SECTION 9 WRESTLING

It’s that time of the year again! On Friday January 10th and Saturday January 11th, 570 wrestlers from 175 schools spanning 6 states will battle it out at the 18th Annual Eastern States Classic. Once again the tournament will take place in the Paul Gerry Fieldhouse on the campus of SUNY Sullivan in Loch Scheldrake, NY. Wrestling will begin at 10:40 on Friday. You can purchase tickets in advance here.

For those who cannot attend the entire tournament can be viewed live on FloWrestling

Let’s take a weight class-by-weight class look at the 2020 Eastern States Classic! This preview will be edited when and if there are changes to the field.

99 Pounds
This is always a great weight class to watch because it is often the first time many of the young stud 99 pounders will be challenged! That is not the case, however, for one of the favorites here – PJ Duke from Carmel. The 7th grade phenom has followed-up on an incredible youth career with a stellar beginning to his varsity career. Duke is undefeated so far this season and has notched a big win earlier this season over Wyoming Seminary’s Brandon Cannon who recently won the Beast of the East at 106! One of Duke’s biggest challenges could come from another 7th grader – Vince Bouzakis from Wyoming Seminary. Sem has a second entry here in Jake Dailey who is also a hammer. Joseph Manfredi from Section 8 Herricks will definitely challenge here as will Jacob Joyce from Ponaganset, RI and Michael Adams from Monsignor Farrell. Section 11 has a few contenders here in Mickey Manta from Hauppauge, Christian Lievano from Ward Melville, and Brayden Farbach from Mt. Sinai. Section 9 has a few kids that will be vying for a medal here in Jordan Brown from Monroe Woodbury and Alex Greco from Warwick. A few others to watch at 99 are Thomas Wagner from South East Cyclones, Carlos Arango from Massapequa, and Clayton O’Connor from Mohonasen.

106 Pounds
Beast of the East champion Brandon Cannon from Wyoming Seminary is definitely one of the favorites at 106. Cannon lost to PJ Duke in sudden victory at Wrangle on the Plains but bounced back with an incredible showing at the Beast where he picked of nationally ranked Tyler Vasquez of Delbarton in the finals. Also challenging for a title here will be Jace Schafer from Section 5 Pal-Mac. Schafer was a D2 NYS champ last year and he also placed 4th at last year’s ESC. Andrew Lucinski from Section 6 Newfane will contend here as will Middletown’s Justin Morales who is a 2X state qualifier, Josh Brault from Joel Barlow, CT, and Dan McLaughlin from Springfield Central. Sem’s other entry here, 8th grader Dom Federici is also super tough! Max Gallagher from Bayport-Bluepoint, Elijah Rivera from Bay Shore, Vincent Ziccardo from King’s Park, Isaiah Jackson from Glen Cove, John Fortugno from Byram Hills, and Cam and Zack Soda from Burlingham, MA are all wrestlers to watch here!

113 Pounds
Stevo Poulin from Section 2 is ranked #2 in the nation by InterMat and #3 in the nation by Flo. The Shenendehowa junior is a 2X NYS champ, a 2X Eastern States Classic champ and he just won the prestigious Beast of the East. Yes, he’s the clear favorite at 113! One of the wrestlers who could push Stevo is his opponent from last year’s ESC final Dante Geislinger from Norwich who was also a state champ in D2 last year. Angelo Centrone from Mahopac is having a great year as is Daniel Adams from Monsignor Farrell. Nassau County will be well represented at 113 with Jackson Polo from Cold Spring Harbor, Killian Foy from MacArthur, Kevin Lopez from Long Beach and his teammate Jeremiah Echevarria. A few others to keep an eye on here are Alex Constantis from Miller Place, Michael Rapuano from Xavier, CT, Andrew Marchese from Washingtonville, Nick LaMorte from Rocky Point, and Frankie Volpe from Hauppauge.

120 Pounds
This weight class is absolutely loaded with talent. Do not be surprised if you see former state placers not even make it to Day 2! Based on his performance thus far this season, Center Moriches’ Jordan Titus is probably the pre-tournament favorite. Titus, who is ranked 3rd in the nation by Flo, made history in December when he became the first NY wrestler to win the Walsh Ironman which is generally considered the toughest in-season high school tournament in the country. Titus was a NYS D2 champ last season and is undefeated thus far this year. One of the wrestlers who will definitely test Titus is Anthony Noto from Honeoye Falls-Lima in Section 5. Noto and Titus are no strangers to each other! Noto has defeated Titus twice in state finals and once at the Eastern States. Titus has defeated Noto once at the Eastern States and once at the Journeymen Classic. A match between these two will NEVER be boring!Mark Botello from Wyoming Seminary is also very solid and he is also entered here at 120! As I said, this weight is loaded with hammers. The following wrestlers are former ESC place winners: Mason Bush from Central Valley Academy, Chase Liardi from Massapequa, Avery Leonard from Cooperstown, Jared Weinhaus from Sachem East, and Joe Contrastano from Wheatley. There are more – others to keep an eye on at 120 are Len Balducci from Pleasantville, Nick Picariello from Minisink Valley, Alex Booth from Indian River, Darren Ketcham from Rocky Point, Dante Rigal from Johnson City, Joe Sparacio from Bayport, Jake Eckerle from Commack, Jake Hoffman from Fox Lane, Jacob Chenier from Kingston, and Collin Coughenour from Niagara Wheatfield. This weight is deep – several more could have easily been mentioned!

126 Pounds
This will be the weight class that draws the most attention – and for good reason! The top seed and favorite is definitely Nic Bouzakis from Wyoming Seminary. Nic, the son of 1990 Pine Bush grad and 3X NYS champ Troy, is ranked #1 in the nation by InterMat and #3 by Flo! Can anyone challenge him??? Well there are a lot of people in the Hudson Valley who are anxious to see if one of our own can get it done – Minisink Valley 8th grader Zack Ryder! The young Warrior finished 2nd in NYS last year losing a barn-burner to Stevo Poulin at 106. Although it’s a big jump in weight, Ryder has looked awesome this year and is showing no signs of needing an “adjustment period” to the new weight. This weight has quite a few hammers so we can not assume that Bouzakis vs. Ryder will even happen! Syosset’s George Oroudjov is looking to join brother Nick and Vito Arujau as ESC champs and I am sure that state placer Ivan Garcia from Section 1 Port Chester would love bust up the bracket! Hilton’s Rocco Camillaci is definitely going to make some noise hear and Logan Patterson from Indian River cannot be taken lightly by anyone! Micah Roes from Lowville was a state finalist last year and had a great off season as did Evan Matias from Rocky Point. Plenty of others to keep an eye on here including Kai Yudelson from Brooklyn Tech, Luke Smith from Hauppauge, Davis Correa from Tottenville, and Michael Catanzaro from Williamsville North.

132 Pounds
Always a tough weight class at ESC – this year will be no different! The two huge names are Ryan Jack and Zach Redding! Jack is a NC State bound senior from Danbury and he is ranked #2 in the nation by InterMat while Redding, an Iowa State bound senior from Eastport South Manor, is a former state champion and ESC placer who currently ranked #20 in the country! Marek Bush from Central Valley Academy is a former NYS champion and will be in the mix as will NYS finalist Jayden Scott from Section 5 Rush Henrietta who was a state finalist. Wyoming Seminary’s Nic Botello is a former ESC placer and will make some noise here and we definitely can’t look past Luke Riley from Elmira who has a win over Marek Bush this season! This weight has a lot of depth too with wrestlers such as Gage DeNatale from Locust Valley, Jayden Cardenas from Grand Street Campus, Aiden Cullen from Greenville, Jordan Suarez from Minisink Valley, Sean Peterson from Islip, Andrew Maiorini from Hauppauge, Stephen Lukas from Eastport South Manor and last but not least Jake Schneider who has wins over DeNatale and Lukas this season!

