WNY Athletics NYSPHSAA Wrestling Individual Championships Preview

Cover image courtesy of Ciaran Edwards, CE Design

The NYS federation championships begin on Friday, February 28th in downtown Albany at Times Union Center. The 58th edition of the state championships is the culmination of the 2019-2020 high school wrestling season in New York. The state championships began in 1964 and for the first decade of the event, wrestlers only placed back to four places in each of the thirteen weight classes in one division including large and small public schools.

On Friday, 396 high school wrestlers representing the eleven NYSPHSAA sections, Public School Athletic League (NYC), Catholic High School Athletic Association (CHSAA), and Association of Independent Schools (AIS) will descend on Albany with 192 place finishes on the line in two divisions with fifteen weight classes in each. New to the tournament this year are brackets that are fully seeded, 1 to 16 (17 in Division II) and a 7th/8th place match in every weight class. Saturday night’s finals will crown the next thirty champions in NYS high school wrestling.

Section VI has advanced 51 wrestlers to the state tournament (21 large school, 30 small school) up from 48 entires in 2018-2019. In total 53 wrestlers will represent WNY as Msgr. Martin teams have advanced two athletes. In total, seven Division I wrestlers placed at the state tournament in 2019, four of whom (all seniors) return, which tied the area’s 2018 placements. Section VI small schools return an uncharacteristically low number of place winners, as Newfane’s state finalist Andy Lucinksi is the only returning placer. Six place winners including three champions graduated in 2019 as the Section placed only eight wrestlers total, down significantly from the previous season where fourteen area athletes placed in Albany.

Section VI is currently sixth in the overall place winner standings against the other regions with 614 place winners going back to 1964. Section VIII (Nassau County) is just ahead with 627 all-time while Section II (Albany region) is 38 place winners behind Section VI. Section XI (Suffolk County) leads all regions with 783 total place winners. Niagara Wheatfield leads all WNY programs historically with 42 state place winners followed by Pioneer (33), Fredonia (31), and Olean and Lancaster who each have 25. Pioneer leads all WNY schools with seven individual state champions followed by Olean and Fredonia with six each, Iroquois with five state champions, and five teams with four apiece.

2018 NYS champion Willie McDougald is the only top seeded WNY wrestler in the Albany brackets. Out of the 21 Section VI big school wrestlers ten will make their first appearances at the state tournament. Eighteen wrestlers from WNY small schools out of the 30 entires will make their first appearances at ‘states’ as well as both Canisius’s Joe Dixon and St. Joe’s Caleb Lesswing. Four WNY wrestlers are 2-seeds in their respective brackets while six others round out seeds 3-5th in their weight classes across both divisions.

Division I preview 

99-pounds: Starpoint 8th grader Gage LaPlante (41-4 season record) claimed his first Section VI title and with it the 7-seed in the large school 99-pound bracket. Gage will take on Section I wildcard Cosmo Damiani (33-2) from Suffern HS in the opening round. Frontier sophomore Travis Browning (42-4) earned a wildcard to Albany for his first trip to the state tournament and has landed as the 8-seed in the bracket. Browning will take on fellow wildcard entry in 9-seed Alex Greco (35-5) from Section IX’s Warwick Valley in Friday’s opening round. Peter Duke (41-0) from Carmel HS (Section I) earned the top seed in a bracket that features no returning place winners. Should LaPlante and Browning win their first matches, they would more than likely meet the second and first seeded wrestlers, respectively, in the quarterfinals.

106: Section VI champion Brendan Dellinger (31-9) from Williamsville North has earned the 12-seed in the bracket and will wrestle 5-seeded Justin Morales (35-2) from Middletown in the opening round. Morales is the Section IX champion. Niagara Falls freshman Amarfio Reynolds, Jr (27-5) earned a wildcard to the state tournament and is the 13-seed in the bracket. Amarfio will meet Section V champion Joe Berenson (39-5) from Webster-Schroeder HS in the opening round. Berenson is the 4-seed in the weight class. Should Dellinger and Reynolds achieve upsets in their preliminary bouts, they would match up in the quarterfinal round. Like 99, 106 Division I features no returning state place winners giving the Section VI wrestlers as good a chance as any to come away with a placement. Top seeded Elijah Rivera (33-3) from Bay Shore (XI) missed placing at states in 2019.

113: Unlike the first two weight classes, 113 big schools features three returning state place winners including a nationally ranked wrestler. Lancaster 8th grader and sectional champion Michael Schaefer (39-1) is the 12-seed in weight class and will take on Section V champion Anthony Surace (39-6) from Webster-Schroeder. The winner of that Buffalo vs. Rochester opening round tilt will more than likely get returning NYS 5th place finisher Angelo Centrone from Mahopac (I) in the quarters. Two-time defending NYS champion Stevo Poulin (43-0) is currently ranked #2 nationally (by Intermat.com). The Shenendehowa (II) junior is the weight’s top seed.

120: Now two-tine Section VI champion Cam Catrabone (36-3) missed placing in 2019 but will surely be focused on doing so this time around. The Williamsville North 8th grader will face Section XI champion and senior Jake Eckerle (35-5) from Commack in first round on Friday morning. Cam earned the 13-seed in the bracket while Eckerle is the 4-seed. Eckerle was one win away from placing in 2019, however the four other top five seeds are returning place winners including top seeded Hilton (V) senior, four time state champion, and #1 nationally ranked Greg Diakomihalis, making for a loaded field in the big school 120-pound bracket.

