Bol-Rich) f 1:13 Zucker (Jericho) 107: Hernandez (Rocky Point) f 1:49 Phelps (Sydney) 114: Peterson (Bay Shore) dec 4-2 Pauls (Minisink Valley) 114: Drake (Shaker) maj 12-4 Gonzalez (Hicksville) 120: Viera (Rocky Point) maj 8-0 Diaz (Seaford) 120: Foufas (Mepham) maj 11-2 Brooke Tarshis (Pine Bush) 126: Retell (Tamarac) dec 11-5 Paddock (Chatauqua) 126: Satarino (Columbia) maj 8-0 Hostetler (Warsaw) 132: Doxey (Newfane) dec 5-2 Bonilla (Great Neck South) 132: Collins (Ballston Spa) f 4:00 Jaida Macaluso (Minisink Valley) 138: Griffith (Gouverneur) f :45 Williams (Guilderland) 138: Guilmette (Shenendehowa) dec 8-1 Robles (Mepham) 145: Westerberg (Waterloo) f 2:36 Ortiz (RCS) 145: Rebecca Brennen (New Paltz) dec 3-0 Evans (West Seneca) 152: Gretzinger (Shen) f 1:45 Gonzales (Phoenix) 152: Shepardson (Little Falls) maj 13-5 Santiago (Cazenovia) 165: Palumbo (Pleasantville) f 5:26 Teppley (Harborsfield) 165: Thomas (Iroquois) dec 4-3 utb Sorenson (Homer) 185: Hutton (Columbia) f 4:33 Tamayo (Sweet Home) 185: Mangual (Carmel) f :37 Marshall (UE) 235: Mullin (Dundee) f :50 Patricia Deslandes (Minisink Valley) 235: Laforest (Waverly) maj 12-4 Gonzales (Valley Stream North)
Consi 4 – AKA Blood Round – Section 9 Girls 107: Keira Filip (Minisink Valley) dec 2-1 utb Singh (Shen) 114: Sutton (Marathon) dec 6-5 Savannah Tittleback (Saugerties) 152: Zoe Kip (Liberty) dec 4-2 Carrion (Harborfields) 235: Sochia (Gouverneur) f 2:37 Norma Avila (Middletown)
Consi Semis – Section 9 Girls 107: Filip (Minisink Valley) f 2:37 Zucker (Jerhico) 114: Pauls (Minisink Valley) f 3:20 Sutton (Marathon) 120: Tarshis (Pine Bush) f 2:48 Craft (Owego) 132: Macaluso (Minisink Valley) dec 7-0 Thuman (Lake Shore) 152: Santiago (Cazenovia) f 1:43 Kip (Liberty) 235: Deslandes (Minisink Valley) dec 7-2 Sochia (Gouverneur)
Round of 16 – Section 9 Girls 94: Gigi Sullivan (Monroe Woodbury) f 3:27 Murdie (Columbia) 94: Jewett (General Brown) f :54 Amelia Patzelt (Minisink Valley) 107: Fanning (SVEC) dec 7-4 Keira Filip (Minisink Valley) 114: Savannah Tittleback (Saugerties) f 1:23 Greene (Niagara Wheatfield) 114: Sara Pauls (Minisink Valley) f 1:55 Paone (Shenendehowa) 120: Brooke Tarshis (Pine Bush) f 2:25 Zorich (Sweet Home) 126: Retell (Tamarac) f 1:55 Kyra Talaniec (Saugerties) 132: Jaida Macaluso (Minisink Valley) f 3:42 Smith (Chautauqua) 138: Santana (Maple Hills) inj over Meredith Mills (Saugerties) 145: Rebecca Brennan (New Paltz) f 1:00 Cogan (Johnson City) 145: Landon (Granville) f :18 Brooke Besson (Minisink Valley) 152: Zoe Kip (Liberty) maj 15-3 Quinn (Gowanda) 185: Vasquez (Bay Shore) f 1:48 Cheyenne Graham (Liberty) 235: Patricia Deslandes (Minisink Valley) dec 8-6 Gregg (Shaker) 235: Norma Avila (Middletown) f 1:38 O’Malley (Tonawanda)
Quarterfinals – Section 9 Girls 94: Gigi Sullivan (MW) f :53 Duro (Shaker) 114: Gonzalez (Hicksville) dec 6-4 Savannah Tittleback (Saugerties) 114: Sara Pauls (Minisink Valley) f 3:59 McCarley (Tonawanda) 120: Brooke Tarshis (Pine Bush) f 1:38 Hodkin (Fredonia) 132: Jaida Macaluso (Minisink Valley) f 3:51 Owen (Horseheads) 145: Rebecca Brennan (New Paltz) dec 7-5 sv Moore (SE) 152: Gonzalez (Phoenix) f 3:14 Zoe Kip (Liberty) 235: Patricia Deslandes (Minisink Valley) f :35 Crofoot (Fulton) 235: LaForest (Waverly) f 1:48 Norma Avila (Middletown)
Consi 8 #1 – Section 9 Girls 94: Amelia Patzelt (Minisink Valley) tf 16-1 Karn (Oneonta) 107: Keira Filip (Minisink Valley) f 3:40 Waite (Fredonia) 126: Toomey (Tioga) f 1:56 Kyra Talaniec (Saugerties) 138: Kennedy (Guilderland) f :37 Meredith Mills (Saugerties) 145: Hidalgo (Walt Whitman) f 1:47 Brooke Besson (Minisink Valley) 185: Duers (Warrensburg) f :17 Cheyenne Graham (Liberty)
Consi 8 #2 – Section 9 Girls 94: Duro (Shaker) f :38 Amelia Patzelt (Minisink Valley) 107: Keira Filip (Minisink Valley) dec 2-0 Moore (Penfield) 114: Savannah Tittleback (Saugerties) tf 17-2 Paone (Shen) 152: Zoe Kip (Liberty) dec 8-2 Van Wormer (Cobleskill) 235: Norma Avila (Middletown) f 1:43 VanGuilder (Hadley)
The 2024 NYSPHSAA Dual Meet Championships at this Saturday, January 27th at the SRC Arena and Events Center on the campus of Onondaga Community College in Syracuse. This is an all-digital ticketed event! Link to purchase tickets.
Division 1 Pool A: Niag Wheat (S6), Cicero N. Syr (S3), N. Babylon (S11) Division 1 Pool B: Minisink Valley (S9), Hilton (S5), Yorktown (S1) Division 1 Pool C: Horseheads (S4), Plainedge (S8), Saratoga Springs (S2) Division 1 Pool D: Middletown (S9), Wantagh (S8), Carthage (S3)
Division 2 Pool A: Tioga (S4), Island Trees (S8), Cobleskill-Rich (S2) Division 2 Pool B: Pal-Mac (S5), Chautaugua Lake (S6), N. Adirondack (S7) Division 2 Pool C: Gouverneur (S10), John Glenn (S11), Port Jervis (S9) Division 2 Pool D: Central Valley (S3), Clarke (S8), Sleepy Hollow (S1)
Semis: Pool A winner vs Pool B winner; Pool C winner vs Pool D winner
Friday January 25, 2024 Onteora @ Burke Sullivan West @ Chester Eldred @ Chester Fallsburg/Tri-Valley @ Ellenville New Paltz @ Highland Red Hook @ Our Lady of Lourdes
Minisink Valley Wins Gene Brigham Memorial The Warriors crowned six champions and ran away with the team title at the 2024 Gene Brigham Memorial. Winning title for Minisink were Colin Matone (116), Wyatt Boice (138), Anthony Tresch (145), PJ Duke (160), Quinten Morgan (170), and Kevin Crowe-Bailey (285). Port Jervis finished 2nd in the team race and crowned two champs in Maddoc McCormick (190) and Matt Oosterom (215). Valley Central also had two champions in EJ Vass (101) and Luke Satriano (124). Congratulations to Luke for picking up career win #100!
