Legends claim ECIC wrestling tournament crown

The Lancaster Legends secured the ECIC tournament team title on Saturday at Starpoint High School, scoring 173.5 team points to second place Iroquois’ 153. Seven Legends placed in the top four of their weight classes with five finalists overall.

The tournament, which is normally conducted over a Friday and Saturday in late January, was moved to December due to the timing of the Section VI Duals and the first ever state dual meet tournament coming in January. The tournament was cut short to a one-day tournament due to a weather cancellation on Friday causing many of the placement matches to go uncontested due to the five-match-a day maximum rule.

Individual champions for the Legends were Jacob Harry in the 106-pound weight class, defending sectional champion Ryan Stencel in the 160-pound weight class, and Joe Andreessen, who is ranked fifth in NYS 2017, at 220 pounds.

Iroquois was led by 152-pound champion Cory Day. Clarence was third in the team standings with 151.5 points. The Red Devils were led by defending sectional champion Aiden Rabideau who won the 113-pound tournament title and Anthony Corigliano with the 126-pound title. Rabideau was named the tournament’s Most Outstanding Wrestler with his 4-2 win over Parker Rozler of Lancaster, also a defending 2017 Section VI champion.

Depew-Cleveland Hill’s Carson Alberti was the 99-pound weight class champion. Jamestown’s Cody Pool won the 120-pound title. 2016 Section VI champion Zach Braddell of Tonawanda secured his third ECIC title with a win in the 132-pound final. Williamsville North’s Vinny Catanzaro avenged a 2017 ECIC final loss to Iroquois’s Jacob Vergien with a 7-6 decision over the Chief grappler.

Johnny Putney of East Aurora claimed his third ECIC title with a win in the 145-pound title match. Frontier’s Derek Wojciechowski won the 170-pound title, Amherst’s Anthony Maiola was the 182-pound champion, Maryvale’s Nick Costanzo was the 195-pound champion and Starpoint’s Anthony Robinson won the 285-pound ECIC title.

The final team standings for the tournament:

1. Lancaster 173.5

2. Iroquois 153

3. Clarence 151.5

4. Amherst 126.5

5. Jamestown 114.5

6. Pioneer 109

7. Orchard Park 85

8. Will N/E 75

9. Frontier 72.5

10. Starpoint 72