138 Pounds
Beau Bartlett from Wyoming Seminary is ranked #1 in the nation by both InterMat and FloWrestling and he’s a 3X ESC Champion – yeah he’s the favorite at 138. Bartlett wrestles in the toughest tournaments in the nation all year long. He is battle tested and incredibly athletic – but he will not walk through this field! One of the wrestlers on the short list who could push Bartlett is Ryan Burgos from Hilton. Burgos was the 126 NYS champion last season and will definitely contend here as will Niagara Wheatfield’s Justin McDougald who is a 2X state placer. Gavin Damasco may not be a household name – but he should be based on the incredible off season he had which included a win over nationally ranked Anthony Clark from NJ at the JMen Classic! Carter Baer from Gouverneur and Caleb Burgess from Pal-Mac are two NYS studs who have a ton of game as do Dan Gibson from Port Washington, Drew Witham from Corning, Logan Sciotto from Rocky Point, Aiden Rabideau from Clarence, and Brendan Carroll from Roy C. Ketcham. Section 9 has four excellent entries here in Sean Savacool from Minisink Valley, Eric Tigue from Port Jervis, Matt Romano from Valley Central, and Gabe Galarza from Pine Bush.

145 Pounds
This will be another weight were a Wyoming Seminary wrestler will be the prohibitive favorite – and for good reason! Lachlan McNeil is the #1 ranked 145 pound wrestler in the nation according to both Flo and InterMat. Lachlan has won both the Ironman and the Powerade this year and is definitely favored here. That said, Willie McDougald from Niagara Falls was seconds away from upsetting Adam Busiello at last year’s ESC and had a great off season. He knows how to keep matches close and may be the guy to test McNeil. Mahari Miller from Spingfield Central placed 4th at last year’s ESC and will be in the hunt again this year as will Dennis Robin from Arlington, Marvin Lobo from Copiague, and Nick Sanko from Pittsford. Others to watch here are Kole Mulhauser from Central Square, Lincoln Heck from Sem, Alijah Seymour from Peru, Ethan Ferro from Pal-Mac, Chris Boudreau from Hauppauge, and Francis Whitehouse from Islip. Section 9’s best chances at a medal here are probably Ethan Palanca from New Paltz and Jaccob Gonzalez from Minisink Valley.

152 Pounds
This is going to be a great weight class to follow because it is wide open and because Section 9 has two legitimate contenders! Connor Kievman from Wyoming Seminary is ranked #18 in the nation by FloWrestling and may be the favorite but Pine Bush senior Tommy Askey has looked incredible this year and may be the wrestler to come out on top on Saturday! Askey finished 4th in NYS last year and is undefeated this year including a win over another contender here, Nick Ross from Onteora. Ross finished 3rd in NYS D2 last year as a sophomore and would love another chance at Askey. Others that will be in contention for a medal at 152 include Karamvir Hothi from Rush Henrietta, Jeremy Scutellaro from Massapequa, Christian Hansen from Cold Spring Harbor, Max Maquet from Long Beach, and Keagan Case from Central Valley Academy.

160 Pounds
This is another wide open weight where Section 9 has a serious contender! The favorite on paper is Jacob Null from Dolgeville. Null was a D2 state finalist last season and is undefeated this season and has wins over two other contenders here – Joe McGinty and Will Carano. McGinty is a Hofstra bound senior from Monroe Woodbury who finished 4th in NYS last year at 152. Carano is a senior from Section 1 Putnam Valley and had a great off season which included a win over nationally ranked Cooper Kropman from Penfield. Nashoba Regional’s Brevin Cassella’s 5-0 win over McGinty at the Massapequa Tournament certainly makes hima contender here! Camrin Galvin from Fulton has rolled through the competition this year and we should also keep an eye on Jack Spahn from Islip, Darrien Stewart from Springfield Central, MA, Patrick Ross from Onteora, Colden Dorfman from Shenendehowa, and Aiden Poe from Indian River.

170 Pounds
This is another great weight to watch unfold! No nationally ranked heavy favorites – just a bunch of hammers! Let’s Start with Mikey Squires from Norwich. Squires is a multiple time state place winner and he finished 4th at ESC last year. He is having a great season this year and only has one loss…and that loss is to another wrestler in the field, Tyler Albis from John Jay East Fishkill. Albis placed 5th at ESC last year and has been ripping through the competition this year. He has one loss and yes you guessed it, it’s to another wrestler in this bracket, James Araneo from Ward Melville. Araneo is undefeated and has a win by fall over state placer Nate Ross from Onteora who will definitely contend here. Adam Daghestani from Grand Island is undefeated this season and will be in the medal hunt as will JD Moore who placed 7th at last year’s ESC. Peter Meshkov from Ballston Spa, Andrew Donahue from Wyoming Seminary, Desmond McLaughlin from Springfield Central, and Joe Velazquez from Middletown are all ones to watch here!

182 Pounds
This is perhaps the most wide open weight at this year’s Eastern States Classic. A solid argument can be made for at least a half of a dozen wrestlers to take home the title. One of those in the conversation is definitely Shenendehowa’s Brock Delsignore. Brock put in a huge off season and his hard work is paying dividends. He placed 8th at the Beast of the East and 3rd at the Bethlehem Holiday Classic – all 4 of his losses were to out of state hammers! Another contender here is Fombo Azah from Carthage. Azah placed 2nd here last year and his only loss this year is to a 2X PA place winner. Matt Rogers from Wantagh and Ryan Stencel from Lancaster both placed at last year’s ESC and will be in the medal hunt again this year. Others to watch here include Michael Tyrell from Hauppauge, Ethan Cooper from Colbeskill, Tyler Pelech from Longwood and Ethan Gallo from Minisink Valley. This is a great weight class!

195 Pounds
This will be a very solid weight where once again there are several potential wrestlers who have legitimate shots at the title. Matt Kelly from Iona Prep is a returning ESC place winner and is definitely one of the favorites. Cameron Durant from Guilderland is also a returning ESC place winner and he will contend again, however he was recently beaten in the finals of the Mid-Hudson by NFA junior Joe Russell who is also in this bracket! Nate DeGroff from Warsaw has pinned or teched every opponent he’s faced this year and will definitely be in the hunt for the title here as will Matt Hegi from Section 8 Mepham. A few others to watch here include Codie Scotland from Lancaster, Nick Franco from Farmingdale, and Michael Altomer from Columbia.

220 Pounds
A solid weight with several very talented wrestlers however the clear favorite at 220 is Kolby Franklin from Wyoming Seminary. Still only a sophomore, Franklin is currently ranked #10 in the nation by InterMat and #11 by FloWrestling. Section 9 has two returning ESC place winners at this weight in Maxx DeCapua from NFA and Armel Duke from Middletown. DeCapua is also a 2X NYS place winner however he lost in the finals of the Mid-Hudson recently to Mattituck’s Colby Suglia. Ryan Stein from Shaker will be in the mix as will Ryan Hegi from Mepham, Jeremiah Funchess from Westbury, Peter Magliocci from Northport, and Louis Rocca from Pittsford.

285 Pounds
Year after year the 285 pound weight class at the ESC provides fans with some of the most exciting matches – this year should be no different! Tyler Rice from Norwich has been nationally ranked at times during the year and he is definitely one of the favorites here. Rice finished 3rd at 285 at last year’s ESC. and he is one of four returning place winners at this weight! Also in the bracket are Collin Null from Carthage who finished 5th, Greg Harris from Springfield Central, MA who finished 7th, and Sam Khodaparest from Massapequa who took 8th. This bracket also has 3 NYS D1 place winners in Myles Norris from Freeport who took 2nd, Adam Fenner from Minisink Valley who placed 5th, and London Castillo from Brentwood who placed 6th. A few other guys to keep an eye on here are George Lebberes from Ardsley, Jeremiah Cheatham from Elmira, Ryan Bitka from Amherst, and Sebastian Underwood from Shenendehowa.

January 10th & 11th
Paul Gerry Fieldhouse
SUNY Sullivan
Loch Sheldrake, NY

*Girls Division – New for 2020*

Purchase Tickets Here

The 2019-2020 wrestling season is underway so it’s time to start planning your calendar for one of the premier high school wrestling tournaments in the nation – The Eastern States Classic! The event gets tougher each year and this season will be no exception. Now in its 18th year, the 2020 Eastern States Classic will feature 575 wrestlers from over 170 schools representing 7 states! This year’s tournament will also include a girls division making the ESC one of the few, if not the only, in-season premier high school tournament to have both a boys and girls division! The event will once again be covered by FloWrestling! Flo will once again provide live coverage for every match on every mat for both days!