Middletown Wins the King Bison Tournament Middletown crowned two individual champs and won the team title at the 2024 King Bison Tournament. Winning gold for Middletown were Bryson Tibbs at 215 pounds and Stephan Monchery at 285. Middletown Results
2024 Dames and Devils Scramble Monroe Woodbury took home four individual titles and had four other finalists at the Dames and Devils Scramble at Columbia HS. Taking home first place hardware for the Crusaders were Kelly Sullivan (101), Elijah Brown (124), Brandon Carcaterra (145) and Liam Hayes (152). Other finalists for Monroe were Devin Charles (124), Jonathan Subacz (170), Ashton Capen (215) and Jada Lee (126, girls). Asanya Barham (145, girls) finished in 3rd place. Burke was also at the Dames and Devils and had one champion in Frankie Shaw at 170 who notched a 13-5 major decision win over Subocz from Monroe Woodbury in the finals.
We are halfway through January and many (but not all) of our wrestlers have reached their end of year weights! The Eastern States Classic and the Section 9 Duals have caused several big changes from our last edition of rankings! Enjoy!
101 Pounds – Division 1 1. William Soto (NFA, 9) 2. EJ Vass (Valley Central, 8) 3. Kelly Sullivan (Monroe Woodbury, 8) 4. Gigi Sullivan (Monroe Woodbury, 7) 5. Anthony Noboa (Middletown, 9)
101 Pounds – Division 2 1. Charlie Wylie (Port Jervis, 10) 2. Justin Jones (Port Jervis, 7)
In a rematch of the Mid-Hudson finals, Soto of NFA wins the Eastern States Classic with a 9-2 win over Vass from Valley Central. They remain #1 and #2 but Vass did close the gap a little in their dual meet bout a few days later and only lost 7-1. All signs point towards an awesome S9 D1 final match between these two hammers! Our #2 is Kelly Sullivan from MW who has dropped three matches since our last rankings, but they were all at 108 and all three opponents are state-ranked kids. Gigi Sullivan from MW is having an awesome year and has moved up to #4 followed by our new #5 Anthony Noboa from Middletown who notched a win over previously ranked Garrett Judd from Warwick. Judd will definitely remain a contender here as will Griffyn Alfalla from Pine Bush who is putting together a very solid season. We have a new #1 in D2 at 101 because defending S9 champion and state place winner Charlie Wylie from Port Jervis competed at 101 for the Eastern States Classic. Wylie went 2-2 at the ESC and did not place but she is still the clear #1 here. Wylie’s teammate Justin Jones is #2 here and had a hard fought 5-4 win over previous #1 Matteo Walsh from Rondout Valley who definitely one to watch at this weight.
108 Pounds – Division 1 1. Cooper Merli (NFA, 10) 2. Marco Futia (Wallkill, 10) 3. Jared Lupian-Reyes (Middletown, 11) 4. Gabe Simpson (Minisink Valley, 10) 5. Logan Shultis (Kingston, 11)
Defending state champion Cooper Merli from Newburgh Free Academy made it all the way to the finals of the ESC and is our clear #1 at 108 in D1. Our #2 here is Marco Futia from Wallkill. Futia went 3-2 and advanced to the blood round at the Eastern States. His two losses were to the 5th and 6th place finishers. Middletown’s Jared Lupian Reyes is your new #3 with his impressive win over Gabe Simpson from Minisink Valley who drops down to #4. Kingston’s Logan Shultis remains in the #5 spot!. This weight has some excellent depth with wrestlers like Owen Milmore from Washingtonville, Juan Landa Cruz from Saugerties, and Gabriel McNalley from Pine Bush all in the medal hunt. With Wylie dropping down to 101 on the Division 2, side we have a new #1 in Everett Giorgio from Red Hook. Giorgio earns the top spot via an impressive 14-8 win over his teammate Carmello Massey who remains in the #2 spot here.
Warwick’s Brady Judd has dropped down to 116 and takes over the #1 spot here. Judd went 0-2 at ESC but that is no reflection on the year he is having – the ESC is a brutal tournament. Judd has a few wins over other ranked wrestlers here but has yet to face the wrestler who was our previous #1, Gianni Gennaro from Washingtonville who is having a great year. At #3 we have Santiago Chrisjohn from Saugerties. Chrisjohn has several quality wins this year as has our #4 here, Jordan Busby from Newburgh Free Academy. Busby’s only loss since our last ranking was a 7-0 decision to our new #1 Judd. A few others to watch here at 116 D1 are Andrew Smith from Middletown, Colin Matone from Minisink Valley and Liam McCarthy from Wallkill. We have a new #1 at 116 D2 in Bradley Gatto. The Highland junior recently won the Highland Round Robin. Dropping to the #2 spot here is Lorenzo Caserto from Marlboro who is putting together a very nice station. Andrew Roberts from Port Jervis will also be in the mix here.
124 Pounds – Division 1 1. Luke Satriano (Valley Central, 11) 2. Viktor Banda (Wallkill, 12) 3. Elijah Brown (Monroe Woodbury, 8) 4. Myles Amell (Saugerties, 10) 5. Devin Strother (Wallkill, 11)
Huge overhaul in our 124-pound rankings. We have a new top-2 in D1 and a new #1 in D2! Defending state champion Luke Satriano from Valley Central has dropped down to 124 and is our new #1 in Division 1. Satriano took 4th place at the Eastern States Classic in what many are calling the deepest weight class in tournament history. Also coming down to 124 is Wallkill’s Viktor Banda and he takes over our #2 ranking here. Banda is a dangerous wrestler with several quality wins this season including two pins over our #3 wrestlers here, Elijah Brown from Monroe Woodbury. Brown competed in the Kohl Tournament and won the title at 124. Our #4 at 124 D1 is Myles Amell from Saugerties. Amell also has several quality wins this year and will definitely be a contender for a birth to the state tournament in Albany. Banda’s teammate Devin Strother is having a very good season and is our #5 ranked wrestler here and we can’t overlook Justin Noboa from Middletown, Vincent Coppola from Minisink Valley, Jacob Burgos from Washingtonville, or Luke Dakin from FDR Hyde Park. On the Division 2 side we have Port Jervis junior coming down to 124 and taking over the #1 spot. Harrison earns the top spot here by beating Red Hook’s Ewen Celestine 8-6 at the Section 9 Duals D2 finals. This could be a great rematch for the D2 title where only the winner goes to Albany!
131 Pounds – Division 1 1. Matthew Mercado (NFA, 11) 2. Jacob Roger (Middletown, 12) 3. Nate Racz (Minisink Valley, 10) 4. Jacob Perales (Goshen, 12) 5. Richard Urena (Pine Bush, 12)
131 Pounds – Division 2 1. Reese Greathouse (Marlboro, 12) 2. Nick Laskowski (Rondout Valley, 12)
One of the most improved wrestlers in Section 9 over the past year is Matt Mercado from NFA and he is our new #1 at 131 pounds. Mercado only has two losses thus far this season and they were both at the Eastern States Classic where he went 2-1. His one win was a 5-4 decision over Middletown’s Jacob Roger who has dropped down from 138 and is our new #2 here. Roger had a win by fall over former #2 Nate Racz from Minisink Valley who is now our #3 here. Racz went 3-2 and looked solid at the ESC. Goshen’s Jacob Perales is our #4 here and we have a new #5 in Richard Urena from Pine Bush who is having a very solid 2023-2024 campaign. On the D2 side we still have Marlboro’s Reese Greathouse as our #1 ranked wrestler. Greathouse wrestled tough at the ESC and finished 1-2. Rondout Valley senior Nick Laskowski who went 4-1 at the Highland Round Robin has entered our rankings as #2 at 131 pounds in D2.
