Crumpler, Vicario, Brown Lead Twenty-Two WNY Place Winners; NYSPHSAA Wrestling Championships Roundup

Mar 1, 202210 min read

Cover photo courtesy of Jeff Pataky

Fifty-three WNY athletes descended on the 59th Annual NYSPHSAA Wrestling Championships on Friday and Saturday in the state capital after a two-year hiatus as the event was cancelled last season.

Out of the fifty-three WNY regional athletes who competed in the event, Section VI placed a total of twenty-two wrestlers in the top eight of their respective weight classes. The Division I team was led by 118-pound NYS runner-up Jaden Crumpler from Niagara Falls who was the highest placer out of nine total Section VI place winners.

In Division II, state finalists Johnny Vicario from Eden and Nick Brown from Springville led a group of thirteen small school place winners from Section VI.

Even without a champion in either division, Section VI landed in the top five final sectional team scores. The large school team was 5th overall in the twelve-team race while the small school team finished 4th in the thirteen-team field.

Niagara Falls junior Jaden Crumpler advanced to the Division I 118-pound state final match as the 6-seed in the bracket. Crumpler took down the 11-seed Alex Greco from Warwick Valley (Section IX) by major decision and then was a 4-1 winner over 14-seed John Tietjen from Sachem East (XI) in the quarterfinal. In the Saturday morning semifinal, Crumpler was a 2-0 winner in overtime with a sudden death takedown over returning state place winner Christian Lievano from Ward Melville (XI).

In the Saturday night finale, Crumpler met Section XI champion Matthew Marlow from Northport HS. With a deadlocked 1-1 score late in the third period, Crumpler defended a Marlow shot well and went into a scramble situation, however Marlow was able finish the sequence on top with little time remaining for a 3-1 victory.

Crumpler was one of two Falls place winners alongside 7th place winner Amarfio Reynolds, Jr at 126-pounds to pace the Wolverines to a 9th place finish in the individual team standings in Division I, the highest ‘Falls has placed as a team at states in program history. Teammates Eian Peterson and Mike Syposs each won one match in Albany while Jesiere Carter earned three victories to contribute to the team score. Crumpler is now one of seven Wolverines to ever make the state final with one more year remaining to possibly become the program’s third ever state champion.

Niagara Falls junior Jaden Crumpler in action in the NYS Division I 118-pound title match. Photo courtesy of Bob Koshinski/Allsportswny.com

In Division II, Eden senior Vicario and Springville senior Brown were two of the biggest surprise runs of the tournament. Both wrestlers were the 7-seeds in their brackets and both defeated the 10, 3, and 2-seeds on the way their respective finals.

Vicario was a winner by first period pin over Section II Warrensburg/Bolton’s Dylan Winchell in the pre-quarters. Vicario then moved on to takedown Tioga’s (IV) returning state place winner 2-seed Mason Welch, 8-4, in the quarterfinal round to set up a meeting with Tioga’s 3-seed Tyler Roe in the semis. On Saturday morning, Vicario defeated his second Tioga opponent in a row with an 8-5 decision victory to advance to the Division II 126-pound final.

In the final, top seeded returning state finalist and two-time placer Max Gallagher from Section XI Bayport-Blue Point HS put an end to Vicario’s run with a technical fall. However, Vicario joins Giovanni Schifano, Rob Broda, and Joe Calderon as one of the program’s now four ever state finalists to cap off an incredible February month as he claimed the Section VI Division II title as the 4-seed in the sectional tournament and ascended to the state final as the 7-seed in Albany.

“All year ever since we were practicing at Frontier, when we were doing sprints we had to yell ‘I am a champion,’ said Vicario after the finals. “All the way through sectionals, all the way through this tournament, that’s all I was thinking: ‘I am a champion.’ When I went out on the mat I didn’t see myself as a 7-seed or an underdog. I thought ‘I was supposed to win this match”… and that’s how I went out there. The last month was the hardest I’ve ever trained in my life. We practiced with all the best teams, we grinded with everyone we could possibly go with and the whole time yelling ‘I am a champion.'”

Eden’s Johnny Vicario in action in the NYS Division II 160-pound final. Photo courtesy of Bob Koshinski/Allsportswny.com

Springville’s Nick Brown made history as the very first ever NYS finalist for Springville-Griffith Institute and only the program’s second ever NYS tournament place winner.

The Section VI champion began the tournament as the 7-seed at 160-pounds. Brown was a come from behind winner by decision, 10-5, over 10-seeded Anthony Pipa from Port Jefferson (XI) in the pre-quarters to advance. In the quarterfinal, Brown was down big, 11-2, going into the third period against 2-seeded returning state place winner Emmett Wood from Tioga. However, in the third period, coach Mark Vogel sent Brown on top with the choice. With only thirty-five seconds remaining in the bout, Brown muscled his way to armbar and eventual pin to advance to the semifinal round.

