Spanning the Empire (Week #2)

2023 WRANGLE ON THE PLAINS (Impact Athletic Center)

With two #1s and a #2 in the field this weekend, the establishment did a banner job of holding serve as 11 of the 13 titles were claimed by student-athletes with numbers (rankings) next to their names...

Among our aforementioned number unos, it was Chase Nevills (DII #1 @131) and Alex Berisha (DI #1 at 215) going a combined 6-0 at their ranked weights to win the lone "A" bracket crowns for Copenhagen and Fox Lane respectively!!!

Nevills, the two-time NYS medalist/defending DII Champion navigated one of the deepest pools of talent, as just to make the finals, he'd have to knock off the likes of DI #11/2x S2 runner-up, Nico Rivera (Mohonasen), and DI #10/2x Nassau Bronze Medalist, Shane Dobbins (Plainedge), which he did in impressive fashion, striking for bonus points in each bout to come away with 21-6 and 9-1 victories....In the crossover finale, he notched his biggest win of the tourney, converting four takedowns and an E1 to emerge as a 9-4 decision victor against DII #6/2023 DII State 6th, Ashten Haley (Cobleskill)!!!

Berisha, a top-10 prospect on the NYWN 2025 Big Board was dominant from start to finish, as he secured falls in all three of his bouts, pinning Luis Lizama (Uniondale) and Antonio Cipollo (Guilderland; 2x S2 4th) in times of 3:56 and 2:39 before finishing the mission to the tune of a 3:50 stick of 2023 Section 2 6th, Santino Mareno (Burnt Hills)!

Snagging a pair of individual crowns on behalf of Spartan Nation (Burnt Hills) was a duo of top-5 personnel----#5 @101, Brody DiCaprio, & #2 @152, Liam Carlin, who each went unscathed despite finding themselves in loaded brackets...

DiCaprio, the returning S2 bronze medalist was the best of a group of up-and-coming youth superstars, we he took top honors in a four-man round-robin by etching triumphs by scores of 4-2, 13-5, and 2-0 over Vincenzo Mannello (BBHVW; 2023 USAW Folkstyle National Champion); his teammate, Daniel Jones (2023 Double USAW Kids National All-American); & Kelly Sullivan (6th at the 2023 S9 Championships for Monroe-Woodbury)!!!

Carlin, who seems to be a surefire bet to land on the podium at the NYS Championships for the third time in his career (2023 DI runner-up), was in complete control of his weight class, as it was a six point middle stanza (escape, TD, turn) that enabled him to pitch the 8-0 shutout in the finals over DII #3/2022 NYS DII 5th, Tyler Roe (Tioga) in a clash of state medalists/2024 State title favorites...Prior to the win over the Tiger senior [Roe], Carlin racked up a 58-14 advantage to record technical falls by scores of 19-3 and 19-4 over Liam Hayes (2x S9 placer for Monroe-Woodbury) and Ryan Gurien (2023 S8 6th for Plainedge), complemented by a 20-7 major against DI #8 ranked/2023 S1 Champion, Tommy Iasiello (Scarsdale), to close out pool-play!

Plainedge took the trip back to Long Island with plenty of hardware in tow, as it was the likes of DI #4 Luke Nieto, DI #7 Devin Downes, and DI #6 Vincent Petzold, all ascending to the top of the podium to give the Red Devils a tournament-best three individual brass ring winners in the "A" Division"....

Nieto, a 2023 NYS DI 5th, would toppled a pair of fellow top-10ers in the round-robin, commencing his journey to the top by registering a 17-9 major decision over DI #8 (@138)/3x S2 medalist/2023 DI Qualifier, David Ensminger (Shenendehowa) before tacking on an 11-5 decision one round later over DII #10/2023 DII State 6th, Deakon Bailey (Tioga)...He wrapped up his gold by pinning 2023 D1 4th, Thomas Tsoi (BBHVW), and his own teammate, Steven Ventricelli, in rounds 3 and 5!!

Downes, a S8 3rd/NYS SDI Qualifier as a freshman in 2022-2023, seized his glory when he bested a pair of 2023 section 1 finalists, clinching his pool via a 9-1 major over Westchester champ, Cameron Wierl (John Jay Cross River) and then doubling up (6-3) sectional silver medalist, Kenny Saito (Edgemont) in the finals....His only other dub of the day came by fall (up 11-0) over 2023 Section 2 bronze medalist, Colin Pickering (FFJ)!

