Can Section 9 keep the streak alive? For the past four seasons, the Section 9 Division 1 team has won the sectional team title at the NYSPHSAA Wrestling Championships. Prior to that, Section 9 had won the team title only one time – back in 1975! Because of our recent dominance, the top 3 place finishers in all 14 weight classes have qualified for the state tournament which takes place on Friday and Saturday, February 27th and 28th, at the MVP Arena in Albany, NY. Let’s take a look at our forty-two state qualifiers.
103 Pounds – Evan Gomez (Valley Central, freshman)
Section 9 champion Gomez is making his second trip to the state tournament and has earned the #5 seed in his bracket. Evan, who has a 39-3 season record, was the champion at the Mid-Hudson Tournament at 103 and the Gene Brigham Memorial Tournament at 110. Gomez has an opening round bye and will wrestle the winner of Alberto Morris (Minisink) and Brody Ohern (Chenango Forks).
103 Pounds – Dominic Giannoni (Valley Central, 7th grade)
Giannoni was the Section 9 runner-up and is the #10 seed for the state tournament. His season record is 38-8 and he placed 4th at the Mid-Hudson and was the champion at the Gene Brigham. Dominic’s first match on Friday will be in the Round of 16 where he will square off with 7th seeded Patrick Winseman from St. Francis.
103 Pounds – Alberto Morris (Minisink Valley, sophomore)
Morris finished 3rd in the Section 9 tournament and is making his first trip to the state tournament in Albany. He has a 27-5 season record and is the 21st seed in his bracket this weekend. In his opening round match, Alberto will take-on 12th seeded Brody Ohern from Section 4 Chenango Forks.
110 Pounds – William Soto (Newburgh Free Academy, junior)
Two-time state champion Soto mowed through the competition at the sectional tournament to capture his third Section 9 title. Will has a 42-1 record this year with his only loss coming in the semifinals at the Eastern States Classic to Xavier Seabury from Section 11 North Babylon. Soto is the #2 seed and Seabury is the top seed this weekend! All signs point towards a rematch for gold on Saturday night!
110 Pounds – Andrew Uszenski (Valley Central, freshman)
Andrew finished second in Section 9 and is now a 2X state qualifier. His season record is 33-8 and he placed third at the Mid-Hudson and second at the Gene Brigham. Uszenski is the #12 seed in Albany, and he will take on Section 5 runner-up Christian Englert from Rush Henrietta in the opening round.
110 Pounds – Evan Bryant (Middletown, sophomore)
Bryant finished third at the Section 9 tournament and will be making his first trip to the state tournament. Evan is taking a 32-9 record into the tournament and is the #11 seed in his bracket. His first-round opponent on Friday will be 6th seeded Carter Mullen from Fairport in the Round of 16.
118 Pounds – Greg Schaefer (Goshen, senior)
Schaefer is making his first appearance at the state tournament and has earned the #9 seed in his bracket. He takes a 44-1 record into the tournament and was the champion at both the Bulldog Tournament and the Cooperstown Invitational. Greg’s first match in Albany will be in the Round of 16 where he will square off against Chase Phillips from Section 11 Ward Melville.
118 Pounds – Francis Segura (Middletown, junior)
Section 9 runner-up Segura is making his first trip to Albany and enters the tournament as the #18 seed. He has a 32-5 record this season and was the champion at the Thomas Chickanis Memorial Tournament. Segura’s opening round opponent will be Section 11 runner-up Alex Hernandez from Newfield.
118 Pounds – Ian Gentles (Valley Central, sophomore)
Gentles had a great Section 9 tournament finishing in 3rd place and punching his ticket for his first trip to the state tournament. Ian has a 29-16 season record, and he is the #20 seed in his bracket. His first-round opponent will be Section 2 runner-up Bradley Maranville from Queensbury.
126 Pounds – EJ Vass (Valley Central, sophomore)
Vass is now a 3X NYS qualifier, a 2X NYS place winner and has his sights set on the top step of the podium this year. EJ placed 6th last year and was 2nd in NYS two years ago. This year he enters the tournament as the #2 seed and is sporting a 37-5 record. Only one of his losses is at 126, the rest were up at 132. Vass gets a bye into the Round of 16 where he meets the winner of Evan Merrell (Maine-Endwell) and Piero DiNicola (Fox Lane).