Head Coach Kevin Gallagher and his Varsity Assistant Scott Hendershot knew that the 2019-2020 Minisink Valley wrestling team would be good…really good! On New Year’s morning the coaches and wrestlers will be boarding a jet in Newark,NJ and flying out to Rochester, MN to see just how good they are! The Warriors have been invited to compete in The Clash, one of the toughest dual meet tournaments in the nation! The tournament takes place on Friday 1/3 and Saturday 1/4. Minisink Valley is the only team from New York in this year’s Clash which features teams from Minnesota, Illinois, Iowa, Wisconsin, Nebraska, Missouri, Arizona, California, South Dakota, and Hawaii.

The Clash is two-day bracketed dual meet tournament. Day 1 has four brackets with eight teams in each bracket. The top two teams in each bracket advance to the Day 2 championship bracket to determine the top eight teams in the tournament. Minisink’s Day 1 bracket will definitely test their mettle – the Warriors face perennial power Apple Valley, MN right out of the gate. Apple Valley has a proud history with star-studded alumni including NCAA champions Mark Hall (Penn State) and Seth Gross (South Dakota State/Wisconsin) as well as NCAA finalist Gable Steveson (Minnesota). Take a look at Minisink Valley’s Day 1 bracket.

Important for Minisink Valley…Important for NYS Wrestling
It goes without saying that The Warriors are taking this trip to see how they perform on a national stage. They are a proud program that would love to see their school’s name and logo appear on the national team rankings put out by top wrestling media outlets such as FloWrestling and InterMat. However a strong performance at The Clash by the Warriors could have a ripple effect that reaches beyond Slate Hill, NY. Wrestling in New York state has always struggled in garnering national recognition largely in part of NYSPHSAA restrictions which have prevented New York teams from participating in certain national level tournaments. These restrictions have recently been lifted and NYS state is beginning to flex their muscles. Back in mid-December NYS had a champion at the Walsh Ironman when Jordan Titus from Section 11 D2 Center Moriches won the title at 120 pounds. The Ironman is generally considered the toughest in-season high school wrestling tournament in the nation. The following week, Stevo Poulin from Section 2 D1 Shenendehowa rolled through the competition at the ultra tough Beast of the East and won the title at 113 pounds! A strong showing by Minisink Valley this weekend can…excuse me…WILL show that NYS not only has a handful of individual studs, but we are a state that has tough teams that can compete with some of the top programs in the country!

This tournament can be watched live all day Friday and Saturday on FloWrestling. Best of luck Warriors! Section 9 and NYS are behind you 100%!!! Let’s take a look at the Warriors who will be making the trip to The Clash!

106 – Zak McKernan, freshman
113 – Luke Greiner, 8th grade
120 – Sofia Macaluso, sophomore
120 – Nick Picariello, senior *2019 S9 Champ*
126 – Zack Ryder, 8th grade *2019 2nd NYS*
132 – Jordan Suarez, senior *2019 S9 Champ*
138 – Sean Savacool, senior *2019 S9 Champ*
138 – Brian Lombardi, junior
145 – Jaccob Gonzalez, junior
152 – Andrew Filip, freshman
160 – Jace Hirsch, junior
170 – Chris McLaughlin, senior
182 – Ethan Gallo, freshman
195 – Scott Geysen, junior
195 – Carson Henry, junior
220 – JC Cabrera, senior
285 – Adam Fenner, junior *2019 5th NYS*

Well the 2-pound growth allowance has been applied and we had an entire slate of holiday tournaments, namely the Mid-Hudson, so let’s see what changes there are in Section 9 Individual Rankings! As expected, many wrestlers have dropped down a weight however there a few other who are expected to, but haven’t yet! For this set of rankings, wrestlers will only be ranked in a weight class which they have already wrestled. We will also rank 99 pounders for the first time this season! Mistakes and oversights happen so please send respectful comments and feedback to sectionixwrestling@gmail.com.

99 Pounds
1. Manny Saenz (Middletown, junior)
2. Anthony Tresch (Minisink Valley, 7th)
3. Rocco Futia (Wallkill, freshman)
4. Marco Giumarra (Cornwall, freshman)
4. Mason Ketcham (Washingtonville, 7th)
This is going to be a great weight class to watch for the remainder of the season. Perhaps the biggest question is whether or not MW’s Brown drops down to this weight! For now we have Saenz, a junior from Middletown, on top followed by MV 7th grader Tresch who only has one loss and that is to an undefeated Section 2 opponent. Futia finished 4th at the Mid-Hudson and has a common opponent win over Guimarra who sits at #4 followed by Ketcham who lost to Giumarra early in the season. A few others to watch at 99 are Nick Weeden from VC, Kevin Segali from NFA, and Marco Piazza from MW.

106 Pounds
1. Justin Morales (Middletown, senior)
2. Jordan Brown (Monroe Woodbury, freshman)
3. Jackson Merli (NFA, sophomore)
4. Alex Greco (Warwick, freshman)
5. Zak McKernan (Minisink Valley, freshman)
No changes in the top 4 at 106 but we do have a shake-up at #5. Morales won the Massapequa Holiday Tournament but a showdown between him and MW’s Brown did not happen as Brown is resting an injured thumb. Merli took 2nd at the Mid-Hudson and stays at #3 while Greco remains at #4 after a solid showing at the Wildcat Duals. Our new #5 is Minisink Valley freshman McKernan who has a wbf over Rian Kirker from Red Hook. Kirker just defeated former #5 Vidacovich at the Mid-Hudson so McKernan jumps over both of them to take over as the new #5! Kirker and Vidocovich are definitely wrestlers to watch as is last year’s D2 99 pound champ Trevor Tufano from Port Jervis who is having a very solid season!

113 Pounds
1. Andrew Marchese (Washingtonville, sophomore)
2. Jaden Hansen (NFA, junior)
3. Nick Ricciuto (VC, junior)
4. Luke Greiner (Minisink Valley, 8th)
5. Tyler Reed (Cornwall, freshman)
Same scenario as 106 – no changes in top 4 at 113 but we have a new #5! Andrew Marchese remains at #1 and has looked awesome this year! Hansen took 3rd at Mid-Hudson and Ricciuto took 2nd but they never met head-to-head and they both lost by fall to the champion so no need to swap them here – Hansen remains #2 and Ricciuto stays at #3. Greiner battled hard at the Linn Crawn in NJ but dnp and stays at #4 while our new #5 at 113 is Cornwall freshman Tyler Reed who placed 5th at the Mid-Hudson and had a head-to-head win over previous #5 Peter Bender from Highland. MW’s Max Javorsky and Middletown’s Kenny Santiago are both wrestling well and will contend for medals at 113 this year!

120 Pounds
1. Jacob Chenier (Kingston, senior)
2. Santos Ocasio (MW, senior)
3. Elliott Crocco (New Paltz, senior)
4. Joey Curerri (Eldred, junior)
5. Sofia Macaluso (Minisink Valley, sophomore)
Kingston’s Jacob Chenier drops down to 120 and takes over the top spot! Chenier was the S9 D1 champ at 113 last year. He placed 4th at the Mid-Hudson in a very tough bracket. MW’s Ocasio took 2nd in a very tough bracket at Massapequa and he’s our #2 followed by Crocco from New Paltz who placed 2nd at the Pearl River Tournament. Our new #4 is Joey Curerri from Eldred who’s dropped down from 126 and he’s followed by Sofia Mac who made it to the finals in Kittatinny. Gabe Guimarra dnp at the Mid-Hudson but had no “bad” losses and could definitely be ranked here. Drost from Saugerties is going to be one of the favorites at 120 D2 but we can’t forget about Ryan Ross from Port Jervis. Matt Davis from Wallkill placed 6th at the Mid-Hudson and is having a great year and we should also watch out for Ivan Colon from Middletown.