Petzold was never extended beyond 2:15 in any of his four appearances, as he went 4-for-4 in securing falls, with the last of the quartet coming 2023 Section 2 4th, Billy Pokeda (Gulderland)...

Brewster's DI #10 Ian Sutherland raised his proverbial stock quite a bit over the weekend, as he's blow open a then 4-2 lead when he struck for a reversal and then near-fall to post the 8-2 decision over DII #3 ranked/2023 DII State 5th, Jesse Mullis (Hudson Falls) to win his pool....As a follow-up, he jumped out to an 8-2 cushion before gluing returning S1 4th, Steven Hill (Scarsdale), in a time of 2:47 of their 190-pound title contest!!

2x Section 2 Bronze medalist, Greg Green made certain that Shen did not get shutout of the "A" title box score, as he'd boast a 6-1 decision over 2023 Vermont State runner-up, Asa Reiss (Mt. Anthony) as the highlight of a 4-0 resume that landed him atop the 138-pound weight class...His closest match came against Plainsmen teammate/2023 S2 4th, Arcangelo Losee, as a reversal and rideout in the 2nd period enabled him to earn the 2-0 decision!

DII #14 at 170 pounds/2023 S2 runner-up, Kyber Henry, had himself a day while representing Cobleskill, as he dropped down to 160 and upended three fellow sectional placers---2x S1 4th, Jordan Fisher (Edgemont); 2023 S9 5th, Isaiah Grant (Monroe-Woodbury), & 2x S1 medalist/former runner-up, Joey Saito (Edgemont)---by outcomes of fall in 4:59 (up 7-4), 10-3, 3-1!!!

Rounding out our champions at the Wrangle were:
108: Luca Popolizio (CBA-Albany)
116: DI #9 (@108) Nicholas Fortugno
124: Duncan Harrington (Mt. Anthony; VT)‍

BRACKETS/FULL RESULTS

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2023 PHOENIX SCRAMBLE (John C Birdlebough High School HS)

With over 20+ ranked wrestlers in the field, there was no shortage of marquee match-ups taking place in the Syracuse area this past weekend...

Gauntlets present at many of the upper weights, the most impressive feats that commanded our attention and demanded our respect came courtesy of DII #1 Braidon Woodward (Pal-Mac) and DI #2 Christopher Belmonte (New Hartford), who took home the titles at 170 and 285 pounds respectively...

Reaching and surpassing the 200 career victory milestone during the event, the 2x NYS medalist/2023 NHSCA All-American headed to Buffalo [Woodward] left no doubt that the Small School State crown goes through him at 170 pounds as he dominated a potential Saturday night main event preview when he emerged as a 12-4 major decision over DII #3/2023 NYS DII State 5th, Charles Foster (Vernon-Verona-Sherrill), in the finals....During round-robin/pool-play, the 2023 Eastern States Classic titlist also earned a 17-2 TF over 2x Section 4 placer, Logan Barnes (Union-Endicott)!!

Belmonte, the super sophomore out of S3 who just missed placement last season in Albany (lost in the blood round), looked the part of a young gentleman who is on his way to a high finish in 2024 as he rack up three falls and an 18-1 technical fall to deliver a title-winning effort....Of especial prominence would be his two victories in the crossover championship bracket as he secured sticks in times of 5:41 and 4:15 over the #4 and #5 ranked foes in the large school polls---Qymani Viera-Powell (2x S4 finalist/2023 Sectional Champ for Union-Endicott) & Jackson Schwab (2x S3 placer/2023 Sectional Bronze medalist for Fayetteville-Manlius)!!

Four additional weight classes (101, 131, 160, and 215) were all settled via mano-a-mano top-15 shootouts with the "precious" winding up in the hands of DI #4 Brady Maneri (Auburn), DII #9 Zachary Rooks (Pal-Mac), DI #5 Jackson Koppers (Rush-Henrietta), & DI #9 Jaylon Yearwood (Union-Endicott)...

Maneri, the 2023 S3 runner-up, capped a 4-0 sheet over the weekend when he ran away with a 16-5 major decision against DII #9 Andrew Juliano (Holland Patent)!

Rooks, a 2x S5 medalist (former sectional runner-up), pitched the 5-0 goose-egg in his finals bout versus DII #15/2022 S3 6th, Caleb Jolly (Phoenix)!