138 Pounds – Division 1 1. Wyatt Boice (Minisink Valley, 9) 2. Daniel Aviles (Middletown, 10) 3. Griffin Petzold (Warwick, 11) 4. Joseph Uhrig (Minisink Valley, 9) 5. Maximus Smith (Valley Central, 9)
138 Pounds – Division 2 1. Thomas Shields (Onteora, 12) 2. Markus Ferrara (Port Jervis, 9)
Division 1 at 138 pounds is another weight class with a few major changes! Based on his performance at the Eastern States Classic, Wyatt Boice is our new #1. Boice, a freshman at Minisink Valley, trades places with Warwick’s Griffin Petzold who now sits at #3 here. Boice battled very tough in every match and ended up taking 6th place in a very tough bracket at ESC where he took three losses. He lost 5-2 to the eventual runner-up, 8-6 to the 3rd place finisher, and 2-0 in his 5th/6th medal match. He was as good as any wrestler in his bracket. Petzold was also at ESC going 1-2. He’s having a great season and is definitely going to be in the mix for the Section 9 title at this weight. Our new #2 is Middletown sophomore Daniel Aviles who has dropped down from 145. Aviles wrestled well at the ESC and made it to day 2 however he was forced to medically forfeit his first match on Saturday and then notched a win over Petzold in the Section 9 Duals semis. Minisink Valley freshman Joseph Uhrig is having a very good year and sits at #4 here followed by Valley Central freshman Maximus Smith who is our #5. No changes at D2 138 with Onteora’s Thomas Shields holding on to the top spot followed by Port Jervis freshman Markus Ferrera. Rondout Valley’s Jackson Barcone could get into the mix here so we should keep an eye on him.
145 Pounds – Division 2 1. Justin Coiteux (New Paltz, 12) 2. Anthony Theodore (Port Jervis, 11)
Washingtonville junior Mason Ketcham dropped down to 145 and placed 3rd at the Eastern States Classic earning him the #1 ranking at 145 in Division 1. The wrestler he unseated at #1 is Anthony Tresch from Minisink Valley. Tresch was also at ESC and lost in the blood round however he did have a early round win over the wrestler who placed 8th and he only lost 3-0 to the eventual champion Joe Manfredi from Herricks. A showdown between Ketcham and Tresch could be a great match! This weight is not a two-dog race – our #3, Liam Hayes from MW, and #4, Anastasios Tzezailidis from Warwick, are both very game! Evan Weeden from Goshen sits at #5 and will definitely be in the mix here as will Brennan Paul from FDR Hyde Park and Michael Cantania from Valley Central. No changes on the Division 2 side with Justin Coiteux from New Paltz holding on to the #1 slot with Port Jervis junior Anthony Theodore coming in at #2.
152 Pounds – Division 1 1. Luke Greiner (Minisink Valley, 12) 2. Logan Pennell (Pine Bush, 11) 3. Jack Bucci (Saugerties, 12) 4. Michael Accardo (Warwick, 12) 5. Isaiah Grant (Monroe Woodbury, 12)
152 Pounds – Division 2 1. Quinian Jones (Highland, 11) 2. William Curreri (Port Jervis, 9)
MV senior Luke Greiner placed 4th at the ESC and remains our top ranked wrestler at 152 pounds in Division 1. Greiner lost to the wrestlers who placed 2nd and 3rd and had wins over the 6th, 7th, and 8th place finishers – that’s 5 matches against ESC place winners in two days! Pine Bush’s Logan Pennell also had a good showing at the ESC. He went 3-2 and made it to the blood round. Pennell sits at #2 here and is followed by Saugerties senior Jack Bucci. Bucci placed 4th at the Oneonta Rotary Tournament and faced some stiff competition along the way. Our new #4 at 152 is Michael Accardo from Warwick who is putting together a very solid season followed by Monroe Woodbury’s Isaiah Grant who sits at #5 here. Grant’s Crusader teammate Brandon Carcaterra will definitely be in the medal hunt at the Section 9 tournament. Highland’s Quin Jones remains our top ranked wrestler for D2 at 152 followed by our new #2 William Curreri from Port Jervis. Another Port Jervis wrestler Dylan Fox notched an 8-5 win over previous #2 Patrick Nolan from Ellenville – both will definitely be in the hunt here.
160 Pounds – Division 1 1. PJ Duke (Minisink Valley, 11) 2. Isaiah Hockx (Saugerties, 12) 3. Dan Weeden (Goshen, 12) 4. Matteo Morell (NFA, 10) 5. Musa Aljamal (Washingtonville, 12)
160 Pounds – Division 2 1. Ryan Ross (Port Jervis, 12) 2. Michael Franco (Chester, 12)
Our #1 wrestler at 160 pounds in D1 is Minisink Valley junior PJ Duke who is without question one of the top-10 pound-for-pound wrestlers in the nation. Duke, ranked #1 in the nation at 157, won the title at the ESC and did so by defeating another wrestler ranked in the top-10 in the nation at his weight, Cameron Catrabone from Section 6 Williamsville NE. We have a new #2 at this weight in Isaiah Hockx from Saugerties. Hockz recorded a 4-0 win over previous #2 Gan Weeden from Goshen. Weeden dropps to our #3 position followed by Matteo Morell from NFA who is putting together a very solid season. Our new #5 at this weight is Washingtonville’s Musa Aljamal who has dropped down from 170 pounds. Liam Dkin from FDR Hyde Park is one to watch here as well! No changes in Division 2 with Port Jervis senior Ryan Ross holding down the top spot followed by Chester’s Michael Franco. Ross had a nice showing at the ESC where he went 3-2 and made it to the blood round.
170 Pounds – Division 1 1. Quinten Morgan (Minisink Valley, 12) 2. Ethan Conrow (Pine Bush, 12) 3. Jonathan Subocz (Monroe Woodbury, 12) 4. Anthony Annacone (Wallkill, 12) 5. Tray Bilyou (FDR Hyde Parke, 12)
Minisink Valley senior Quinten Morgan holds on to the top spot here but this weight class is wide open. Our former #2 Annacone from Wallkill was teched by Subocz from Monroe but then Subocz was pinned by Conrow from Pine Bush. Annacone drops all the way to #4 this week however he lost a 3-2 nail biter to Morgan at the Section 9 Duals semis. Conrow moves all the way up to #2 and Subocz is our new #3. Entering the 170 pound rankings at #5 is Tray Bilyou from FDR Hyde Park who narrowly lost to Annacone at the Mid-Hudson and is having a great season. We also need to keep an eye on Avery Davis from Beacon who wrestled a tough match against Bilyou at Mid-Hudson losing 4-1. This will be a great weight class to follow at the Section 9 Tournament! Port Jervis senior Ivan Figueroa has dropped down from 190 and takes over the #1 spot at 170 in Division 2. Burke’s Frankie Shaw slides down to #2 and we should definitely keep our eyes on Chester sophomore Elvin Momanyi.