126 Pounds
1. Nick Picariello (Minisink Valley, senior)
2. Matt Morris (Red Hook, senior)
3. John Antonelli (Marlboro, senior)
4. Drew Greco (Warwick, junior)
5. Austin Maddox (Washingtonville, junior)
Picariello is still at 126 for now and remains our #1 after picking up the Gold at Kittatinny, NJ. Morris, Antonelli, and Greco all drop down and take over the next three slots and that pushes Maddox down to #5. Morris was a finalist at Mid-Hudson and has a common over Antonelli who picked up his 100th career win this weekend. Greco and Maddox are both very tough and will contend here. A few others to keep our eyes on at 126 are Joe Ferro from Kingston, Devin Greer from Pine Bush, Grant Barczak from MW, Jayden Norris from Middletown, and Steven Armendariz from NFA.

132 Pounds
1. Zack Ryder (Minisink Valley, 8th)
2. Luke Fischer (NFA, senior)
3. Josh Sam (Middletown, senior)
4. Eli Weinstein (Goshen, senior)
5. Joey Amato (Port Jervis, senior)
Ryder is clearly the top dog here! The MV 8th grader won the title at Kittatinny and he’s undefeated on the season. Fischer did not wrestle at the Mid-Hudson but he’s had a great year and is our #2 followed by Middletown’s Josh Sam who has a few losses at 138 and 145 but was the 132 champ at the Lancer Invite in CT. Weinstein’s only two losses are outside of S9 and has solid wins over Greco, Ferro, and Travis Phillips from VC. Amato drops down to 132 and takes 3rd at Bethlehem and he’s our #5 here. The aforementioned Phillips, PJ’s Caleb Harrison, PB’s Brayden Pennell, and Middletown’s Moises Diaz are on the cusp of the top 5 here.

138 Pounds
1. Jordan Suarez (Minisink Valley, senior)
2. Eric Tigue (Port Jervis, sophomore)
3. Matt Romano (Valley Central, senior)
4. Brian Lombardi (Minisink Valley, junior)
5. Dan Downs (Monroe Woodbury, junior)
This weight class is loaded! The top 3 kids have been to the state tournament in Albany a collective five times! Suarez won Kittatinny and is undefeated so we’ll keep him at #1 followed by Tigue who dropped down to 138 and placed 2nd at the Bethlehem Tournament in PA. Romano looked sharp in placing 3rd in a tough weight at the Mid-Hudson and is our #3 at 138. Lombardi won the Pearl River Tournament and is at #4 followed by MW junior Dan Down who cracks the rankings after a strong showing at Massapequa which included a win over Middletown’s Josh Sam. We still need to keep an eye on Red Hook’s Alex Lopez and on Kingston’s Christian Francisco Agostin who will both contend at this weight!

145 Pounds
1. Sean Savacool (Minisink Valley, senior)
2. Jaccob Gonzalez (Minisink Valley, junior)
3. Gabe Galarza (Pine Bush, senior)
4. Ethan Palanca (New Paltz, junior)
5. Aiden Cuppett (New Paltz, senior)
Another very tough weight class to rank! It’s probably the first time we have ever had 4 wrestlers from 2 schools ranked top 5 in a weight! We will go with Savacool at #1 and Gonzalez at #2 for now. Both Warriors are undefeated and having great seasons. Savacool was idle this weekend – Gonzalez won a very tough weight at the Kittatinny tournament. Galarza missed the Mid-Hudson but he takes over at #3 based on his win over #4 Palanca who is having a great year! His teammate Cuppett has not lost to any S9 opponents and has an impressive wbf over Ricter from Kingston who is definitely one to watch here. PB’s Dylan Burgo picked up a win over Richter at Mid-Hudson and will definitely be a contender here as will Red Hook’s Tyler Benincasa who had a great run this weekend and took 2nd place at the Mid-Hudson!

152 Pounds
1. Tommy Askey (Pine Bush, senior)
2. Nick Ross (Onteora, junior)
3. Chris Fini (Goshen, senior)
4. Andrew Filip (Minisink Valley, freshman)
5. Levi Wyn (New Paltz, senior)
The Mid-Hudson finals at 152 was awesome…two state placers – best D1 kid vs best D2 kid – Askey vs Ross! The #1 spot is Askey’s after a convincing 10-5 win over Ross where the PB senior scored 5 takedowns! The match was intense and very heavy handed – great battle between two wrestlers who will land high on the podium in Albany! Goshen’s Fini was idle and is our #3 followed by a new wrestler to the rankings – Andrew Filip. The MV freshman won 152 at the Pearl River Tournament and had a head-to-head win over our #5 Levi Wynn from New Paltz. MW’s Mike Zrelak is having a great year and will contend for a S9 medal as will Highland’s Logan Smith.

160 Pounds
1. Joey McGinty (Monroe Woodbury, senior)
2. Patrick Ross (Onteora, junior)
3. Jace Hirsch (Minisink Valley, junior)
4. Elijah Timbrouck (Kingston, junior)
5. Adian Maduro (Highland, junior)
McGinty loses to a MA stud in Massapequa Tournament but he’s still #1 here. The MW senior is having a great win and should place very high in NYS! Our new #2 is Patrick Ross as he and brother Nate have swapped weight classes. Pat was dominant in taking home the title at the Mid-Hudson. Our new #3 is MV junior Jace Hirsch who has only lost to McGinty and just won the Kittatinny tournament in convincing fashion! Kingston’s Timbrouck is our #4 and we have a new #5 as Maduro drops down from 170! Gibbons from Warwick has been out so he’s off the board for now but will definitely contend here when he returns. Goshen’s Elijah Price and Ports’s Bryce Horner should not be overlooked here at 160!

170 Pounds
1. Nate Ross (Onteora, senior)
2. Joe Velazquez (Middletown, senior)
3. Marcus Brown (Monroe Woodbury, junior)
4. Chris McLaughlin (Minisink Valley, senior)
5. Alden Hathaway (Wallkill, senior)
Nate Ross bumps up to 170 and becomes our new #1! He looked great at the Mid-Hudson finishing in second place behind S11 hammer James Araneo. Velazquez looks awesome – he’s only losses are to nationally ranked Cooper Kropman from S5 and to two out-of-state opponents. Marcus Brown from Monroe is having a great year and is #3 and he is followed by MV’s McLaughlin who was a finalist in Kittatinny. Choosing a #5 was not easy – Gennaro from Washingtonville, Patterson from NFA, or Hathaway from Wallkill? Hathaway placed 5th at Mid-Hudson and avenged an early season loss to Patterson by pinning him in the medal match so we will go with him for now! Peters from Eldred, Douthit from Burke, and Tanner from Kingston are worth keeping an eye on here!

182 Pounds
1. Ethan Gallo (Minisink Valley, freshman)
2. Jeremy Mazzella (Warwick, senior)
3. Logan Michael (New Paltz, senior)
4. Mike Paravati (Monroe Woodbury, senior)
5. Graeme Knisell (Saugerties, senior)
Gallo won the Linn Crawn in Kittatinny, NJ and he remains undefeated on the season! MW’s Wernicki has not wrestled since the first week of the season so he’s off the board for now and Warwick’s Mazzella slides into the #2 spot followed by Logan Michael from New Paltz who took 3rd at Pearl River. MW’s Paravati moves up to #4 and our new #5 is Graeme Knisell from Saugerties. Knisell has bounced back from a few early season losses and looked good in the Mid-Hudson placing 4th. Others to watch at 182 include Banegas from NFA, Quick from Port, and Lyle from Wallkill.

195 Pounds
1. Joe Russell (NFA, junior)
2. Carson Henry (Minisink Valley, junior)
3, Scott Geysen (Minisink Valley, junior)
4. Brian Giacchi (Middletown, senior)
5. Steve Felice (Monroe Woodbury, senior)
The 195 D1 weight class in Section 9 is going to be great to watch – it is arguably the most wide-open weight with about a half dozen wrestlers in contention for the title. Russell from NFA has made a strong case for being the front runner with his 1st place showing at the Mid-Hudson. MV juniors Henry and Geysen are our #2 and #3 – both finished in 3rd at Kittatinny at 220 and 195 respectively. Giacchi has moved up to to #4 in the rankings and we may be selling him short. The Middletown senior took 1st place in a strong field at the Massapequa tournament. MW’s Felice is having a very good season and he’s our #5 but we cant forget about James I. O’Neil’s Connor Boyer and Kingston’s Zavier Bennet. Boyer took 3rd and Bennet 6th at the Mid-Hudson. Swart from Highland, Laurey from Saugerties, and Siracusa from Goshen add even more depth to this very tough weight class!