126 Pounds – Kelly Sullivan (Monroe Woodbury, sophomore)
Kelly is now a 3X state tournament qualifier; he placed 8th at 108 pounds last season. Sullivan has a 32-6 record this season and is the #4 seed in in his bracket. Kelly receives a bye into the Round of 16 where he will lock horns with the winner of Cael Bruce (Baldwinsville) and Eli Faus (Indian River).
126 – Owen Milmore (Washingtonville, junior)
After missing last post season due to an injury, Owen is making his second trip to the state tournament He is the #17 seed in his bracket and has a 31-6 record this season. Milmore will wrestle Section 4 runner-up Hunter Parker from Elmira in his opening round match.
#1 seed at 132
132 – Marco Futia (Wallkill, senior)
Marco, now a 3X NYS qualifier, placed 4th in the state in 2024 at 108 pounds. Last year he did not place but this season he is 49-1 and is the #1 seed in his bracket! Marco’s only loss this year was a 3-0 decision to Anthony Severino from Lindenhurst in the semis of the Eastern States Classic. Severino is the #1 seed at 138 for the state tournament. The second seeded wrestler in this bracket is John Testa from Hilton. Futia has defeated Testa twice this season.
132 – Anthony Noboa (Middletown, junior)
Noboa, the Section 9 runner-up this year, is making his first trip to the state tournament. Anthony has a 40-7 record this season and has earned the #14 seed in his bracket. Noboa’s first match will be against Section 11 third place finisher Eliezer Sanchez from Central Islip. If victorious he will take on the Section 11 champion Rocco Destafano from East Islip.
132 – Colin Matone (Minisink Valley, junior)
Matone is making his second trip to the state tournament in Albany. Colin has a 31-7 record this season and is the #18 seed in this bracket. In his opening round match Matone will take on Section 6 champion Jake Giannantonio from Kenmore-Tonawanda. If victorious, Colin will square off with the #2 seed Jon Testa from Section 5 Hilton.
138 Pounds – Caleb Brown (Monroe Woodbury, freshman)
Caleb was our Section 9 champion, and he is making his first appearance at the state tournament. Brown, the #10 seed in his bracket, has a 27-4 record this season and was the champion at the Kohl Tournament and placed second at the Gene Brigham. Caleb will square off against Section 1 champ Charles Przymylski from Mahopac in the Round of 16 on Friday.
138 Pounds – Luke Dakin (FDR-Hyde Park, senior)
Section 9 runner-up Dakin is making his second trip to Albany for the state championship tournament. Luke brings a 31-6 record into the weekend and has earned the #11 seed. Dakin was the champion at the Edgemont Tournament this year. He will receive an opening round bye on Friday and then will take on Section 3 champion Louden Elliott from Carthage in the Round of 16.
138 Pounds – Gianni Gennaro (Washingtonville, junior)
Gennaro finished third at the Section 9 Championships and has punched his ticket to the state tournament for the first time! Gianni currently holds a season record of 26-9 and he is the #13 seed at 138 this weekend. His opening round opponent is Section 4 runner-up Kole Zufall from Horseheads.
144 Pounds – Elijah Brown (Monroe Woodbury, sophomore)
Elijah is a 3X NYS qualifier, a 2X Section 9 champion, and he placed 6th in the state last year at 138 pounds! Brown brings a 28-2 record into the state tournament with both of his losses coming at the Eastern States Classic. He is the #3 seed in his bracket and his only losses this season were to the top two seeds at 144 pounds – Ryan Munn (Carthage) and Matthew McDermott (Smithtown East). Elijah will receive a first-round bye and then take on the winner of Christian Maldanado (Amityville) and Quinton Warlikowski (Ballston Spa).
144 Pounds – Alex Nigro (Minisink Valley, senior)
Section 9 runner-up Nigro is making his first appearance to the state tournament. Alex had an excellent season finishing with a 29-10 record coming into the state tournament. Nigro has earned the 10th seed in his bracket and will receive an opening round bye. In the Round of 16 he will wrestle CHSAA champion Brendon Katimbang from Chaminade.
