Cover photo courtesy of Jeff Pataky
After a monumental 2023-2024 season for Red Raiders Wrestling, expectations for the 2024-2025 team could not be greater. A squad that returns three NYS federation place winners added a handful of student-athletes new to the school this year, including three of last season’s Section VI champions, two of whom are defending NYS finalists.
The Raiders will be under new leadership as well this season with the promotion of previous assistant coach Ron Lorenz to the head coach position, replacing long-time head man Mike Messore. Lorenz joined the staff in the 2020-2021 season, and previously led Lancaster for thirteen years capturing five league titles and a Section VI Dual Meet title, amongst a number of other accomplishments.
Joining Lorenz will be a group of experienced and accomplished coaches in assistants Steve Hart, Kellen Devlin, Brad Devlin, Kevin Lucinski, and Mason Masterangelo.
Assistant coach Brad Devlin // Pataky
The defending Msgr. Martin High School Athletic Association and NYS Catholic High School Athletic Association dual meet champions return five MMHSAA All-Catholic and CHSAA place winners to include three champions, all three of whom return with 2024 NYS federation place finishes. The 2023-2024 team placed 2nd at the Eastern States Classic and 3rd at the NYS federation championships as well with a final overall dual record of 25-3.
Assistant coach Steve Hart // Pataky
“The only difference is that I’ve got kids that want to be here and I don’t have to convince kids that this is where they want to be and what they want to do,” said Lorenz comparing this team to teams he has coached in the past. “It’s a little bit of a different environment, same culture.”
Lorenz addresses the Red Raiders after practice // Pataky
Junior Griffin LaPlante enters the season as the 16th ranked wrestler at 157-pounds in the country (via FloWrestling) with an 8th place finish at the Powerade Invitational, an Eastern States title, and a runner-up finish in NYS on his resume from a season ago. With two whole seasons ahead of him, LaPlante carries a career record of 157-19 and has already committed to wrestle Division I at North Carolina State University in 2026.
As the most accomplished active high school wrestler in western New York, LaPlante will be expected to lead the Red Raiders both on and off the mat this winter.
“I think I just have to take that leadership role like Gage [LaPlante] and Connor [Miller] and some of those guys had last year, like doing the little stuff like rolling out mats and leading warmups, just helping everyone out as much as I can,” said LaPlante.
LaPlante // Pataky
“I think the team’s capable of anything…anything we want, we can achieve,” said LaPlante on his outlook for the season. “Mainly, I want to see everyone get better. Especially the new guys who just came on. I want this to be the culture; I want the culture to be winning, and I want everyone around it to be on the same page. It’s a little different without Gage [LaPlante] and some of the other guys who graduated last year, so it’s up to me and some of the other guys on the team to step up as leaders. I think just as a team, as a whole, just win.”
Griffin, along with classmate Zach Caldwell each reached the NYS federation championships finals in February at their weights (152 and 190-pounds, respectively) to become both the first NYS finalists for St. Francis and in the history of MMHSAA wrestling.
Caldwell // Pataky
Caldwell carries a career record of 129-39 and also returns with a place finish from the rugged 2024 Eastern States tournament. Zach reached the NYS finals last winter with a crucial late third period takedown in the semifinal, ultimately finishing as runner-up in NYS in his first appearance in Albany. Joining LaPlante and Caldwell is fellow junior and CHSAA champion Cullen Edwards, who placed 6th in NYS and 5th at Eastern States anchoring the lineup at 108-pounds. Edwards brings a 117-23 career record into the new season.
Edwards // Pataky
Other key returners for St. Francis are juniors Rory White and Kole Haseley, (3rd and 6th at 2024 CHSAA’s, respectively), sophomore Max McCarthy, and senior Tucker Jobe.
In his two years of being at St. Francis so far, White saw the makeup of the team change drastically between the 2022-2023 and 2023-2024 seasons, as well as the new coaching transition.
“It’s been a complete change,” said White on the changes the program has undergone since his freshman year. “We had a good team, but not anything special. It was just a big surprise when everyone started coming here. The whole culture has changed…every single practice I’ve been getting better. I’ve jumped levels, and everyone else here has jumped levels. It creates a good environment.”
White played a key role on last year’s team in the middle of the lineup as he enjoyed a true ‘break out’ season as a sophomore resulting from a countless hours of offseason work.
“I expect to be a Catholic States champion,” said White on his outlook for the upcoming season and his expectations for himself. “I would like to make [NYS federation] states and I would like to at least make the podium because I know I can compete with those guys.”
White (l) // Pataky
Joining the Raiders as new students this year and expected to be big contributors are Rocco Batt (fr), Tanner Catrabone (fr), Cameron Weipert (so), Zak Massaro (so), Brandon Weipert (jr), Tavio Hoose (jr), and William Wortkoetter (jr).
Massaro // Pataky
Cameron and Brandon Weipert are returning Msgr. Martin All-Catholic place winners while at Canisius High School. Massaro brings experience to St. Francis as a 2024 Section VI Division I 3rd place winner while at Grand Island High School.
Catrabone, the 2024 Section VI Division I 101-pound champion, will be expected to help anchor the lower weights giving added depth to the already competitive light weights part of the lineup.
Meanwhile, defending NYS Division II finalists Hoose (170-pounds) and Wortkoetter (285) help to fill out the unmistakably best group of upper weights in NYS this winter. Hoose was a three-time Section VI champion and 2023 NYS champion while at Southwestern High School, while Wortkoetter captured his first career sectional title and NYS place finish representing Wilson High School last winter. This week, Wortkoetter announced his commitment to attend the United State Military Academy at West Point and wrestle at the Division 1 level for the Black Knights.
Hoose // Pataky
Wortkoetter // Pataky
Despite the size of the roster and the number of returning experienced wrestlers, Coach Lorenz said he is taking the same approach to coaching and guiding the 2024-2025 Red Raiders as he has in all of his previous roles.
“Absolutely not,” said Lorenz when asked if his coaching philosophy & strategy adjusts this season given the level of talent on the roster. “I have run the same ship for teams that have had a lot of talent and others with no talent. We just build it. It takes less effort to build now because we have a lot more established kids…but I’m not changing a thing. I’m not changing my demeanor, my philosophy, I’m not changing my culture. That’s how you win.”
“My expectation is to be near the top in New York State. We are out there to get these kids exposure…that’s why they come here,” said Lorenz. “I expect our place winners from last year to move up a spot on the blocks and get some kids that didn’t break through last year to get through and do what they didn’t get done. We think that the environment in our room will help them to achieve those things.”
Lorenz added “They come here for a different environment and to get things that they can’t get anywhere else. We’re going to wrestle the best teams in the country…I just want to show up and compete in those matches. We’re not trying to win or lose those duals; we’re just trying to learn how to compete at a national level.”
The 2024-2025 St. Francis Wrestling schedule reflects Lorenz’s sentiment. Outside of their Msgr. Martin and CHSAA commitments and WNY regional events, the Red Raiders will send wrestlers to nationally recognized tournaments in the Powerade Invitational in Canonsburg, PA, Eastern States Classic in Halfmoon, NY, and Escape the Rock in Holland, PA. St. Francis has a date with some of the best teams in NYS at the Armbar Duals near Albany and a meeting with national powerhouse Wyoming Seminary in Allentown, PA in January.
The Red Raiders will see their first competition of the season on Friday and Saturday, December 6th and 7th when they host the VinLouie's Pizzeria Southtowns Duals.
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