Weekend Wrestling Round-Up: Week 3

Two powerful in section tournaments dominated the wrestling landscape this weekend as the ECIC league tournament and Southern Tier Wrestling Officials Association tournament were both held. Other teams were either off or traveled out of the area to compete. Dozens of high level individual matches were contested that will be sure have implications later this season.

Erie County Interscholastic Conference (Friday 12/14 – Saturday 12/15/2018)

Two-time Section VI champion Aiden Rabideau won the 132-pound league title and Clarence took the team title with only one individual champion but placed ten wrestlers in the top six of their weights. Jack Feltz was the runner-up for the Red Devils at 152-pounds. This was the second team title in as many weeks for Clarence. After the team championship head coach Jason Chase stated “It was definitely a full team effort. We only had one champion but ten out of fifteen wrestled to a place finish. All fifteen scored some points for the team which was a goal of ours coming into the tournament.” Clarence won the tournament title in the 2016-2017 season as well. Iroquois was the runner-up team fifteen points behind Clarence. Sectional champion Cory Day was the lone champion for the Chiefs at 160-pounds and earned the MOW award with an impressive win over Lancaster’s two-time Section VI champion Ryan Stencel, 4-3. Amherst placed third in the team standings and had four total finalists, the most from one team in the tournament. Junior Ryan Bitka continued his undefeated season in dominating fashion with four pins on the way to the 285-pound ECIC title. Teammate Antoine Walker was the 120-pound champion in arguably the tournament’s best weight class with an exciting 7-5 decision victory over Iroquois’s Ryan Sweeney in the final. The weight class featured six defending sectional place winners including a Section VI champion in Lackawanna’s Mohamed Alshawi. Amandip Deo and Raman Singh were runners-up for the Tigers. In other championship bouts Tonawanda’s three-time sectional champion and two-time state place winner Zach Braddell was impressive in a 6-2 win over Iroquois star Jake Vergien in the 138-pound final. East Aurora’s undefeated Section VI champion Johnny Putney won his fourth straight league title with a first period pin of West Seneca’s Kyle Bauer at 145-pounds. ECIC champions are listed here:

99-pounds: Cameron Catrabone, Williamsville North/East

106: Carson Alberti, Depew/Cleveland Hill

113: Daniel Kirsch, Pioneer

120: Antoine Walker, Amherst

126: Mike Catanzaro, Williamsville North/East

132: Aiden Rabideau, Clarence

138: Zach Braddell, Tonawanda

145: Johnny Putney, East Aurora

152: Giovanni Schifano, Eden

160: Cory Day, Iroquois

170: Dylan Wojciechowski, Frontier

182: Jason Frazier, Tonawanda

195: Mike Pataky, Orchard Park

220: John Haberman, Hamburg

285: Ryan Bitka, Amherst

33rd Annual STWOA Holiday Classic (Friday, 12/14 – Saturday, 12/15/2018)

Falconer senior and defending sectional champion Robbie Penhollow made quick work of all four of his opponents with first period pins on the way to capturing the 182-pound tournament title and leading the Golden Falcons to the team championship. The tournament featured twenty teams including Section IV powerhouse Tioga and five Pennsylvania squads and is historically one of the toughest individual tournaments in upstate New York. Salamanca H.S. hosted the event.

Jordan Dustin was the only other Falconer finalist at 170-pounds. Fourteen total Golden Falcons placed to outpace runner-up Tioga 200 to 195.5 points, respectively. Niagara Wheatfield without Warren McDougald and Jake DeWolf was fourth in the team standings. Two-time state finalist Justin McDougald and Section VI champion Josh Thibeault won individual titles for the Falcons. Justin was named MOW following a tight 2-0 semifinal win over Falconer’s Jimmy Kramer and a 4-2 decision over Tioga’s John Worthing in the final. Worthing is a three-time Section IV champion and also a state finalist. This was McDougald’s second win over Worthing this season. Other area individual champions include Newfane’s Section VI champion and state place winner Andy Lucinksi at 99-pounds and 285-pound champion Ty Casinelli who defeated teammate Jayden Heers in the final. Gowanda’ David Ball was the 106-pound champion earning a fall in the title match. Cattaraugus-Little Valley’s Sam Grey bested Portivlle’s Dakota Mascho in the second tournament final in as many weeks with a closer 5-4 decision this time. Randolph’s Jacob Zachar won the 220-pound STWOA title.

Phoenix Round Robin (Saturday, 12/15/2018)

Grand Island headed back to Section III to try to repeat its tournament championship from a year ago. The Vikings had to settle for second place out of nineteen teams behind West Genesee (III) by only 3.5 points but crowned three individual champions in the process. Jack Randle beat Johnson City’s defending Section IV champion Dante Rigal 5-3 for the 113-pound tournament title and was recognized as the Most Outstanding Wreslter. At this same tournament last season Rigal beat Randle 14-0 at 106-pounds. Adam Daghestani continued his unbeaten season pinning his way through the tournament and to the 160-pound title. Blake Bielec was the third Viking champion after winning the 220-pound weight class. Brian Bielec was the runner-up at 138-pounds. Five other Vikings placed in the top eight of their weight classes.

North Country Invitational (Friday, 12/14 – Saturday, 12/15/2018)

Olean made its annual trip all the way to Philadelphia, NY on the outskirts of Ft. Drum to Indian River H.S. The Huskies placed fourth out of sixteen teams from sections III and X. Devan Moore was the lone champion for the Huskies at 170-pounds. Gavin Kulp was the runner-up at 145-pounds and Connor Walsh was 2nd at 195-pounds. Five more Huskies placed in the consolation round including state place winner Pat Walsh who was third at 182-pounds and state tournament wildcard Nick Bierfeldt who had to settle for 6th after defaulting his final two matches of the day.