Koppers, who is in the hunt for a Section 5 three-peat as a junior, logged top-15 dubs in his first and last appearances of the festivities, as he prevailed 9-5 in the 1st round of the RR over DII #3/2x S5 bronze medalist, Cody Quick (Pal-Mac); and then closed the show with a 14-3 major decision over DII #9/6th at the 2023 S3 Championships, William Burnell (Phoenix)!

Yearwood, the defending throne holder in Section 4, pinned his way through the pool to reach the ship and then was able to post a 4-2 decision over DII #10/2023 S5 Bronze medalist, Jared Haers (Pal-Mac)!

Not ranked entering the weekend, but certainly lending credence as to why they ought to be included when the polls are updated were the likes of Griffin Freeman (Rush-Henrietta), Mike Boyhan (Auburn), and Luke VanGorden (Pal-Mac) who all conquered ranked oppositions in their finals matches to snatch the "yellow medals" at 116, 131, and 190!!!

Freeman, a diaper dandy (2027), beat DI #8 (@108)/2023 S6 4th, Zak Massaro (Grand Island), not once, but on two separate occasions, as he recorded an 11-1 major decision during pool competition and then won a much closer affair, 4-2, in the crossover finale!!!

Boyhan, the 2x S3 3rd, took the 5-1 decision against 2x Section 3 5th/DII #10 Eli Doxstader (Holland Patent)!

VanGorden (2023 S5 4th), who was the last of the Red Raiders' five champs, was a mat slap machine, as four of his bouts ended with a 1st period pin, including the 1:48 decking of defending Section III champ/DII #11 (@170), Trent True (Holland Patent).....In the only match that did go the distance, VanGorden was equally domineering, racking up a 10-1 major decision in the crossover semis versus DI #14/2x S3 medalist, Judson Ferris (Baldwinsville)!!!

The remainder of the individual accolades were earned by:
108: #1 #8 (101) Jacob Hurd (New Hartford)
124: Adam Munz (Vernon-Verona-Sherrill)
145: DII #13 Stevie Schulz (Pal-Mac)
152: Keegin Christian (Pal-Mac)‍

BRACKETS/FULL RESULTS
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2023 STWOA KICKOFF CLASSIC (At Jamestown Community College)

40+ ranked wrestlers, three defending state champions, and a heap of other under the radar/ready to make their move studs all gathered under a single roof was the epitome of a non-stop, first whistle to last buzzer, slugfest, as just about every bracket was comprised of an individual that we can/do foresee making an appearance on the podium in February...

Pinpointing our aforementioned reigning kings as the centerpieces of an amazing weekend of wrestling in Section V, DII #2 Jordan Joslyn (Chautauqua Lake-WP), DI #2 Cameron Catrabone (Williamsville North-East), and DII #1 Tavio Hoose (Southwestern) all lived up to their reputations at 138, 160, and 190 pounds respectively, as each had no trouble in heading home with hardware under their arms!!

Joslyn, who is pledged to West Point next fall, accrued a fall and three straight tech falls to reach the finals before finally receiving a challenge in the form of a 10-6 decision against DII #6 (145)/2022 NYS DII 4th, Jacob McVige (HFL)...Six of Joslyn's 10 points came on the mat, as he'd have a TD + NF in both the 1st and 3rd periods, as well as a 2nd period reversal!!

Future second-generation Michigan Wolverine/current national #6 at 145 pounds, Catrabone, is in the midst of enjoying "a hot boy winter" at the onset of his swan song, as he blitzed the field to the tune of three sub.-2:00 falls (including a semifinal stick in 1:03 over 2023 CHSAA State 4th, Brandon Drummond; St. Francis) to punch his ticket to the ship...In the finals, he capitalized off off five takedowns and two sets of near-fall for the full count to propel himself to a 17-2 technical fall against DII #15 (@145)/2x S6 placer, Caden Inkley (Randolph!...

