SECTION 9 WRESTLING

Section 2 wrestling powerhouse Shenendehowa absolutely dominated the competition en route to capturing the title at the U-E Duals this past weekend.  Over the years, this tournament has developed the reputation of being the unofficial dual meet championship for New York State.  Shenendehowa rolled over perennial state power Spencerport (Section 5) by a score of 47 to 22 to win the title.  Section 9 was very well represented at U-E this year having Warwick, Monroe Woodbury, and Minisink Valley all entered in the tournament.

Monroe Woodbury, currently ranked #7 in the state, made a strong case for cracking the top 5 for the next NYSSWA poll as the Crusaders finished in 3rd place.  Monroe finished 3-1 for the tournament with their only loss coming to Shenendehowa.  Vinny Vespa, Tom Murphy, and John Vandercliff all finished 4-0 for MW.

Warwick, still battling through some illness and injury, managed to go 3-2 for the weekend and finished 6th.  The Wildcats posted victories over Chenango Forks (Section 4), Long Beach (Section 8), and Sayville (Section 11).  Warwick’s losses came to John Glenn (Section 11) and Brockport (Section 5) who finished 4th and 5th respectively.

Minisink Valley received a very tough draw being pooled with eventual champion Shenendehowa and 5th place Brockport.  The Warriors wrestled hard; however, they finished 1-4 for the tournament and failed to place.  The biggest bright spot for Minisink came from their smallest wrestler.  Minsink 99 pounder Gerard Daly finished the weekend 4-0 and posted convincing victories over a few state-ranked wrestlers.  Against Shenendehowa, Daly pinned Kevin Parker in the third period.  MW’s Vespa also pinned Parker later in the tournament.  Daly’s most impressive match, however, was his dismantling of Steven Sewkumar from Long Beach.  Sewkumar is considered by many to be one of the top two or three 99 pound wrestlers in the state.

Overall, it was a great couple of days for Section 9 wrestling…. not only at UE, but at all of the weekend tournaments. What better way to get ready for this coming weekend …The 10th Annual Eastern States Wrestling Classic!!!

The Union Endicott (UE) Duals has become the unofficial dual meet state championship tournament for New York.  All three of Section 9’s top-10 state-ranked teams (Warwick, MW, and MV) will be attending.  Let’s take a look at some of the potential highlights for the upcoming weekend.

Third-ranked Warwick will compete in Day 1 pool matches against Long Beach (Section 8), John Glenn (Section 11), and Chenango Forks (Section 4) on Saturday.  Marquee match-ups for Warwick may include Justin Corradino taking on Oral Allen from Long Beach at 120lbs and Shane Connolly squaring off against James Dekrone of John Glenn at 138.  

At a glance, it would appear that Monroe Woodbury received a very favorable draw being pooled with host Union Endicott (Section 4) and Half Hollow Hills West (Section 11).  Section 6’s Clarence was originally in the pool, but has decided to pull out of the tournament.  That being said…there are typically no easy matches at UE.  Union Endicott is ranked 20th in NYS and has some outstanding wrestlers.  AJ Voelker taking on UE’s Richie Lupo at 145 could be war!  HHHW is also not without it’s heavy hitters as Tyler Grimaldi is one of the best 160 lb. wrestlers in the state.

Of the three S9 teams, Minisink Valley appears to have drawn the “short straw.”  The Warriors have been pooled with Shenedehowa (Section 2), Brockport (Section 5), Johnson City (Section 4).   Shenendehowa, the top-ranked team in New York State, has already beaten Warwick 60-15 earlier this year.  Warwick, however, was not at full-strength at the time and Minisink is young, tough, and rapidly improving…matches aren’t wrestled on paper.  This pool may contain some true, highlight-reel matches.  Watch as undefeated Warrior Gerard Daly takes on Shenedehowa’s Kevin Parker at 99 pounds and Minisink’s 106 pounder Michael Raccioppi puts his 22-0 record on the line against defending Section 5 champion Barton Peters III of Brockport. 

The four teams that win their respective pools during Day 1 advance to a championship bracket on Sunday.  It the top 4 seeds were to advance, the semifinals would pit Monroe Woodbury against Shenedehowa and Warwick would take on perennial state powerhouse Spencerport (Section 5).  Good luck to all three Section 9 teams…go for the gold!!!