220 Pounds
1. James Oosterom (Port Jervis, senior)
2. Maxx DeCapua (NFA, senior)
3. Armel Duke (Middletown, senior)
4. Stephon Holmes (Kingston, senior)
5. Christopher Clark (Red Hook, senior)
Major changes at 220! Section 9 has two absolute studs at 220 – Maxx Decapua in D1 and James Oosterom in D2 – both are NYS place winners! For this week’s ranking we are going with Oosterom at #1 and Decapua at #2! Oosterom won the title at the very competitive Bethlehem Holiday Tournament and Decapua finished 2nd at the historic Mid-Hudson. I think everyone would like to see this D1 vs D2 showdown at the Eastern States Classic. Third ranked Armel Duke will be right in the mix too ! The Middletown senior just finished 3rd at the Massapequa tournament. Kingston’s Stephon Holmes placed 4th at the Mid-Hudson and takes over #4 here and our new #5 is Red Hook senior Christopher Clark who is putting together a very solid year!

285 Pounds
1. Adam Fenner (Minisink Valley, junior)
2. Stephan Monchery (Middletown, 8th)
3. Frankie Hernandez (Monroe Woodbury, senior)
4. Bruce French (Middletown, senior)
5. Logan Hickey (Warwick, senior)
Minisink junior Fenner is leaving little doubt about who is top dog at 285 in S9 but Monchery is definitely creating some buzz. Fenner won Kittatinny in dominating fashion and Monchery electrified the crown at Massapequa when he pinned Sean Shaller from Connetquot in the finals to win the title! Monchery’s teammate French placed 6th at Massapequa but he is our #4 because he was defeated head-to-head by MW senior Frankie Hernandez who placed 4th andis our new #3 in S9. Warwick’s Logan Hickey has a common opponent win over Chester’s McGovern so he takes over as #5 and pushes McGovern to honorable mention. Let’s also watch Highland’s Shamar Gittens and Jon Perez as both had solid showings at the Mid-Hudson.

Nearly every program in Section 9 is competing at a tournament this weekend – the vast majority of them are entered in the Mid-Hudson Tournament which takes place on Friday and Saturday at Arlington High School. NYS wrestlers have received the greatest gift of all…their 2 pound growth allowance! Who stays up? Who drops down? Results and highlights will be posted as soon as they are received!

Friday 12/27
Linn Crawn Memorial @ Kittatinny Regional HS (NJ)
Minisink Valley crowned 7 champions, had 2 seconds, and 2 third place finishers at the 2019 Linn Crawn Tournament in Kittatinny, NJ! The Warriors cruised to the team title with 249 points over West Morris (Mendham) and Kittatinny who tied for 2nd place with 139 points! Pequannock (130.5) and Roxbury (109) rounded out the top 5 in the team race. Taking home titles for Minisink Valley were Nick Picariello (126), Zack Ryder (132), Jordan Suarez (138), Jaccob Gonzalez (145), Jace Hirsch (160), Ethan Gallo (182), and Adam Fenner (285). Sofia Macaluso (120) and Chris McLaughlin (170) took 2nd place for the Warriors while Scott Geysen (195) and Carson Henry (220) finished 3rd!

Friday 12/27 & Saturday 12/28
Mid-Hudson Tournament @ Arlington HS (Section 1)
Congratulations to Tommy Askey, Pat Ross and Joe Russell for taking home individual titles at the 2019 Mid-Hudson Tournament! Askey, a senior from Pine Bush, defeated fellow state place winner Nick Ross from Onteora by a score of 10-5 to take home the gold at 152 and he was voted Senior MOW by the coaches! Nick’s twin brother Pat took home the crown at 160 while NFA’s Joe Russell picked up a pin over Cameron Durant from Guilderland to win the title at 195! Other Section 9 finalists were NFA’s Jackson Merli (106), VC’s Nik Ricciuto (113), Red Hook’s Matt Morris (126), Red Hook’s Tyler Benincasa (145), Onteora’s Nate Ross (170), and NFA’s Maxx Decapua (220). NFA was Section 9’s highest placing team finishing 6th out of 28 teams. Congratulations to Marlboro senior John Antonelli for recording his 100th career win on Saturday!!!

Christmas City Tournament @ Bethlehem Catholic HS (PA)
Port Jervis took 5th as a team at the 52nd Annual Christmas City Tournament in Bethlehem, PA. James Oosterom was the Champion at 220 lbs. Eric Tigue (138) and Trevor Tufano (106) captured 2nd place finishes while Joey Amato (132) took 3rd. Erik Quick finished 4th at 182, Jacob Southard placed 4th 220, and Bryce Horner came in 6th at 160.

Windsor Christmas Tournament @ Windsor HS (Section 4)
Eldred Liberty Sullivan West is the lone Section 9 team heading up to Lower Tier for the Windsor Christmas Tournament.

Saturday 12/28
Massapequa Holiday Tournament @ Massapequa HS (Section 8)
Middletown crowned 3 champions and came in 5th in the team race at the Massapequa Holiday Tournament. Taking home titles for the Middies were Justin Morales (106), Brian Giacchi (195) and Stephan Monchery (285). Monroe Woodbury had two 2nd place finishers in Santos Ocasio (120) and Joey McGinty (160) and finished 7th as a team. Hauppauge won the team title followed by Connetquot, Long Beach,and Massapequa.

2019 Massapequa Holiday Tournament – Full Brackets

Michael O’Connell Tournament @ Pearl River HS (Section 1)
New Paltz, Chester, and a Varsity B team from Minisink Valley headed down to Rockland Country to compete in The Michael O’Connell Tournament!

MV – B Results
Minisink Valley took 3rd place as a team
99 Anthony Tresch 2nd
132 Rory Hamilton 4th
138 Brian Lombardi 1st
152 Andrew Filip 1st
152 George Racz 3rd
160 Devin Doty 4th
220 JC Cabera 2nd

New Paltz Results
New Paltz finished 4th in the team race.
Elliot Crocco 2nd at 120
Ethan Palanca 1st at 145
Levi Wyns 2nd at 152
Logan Michael 3rd at 182
Evan Jansen 2nd at 285

Scauzillo Duals @ Mahopac HS (Section 1)
Monticello is the lone Section 9 team competing in this year’s Scauzillo Duals!

Nearly every local team will hit the mat this weekend in a very busy weekend for Section 9 wrestling! Among the tournaments are two local dual meet events – the Wildcat Duals at Warwick and the Jim Wilson Duals at Minisink Valley! Any errors or omissions can be sent to sectionixwrestling@gmail.com.

Friday 12/20
Onteora’s Ross Brothers Make History at Midnight Madness
Onteora went 4-1 and finished as co-champions in the team race due to criteria at the 9th Annual Midnight Madness at Oneonta. Section 9 history was made, however, when Onteora’s Patrick Ross notched career victory 100 and became the 5th brother in his family to pass the 100 win plateau! Pat, still only a junior, joins brothers Austin (Weigel), Dillon, Nate, and his twin Nick becoming the first family in Section 9 history with five brothers surpassing 100+ career wins. The Paddock brothers from Section 5 Warsaw are the only other NYS family to accomplish this impressive feat! Also of note from Midnight Madness was the highly anticipated showdown between state medalists Nate Ross and Jacob Null from Section 3 Dolgeville. In a pretty controversial match with some questionable missed TDs and near fall points, it was Null coming away with the 7-4 victory. Null, who finished 2nd in NYS last year, has already notched a 5-1 win over MW’s Joey McGinty this year. Might we see Ross vs Null – Part 2 in the state finals in February???