Hoose, the sensational sophomore (top-10 on the 2026 Big Board) for the Trojans won't be budging off the top line of the polls this week as he survived a 4-3 semifinal clash with DII #8/multiple-time S6 medalist, Jayden Malecki (Chautauqua Lake-WP), before winning a more convincing 8-1 decision in the title contest over DI #5/2x S6 placer, Zachary Caldwell (now at St. Francis)...The bulk of his scoring coming in the 1st period, Hoose jumped out to a 5-0 (TD + NF) and never looked back as he added an E1 and takedown in the 3rd!....Caldwell reached the finals when he pulled the 5-2 upset in the semis over returning NYS DII runner-up/current DII #4 @170, Tavyvn MacDonell (Bolivar-Richburg)!

Not State titlists yet, but projected by NYWN to be on that track were two other #1 ranked wrestlers---Wyatt Sartori (Dansville-Wayland Cohoctan), Jaron Barrientos (Lewiston-Porter), and Gage LaPlante (St. Francis) whose heads wore the crowns at 101, 116, and 170 pounds over the weekend!

Already owning the top spot in the Small School rankings at the lowest weight class but making a push to be the #1 overall 8th grader in the Evil Empire was the 2023 S5 runner-up [Sartori], who won a barnburner in a warrior of young guns, 7-5, over current DI #6/2023 Section 6 bronze medalist, Tanner Catrabone (Williamsville North-East) in the finale...The only appearance made by the Mustang phenom that did not generate bonus points, in his previous bouts, Sartori checked off multiple squares on his proverbial bingo card, notching a tech in the round of 16, a 1st period fall in the quarters, and then a 17-5 major versus DII #15 Mason DellaPenta (Eden)!....Catrabone's path to the ship took him Bolivar-Richburg's fab filly, Teegan Sibble (current DII #2 in the boys rankings; 2023 NYSPHSAA Girls Invitational runner-up; 2023 NHSCA National Champion; 2023 Fargo All-American)!

Barrientos, who was up a weight class from where he holds the top billing (108 to 116), did not seem to be hindered by facing off with larger opponents as he was able to amass a 13-2 major (over DII #13/2023 S6 3rd, Thandon Bensink; Chautauqua Lake-WP), a 1:35 pin, and a 22-5 TF to vault his way into the money match....In the finals, he received but passed a tough test, as scoring the only two takedowns of the match in the 1st and 3rd periods to come away with the 5-3 decision over Keystone State rep, Adika Fiscus (Warren; PA)!

LaPlante, another West Point commit, showcased that he does not need weapons, because he himself is a human WOMD, which he proved by pinning all four of his opponents in 2:24 or less, including a 37-second stick in the finals over DII #5 ranked/2023 NYS DII 5th, Beau Zeh (Canisteo-Greenwood)....His longest match coming in the semis, the 2023 NHSCA All-American in his first season as a Red Raider, seemed destined for a tech (up 9-0) had he not been able to secure the mat slap versus DII #9/2023 NYS DII 6th, John Watson (Chautauqua Lake-WP)!

Preserving the pattern of highly numbered men(top-5 in their weight class and/or classification) making definitive statements were our champions at 108, 124, 152, and 285----DI #4 Cullen Edwards (St. Francis), DII #3 Christopher Noto (HFL), DI #2 Griff LaPlante (St. Francis), & DII #5 Ison Shirley (Chautauqua Lake-WP)...

Edwards,a two-time S6 finalist/2023 Champion before following his family roots to Hamburg, broke the ice for the first of St. F's four individual golds when he battled back from surrendering the initial TD of the bout by scoring the last five points (escape + TD in the 1st; 3rd period reversal) to emerge as a 5-2 winner versus DII #15/2023 S5 5th, Connor McCaffrey (Canisteo-Greenwood)...His three prior matches all ended with pins!

Noto, the 2x returning State medalist for the Cougars, made a tough task look easy, as three of his four triumphs came at the expense of top-15 opponents, as in consecutive appearances, he recorded wins by way of 7-1 decision, 49-second pin, and 10-3 decision against DII #6/3x S6 medalist, Caden Barrientos (Lewiston-Porter), DII #15/2023 Section 5 5th, Dylan Depew-Cappadonia (Canisteo-Greenwood), and DII #5 (@116)/2023 NYS DII 8th, Trevor DellaPenta (Eden)...All 10 of Noto's points in the finals came courtesy of takedowns between the 1st and 2nd periods!

LaPlante joined his older brother [Gage] on the top step of the podium when he showed no mercy (4 pins and a major) on his journey to the Titletown, highlighted by an evenly distributed five TD affair that vaulted him to an 11-2 conquest over 2x NYS DII placer, Colton Havens (Canisteo-Greenwood) in a collision of DI vs. DII #2 ranked standouts!...In the semis, he pinned 2023 Section 6 4th, Cole Bloomquist (Jamestown) in 3:18!