190 Pounds – Division 1 1. Bryson Tibbs (Middletown, 12) 2. Zachary Filip (Minisink Valley, 10) 3. Julani Graham (Middletown, 10) 4. Johnny Accardo (Warwick, 12) 3. Chris Herriman (FDR-Hyde Park, 12) 4. William Coughlin (NFA, 10) 5. Ryan Calfe (Valley Central, 12)
The 190-pound D1 ranking had quite a shake-up when Middletown’s Bryson Tibbs dropped down from 215 and is our new #1 here. Tibbs earned his top ranking with a hard fought 5-3 win over previous #1 Zach Filip from Minisink Valley in the Section 9 Duals finals. Tibb’s teammate Julani Graham enters the rankings this week on the heels of an impressive 8-5 win over former #2 Johnny Accardo from Warwick at the Section 9 Duals semis. Accardo now sits at #4 here followed by FDR Hyde Park’s Chris Herriman who is our #5 this week. There are a few others who we definitely need to watch at this weight including William Coughlin from NFA and Ryan Calfe from Valley Central. With Figueroa from Port Jervis dropping down to 170, his teammate Maddox McCormick becomes the new #1 at 190 in D2. Cole Matteson from Onteora enters the rankings this week as our #2 here and is having a good season!
215 Pounds – Division 1 1. Christopher Leggett (NFA, 11) 2. Ashton Capen (Monroe Woodbury, 10) 3. Christian Lemus (Wallkill, 12) 4. Timmy Duke (Minisink Valley, 10) 5. Jayden Pressley (Minisink Valley, 10)
With Tibbs dropping down to 190, NFA junior Christopher Leggett takes over the #1 spot at 215 in Division 1. Leggett is having an outstanding year – 2nd at the Mid-Hudson, 4th at the Eastern States! He also has a win by fall over our 2nd ranked wrestler here, Ashton Capen from Monroe Woodbury. Capen is also having a very solid year and has a win over our new #3, Christian Lemus from Wallkill. Lemus has a win by fall over our #4, Timmy Duke from Minisink and we have a new #5 – Duke’s Minisink Valley teammate Jayden Pressley! Jacob DeJesus from Washingtonville has returned to action and can definitely find himself on the board very soon. He will be in the medal hunt at the Section 9 tournament. On the D2 side returning state place winner Matt Oosterom is the clear #1. The Port Jervis senior has his sights set on a higher step of the podium in Albany this year. Our new #2 in D2 at 215 is Logan Storey from Onteora. Storey earned the ranking by notching a pin over previous #2 Kwado Osei-Kwanin from Chester who is one to watch here.
285 Pounds – Division 2 1. Mark Paschal (Red Hook, 12) 2. Nick Oosterom (Port Jervis, 9)
Middletown’s Stephan Monchery, who recently committed to wrestle at the University of Buffalo, just won the Eastern States Classic and now has his sights set on a state title this season. He is the clear #1 here. His teammate, Rahmiere Bradley, is our #2 at 285 D1 and he also has the potential to place very high in Albany this year. Bradley also placed at the ESC. Our #3 this week is Kevin Crowe-Bailey from Minisink Valley. Crowe-Bailey continues to improve and has two wins over our #4 here, Julian Aviles from Wallkill. Aviles was the 285-pound champion at the Mid-Hudson Tournament! Our new #5 this week at 285 D1 is Greg Florin from Pine Bush who is putting together a very solid season. Honorable mention Jaheel Wilson from NFA should not be overlooked and will definitely be in the medal hunt in mid-February. Red Hook’s Mark Paschal placed 5th at the Mid-Hudson and has pinned every opponent since then. He remains our #1 wrestler at 285 D2 followed by Port Jervis freshman Nick Oosterom.
Section 9 Duals – D1 Semis and Finals @ Minisink Valley HS Congratulations to Middletown for winning the 2024 Section 9 Dual Meet Championships by upsetting top-seeded Minisink Valley 34-27 in the finals. The Middies have punched their ticket to the 2024 NYSPHSAA Dual Meet Championships on January 27thin Syracuse, NY. The Warriors are likely to receive an at-large bid so we might have two Section 9 teams at the state duals! Congratulations Middletown and fingers crossed for Minisink Valley!
The 2024 Eastern States Classic is in the books, and it did not disappoint! With nearly 500 wrestlers from 154 schools spanning 7 states, the ESC once again showed why it is considered one of the toughest high school wrestling tournaments in the nation. Section 9 had an incredible showing at this year’s Classic! Three local wrestlers took home individual titles, and the team race was won by perennial state power Minisink Valley. It was the first time since Port Jervis won the team title in 2008 that a Section 9 team finished first in the team standings!
Team Champions – Minisink Valley MOW – PJ Duke
The Champions – Soto, Duke, and Monchery Newburgh Free Academy freshman William Soto started off the finals with a bang by capturing gold at 101 pounds. Soto lived up to his #1 seed. He notched two pins, a technical fall, and a major decision before recording a 9-2 win in the finals over fellow Section 9 hammer EJ Vass from Valley Central. Minisink Valley junior PJ Duke showed why he is the top-ranked wrestler in the nation at his weight and he is considered one of the top pound-for-pound wrestlers in the land! Duke was dominant in recording three pins and a tech fall in his first four matches setting up the most anticipated bout of the tournament – a showdown with Cam Catrabone in the finals! Duke, who has verballed Penn State, is ranked #1 in the nation at 157 pounds. Catrabone, who has committed to Michigan, is ranked #9 at the same weight! It would be Duke who would score the only takedown of the match and come out on top via a 2-1 decision. For his efforts, Duke was awarded the MOW for middleweights and was also voted Champion of Champions by the finalists! Congratulations PJ. Last but not least is Middletown senior Stephan Monchery. The University of Buffalo commit won his second consecutive ESC crown when he pinned Landon Andrade from Sherburn Earlville in the first period of the finals! Congratulation to William, PJ, and Stephan!
VC’s Luke Satriano placed 4th in a brutal 124-pound weight class!
Our Other Medalists…. The previously mentioned EJ Vass from Valley Central did not even make it to Day 2 of the ESC last year…this year he made it all the way to the finals and placed 2nd at 101 pounds! At 108 pounds, NFA sophomore Cooper Merli placed 2nd. Merli was last year’s ESC and NYS champion. He had a great tournament with a couple of very impressive wins however ran into Dunia Sibomana from Long Beach in the finals. Sibomana won the state tournament in 2022 and was very impressive in his 9-2 finals victory over Merli. The toughest weight class in the tournament was 124 pounds and Section 9 had a medalist at this weight! Valley Central’s Luke Satriano, a 2023 NYSPHSAA champion, took home 4th place honors in an absolute meat grinder of a bracket. At 138 pounds Minisink Valley’s Wyatt Boice came into the tournament as the 22nd seed but wrestled his tail off and placed 6th in an extremely tough bracket! At 145 pounds, Section 9 had another wrestler place much higher than their seed! Washingtonville’s Mason Ketcham was the 14th seed at 145 but notched wins over the #3 seed and the #6 seed and finished 3rd in the bracket! His only loss was a 3-0 decision to the 2nd place finisher. At 152 pounds, Minisink Valley senior Luke Greiner placed 4th in an extremely tough weight class. The top-3 wrestlers in this weight are all borderline nationally ranked kids so a 4th place finish by Greiner is very impressive! Section 9 had two medalists at 215 in Bryson Tibbs from Middletown and Christopher Leggett from NFA. Tibbs placed 3rd by defeating Leggett by fall in their medal match. His only loss was in the quarterfinals to the eventual champion Coy Raines from Section 6. Leggett was very impressive in his 4th place run including a first period pin over the #1 seed in the bracket, Matthew Harrold from Haverhill, MA. Middletown’s “other” 285 pounder, Rahmeire Bradley, was the final medalist for Section 9. Bradley made it all the way to the semis where he lost 3-2 and ended up taking 5th place at heavyweight.