In the semis, Brown met his second straight Section IV opponent in Bainbridge-Guilford/Afton/Harpursville’s Brady Buttice. Buttice got the first takedown in the bout, however Brown used a reversal straight to a pinning combination with less than a minute to go in the first period to get the pin and earn a spot in the final.

Brown’s run to the final ended with a loss to now two-time NYS champion Carter Baer from Section X’s Gouverneur by technical fall. Baer was awarded Division II Most Outstanding Wrestler at the conclusion of the tournament.

Brown’s second place finish is the highest ever for the Griffins’ program as he joins Ryan Feltz who was 3rd in 2002 as the only other state place winner in program history.

Springville’s Nick Brown in action in the NYS Division II 160-pound final. Photo courtesy of Bob Koshinski/Allsportswny.com

“I think it was an accomplishment on my part,” said Brown after the final. “From 7 to 2nd…I just thought that was pretty good and I was glad with the turnout of the tournament. It feels good to help out my school. Vogel is a great coach. He’s worked us hard in the last few weeks and we’ve come a long way in the last few years.”

Section VI was only one of two sections in the tournament to place both large and small school teams in the top five of both divisions (Section V). Out of twenty-two place winners, ten are underclassmen (five in large school, five in small school) who could bring plenty of experience back to Albany next year, should they all qualify again.

Also, six individual teams from Section VI had two or more place winners. Newfane led with three, followed by Frontier, Niagara Falls, Starpoint, Southwestern, and Medina each with two place finishers at states. Section IX won the overall Division I sectional title led by individual team champion and NYS Dual Meet champion Minisink Valley who also broke the all-time team points record with 155.5 points. Small NYS Dual Meet champion Tioga also doubled up with state titles scoring 146 points for the Division II team championship in Albany. Section III small schools won the Division II sectional race for the second tournament in a row. Section VI finished fifth and fourth in the Division I and II tournaments, respectively.

Newfane’s three place winners and four total participants scored 49 team points which landed the Panthers a tenth place finish amongst all Division II teams as well.

Place winners by team

Division I

Jaden Crumpler – Niagara Falls – 2nd place, 118-pounds

Amarfio Reynolds, Jr – Niagara Falls – 7th, 126

Amarfio Reynolds, Jr

In addition to Jaden Crumpler’s runner-up finish, the Wolverines’ Amarfio Reynolds, Jr secured a 7th place finish for Niagara Falls in his first appearance in Albany. The ‘Falls pair placing in Albany marks the first time since 2004 that two Wolverines placed in the same year (fun fact: NF head coach Josh Eagan was 3rd at 145-pounds in 2004). Four sectional champions will return with states experience next season for ‘Falls which could be huge for their dual meet and individual state tournament aspirations.

Konrad Krzyszton – Frontier – 3rd, 285

Konrad Krzyszton

Travis Browning – 5th, 110

Travis Browning

Browning and Krzyszton made history for Frontier as the first Falcons to place at the state tournament in the same season. Browning completed an excellent career taking 5th place overall at 110-pounds Division I to become Frontier’s first ever multiple time state place winner. Top seeded heavyweight Krzyszton had to settle for 3rd place after a solid 4-1 record with three pins on the weekend. However, Konrad earned the Falcons’ highest place finish at the state tournament in 47 years going back to Gene Tundo’s 2nd place finish in 1975.

Griffin LaPlante – Starpoint – 5th, 132

Gage LaPlante – Starpoint – 7th, 145

Gage LaPlante

The Starpoint brothers became only the 4th and 5th, respectively, state place winners in program history with 5th and 7th placements in Albany. 8th grader Griffin fell in the quarters to the eventual champion but landed in 5th with a 4-2 record on the weekend. Gage placed for the first time in his second appearance in Albany in a loaded 145-pound bracket. Even in the 7th place finale, Gage battled to a 7-5 overtime victory over a returning 2x place winner.

Cam Catrabone – Williamsville North/East – 6th, 145

Williamsville North’s Cam Catrabone reached the semifinal round at 145 D1 with a dominating first period pin in the quarters. In the semis, Cam battled Massapequa’s 10-seed Anthony Conetta who upset the 7, 3, and 2-seeds on the way to the final. In a close match, Conetta was a 2-1 winner over Catrabone. Unfortunately, injury forced Cam to bow out early, but another 6th place NYS finish will appear on his resume going into his junior year where he will surely be in the title conversation again.

Cam Catrabone

Brian Bielec – Grand Island – 5th, 172

Grand Island senior Brian Bielec landed a podium finish in his third time competing in Albany to become only the fourth Viking in program history to do so. 5-seed Bielec reached the quarterfinal round but fell to the 4-seed to move to the consolation bracket. Brian went 3-1 in consolation bouts which included a convincing 9-1 major decision over the 3-seed in final 5th place match.