Onteora 48 Oneonta 36
Onteora 36 Dolgeville 33
Onteora 54 Eldred Liberty Sullivan West 30
Onteora 54 Monticello 21
Sidney 37 Onteora 36
Dolgeville 42 Eldred Liberty Sullivan West 24
Eldred Liberty Sullivan West 48 Monticello 12
Oneonta 48 Eldred Liberty Sullivan West 15
Sidney 36 Eldred Liberty Sullivan West 30

Friday 12/20 & Saturday 12/21
Tony Carlucci Duals

MW 70 Harrison 15
MW 74 Irvington 12
MW 72 Edgemont 18
MW 54 North Rockland 27
Fox Lane 41 MW 36

Saturday 12/21
Wildcat Duals @ Warwick Valley High School
Newburgh went 5-0 at the Wildcat Duals! Warwick junior Drew Greco recorded his 100th career win! Congratulations Drew!!!

NFA 64 Clarkstown South 21
NFA 54 Yorktown 22
NFA 42 Tottenville 28
NFA 75 Our Lady of Lourdes 12
NFA 57 Roy C. Ketcham 21
Port Jervis 48 Yorktown 41
Port Jervis 46 Tottenville 39
Port Jervis 60 Roy C. Ketcham 30
Port Jervis 48 Our Lady of Lourdes 25
Port Jervis 57 Clarkstown South 30
Tottenvile 62 Goshen 22
Goshen 48 Clarkstown South 39
Goshen 48 Our Lady of Lourdes 33
Roy C. Ketcham 48 Goshen 33
Yorktown 51 Goshen 28

Jim Wilson Duals @ Minisink Valley High School
Minisink Valley completely dominated the competition today going 4-0 while outscoring their opponents 324-16 in winning the team title at the Jim Wilson Duals. Minisink Valley senior Jordan Suarez was voted MOW by the coaches and teammate Jaccob Gonzalez won the aggregate pin award with 4 pins in 2:46. Suarez and teammate Sean Savacool also notched their 100th career wins today…in back to back matches during the dual against Cornwall!!! Congratulations to Jordan and Sean!!!! Washingtonville went 2-2 on the day and finished in 4th place while Cornwall went 2-2 and took 5th.

Minisink Valley 81 Pearl River 6
Minisink Valley 84 Cornwall 0
Minisink Valley 90 Plainedge 0
Minisink Valley 69 Manhasset 10 – finals
Manhasset 64 Washingtonville 24
Plainedge 60 Washingtonville 24 – 3rd/4th place

RCS Lewis Johnson Memorial Duals

Kingston 69 Greenville 18
Kingston 41 Watervliet 33
Kingston 48 Valley Central 34
Kingston 46 Unadilla Valley – Unatego 36
Ravena Coeymans Selkirk 42 Kingston 41

Saugerties Results (click here for all box scores)
Saugerties 82 Cairo 6
Bethlehem Central 48 Saugerties 36
Ravena Coeysman Selkirk 72 Saugerties 12
Saugerties 42 Beekmantown 35
Saugerties 45 Valley Central 41

Lancer Invite in CT
Middletown won the team title at the Lancer Invite in Waterford Connecticut. Southington Connecticut finished 2nd.

Individual Champions for the Middies:
Justin Morales – 106
Josh Sam – 132
Brian Giacchi – 195
Armel Duke – 220
Stephan Monchery – 285 (pinned his way through the tournament!)

3rd place
113 – Kenny Santiago and Jacob Roger (tied due to 5 match rule)
132 – Moises Diaz
160 – Bryson Tibbs
170 – Joe Velazquez
182 – Jakoy Harvey – also won the tournament’s aggregate pin award!

Cuneen-Doane Holiday Tournament
Eldred/Liberty/Sullivan West take to the mat in a tournament of mostly Section 4 schools as well as one PA program!

Pawling Round Robin
Pine Bush took 2nd in the team race finishing 5 points behind Arlington.

Champion
138 Braydon Pennell

2nd Place Finishers
99 James Duffy
106 Richie Urena
113 Nicky Croce
120 Ayden Maldonado
132 Tyler Joy
170 Cristain Arroyo

3rd Place Finishers
99 Danny Trojahn
106 Brooke Tashis
170 AJ Levato
285 Victor Cruz

Nanuet Conklin Memorial Tournament
Red Hook went 5-0 and won the crown! Red Hook senior Matt Morris notched his 100th career victory and was also voted as the tournament MOW! Congrats Matt!

Red Hook 54 Scarsdale 29
Red Hook 45 Nanuet 33
Red Hook 72 Nyack 6
Red Hook 54 Putnam Valley 24
Red Hook 66 Babylon 12

Clarkstown North Tournament
Wallkill went 4-1 at the Clarkstown North Tournament. This tournament has a non-traditional format in that it is a dual tournament that keeps track of individual results and awards individual placing! The Panthers finished 2nd out of 6 teams. They picked up wins over Clarkstown North, John Jay EF, West Islip, John Jay CR and lost a close one to New Rochelle. Wallkill moves to 5-3 on the season. Individual results were as follows: Rocco Futia-2nd at 99, Matt Davis-1st at 120, Marco Martini-2nd at 126, Jerome Futia-1st at 132, Will Pushman-3rd at 138, George Thomas-3rd at 145, Cael Atkins-3rd at 160, Alden Hathaway-3rd at 170, Justin Lyle-2nd at 182, Tyrell Augustus-3rd at 220 and Matt Starr-3rd at 285. Special congratulations to Wallkill’s 120 pound champ Matt Davis who was selected MOW of the tournament! Congrats Matt!!!

Wallkill 54 Clarkstown North 33
Wallkill 78 John Jay East Fishkill 9
Wallkill 45 East Islip 31
Wallkill 47 John Jay Cross River 45
New Rochell 45 Wallkill 36

Monday December 16
Wallkill 87 FDR Hyde Park 0

Wednesday December 18
Middletown 46 Monroe Woodbury 28
Saugerties 58 Eldred/Liberty/Sullivan West 30
Saugerties 72 Burke 18
Port Jervis 71 Chester 12
Valley Central 43 Cornwall 27
Minisink Valley 90 FDR Hyde Park 0
Goshen 43 Wallkill 36
Newburgh Free Academy 63 Highland 10
Kingston 40 Pine Bush 35
New Paltz 72 Monticello 6
Washingtonville 42 Warwick 30

Wednesday’s Highlights….
Our spotlight dual was Middletown vs MW and it was the Middies that prevailed 46-28! Picking up key wins for Middletown were Joe Velazquez who recorded a wbf over Marcus Brown at 182 and Brian Giacchi who picked up a major of Mike Paravati at 195! The Crusaders got a nice win from Dan Downs who defeated Josh Sam 4-2 at 145. Kingston defeated Pine Bush in the dual meet but a huge congratulations to Pine Bush senior Tommy Askey for recording career win #100 tonight! Great job Tommy! NFA’s Jaden Hansen picked up his second win over Peter Bender in a week! NFA’s Luke Fischer picked up an impressive 4-2 win over Marlboro’s John Antonelli and James I. O’Neil’s Connor Boyer had a win by fall over Highland’s Ben Swart!

Thursday December 19
Red Hook 66 Fallsburg/Tri-Valley 0
Red Hook 66 Rondout Valley 15
Onteora 60 Fallsburg/Tri-Valley 6

Friday December 20
Pine Bush 50 New Paltz 30
Newburgh Free Academy 41 Wallkill 30

Friday Highlights…
PB’s Galarza with a 4-2 win over Palanca from New Paltz…Paterson from NFA with a solid 8-5 win over Wallkill’s Hathaway!

We have a few weeks of wrestling in the books so let’s see what kind of changes there are in our individual rankings!!! These will be the last rankings before the 2 pound growth allowance is applied – often a wrestler’s favorite Christmas gift! As always, respectful feedback is welcomed and encouraged at sectionixwrestling@gmail.com.

99 Pounds
We are still going to wait to do rankings for our 99 pound weight class until there are more results and we see who drops down…but we definitely have a few 99 pounders who are off to great starts! We should definitely keep our eyes on kids like Manny Saenz (Middletown), Marco Giumarra (Cornwall), Rocco Futia (Wallkill), Anthony Tresch (Minisink Valley), Kevin Segail (NFA), and Mason Ketcham (Washingtonville).