Eastern States Classic Girls Getting Tougher and Tougher The ESC once again had a girls-only division, and the ladies did not disappoint! Minisink Valley had one champion, four top-4 finishers, and won the team title at this year’s ESC Girls Tournament. Section 9 had a total of 14 girls place in the top 4! 107: Keira Filip (Minisink Valley, 4th) 114: Savannah Tittleback (Saugerties, 3rd) Sara Pauls (Minisink Valley, 4th) 120: Brooke Tarshis (Pine Bush, 3rd) 132: Jaida Macaluso (Minisink Valley, 2nd) Ashley Aucancela (Chester, 3rd) 145: Rebecca Brennen (New Paltz, 2nd) 152: Zoe Kip (Liberty, 3rd) Allison McGovern (Chester, 4th) 185: Faith Villanueva (Chester, 2nd) Cheyenne Graham (Liberty, 3rd) 235: Patricia Deslandes (Minisink Valley, Champion), Norma Aviles (Middletown, 2nd) Destinee Stewart (Port Jervis, 4th)
It’s time for the 2024 Eastern States Classic – one of the toughest high school wrestling tournaments in the country. With almost 500 wrestlers representing over 150 schools from 7 states, this year’s ESC will be as tough as ever! The tournament, now in its 20th year, will once again be at SUNY Sullivan in Loch Sheldrake, NY. The tournament takes place on Friday 1/12 and Saturday 1/13. There will once again be a girls only division which will happen on Saturday! The entire tournament can be followed and viewed on FloWrestling. On this site, all Section 9 wrestlers who advance to Day 2 will be followed as well as all results for the quarters, semis, and finals! Enjoy!
Boys Finals 101: Soto (NFA) dec 9-2 Vass (Valley Central) 108: Sibomana (Long Beach) dec 9-2 Merli (NFA) 116: Gursoy (Midwood) dec 3-0 O’Brien (Locust Valley) 124: Mangano (SWR) dec 7-2 Marlow (Northport) 131: Mckissack-Staley (Pittsford) maj 9-1 Tripaldi (Iona Prep) 138: Fahrbach (Mt. Sinai) dec 5-0 Shay (Iona Prep) 145: Manfredi (Herricks) dec 8-1 Tyler (Brentsville) 152: LaPlante (St. Francis) dec 5-1 Kwaak (Brentwood) 160: PJ Duke (Minisink Valley) dec 2-1 Catrabone (Williamsville NE) 170: Woodward (Pal Mac) dec 3-1 Blanchette (Central Catholic) 190: Diakomihalis (Hilton) dec 9-2 Hoose (Southwestern) 215: Raines (Churchville Chili) dec 5-4 Aguirre (McQuaid) 285: Monchery (Middletown) dec 1:58 Andrade (Sherburne Earlville)
Girls Finals 100: Cozzali (Harrison) dec 2-1 Jewett (General Brown) 107: Hernandez (Rocky Point) f 1:04 Perro (Noble) 114: Gilcrest (Choate) f :49 Peterson (Bay Shore) 120: Viera (Rocky Point) f 1:35 Foufas (Mepham) 126: Rywolt (Stratford) dec 11-5 Retell (Tamarac) 132: Collins (Ballston Spa) dec 7-0 Macaluso (Minisink Valley) 138: Quitt (Asland) dec 8-1 Dehney (Central Catholic) 145: Moore (Sherburne Earlville) f 3:17 Brennen (New Paltz) 152: Cuyler (Brentsville) f 3:05 Shepardson (Little Falls) 165: Palumbo (Pleasantville) f 1:37 Sorenson (Homer) 185: Mangual (Carmel) f 1:39 Villanueva (Chester) 235: Deslandes (Minisink) f 4:43 Avila (Middletown)
Medal Matches – Section 9 Wrestlers 3rd Place @ 124: Sanati (Brentsville) dec 9-5 Satriano (VC) 5th Place @ 138: Gillings (Newfane) dec 2-0 Boice (MV) 3rd Place @ 145: Ketcham (Washingtonville) dec 8-6 Cullen (Greenville) 3rd Place @ 152: Carlin (Burnt Hills) maj 9-1 Greiner (MV) 3rd Place @ 215: Tibbs (Middletown) f2:35 Leggett (NFA) 5th Place @ 285: Bradley (Middletown) dec 6-1 Welsh (Frontier)
Semifinals 𝟏𝟎𝟏 #1 William Soto (Newburgh-9) f 1:03 #13 Nick Barber (Commack-11) #2 Edward Vass (Valley Central-9) dec 8-2 #6 Vincent Orandello (Mac-8)
𝟏𝟎𝟖 #1 Dunia Sibomana (Long Beach-8) 10-1 #4 Ralph Keeney (Ballston Spa-2) #2 Cooper Merli (Newburgh-9) dec 6-0 #3 Connor Sheridan (Hauppauge-11)
𝟏𝟏𝟔 #1 Evin Gursoy (Midwood-P) dec 8-2 #4 Cristian Pote (Danbury; CT) #2 Finnegan O’Brien (Locust Val-8) dec 3-0 #3 Austin Zimmerman (St Joe -C)
𝟏𝟐𝟒 #1 Gavin Mangano (Shoreham-WR-11) dec 5-2 #4 Anthony Clem (Wantagh-8) #2 Matt Marlow (Northport-11) dec 3-1 #6 Evan Sanati (Brentsville, VA)
𝟏𝟑𝟏 #4 Sam Mckissick-Staley (Pittsford) dec 4-1 #1 Joseph Clem (Wantagh-8) #3 Vincent Tripaldi (Iona Prep-C) dec 9-3 #10 Philly Provenzano (Fairport-5)
𝟏𝟒5 #1 Joey Manfredi (Herricks-8) dec 2-1 #5 Kieran Cullen (Greenville-2) #7 Billy Tyler (Brents, VA) dec 3-0 #14 Mason Ketcham (Washingtonville-9)
𝟏𝟓𝟐 #1 Jason Kwaak (Brentwood-11) f :32 #4 Luke Greiner (Minisink Valley-9) #2 Griffin Laplante (St Francis-C) dec 5-0 #3 Liam Carlin (Burnt Hills-2)
𝟏𝟔𝟎 #1 PJ Duke (Minisink Valley-9) f 2:24 #13 Dashiell Hort (Poly Prep-A) #2 Cam Catrabone (Williamsville NE-6) dec 5-3 #3 Brent Nicolosi (Have, MA)
𝟏𝟕𝟎 #1 Nate Blanchette (Central Cath, MA) dec 8-2 #5 Chris Maloney (Bene, OH) #3 Braidon Woodward (Pal-Mac-5) dec 8-3 #10 Johnathan Clohecy (Fulton-3)
𝟏𝟗𝟎 #1 Elijah Diakomihalis (Hilton-5) dec 8-2 #5 Ian Sutherland (Brewster-1) #2 Tavio Hoose (South-6) dec 6-5 #3 Greyson Meak (Cold Spring Har-8)
𝟐𝟏𝟓 #5 Coy Raines (Churchville-Chili-5) dec 5-1 #8 Christopher Leggett (Newburgh-9) #7 Harrison Aguirre (McQuaid-Jesuit-5) dec 8-3 #6 Alex Berisha (Fox Lane-1)
𝟐𝟖𝟓 #1 Stephan Monchery (Middletown-9) dec 2-1 #5 Chris Belmonte (New Hart-3) #7 Landon Andrade (Sher-Earl-3) dec 3-2 #3 Rahmiere Bradley (Middletown-9)
Girls Division Semifinals 100: Jewett (General Brown) f 1:39 Alexander (Eastchester) 100: Cozzali (Harrison) maj 9-1 Rojas (Brentwood) 107: Hernandez (Rocky Point) f 3:13 Filip (Minisink Valley) 107: Perro (Noble) f 1:18 Brucato (HFL) 114: Gilcrest (Choate) f 2:12 Tittleback (Saugerties) 114: Peterson (Bay Shore) maj 15-4 Pauls (Minisink Valley) 120: Foufas (Mepham) dec 7-2 McLaughlin (Choate) 120: Viera (Rocky Point) f 2:54 Diaz (Seaford) 126: Retell (Tamarac) f 2:48 Frost (Noble) 126: Rywolt (Stratford) f 1:29 Capogna (Pocky Point) 132: Collins (Ballston Spa) f 1:56 Hawrychuck (Guilderland) 132: Macaluso (Minisink Valley) f 4:30 Aucancela (Chester) 138: Quitt (Asland) dec 6-0 Griffith (Gouverneur) 138: Dehney (Central Catholic) f 3:06 Robles (Mepham) 145: Moore (SE) f 1:11 Aspras (Foran) 145: Brennen (New Paltz) f :51 Garcia (White Plains) 152: Cuyler (Brentsville) f :12 De Rosario (White Plains) 152: Shepardson (Little Falls) f :41 Kip (Liberty) 165: Sorenson (Homer) f 1:19 Steffa (Seaford) 165: Palumbo (Pleasantville) – bye 185: Villenueva (Chester) f 1:42 Graham (Liberty) 185: Mangual (Carmel) f 1:42 Penalo (BTS) 235: Avila (Middletown) f 1:14 Lorenzana (BTS) 233: Deslandes (Minisink) f 3:41 Soso (BTS)