Brian Bielec

Stafaan Fearon – Lockport – 4th, 285

Fearon reached the quarterfinals as the 5-seed in the weight class but fell into the wrestle backs after that round. Stefaan won three consecutive matches to reach the 3rd place finale, including a 5-1 victory in the blood round to guarantee placement. Fearon’s 4th place finish is the first for the Lions since 2017 at the state tournament.

Stefaan Fearon

Divison II

Aidan Gillings – Newfane- 4th, 132

Aidan Gillings. Photo courtesy of Bob Koshinski/Allsportswny.com

Simon Lingle – Newfane – 4th, 189

Charles LaRose – Newfane – 6th, 285

Newfane’s three place winners was the second most at states in program history after having placed four in 2020. Aidan Gillings captured his second 4th place finish as only a freshman and without a tournament in 2021. Lingle capped off an excellent senior season with a 4th place finish at 189; both Lingle and Gillings reached the semifinals as well. LaRose was a 6th place winner to guarantee a Section VI Division II place winner at 285-pounds in each of the last six state tournaments with the exception of 2019.

Gavin Ciarfella – Medina – 4th, 126

Gavin Ciarfella. Photo courtesy of Bob Koshinski/Allsportswny.com

Dom Callara – Medina – 7th, 102

Medina’s Callara and Ciarfella became the first Mustangs pair in an exact decade to place in the same year at states, and the first Medina placers since 2016. Callara reached the quarterfinal but battled to a 7th place finish earning a convincing tech fall in the blood round to guarantee placement. Ciarfella fell to the eventual 126-pound D2 champion in the quarters but won three straight matches to reach the bronze match, eventually falling by a very close score of 3-0. For Ciarfella it was his second appearance in Albany but first on the podium.

Dontae Hoose – Southwestern – 3rd, 215

Dontae Hoose

Carmine Calimeri – Southwestern – 6th, 102

Carmine Calimeri

Southwestern entered four wrestlers in the tournament two of whom were place winners; two athletes are 8th graders and one is in 10th. Dontae Hoose capped off an outstanding career with a 3rd place finish at 215 going 5-1 on the weekend for his second career NYS placement. Hoose became the fourth 2x state placer in Trojans history. Star 8th grader Carmine Calimeri claimed 6th in NYS at 102-pounds in his first appearance in Albany battling through a very tough bracket.

Dan Kirsch – Pioneer – 4th, 118

Pioneer senior Dan Kirsch made one last run at a state title as the 4-seed in the brutal small school 118-pound bracket. Kirsch reached the semis after another exciting ultimate overtime win against Chautauqua Lake’s Jordan Joslyn in the quarters. In the semifinal, Kirsch challenged but fell to defending NYS champion Gianni Silvestri from Tioga in a narrow 2-0 defeat. Kirsch cruised in the consolation semi, but fell 5-3 in overtime in the bronze match. Dan ends his great Pioneer career as a 3x Section VI champ, a 2x state place winner, and the program’s 23rd different state placer and now its 10th different multiple time placer for the storied program.

Dakota Mascho – Portville – 5th, 152

Portville’s Dakota Mascho became only the second Panther to place more than once at the state tournament with another podium finish in Division II 152-pounds. Mascho reached the semifinal round but feel to the eventual NYS champion, 6-5 in the first overtime period. An 11-6 victory in the finale secured Mascho’s second 5th place podium finish. Mascho is the 8th different place winner in Panthers program history.

Luke Tomlinson – Maple Grove – 6th, 145

Maple Grove’s Luke Tomlinson ended an impressive Red Dragons career with a 6th place finish in Division II at 145-pounds. Tomlinson added two more pins out of his three wins in Albany to finish as the leader in WNY this season with 47 victories. Luke became the 15th different state place winner in program history to cap off a 225+ victories career with over 150 pins.

Trevor Barry – Iroquois – 5th, 215

5-seed Iroquois sophomore Trevor Barry reached the small school 215-pound final with a quality 8-6 decision over the 4-seed in the Friday quarterfinal. Barry fell to the eventual champion to land in the consolation semis but fell by another very narrow one point decision to SW’s Hoose. Barry completed the tournament with a pin for 5th place to set up a very nice path for himself in the next two years…he’s only a sophomore. Barry is Iroquois’s 19th different NYS tournament place winner.

Johnny Vicario – Eden – 2nd, 126

Nick Brown – Springville – 2nd, 152

WNY state tournament competitors:

Eian Peterson (Niagara Falls) – 102

Cullen Edwards (Frontier) – 102

Cullen Edwards

Bryce DellaPenta (Eden) – 110

Kenji Walters (Southwestern) – 110

Austin Zimmerman (St. Joe’s) – 110

Austin Zimmerman

Kenny Schmitz (Hamburg) – 110

Kenny Schmitz