Shirley, the 2x S6 placer/2023 silver, lowered the curtain on the proceedings at 285 when an escape within the first 10 ticks of the 3rd period was the difference-maker in a 4-3 decision over 2023 S6 Bronze medalist, Max Smith (Williamsville North-East)....The victory in the the title match was the second of a pair of dubs he posted over returning S6 Bronze medalists for the Spartans....One round earlier, Shirley took Zaid El Nasser to his back for the fall with :13 to go in the opening stanza...

DII #8 (@124) Carmine Calimeri (Southwestern), unranked Rory White (St. Francis), and DII #8 Matt Trim (Maple Grove) completed our 13 individual champs....

Calimeri, the returning 2x NYS DII medalist bumped up to 131 where he pinned his way into the finals before fighting out of a 4-1 hole at the end of the 1st period to eventually prevail, 7-5 (reversal in the last :40 being the deciding factor) against Cinderella story, Israel Walker (Lewiston-Porter)....Walker booked his ticket to the ship behind a fall in 4:54 versus DII #7/2022 NYS DII silver medalist, Andrew Spaulding (HFL)!!

White, a recent Western NY Wrestler of the Week recipient, kept his mojo flowing as he'd pin DII #10 (@138) and #12 ranked---Bryce DellaPenta (2x S6 finalist/2022 Champ for Eden) &  Ethan Coleman (Portville; 2022 NYS DII 5th for Bolivar-Richburg), in times of 5:39 and 2:37 to reach the finale....In the 145-pound finals, he tallied the only point on a 2nd period escape and rode out the full 2:00 of the 3rd to claim the 1-0 decision over DII #7 (@152)/defending S5 Champ, Waylan Winseman (HFL)!...

His finals match with DII #12/2023 S6 runner-up, Mason Maring (Chautauqua Lake-WP), all square at 4-4, the 2023 DII 8th, Trim, was able to hit a reversal with :49 to go in regulation and maintained top control the rest of the way to pull off a 6-4 decision!!...

‍BRACKETS/FULL RESULTS‍

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2023 GENERAL BROWN DUALS (@General Brown HS)

One of the most competitive events of the weekend, what the event may have lacked in star power (only five ranked wrestlers among the six schools), they made up for and then some by putting forth nothing but down-to-the-wire caliber bouts where seemingly every verdict was not decided until late in the dual(s)....

Taking the hour+ drive from Section 3 into S10 and then traveling home unscathed (5-0) would be a Blue Devil contingent from Camden who got tested at nearly every stage of the journey, but managed to conquer the adversity to hoist hardware...

Their closest dual coming in round 4 of the RR format versus the host school, our eventual champs actually found themselves trailing 36-28 with just two individual bouts to go, but would be saved thanks to the heroics of Devin Plourde and Hunter Waterman who delivered a fall in 0:18 (over Henry Ousley), followed by a 8-4 decision (against Camron Cook) to pull off the 11th hour comeback....At the onset of the dual, sophomore, Mason Butler, picked up a monster victory when he was able to stick current DII #7 (@101)/2023 S10 5th, Najeed Abel, at the 1:13 mark of their 108-pound bout!!!

Earlier in the day (Round 2), it was returning Section III 6th place performer, Talon Kimball, emerging with one of the biggest wins of his young varsity career when he was able to knock off DII #4 (@116)/2023 NYS DII 5th, Derek Walseman, by a score of 7-2 at a 124 pounds to create the six-point swing that enabled the Devils to register the 39-33 dual triumph over Beaver River!!

Going undefeated (minimum of 4 appearances) as soloists as part of the collective glory were Butler, Kimball, Gage Grinnell, and DII #9 Kolton Kelley!!