Consie 4 – Section 9 Wrestlers 124: Satriano (VC) dec 5-0 Barrientos (Lew Port) 215: Tibbs (Midd) med fft Harrold (Haverhill) Consi Semis – Section 9 Wrestlers 124: Satriano (VC) dec 5-0 A. Clem (Wantagh) 138: L. Nieto (Plainedge) dec 8-6 Boice (Minisink Valley) 145: Ketcham (Washingtonville) dec 4-3 Parker (Ithaca) 152: Greiner (Minisink Valley) dec 5-1 O’Connor (Cooperstown)
Blood Round – Section 9 Wrestlers 108: Edwards (St. Francis) f 4:51 Futia (Wallkill) 124: Satriano (Valley Central) de 5-0 Arrick (Arlington) 145: Sheman (Fairfield Ludlow) dec 3-2 Tresch (Minisink Valley) 152: Koufalis (Iona Prep) f 4:21 Pennell (PB) 160: Jacobs (Monsignor Farrell) dec 2-0 Ross (Port Jervis) 190: Caldwell (St. Francis) dcec 5-1 Filip (Minisink Valley) 215: Tibbs (Middletown) f 1:20 Miller (St. Francis) 215: Kellas (Sleepy Hollow) med fft Oosterom (Port Jervis)
Quarterfinals 101: Soto (NFA) maj 14-2 Glynn (Central Catholic) 101: Barber (Commack) maj 10-2 Logalbo (Little Falls) 101: Orandello (MacArthur) dec 3-1 Andreula (Long Beach) 101: EJ Vass (Valley Central) dec 6-0 DiCaprio (Burnt Hills)
Congratulations Port Jervis….Section 9 Duals Division 2 Champions! Port Jervis has punched their ticket to compete at the 2024 NYSPHSAA Dual Meet Championships on January 27 in Syracuse!!!
Section 9 Duals – Division 1 – @ Minisink Valley HS *Please remember that there is a food drive for families in need in the Hudson Valley. Please consider bringing a donation of non-perishable food items*
101 Pounds The lightest weight class at the ESC is always one of the most exciting brackets to follow. In most years, many of the wrestlers entered have limited varsity experience and they are still making the adjustments needed to succeed at the high school level. This year’s ESC field, however, has several wrestlers who have already earned their varsity chops including five wrestlers who placed in their state tournaments last season. Newburgh Free Academy’s William Soto placed 3rd in NYS last year and 4th at the 2023 ESC and he is, without a doubt, one of the favorites here. Soto is undefeated this season and was the Mid-Hudson Tournament champion. Ethan Andreula from Long Beach from Long Beach placed 7th in the D1 tournament last season so he will definitely be in contention so that automatically makes Valley Central’s EJ Vass a contender because Vass defeated Andreula earlier this season. Port Jervis freshman Charlie Wylie became the first Section 9 girl to place at the NYS tournament last year when she finished 6th in the D2 tournament, two places behind 4th place finisher Jakob Lucinski from Newfane – both Charlie and Jacob will be in the mix here. The other state place winner entered here is Cole Glynn from Central Catholic who placed 4th in Massachusetts last season. Wyatt Sartori from Section 5 is currently undefeated and considered one of the D2 101-pound state title favorites this season and we should also keep an eye on Vincent Orandello from MacArthur who also sports an unblemished record. Brody DiCarprio from Burnt Hills is having a great season as are Tanner Catrabone from Williamsville NE, Trevor Patrovich from Hauppauge, Jacob Hurd from New Hartford, and Gio Tornambe from Yorktown.
Long Beach’s Dunia Sibomana
108 Pounds With five wrestlers entered who have finished in the top-5 in their state including two former state champions, as well as two other wrestlers who didn’t place in the state tournament but medaled at the ESC, 108 will be a great weight class to watch unfold! Four of the five top 2023 ESC place winners at 101 are entered in this bracket! Long Beach’s Dunia Sibomana was a state champion two years ago and finished 3rd in NYS last year and will definitely be a contender here as will NFA sophomore Cooper Merli who was your 2023 NYSPHSAA D1 state champion and 2023 ESC champion. Merli suffered a loss at the Mid-Hudson a few weeks ago to Longwood’s Anthony Lagala-Ryan. The Section 11 freshman placed 5th in the state last year and will be in the mix here as will 2023 state finalist Connor Sheridan from Hauppauge who finished 2nd at the 2023 ESC. Jaron Barrientos from Lewiston Porter is undefeated so far this season and placed 3rd at the ESC last season and will definitely contend for a high medal here as will 2X state place medalist Ralph Keeney from Ballston Spa. We need to keep an eye on Cullen Edwards from St. Francis who placed 5th at this tournament last season and let’s not overlook Wallkill’s Marco Futia or Hauppauge’s Gino Manta who are having great seasons thus far! Fairfield junior Zach Broska placed 3rd in CT last season and could also surprise a few people here. A few other wrestlers having outstanding seasons who could be in the medal hunt here are Vinny Augello from Commack, Jack Borowiec from Monsignor Farrell, and Tristan Levin from Tottenville.
Midwood’s Evin Gursoy
116 Pounds With ten former state place winners, five returning ESC place winners, one Fargo placer, and no clear-cut favorite, the 116-pound weight class is wide open! Let’s start with Midwood junior Evin Gursoy as one of the favorites. Gursoy placed 3rd in the state as a freshman and was the state runner-up last season. He also placed 2nd at last year’s ESC and is undefeated coming into this tournament. Evan Sanati from Brentsville placed 3rd in the VA state tournament last year and finished 4th at the 2023 ESC and will definitely contend here. Tyler Whitely from Burnt Hills is a 2X NYS place winner, and we also need to watch Austin Zimmerman from St. Joe’s who placed 5th in the state and 8th at last year’s ESC. Christian Pote from Danbury, CT placed 4th in the state last year and took 7th at the ESC. Kenna Gioffre from Newtown, CT also finished 4th in CT last year and could be in the mix. Locust Valley 8th grader Finnegan O’Brien placed 6th at last year’s ESC and will be in contention for a D2 state title this year and we need to also keep an eye on Jason Euceda from Brentwood whose only loss this season is to Dunia Sibomana. Massachusetts 4th place finisher Michael Morris is having a good season and could be in the mix as will Dale Corbin from Wyoming Seminary who placed 8th in Fargo. Others who will be in medal contention here at 116 include Brady Judd from Warwick, Ryan Cieslinski from Spencerport, Aidan Donohue from Rocky Point, Vincent Mastrianni from Colonie, Chase Morris from Oceanside, and Ryan Ball from Somers.