144 Pounds – Carlos Contreras (Middletown, junior)
Contreras is making his first appearance at the state tournament. Carlos has a 32-10 season record including a runner-up finish at the Thomas Chickanis Memorial and a 3rd place finish at the Somers Tournament. He is the 16th seed in this bracket and will take on Section 4 champion Lavonte Gibbons from Elmira.
150 Pounds – Joseph Uhrig (Minisink Valley, junior)
Section 9 champion Uhrig is now a 2X NYS qualifier. Last year he went 1-2 at Albany but this year Joseph will arrive to Albany as the #4 seed sporting a 33-3 record. Two of his losses were at the Eastern States Classic and the other loss was to the #1 D2 wrestler at this weight. After an opening round bye, Uhrig will wrestle the winner of Evan Weeden (Goshen) and Abduali Mukumov (Sweet Home).
150 Pounds – Maximus Smith (Valley Central, junior)
Section 9 runner-up Smith is making his second trip to the state tournament. Last year he went 0-2 however this year he is much improved and has earned the #5 seed. He carries a 34-6 record and will wrestler the winner of Tennison Eiss (Indian River) and Ryan Ciardullo (Clarkstown North) after receiving an opening round bye.
150 Pounds – Evan Weeden (Goshen, senior)
Weeden had a great senior year and finished 3rd in Section 9 earning him the right to wrestle in the state tournament. Evan’s season record was 40-6 and he is the 20th seed in this bracket. In his opening round match, he will take on Abduali Mukumov from Sweet Home. If he wins, he will square off with Uhrig from Minisink Valley!
157 Pounds – DJ Aviles (Middletown, senior)
Aviles is now a 3X state qualifier and a 2X Section 9 champion. He’s having an awesome season so this is the year that he could add “NYS placewinner” to his accolades! DJ has a season record of 40-6 and he is the #6 seed in Albany. Aviles gets a bye in the opening round and will take on Section 3 runner-up Collen Austin from Fulton in the Round of 16!
157 Pounds – Thomas Caufaglione (Wallkill, senior)
Caufaglione finished second in Section 9 and has earned his first trip to the NYS championships. He has a season record of 25-6 and finished 3rd at the Gene Brigham. Caufaglione is the #12 seed in his bracket and will square off against Section 6 runner-up Kyle Pirone from Frontier.
157 Pounds – Michael Giannoni (Valley Central, junior)
With his third-place finish at the Section 9 tournament, Giannoni has punched his ticket to the state tournament. Michael is the 17th seed in the bracket and for his opening round match he will face the Section 6 champion Beau Bergeron from Grand Island. If he wins, he will have a Round of 16 match with the #1 seed and nationally ranked Camryn Howard from Section 11 Bellport.
165 Pounds – Liam Hayes (Monroe Woodbury, senior)
Hayes is the Section 9 champion at 165 and he is now a 2X NYS qualifier. Liam takes a 26-3 record into the state tournament, and he is the #9 seed in his bracket. He was the champion at this year’s Gene Brigham Tournament. Hayes gets a bye into the Round of 16 where he will take on the #8 seed and Section 5 champion William Wood from Brockport. A win against Wood would likely set up a showdown between Hayes and top seeded Griffin LaPlante from St. Francis.
165 Pounds – Aaden Scott (Middletown, sophomore)
In an incredibly exciting Section 9 finals loss to Hayes, Aaden punched his ticket to the state tournament. He comes into this weekend with a 34-9 record, and he has earned the #11 seed in his bracket. Scott receives an opening round bye and will take on sixth seeded Paul Ortega from Section 3 Watertown.
165 Pounds – Colton Parese (Kingston, senior)
With his third-place finish in the Section 9 tournament, Parese became Kingston’s first state tournament qualifier since 2019. Colton has a 23-11 record this season and is the #18 seed in his bracket. His opening round opponent is Section 1 runner-up Jason Gaylord from Rye!
#1 Seed at 175
175 Pounds – Wyatt Boice (Minisink Valley, junior)
Boice is the #1 seed at 175! He is a 5X NYS tournament qualifier, a 2X Section 9 champion, and placed 3rd in NYS at 160 pounds last season. Wyatt is a perfect 31-0 this season and won titles at both the Eastern States Classic and the Windsor Tournament! He also has a 7-2 win over the #2 seed in this bracket, Will Capasso from Ballston Spa.