Also immaculate on behalf of their schools/programs were (Min 4 wins):

*Joey Jewett (General Brown; 101/108)
*Dylan Munk (General Brown; 145)
*Dylan Buckingham (Beaver River; 152)
*Riley Walsemen (Beaver River; 160)
*Dominic Roes (Beaver River; 190/215)
*Kierce Whitney (Ogdensburg; 116)
*Connor Young (Ogdensburg; 285)
*Paul Ortega (Watertown; 145/152)
*Michael Roberts (Watertown; 170)
*Graham Rozler (Canton; 160/170)
*Charlie Rossner (Canton; 190)

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TEAM STANDINGS

1. Camden---5-0
2. General Brown---4-1
3. Beaver River---3-2
4. Ogdensburg---2-3
5. Watertown---1-4
6. Canton---0-5

‍RESULTS/BOX SCORES

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2023-24 DAVE BUCK MEMORIAL TOURNAMENT (@Elmira HS)

With only a handful of ranked personnel in the building, there was ample opportunity for fresh names/faces to be birthed as it pertained to wrestlers to "keep an eye on" in the coming weeks and months!

To the credit of our four top-15 student-athletes, all of them would be flawless, as DII #4 Caleb Cole (Unatego-UV-Franklin), DII #4 Colin Scherer (Marcellus-Onondaga), and Windsor teammates---DII #4 Mason McCombs & DII #6 Dominick Weaver--took home the hardware at 131, 138, 190, and 215 respectively!!

Cole, who has twice finished 4th at the NYSPHSAA Championships, turned in an award-winning afternoon, as he'd garner O.W. honors after going 4-for-4 in pin attempts (3 in the 1st period), including a :41 stick of 2023 S4 5th, Abdul-Jamil Zaggout (Unatego-UV-Franklin), in the finals.....His longest outing (2:25) came against 2x Sectional 5th, Brendan Gumaer (Marathon)!

Scherer, a three-time S4 medalist (2023 runner-up)/2x State Qualifier for the Mustangs was equally as dominant, as he went the distance just once in his five bouts, as he'd culminate a crown-winning effort (won the Captain Tony Bailey Memorial last week) for the second straight weekend when he racked up a 14-4 major decision against 2x S4 placer/2022 sectional silver medalist, Max Collins (Elmira)....

Medaling in his last two trips to Albany (4th on both occasions), McCombs remained perfect in his senior campaign as he added the Buck Memorial trophy to the gold he won at the  Bill Andersen Memorial last weekend when he received the victory by injury default over 2023 Section 4 titlist, Dikota Hamilton (Ithaca)....Previously, he posted 15-0 TF against returning S4 6th, Matthew Brown (Elmira)!

Weaver, who missed the trip to South Pearl Street after finishing 4th in NYS in 2022, looked quite solid up multiple weight classes (competed at 172 in 2022-2023), as he'd cap off a 4-0 resume by doubling up (8-4), 2023 S4 4th, Seth Parker (Moravia), in the 215-pound finals contest....The decision in the finale was the only match in which the Black Knight 12th grader did not record bonus points, as his prior matches yielded two falls and an 8-0 major (over 2023 S4 5th/teammate, Gabe Soundararaj)!

When we spoke above of hidden gems that made the most of their chances this week, the names that immediately came to mind were the likes of Lucas Hoffman (Odessa Montour), Tim Boyce (Windor), and Cadin Creeley (Newark Valley) who seized the prize at 116, 145, and 152!

Hoffman, who took the trip to MVP Arena in 2022 after finishing 2nd in Section 4, is looking to put himself on the path back to Albany (did not qualify in 2023) and is off to a promising start to turning those goals into realities as as he followed up a title at the Wellsville tournament by beating three former and/or returning sectional medalists in the persons of Peyton Hubbard (2023 S4 Champion for Chenango Forks), Ryder Depadua-Reese (2023 S4 Bronze on behalf of Elmira), & 2023 S4 5th, Gavin Nordberg by pinning them in times of 3:31, 1:13, and 5:39!!!

Boyce, a sectional Bronze medalist last season, "secured the bag" when he bested a pair of fellow Binghamton Area 4th place performers, pinning 2023 S4 4th, Braydon Homer (Marathon) in 2:39, and then cementing the brass ring with a comfortable 6-1 decision over Unatego-Unadilla Valley's Abdeen Zaggout!

6th a year ago at the S4 Championships, Creeley was able to topple a pair of place wrestlers, as he pitched a 7-0 shutout over 2x 5th, Brittan Keller (Marathon), and then pinned 2023 S4 5th, Trevor Rankin (Marcellus) in the title contest!