106 Pounds
1. Justin Morales (Middletown, senior)
2. Jordan Brown (Monroe Woodbury, freshman)
3. Jackson Merli (NFA, sophomore)
4. Alex Greco (Warwick, freshman)
5. Sebastian Vidacovich (Valley Central, freshman)
Morales, a 2X state qualifier, has already competed at 106 so he takes over the top spot! Brown has wins over Merli and Greco so he moves into the 2nd spot followed by Merli at #3 and Greco at #4. Vidacovich only loss is to Greco and has wins over Ortiz from Pine Bush and Tufano from Port Jervis who will both contend this year!

113 Pounds
1. Andrew Marchese (Washingtonville, sophomore)
2. Jaden Hansen (NFA, junior)
3. Nicolo Ricciuto (Valley Central, junior)
4. Luke Greiner (Minisink Valley, 8th grade)
5. Peter Bender (Highland, junior)
Marchese has been dominant with his only loss coming to 2X NYS champ Stevo Poulin! Hansen picked up wins over Bender and another NYS qualifier Crawford at the New Paltz Duals and ascends to the 2nd slot followed by Ricciuto who has only lost to Marchese. Greiner has lost two matches to state qualifiers but has looked sharp and comes in at #4 followed by Bender who was the S9 D2 champ last season. Other wrestlers to watch here are Cornwall’s Kevin Rourke whose only loss on the season is by decision to Morales and Middletown’s Kenny Santiago who is having a very solid year! Red Hook’s Brandon McKay has been wrestling tough this year and will definitely contend in the small school tournament this February.

120 Pounds
1. Santos Ocasio (Monroe Woodbury, senior)
2. Elliott Crocco (New Paltz, senior)
3. Sofia Macaluso (Minisink Valley, sophomore)
4. Gabriel Giumarra (Cornwall, junior)
5. Robert Drost (Saugerties, junior)
This was probably the most difficult weight class to rank because there are probably 8 or 9 wrestlers who could beat one another on any given day. Ocasio has the most impressive wins so far so he’s #1 followed by an undefeated Crocco from New Paltz. Sofia Mac has proven that last year’s 3rd place S9 finish was no fluke – she was a few seconds away from notching a win over Ocasio at the MV vs MW dual. Guimarra and Drost are both off to great starts but we cannot forget about Ryan Ross from Port Jervis, Erik Nilson from Warwick, Matt Davis from Wallkill, Ivan Colon from Middletown, Rocco Deaveiro from Rondout Valley, and Tyler Reed from Cornwall!

126 Pounds
1. Nick Picariello (Minisink Valley, senior)
2. Jacob Chenier (Kingston, senior)
3. Austin Maddox (Washingtonville, junior)
4. Joey Curreri (Eldred, junior)
5. Devin Greer (Pine Bush, sophomore)
Picariello and Chenier are clearly the top two here. Both wrestlers went to the state tournament last season and both have the potential to place in Albany this February. Maddox and Curreri are having solid seasons are hold the #3 and #4 slots while Pine Bush sophomore Greer cracks the rankings and is our new #5 at 126!

132 Pounds
1. Zack Ryder (Minisink Valley, 8th grader)
2. Matt Morris (Red Hook, senior)
3. John Antonelli (Marlboro, senior)
4. Luke Fischer (NFA, senior)
5. Eli Weinstein (Goshen, senior)
The top 4 stay the same here but we have a new #5! Ryder has been an absolute buzz saw! The MV 8th grader was a state finalist last year and he is 7-0 this season with six pins and one win by forfeit. One of his wins was a second period wbf over our #2 Morris who placed 6th in NYS D2 last year. Antonelli has been very good this season as has Fischer whose only loss is to former S9 wrestler Nikko Walsh who now wrestles for S2 Columbia. By virtue of his head-to-head win over Warwick’s Drew Greco, Goshen’s Eli Weinstein is our new #5! This is a very deep weight and some others to watch here include Warwick’s Greco, VC’s Travis Phillips, Port’s Caleb Harrison, Kingston’s Joe Ferro, MV’s Mia Macaluso, Middletown’s Moises Diaz, and Washingtonville’s Jacob Poppe!

138 Pounds
1. Jordan Suarez (Minisink Valley, senior)
2. Matt Romano (Valley Central, senior)
3. Josh Sam (Middletown, senior)
4. Brian Lombardi (Minisink Valley, junior)
5. Joey Amato (Port Jervis, senior)
Suarez is a perfect 7-0 with six pins and a win by forfeit. We swapped Romano and Sam at the #2 and #3 spots because of Romano’s pin over Kingston’s Christian Francisco-Agostin whom Sam only narrowly defeated 5-3. Lombardi can wrestle with all of these guys and stays at #4 followed by #5 Amato whose only loss is to Romano. Francisco-Agostin form Kingston and Alex Lopez from Red Hook will definitely contend here.

145 Pounds
1. Sean Savacool (Minisink Valley, senior)
2. Eric Tigue (Port Jervis, sophomore)
3. Ethan Palanca (New Paltz, junior)
4. Gabe Galarza (Pine Bush, senior)
5. Aiden Cuppett (New Paltz, senior)
Savacool, like teammates Ryder and Suarez, is a perfect 7-0 with 6 pins and a win by forfeit! Tigue’s only loss was a 10-5 decision to Pine Bush’s Askey up at 160 pounds so he stays at #2 here and Palanca’s only blemish this season is to Section 1 state qualifier Brendan Carroll so he remains in the #3 slot. Galarza has looked very sharp and stays at #4 and we have a new #5 in Cuppett. The New Paltz senior picked up a pin over previously ranked Gavin Richter who will still be a contender here.

152 Pounds
1. Tommy Askey (Pine Bush, senior)
2. Nick Ross (Onteora, junior)
3. Jaccob Gonzalez (Minisink Valley, junior)
4. Christopher Fini (Goshen, senior)
5. Levi Wyns (New Paltz, senior)
Askey has been a hammer! He is 7-0 with five pins, one tech, and a 10-5 decision over a 2X S9 champion (Tigue). So he’s the clear cut #1 right….not so fast! Sitting at #2 is a 3X S9 D2 champ who placed 3rd in NYS last year – Nick Ross! Then right behind Ross we have MV junior Gonzalez who is absolutely tearing through the competition with a 7-0 record including five pins and two techs! Fini’s only loss is to Tigue and he’s our new #4 followed by our new #5 at 152 Levi Wyns from New Paltz! Highland’s Logan Smith, Red Hook’s Tyler Benincasa, Pine Bush’s Dylan Burgos, Wallkill’s James Hubbard, and Monroe Woodbury’s Mike Zrelak should not be discounted here as they are all off to great starts this season!

160 Pounds
1. Joey McGinty (Monroe Woodbury, senior)
2. Nate Ross (Onteora, senior)
3. Evan Gibbons (Warwick, senior)
4. Elijah Timbrouck (Kingston, junior)
5. Jace Hirsch (Minisink Valley, junior)
McGinty suffers his first loss of the season but he stays #1 here – no shame losing to Section 3 hammer Jake Null. Null finished 2nd in NYS last year – iron sharpens iron! Nate Ross remains at #2 and Evan Gibbons, although inactive since opening night against MW, will stay at #3. Bursting into the rankings at #4 is Elijah Timbrouck from Kingston who is undefeated and has wins of previously ranked wrestlers Pablo Garcia from Middletown and Bryce Horner from Port Jervis. Our new #5 is Minisink Valley junior Jace Hirsch who has looked very tough and has only lost to state medalist McGinty this season. Goshen’s Elijah Price is a great athlete and will contend here!

170 Pounds
1. Patrick Ross (Onteora, junior)
2. Joe Velazquez (Middletown, senior)
3. Marcus Brown (Monroe Woodbury, junior)
4. Chris McLaughlin (Minisink Valley, senior)
5. Vincent Gennaro (Washingtonville, senior)
No change in the top two as Ross and Velazquez have dominated the competition! Brown defeated McLaughlin and Patterson from NFA who easily could be ranked here so Marcus is our new #3 followed by McLaughlin and Gennaro…we’ll make Patterson 5A! Peters from E/L/SW is also a tough contender as is Adian Maduro from Highland, Alden Hathaway from Wallkill, Burke’s Brendan Douthit, and Meijas Tanner from Kingston!