175 Pounds – Liam Dakin (FDR-Hyde Park, senior)
Dakin, the Section 9 runner up at 175, comes into the state tournament with a season record of 28-3. Liam is the #10 seed in this bracket and receives an opening round bye before taking on 7th seeded Trevor Muller from Clarence in the Round of 16.
175 Pounds – Mateo Morell (Newburgh Free Academy, senior)
Morell is making his first appearance to the state tournament where he will be the #11 seed. Mateo takes a 30-4 record into Albany and the runner up at both the Wrangle on the Plains and the Mid-Hudson Tournament. Morell has an opening round bye and then in the Round of 16 he will take on Section 1 runner-up Tyler Caricati of Yorktown.
190 Pounds – Jayden Pressley (Minisink Valley, senior)
Pressley is the Section 9 champion this year after finishing second in the section last year, so he is making his second trip to the state tournament. Jayden is having a great season and brings a 35-3 record into the weekend. He won the Gene Brigham, finished second at the Windsor Christmas, and placed forth at the Eastern States Classic. Pressley is the #3 seed in his bracket. He will receive an opening round bye and then square off against the winner of Jack Weber from Mepham and TJ Mauro from Somers.
190 Pounds – William Coughlin (Newburgh Free Academy, senior)
Section 9 runner-up Coughlin is making his second trip to Albany and has earned the #9 seed in the bracket. Will has a 36-11 record this season and placed 6th at the Mid-Hudson and 8th at the Eastern States Classic. Coughlin’s first opponent will be Hayden Passaretti from Saratoga Springs in the Round of 16.
190 Pounds – Malachi Courtois (Monroe Woodbury, sophomore)
Courtois, only a sophomore wrestling at 190 pounds, finished third in Section 9 and is making his first trip to the state tournament in Albany. Malachi has a season record of 27-7 which includes a first-place finish at the Kohl Tournament and a runner-up showing at the Gene Brigham. He is the #17 seed and he will take-on Section 6 champion Noah Leavell from Hamburg in his opening round match.
215 Pounds – Zachary Filip (Minisink Valley, senior)
Filip is a 4X Section 9 champion and a 2X NYS placewinner. He is having an incredible senior campaign bringing a 34-1 record into the state tournament where his only loss was in the finals of the Eastern States Classic to Devin Downes from Plainedge, the #1 seed in this bracket. Filip took first place at the Windsor Christmas Tournament and the Gene Brigham Tournament this year. He is the #2 seed and will take on the winner of Malik Ayesh from New Dorp and Justin DiPietro from Sewenhaka East in the Round of 16.
215 Pounds – Dion Knight (Monticello, junior)
By finishing in second place in the Section 9 tournament, Dion Knight is the first Monticello wrestler in 32 years to qualify for the state tournament! (Mike Kikendall, 1994) He brings to Albany a season record of 19-8 and he is the #17 seed. His opening round bout will be against the Section 11 third-place finisher Manaen Capellan from Brentwood.
215 Pounds – Justin Stewart (Pine Bush, senior)
Stewart, the third-place finisher at 215 in Section 9, is a first-time qualifier for the state tournament. Justin has a season record of 19-6 and was the champion at the Robert Burns Memorial Tournament. In his opening round match, Justin will take on Section 11 runner-up Javen Taff from Sayville.
285 Pounds – Timmy Duke (Minisink Valley, senior)
The Minisink Valley senior is making his first trip to the state championship tournament. Duke comes to Albany with a 31-5 record and he is the 11th seed. Timmy took second at the Gene Brigham Memorial Tournament and placed third at the Windsor Christmas Tournament. His opening match on Friday will be against Ryan Fleischmann from Central Square.
285 Pounds – Patrick Curran (Pine Bush, senior)
Section 9 runner-up Curran is making his second trip to the state tournament. He went 1-2 in Albany last year and this year he comes in with a 16-6 record, and he is the #12 seed. His opening round match will be against Ashton Klugewicz from Section 11.
285 Pounds – Cashmeire Curtis (FDR-Hyde Park, junior)
Cashmeire finished third at the sectional tournament and is making his first trip to the state tournament in Albany. He has a season record of 21-6 and he is the 20th seed. His first match will be against Section 4 champion Ryan Evans from Maine Endwell.