Completing the catalog of outstanding champs from the Buck were:
101: Brogan Lefever (Unatego-Unadilla Valley)
108: Knoll McCoy (Marcellus)
124: Kyle Kitson (Whitney Point)
160: Nicholas Plue (Moravia)
172: Christopher Doshna (Marcellus)
285: Dana Guild (Odessa Montour)

‍RESULTS

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6TH ANNUAL KING OF THE MAT (@HEWLETT HS)

13 ranked wrestlers, featuring a pair of former NYSPHSAA DI State Champs, as well as a 2023 NYS DII runner-up gathered on the Everit Avenue this past Saturday and treated the  audience to quite the day of fierce action!!!

Seizing the team title by putting four of their five numbered men on the top of the podium would be the Marines of Long Beach HS who received triumphant efforts at 108 (Ethan Andreula), 116 (Dunia Sibomana-Rodriguez), 124 (Brody Franklin), and 160 (Greg Milone)!!!....

Andreula, the returning NYS DI 7th who is currently ranked 11th at 101, shook off a loss from the previous weekend at the Battle of the Beach by returning to his title-winning ways up a weight class by tearing through his bracket to the tune of out-scoring his three opponents by a margin of 32-2....His only bout that did not yield bonus points came in the finals, as he takedowns in the 1st and 3rd periods sent him to a 5-1 decision versus 2023 S8 bronze medalist, Charles Bergonzi (MacArthur)!!!....In his first match of the day, he racked up a 17-1 tech fall over 2023  Catholic State 6th, Lucas Griffin (Chaminade)!....

Sibomana-Rodriguez, who is not only #1 at 116, but alsoowns the distinction of being NYWN's top 2026 overall prospect, showed why he is a 2x NYS DI medalist/2022 Champion, as he accrued three 1st period falls, not to mention a 17-2 technical fall to cruise to his second tournament gold in as many weekends....His finals bout only lasting 90 seconds, Dunia was able to pin the host school's Jesse McMahon for the prize!

Completing the natural hat trick (3 consecutive titles) at 124 pounds was the2023 Nassau 3rd place finisher, who entered the week ranked #7 at 131 pounds but made the drop with great success as he'd go pretty much unchallenged at the lower weight, stockpiling a TF and two falls, including 1:36 stick in the title contest over teammate, Konner Rosenweig....Levittown-Division's Michael Devaney would be the only person to offer much of a challenge, to Franklin, as he was pushed to a 10-7 decision in the quarterfinals to account for his only non-bonus victory!

Milone (DI #13), the lowest ranked of the quartet actually had the finest afternoon of the foursome as he'd navigate through the deepest bracket, going 5-0, highlighted by a 5-0 blanking (takedowns in each of of the first two periods) of DI #13 @160/2023 S8 5th, Eric Wolf (Farmingdale), in the finals....One round earlier, the Marine senior notched an impressive 8-0 major over 2023 CHSAA State 4th, Sam Griffin (Chaminade)!

Joining Sibomana-Rodriguez is a further illustration of their  Empire State dominance were two more individuals that are not strangers to the Late-February Saturday Night Main Event in Albany----DI #1 (145)Joey Manfredi (Herricks) and DII #2 Greyson Meak (Cold Spring Harbor) who were your champs at 152 and 190 pounds respectively!!

The Future Arizona State Sun Devil/3x NYS finalist/2x Champion, Manfredi, looked amazing up at 152 after previously being a lightweight (126 in 2023), as he lit up the scoreboard for 68 points (68-23) in his first three matches to tech his way into the finale...Facing off with 2022 Catholic State 4th, Nick DeNatale (Chaminade) for the hardware, the Highlander senior still had plenty of offensive in the tank, as he'd strike for four takedowns to record the 9-3 decision over the Flyer captain!!!...Among Manfredi's earlier dubs was a 21-6 TF versus 2023 PSAL runner-up, Brandon Pacheco (Eagle Academy)....DeNatale punched his ticket when he upended 2x Nassau Champion/current DII #8 ranked, Ray McNulty (Cold Spring Harbor), 4-0, in the semis!

It was easy sailing for 2023 DII silver medalist, Meak, as all four of his appearances ended in the blink of an eye, as he banked falls in times of :26, :12, :32, and :26 to barely break a sweat....His finals victim was Farmingdale's Josh Kama!