Northport’s Matt Marlow
124 Pounds I have been doing a preview for the Eastern States Classic for over 10 years now. The 2024 124-pound weight class may be the best weight class we have ever witnessed. Currently registered at the time of this preview being published, we have seventeen former state place winners, ten multiple state place winners, six returning ESC place winners, SIX STATE CHAMPIONS, and two 2X state champions! Without question, there will be several former state place winners who are eliminated on Day 1. The logical place to start this preview would be with Matt Marlow from Northport. He’s a 2X NYS champion, the 2023 ESC champion, and he’s been nationally ranked. Is he one of the favorites? Absolutely! Is he undefeated this season? Nope. Marlow suffered a loss earlier this season to Gavin Mangano, a freshman from Shoreham Wading River. Mangano finished 2nd in NYS D2 in 2023 and was the ESC champ at 110 last year. Oh, and Mangano is not undefeated either – he suffered a 3-2 loss to his teammate Chris Colon in an early December match. Colon, who placed 5th in NYS last season, is also entered in this bracket. Valley Central junior Luke Satriano placed 3rd at the ESC last year, 4th in the state as a freshman, and was the 2023 NYSPHSAA champion in D1. Luke will definitely be in the title hunt here as will Anthony Clem from Wantagh. Clem, who has committed to wrestle at the University of West Virginia, placed 3rd at 118 at last year’s ESC and he is a 2X state place winner taking 4th as a sophomore and 2nd as a junior! There are two CT state champs entered here – Joe Mahoney is a 2X state champ from New Fairfield and Owen Sheiman from Fairfield Warde has placed 3rd and 1st in the CT state tourney. Dillon Arrick from Arlington, Mason Mangialino from Comsewogue, Gene Edwards from Central Valley Academy, and Chris Noto from Honeoye Falls-Lima are all 2X NYS place winners and will all be in the medal hunt here! We’re not done yet! Nathan Sayers from Xavierian Brothers placed 2nd in MA in 2022 and was the 2023 state champ while Brady Oulette from Noble HS was a 2023 Maine state champion. Wyatt Fry from Wyoming Seminary is a former state place winner and should be watched here as should Caden Barrientos from Lewiston Porter, ESC placer Tomah Gummow from Indian River, and NYS place winners Ryan Munn from Carthage, and Ashten Hailey from Cobleskill-Richmondville. A few others who will likely make some noise at 124 are Shane Dobbins from Plainedge, Kole Haseley from St. Francis, Trey LeChase from Fairport, Viktor Banda from Wallkill, and Brody Franklin from Long Beach. Yeah, this weight class is loaded!
Wantagh’s Joe Clem
131 Pounds Wantagh senior and University of West Virginia commit Joe Clem is definitely one of the favorites at 131 for this year’s ESC. Clem’s only two losses this season came at the Beast of the East. Clem finished 3rd in the state as a sophomore and was the state runner-up last year! Samason McKissick-Staley from Pittsford placed at the ESC last year and will likely be in the high medal hunt here. Dominick Spadaro from Fairfield Warde, CT placed 2nd in CT two years ago and was their state champion last year so he’s certainly worth keeping an eye on as is Vincent Tripaldi from Iona Prep who placed 2nd in the CSHSAA state tournament last season. Nik Massaro from St. Joe’s Collegiate placed 2nd in Albany last season and will be in the mix here and so will Andrew Spaulding from Honeoye Falls-Lima who was a state finalist two seasons ago. Matt Mercado from NFA opened some eyes by rolling through the Mid-Hudson Tournament and comes into the ESC with an unblemished record. Mercado has scored bonus points in every match so far this season. Wyoming Seminary freshman Marcus Heck is having a very good season including a 5-2 performance at the Beast of the East so he will be in the hunt here at 131. Other former state winners entered here include Deydon Soto from Danbury, CT, Esuar Ordonez from Putnam Valley, Austin Hall from Canisteo Greenwood, and Connor Hogbin from Brentsville, VA. A few other to keep an eye on her are Jake Nieto from Plainedge, Philly Provenzano from Fairport, Jacob Hanlon from Averill Park, Jacob Roger from Middletown, and Greg Greene from Shenendehowa.
Mt. Sinai’s Brayden Fahrbach
138 Pounds With fifteen former state place winners and three returning state champions, 138 will be a great weight to follow! Mt. Sinai senior Brayden Fahrbach placed 3rd in NYS as a freshman, 2nd as a sophomore, and was the 2023 state champion! He was also the 132 ESC champion last year. Wrestling up at 145, Fahrbach is undefeated this season and has scored bonus points in every match including an 8-0 major over a returning NYS place winner. Dustin Kaden from Noble, ME is a state champion and needs to be watched here and the same can be said for Aiden Gillings from Newfane. Gillings was a NYS D2 finalist last year and he also placed 3rd at the 2023 ESC. Michael Giugliano from Miller Place finished 6th in the state and 4th at the ESC last season so we can expect a good showing from him as well as Cael Raines who is sporting an unblemished record coming into this tournament. Luke Nieto from Plainedge placed 5th in NYS D1 last season and is currently undefeated with all bonus points wins this season. James Madison senior Amir Avazov placed 4th in the state last year and 7th at last year’s ESC so we can expect him to be in the mix along with Justin Shay from Iona Prep who is having a great season so far! Other former state place winners entered at this weight include Trevor Bishop from Tamarac, Ayden Buttery from Newfane, Patrick Grimsey from Lowville, Jacob McVige from Honeoye Falls-Lima, Cade Sands from Addison, Shea Morris from Haverhill, MA, and Cody Marchand from Noble, ME. We should also keep an eye on Griffin Petzold from Warwick, Wyatt Boice from Minisink Valley, Leo Mongiello from Sayville, and Colin Sherer from Marcellus-Onondaga.
Herrick’s Joe Manfredi
145 Pounds There are several very quality wrestlers at 145 but Herricks senior Joe Manfredi has to be considered the favorite. He finished 2nd at the ESC last but was not able to compete at the state tournament in Albany. Manfredi was a NYS finalist as a freshman and was the 2022 NYSPHSAA state champion as a sophomore. He has two losses this season, but they were both by medical forfeit at the Beast of the East where he won his first two matches prior to being injured. He has since returned to action and has pinned his last three opponents. Will Smith from Fairfield Prep is a 2X CT state place winner and he took 5th in New England last year so we can expect him to be in the hunt here along with Jared Spahn from Islip who placed 6th in NYS D1 last season. Zach Gerby from Pittsford, Joe Tornambe from Yorktown, Mason Ketcham from Washingtonville, and Anthony Tresch from Minisink Valley are all having great years and will definitely be in medal contention here and don’t be surprised if you see Jack DiMaggio from Smithtown West on the medal stand on Saturday. Kieren Cullen from Greenville, Colten Haven from Canisteo Greenwood, and Cooper Reed from Central Valley Academy are all 2X NYS D2 place winners and Reed and Havens are former ESC placers! Dino Battisti from Brockport is having a great season and will be in the medal hunt here as will Billy Tyler from Brentsville, VA who placed 3rd in his state tournament and took 8th at last year’s ESC. Others to keep an eye on here include Kyle Barber from Bayport-Bluepoint, Jayson Kline from St. Joe’s Collegiate, and Ryker Cox from Coxsackie-Athens.