182 Pounds
1. Ethan Gallo (Minisink Valley, freshman)
2. Max Wernicki (Monroe Woodbury, senior)
3. Jeremy Mazzella (Warwick, senior)
4. Logan Michael (New Paltz, senior)
5. Mike Paravati (Monroe Woodbury, senior)
This weight class rankings completely blew up! Gallo has been awesome and stays at #1 but we have a new #2 in Wernicki. Mazzella only lost to Max by a point so he’s at #3 for now followed by Logan Michael from New Paltz who’s only loss is to Section 2 stud Altomer. Paravati has weighed in at 182 so we’ll rank him at #5. Former #2 Knisell was pinned by Goshen’s Karystinakis who is having a great year and should be watched as should NFA’s Darwin Banegas, Justin Lyle from Wallkill, and Erik Quik from Port Jervis.

195 Pounds
1. Joe Russell (NFA, junior)
2. Carson Henry (Minisink Valley, junior)
3. Scott Geysen (Minisink Valley, junior)
4. Steve Felice (Monroe Woodbury, senior)
5. Brian Giacchi (Middletown, senior)
NFA junior Russell is having a great season and keeps the top spot at 195! Carson Henry is undefeated for MV and is our new #2 and we will put his teammate Geysen at #3! Felice has losses to Henry and Russell and comes in at #4 while Giacchi notched a nice win over Kingston’s Zavier Bennet and takes over at #5. Bennet is still one to watch as is Ben Swart from Highland, Craig Laurey from Saugerties, and Dominick Siracusa from Goshen!

220 Pounds
1. Maxx DeCapua (Newburgh Free Academy, senior)
2. James Oosterom (Port Jervis, senior)
3. Armel Duke (Middletown, senior)
4. Connor Boyer (James I. O’Neil, junior)
5. Jonathan Perez (Highand, senior)
No changes to the top 3. A match-up between #1 DeCapua and #2 Oosterom would be one of the most highly anticipated matches of the year! Duke has looked great and stays at #3 but we have a new #4 in Boyer from O’Neil who is undefeated. Perez from Highland comes in at #5 but we should also watch Dylan Bullock from Chester here!

285 Pounds
1. Adam Fenner (Minisink Valley, junior)
2. Stephan Monchery (Middletown, 8th grade)
3. Devin McGovern (Chester, senior)
4. Bruce French (Middletown, senior)
5. Stephon Holmes (Kingston, senior)
Fenner is a returning state medalist and has mauled his competition this season – 7-0 with 7 first period pins! Monchery has also been very business-like – 6-0 with 3 pins and 3 forfeits! McGovern’s only loss is out of Section 9 and we have a new #4 in French by virtue of his 4-2 win over previously ranked Logan Hickey from Warwick. Holmes from Kingston has looked great and sits in the #5 slot for this week! Others to watch at heavyweight include the aforementioned Hickey, Frankie Hernandez from Monroe Woodbury, Shamar Gittens from Highland, and Jake Southard from Port Jervis.

Although about half of our local teams are taking the weekend off from competition, there are still several exciting tournaments to follow including two right here in Section 9! Let’s take a look at where our locals will be battling this weekend!

New Paltz Duals
NFA went 5-0 and took home the team title! NFA junior Jaden Hansen defeated two 2019 state qualifiers (Peter Bender, Highland and Christopher Crawford, Beacon) and was selected as tournament Most Outstanding Wrestler!!!
NFA 55 Columbia 25
NFA 69 Beacon 15
NFA 60 Walt Whitman 18
NFA 63 Highland 15
NFA 48 Saratoga Springs 27
Warwick 42 New Paltz 33
Walt Whitman 38 New Paltz 27
Saratoga Springs 49 New Paltz 30
New Paltz 54 Beacon 18
Columbia 51 New Paltz 33

Cornwall Duals
Cornwall 40 Pearl River 30
Cornwall 86 East Ramapo 0
Cornwall 74 Horace Greeley 9

Wrangle on the Plains
Monroe Woodbury brought 13 wrestlers to the Wrangle and had a very strong showing highlighted by Joey McGinty who placed 2nd in the 160 pound Elite pool. The Monroe Woodbury senior won his first 3 matches my major decision before dropping a 5-1 match in the finals to last year’s NYS D2 finalist Jacob Null from Dolgeville. Washingtonville was also at the tournament and had a Elite pool finalist in Andrew Marchese. The Washingtonville sophomore ripped through his first 3 matches with a pin and two techs before falling to 2X NYS state champion Stevo Poulin in the finals by a score of 18-3.

Mamaroneck Tournament
Wallkill Results ….
Wallkill finished 3rd out of 15 team today at the Tiger Invitational held at Mamaroneck HS. Individual results were as follows: Rocco Futia 3rd at 99, Matt Davis 2nd at 120, Marco Martini 6th at 126, Jerome Futia 1st at 132, Will Pushman 5th at 138, James Hubbard 5th at 152, Cael Atkins 3rd at 160, Alden Hathaway 5th at 170, Justin Lyle 2nd at 182, Chris Betcher 5th at 195, Tyrell Augustus 6th at 195 and Jackson Fakler 5th at 285.
Chester Results…
Chester placed 5th out of 15 at the Mamaroneck Tournament. They had eight kids place: Devin McGovern (285), Dylan Bullock (220) and Teddy Szymanski (195) all placed 2nd. Mark Bruckenstein (132), Bryan Sahad (152) and Cole Greco (182) placed 4th. Kwalin Gonzalez (170) & Nick Dicurcio (160) both took 6th.

Doc Davis Duals
Ellenville will take to the mat against Albany (S2), Duanesburg (S2), Warrensburg-Bolton (S2), Schuylerville-Greenwich (S2), and Our Lay of Lourdes (S1).

Woodlands Tournament
Minisink Valley crowned eight champions and had two 2nd place finishers in a dominating performance at the Woodlands. Minisink Valley senior Mia Macaluso was voted tournament MOW!!!

First Place
99 Anthony Trecsh
106 Zack McKernan
126 Grace Pauls
132 Mia Macaluso
138 Brian Lombardi
152 George Racz
160 Andrew Filip
285 JC Cabrera

2nd Place
138 Rory Hamilton
160 Devin Doty

After a very busy weekend, our Section 9 teams will have no time to rest as we have a very busy slate of duals this week highlighted by Wednesday’s tilt between Newburgh Free Academy and Monroe Woodbury at MWHS! Let’s take a look at the entire week’s schedule as well as some potentially great individual match-ups that might happen if the line-up Gods are on our side!

Tuesday 12/10
New Paltz 69 FDR Hyde Park 6

Wednesday 12/11
Monroe Woodbury 40 NFA 27
Washingtonville 41 Valley Central 40
Port Jervis 55 Pine Bush 24
Minisink Valley 71 Warwick 10
Red Hook 60 Saugerties 27
Middletown 54 Kingston 24
Chester 72 Ellenville 18
Onteora 57 Eldred/Liberty/Sullivan West 18
Goshen 77 Monticello 6

Thursday 12/12
Chester 78 Croton Harmon 6
Burke 36 Croton Harmon 24
Highland 48 Fallsburg/Tri-Valley 22
Highland 51 Rondout Valley 9

Friday 12/13
Middletown 48 Cornwall 25

Highlights….
The MW/NFA dual lived up to the hype with the Crusaders coming out on top this year by a score of 40-27! MW jumped out to a 18-0 lead but NFA clawed their way back into the dual 18-15 after 8 matches. Next at 106 we saw a great match between two of Section 9’s best lightweights end with a 3-1 decision for Brown over Merli! NFA’s Jaden Hansen then gets the quick wbf to tie it after 10 matches 21-21! MW would then run off wins in 4 of the final matches to bring us to a MW 40-27 win! In other spotlight match-up we had D2 power Port Jervis beating Pine Bush 55-24 where we saw Askey beat Tigue 10-5 and Ortiz defeat Tufano! Washingtonville and VC had a barn burner with the Wizards eventually coming out on top 41-40! Phillips over Poppe by fall was a key match-up keeping this one close!