Meak's teammates, Oleg Daniloff, as well as MacArthur General sophomore sophomore, Vincent Orandello, added to the collection of top-10 ranked personnel to handle their business on Long Island as they each cruised to yellow medals at 101 and 170 pounds....

Orandello, the returning S8 runner-up, gave credence as to why he presently sits in the #3 spot of the Large School polls, emerging with a sub.-1:00 falls in his quarter and finals (over Long Beach's Casey Powers) wins, sandwiched around a 16-0 tech in the semis....Scoring :05 into the bout with Powers, it took Orandello all of 57 ticks to get on and off the mat!!

On the flip side, Daniloff (2x S8 6th) had to work considerably harder, as he was pushed to the limit by Sewanhaka East's Justin DePietro, before an escape and TD in the 3rd period enabled him to squeak out a 7-6 decision in a finals bout that was neck-and-neck (4-4 at the end of the 2nd) at every stage!!...

Not ranked yet, but certainly showing that he belongs in that conversation was 2023 CHSAA State runner-up, Brendon Katimbang (Chaminade), who posted the only finals win by an unranked wrestler over a top-15 when he struck rallied from an 2-0 deficit to score the next five points en route to a 5-4 decision over DI #15/3x Nassau County medalist, Kirk Smith (Hewlett), at 131-pounds....His only loss thus far this season being a 3-0 decision versus 3x NYS medalist/2023 runner-up, Anthony Clem (Wantagh), the Flyer sophomore [Katimbang] is looking the part of a person primed to make his first trip upstate later this winter!

Santiago Pelaez (Levittown Division), Eric Gendlin (Hewlett), DI #14 Juan Ramos (Freeport), & Adam Maarouf (Sewanhaka East) took the titles at 138, 145, 215, and 285!

‍RESULTS/FULL BRACKETS

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2023 Carl Korpi Scramble (@Miller Place HS)

Kudos to you, young Mr. Chris Colon!!!

Garnering LIWA Wrestler of the Week honors after being the last man standing in a loaded 124-pound bracket over the weekend, the current DII #5 ranked/2023 NYS DII 5th notched two of the biggest victories of his career in back-to-back fashion when he knocked off DI #3 ranked/2x NYS DI medalist, Mason Mangialino (Comsewogue), 6-3 in the semifinals; and then as the ultimate encore, posted a 3-2 decision over teammate/DII #2/returning NYS Silver medalist, Gavin Mangano, in the finals...The two wins over top-3 foes closed out a 5-0 overall day for the senior Wildcat as he previously registered three 1st period falls during pool play!

Colon being the obvious shining star of the crowd, he was the first of five top-15 ranked competitors to earn hardware in Suffolk County at the event....Also stepping into the limelight and acting as kings of their domain would be our champs at 138, 145, 152, and 170 pounds---Michael Giugliano (Miller Place), Nick Flaherty (Comsewogue), and the Smithtown West duo of Jack DiMaggio & Nick Zins!

Giugliano, the current DI #2 at 145/2x NYS 6th, capped off a 4-pin, 1-TF day when he needed just 1:01 to stick Smithtown West's Max DeSousa in the 138-pound finals...

Flaherty, DI #14, built off of three 1st period wins during pool-play by finishing the job via a 10-1 major decision over Peter Graham (Smithtown West)...

DI #6 DiMaggio closed out his 5-0 resume by gluing Miller Place's Greyson Cirolli with 1:18 remaining in regulation!!

Zins, currently 14th in the DI polls, put a bow on "all falls" effort when he logged his five stick of the day in a time of 2:58 over Shoreham-Wading River's Nate Spuhler in a clash of fellow 2023 Suffolk County 4th place finishers!!

Center Moriches' Callum Jones also commanded our attention at 190 pounds as the 2023 Suffolk Champion/NYSPHSA Qualifier secured the lone crown for his school when he was able to pin 2022 S11 runner-up, John Felakos (Mattituck), 1:24 into the 3rd period....The stick of the Tucker junior [Felakos] was the last of Jones's five pins en route to gold!!

Rounding out the individual brass ring winners were:

101: Evan Margolis (Smithtown West)
108: Anthony Perrino (Miller Place)
116: Charles Clifford (Miller Place)
131: Colten Ford (Smithtown West)
160: Brian Schreck (Miller Place)
215: Brandon Bermingham (Comsewogue)
285: Zack Wilson (Shoreham-Wading River)

‍RESULTS/BRACKETS