Burnt Hill’s Liam Carlin
152 Pounds With no fewer than four wrestlers with legit shots at coming out on top, this is going to be another great weight class to watch unfold! Liam Carlin from Burnt Hills is a 2X NYS D1 place winner and he also placed 5th at the ESC last season and he’s a definite contended here. His only losses this season were at the ultra-tough Powerade Tournament in PA. St. Francis sophomore Griffin LaPlante was not able to compete in the NYSPHSAA tournament last year but he placed 5th in the tournament as an 8th grader and he placed 5th at the ESC last year. This year Griffin has four losses – three at the Powerade where he placed 8th and his other loss was to nationally ranked Cameron Catrabone up at 160 pounds. Jason Kwaak, a junior from Brentwood, was an ESC finalist last season and he placed 3rd in NYS D1 as a freshman. He is undefeated this season thus far and will definitely be in the title hunt here. Jesse VanOrden from Wantagh will also be in the mix here at 152. The Section 8 senior placed 3rd at the ESC and 3rd in NYS D1 last season. 2X NYS D2 place winner Vandavian Way from Gouverneur was an ESC place winner last season and will make some noise again at the tournament this year. Rush Henrietta junior Jackson Kopper cannot be overlooked here and either can Minisink Valley senior Luke Greiner who is a 2X Section 9 champion. A few others to keep our eyes on in this bracket include Greg Milone from Long Beach and Casey Liess from McQuaid Jesuit.
Minisink Valley’s PJ Duke
160 Pounds This bracket has the potential to provide one of the most anticipated matchups of the season – PJ Duke vs Cameron Catrabone!!! Duke, who has verbally committed to wrestle for Penn State, is a junior from Minisink Valley and is regarded as one of the best pound-for-pound wrestlers in the nation. He is a 2X NYS champion, and ESC champion, Fargo champion, Ironman champion, and Super 32 champion. Catrabone, a senior from Williamsville North-East, will wrestle for the University of Michigan next year. His dad, Jeff, was a 3X All-American at Michigan. Catrabone is a 3X NYS D1 place winner including a state title, as well as an ESC title, in 2023. He was also a Powerade finalist in 2022. This matchup alone could be worth the price of admission! There are several other very tough wrestlers in this weight class who will be battling for a spot on the podium including Eric Grant from Iona Prep, Marc Maurath from Newtown, CT, Oleg Daniloff from Hewlett, Brent Nicolosi from Haverhill, MA, Beau Zeh from Canisteo Greenwood, Mason Rowley from Little Falls, Cody Quick from Pal-Mac, and Ryan Ross from Port Jervis.
St. Francis senior Gage LaPlante
170 Pounds The 170-pound weight class could give another highly anticipated between NYS hammers if we get to see a rematch between Pal-Mac’s Braidon Woodward and St. Francis’s Gage LaPlante. Woodward, the 2023 ESC champ at 172, was narrowly defeated 3-2 by LaPlante, the 2023 ESC champ at 160, in the finals of the Linda C. Knuutila Memorial Tournament in mid-December. Despite all of their credentials, Woodward and LaPlante may have to do battle in the semifinals because another wrestler in this bracket, Nate Blanchette, from Central Catholic, MA is the #1 seed. Blanchette is a 2X New England champion, a 3X MA state champion, a Fargo AA, and was the #2 seed at the Ironman before being forced to medically forfeit out of the tournament after winning his first two matches. Sam Szerlip from Nyack who finished 3rd in NYS D1 last year and also took 6th at the 2023 ESC will be in the mix here. Charlie Foster from Vernon-Verona-Sherrill placed 7th at last year’s ESC and 5th in the D2 state tournament and let’s not forget about Johnathan Clohecy from Fulton who finished 5th in NYS D1 last season. Fisher Stites from Newtown, CT placed 3rd and 1st in the CT state tournament the past two seasons and could possibly medal here. A few others to keep an eye on are Paolo Ciatto from Iona Prep, Leo Venables from Carmel, and Mathew Rodriguez from East Meadow.
Hilton’s Elijah Diakomihalis
190 Pounds This could be one of the many times where the eventual D1 NYS champ and D2 NYS champ meet at the ESC to decide who is truly the best wrestler in New York State! Hilton junior Elijah Diakomihalis was last year’s ESC champion and the NYS Division 1 runner-up at 189 pounds. He is currently undefeated and considered a heavy favorite to win the D1 states at 190 this season. On the bottom half of the bracket we have Tavio Hoose from Section 6 Southwestern HS. Hoose, who is only a sophomore this season, won the D2 state title last year and is also undefeated going into the ESC this year. One of the wrestlers in the field who definitely has the potential to prevent a Diahomihalis vs Hoose finals is Greyson Meak from Cold Spring Harbor. Meak was last year’s D2 state runner-up after losing a tough 5-4 decision to Hoose in the finals. He also placed 5th at last year’s ESC at 172. Zach Caldwell from St. Francis is a very talented sophomore who is a former ESC placer. He will definitely be a contender here as will Zack Miller from Islip. Miller was injured last season however he did place 8th in the state as a sophomore and is undefeated so far this season. Sean Kelly from Lowville and Jesse Mullis from Hudson Falls are also returning D2 state place winners and should be in the mix here as well as Wyoming Seminary’s Jonas Beakkelund who was a Hawaii state champion last season. A few others to keep an eye on here at 190 include Zachary Filip from Minisink Valley, Maddox McCormick from Port Jervis, Luke Van Gorden from PalMac, Quincy Bonville from Bethlehem Central, Ian Sutherland from Brewster, and Connor Miller from St. Francis.
Port Jervis’s Matt Oosterom
215 Pounds There is a really solid field this year at 215 but no clear-cut favorite which should make for an exciting bracket to follow. Similar to 190, the eventual D1 and D2 state champs at 215 could lock horns at the ESC. Fox Lane’s Alex Berisha is currently undefeated this season and he was an ESC placer last season. The two wrestlers who many consider the tops in the 215-pound weight class are entered here – Christian Solano from Eagle Academy – Bronx and Matt Oosterom from Port Jervis. Solano and Oosterom are both 2X D2 state place winners with Solano taking 5th last season while Oosterom finishing 4th. Orchard Park senior Jack MacDonald who placed 7th in NYS D1 and 6th at the ESC last season will definitely be in the thick of things on Saturday. Middletown’s Bryson Tibbs placed 6th in NYS D1 last season and is having an awesome year thus far so don’t be surprised if we see him high atop the medal stand on Saturday. Matthew Harrold is a MA state champ and will be in the mix here as will Churchville-Chili’s Coy Raines who was a state placer!
Middletown’s Stephan Monchery
285 Pound Although the 285-pound weight class may not be loaded with wrestlers who have incredible accolades, this bracket is full of talent and will certainly produce some great matches. Middletown senior Stephan Monchery is the defending ESC champ at this weight, and he placed 2nd in NYS D1 last year. Monchery, who has committed to wrestle for the University of Buffalo, is undefeated this season and is the definite favorite here. One of his biggest tests could come from his teammate Rahmiere Bradley who placed 7th in NYS last year. Newtown’s Jon Dasilva placed 6th in CT last year so we have to keep an eye on him as well as Landon Andrade from Sherburne-Earlville who is having a great season and will definitely be in the hunt for the D2 state title this year. New Hartford sophomore Chris Belmonte is having a great season and will contend here as will Jackson Schwab from Fayetteville. A few others to keep an eye on at 285 include Brandon Goldstein from Bellmore-JFK, Gael Sanchez from Churchville-Chili, Marlon Wheatly from Ossining, Vincent Petzold from Ossining, and Joe Arbitello from East Meadow.