126: The weight class is already being discussed as possibly the best in the entire tournament going into Friday. Two-time Section VI champion Mike Catanzaro (40-2) will make his second appearance at the state tournament looking to make it to the podium this year. The Williamsville North junior is the 8-seed in the bracket and in a truly cruel turn of events will face 9-seeded Grand Island senior Jack Randle (39-5) in the first round of the entire tournament. Catanzaro was an 8-7 winner over Randle in the sectional final. The Viking senior will make his first appearance at the state tournament as one of four GI competitors in Albany. The first round matchup between the Section VI stars is unfortunate however with whole brackets being seeded the possibility of this happening does exist. Whoever wins between Catanzaro/Randle will more than likely face top seeded Ivan Garcia from Section I’s Port Chester. Garcia is a returning NYS 4th place finisher. The bracket also features two returning 3rd place finishers and a state finalist.

132: Two wrestlers will represent WNY. Section VI champion Ryan Forrest (45-1) returns to the state championships looking to be Hamburg’s third ever state place winner in his final tournament of his senior season. As the 7-seed Forrest will take on Section I wildcard and 10-seed Beckett Herman (39-4) from Hendrick Hudson in the first round. Wheatfield freshman Collin Coughenour (27-7) will make his third straight appearance at the state championships and as the 12-seed will see 5-seed and Section I champion Sean Garofal (43-3) from North Rockland on Friday morning. With a win in the first round, Forrest could meet Section V champion and two time state place winner Jayden Scott from Rush-Henrietta HS in the quarterfinal. Scott is one of only two state placers in the bracket, as the top seed is 2018 state champion and #13 nationally ranked Zach Redding from Eastport-South Manor (XI).

138: NW’s 2-seeded Justin McDougald (41-1) will make his final push for a NYS title this weekend. The Falcon senior and three time place winner has only one blemish on his record this season, and that is to defending state champion and #16 nationally ranked Ryan Burgos (47-1) from Section V’s Hilton. Burgos was an ultimate overtime winner over Justin in the Eastern States semifinals back in early January. Besides McDougald and Burgos the only other returning state place winner is 4-seeded Brendan Carroll from Section I’s Roy C. Ketchum HS. Justin will meet St. John the Baptist’s Stephen Crisci (40-4) representing CHSAA in the Friday opening round. McDougald could have a big semifinal match with Rocky Point’s (XI) Logan Sciotto (46-2) should the athletes meet. Sciotto is also a returning state qualifier.

145: 2018 NYS champion and returning state finalist Willie McDougald (40-1) is WNY’s only top seeded wrestler going into the weekend and the favorite to claim his second career title. The Niagara Falls senior is a three time state place winner and currently ranked #20 among high school 145-pound wrestlers nationally. Willie will see 16-seeded Ramon Perez from CHSAA’s Monsignor Farrell HS in the opening round. A potential semifinal could be McDougald against Section V wildcard and 4-seed Mason Wersinger (44-2) from Spencerport. 2-seeded Section V champion Nick Sanko from Pittsford is one of three returning state placers in the bracket. Clarence’s Aiden Rabideau (37-7) will make his fifth straight appearance at states with a podium finish a top priority. The Red Devils’ all-time wins leader could meet Sanko in the quarterfinals which would be a rematch of an 8-3 loss in their meeting from December 14th.

152: Hamburg sophomore Dylan Collins (42-4) has had an outstanding season for the Bulldogs on his way to capturing a Section VI title. The 15-seeded Collins will get a shot at 2-seeded Section IX champion Tommy Askey (37-0) from Pine Bush in the first round. Askey is a returning NYS 4th place finisher, one of four returning place winners in the weight class which is led by defending state champion and #5 nationally ranked AJ Kovacs (36-3) from Iona Prep HS (CHSAA). Any place finish at all in this tough weight for Collins will be huge going into his junior year next season.

160: Four returning state place winners in this bracket won’t be enough to scare Grand Island sophomore Brian Bielec (33-8) who captured his first Section VI title and trip to Albany. The 12-seeded Bielec will meet Section III champion and returning NYS 3rd place finisher Camrin Galvin (44-2) from Fulton in the first round. Galvin (3-seed) helped lead the Red Raiders to a runner-up finish at the state dual meet championships on February 1st. The weight’s top seed is returning state finalist and #10 nationally ranked Cooper Kropman (38-0) from Penfield (V).

170: WNY will be represented by a trio of athletes in Albany. Returning NYS 4th place finisher Adam Daghestani (38-2) ultimately received a wildcard back to states and has landed as the 5-seed in the bracket. The Grand Island senior will take on PSAL champion Max Gwertzman (34-0) in the first round on Friday morning. All of the three returning state place winners reside on the top side of this bracket, as Section VIII champion and returning 4th place finisher JD Moore (37-2) from Levittown Division is the 4-seed in the bracket while defending NYS champion Dan Mauriello from Section XI’s Hauppauge is the top seeded wrestler. Canisius’s Joe Dixon (43-4) earned a wildcard and the 10-seed in the weight class and will wrestle Section IX champion Joe Velazquez (42-6) from Middletown in the Friday opener. Frontier senior and Section VI champion Dylan Wojciechowski will face off with Section V champion Derek Woodall from Irondequoit in a preliminary bout. The winner of that match will have a shot at top seeded Mauriello in the next round.

182: Lancaster senior Ryan Stencel will make his fourth appearance at the state tournament and kick off his final shot at a NYS title on Friday as the 3-seeded wrestler in the weight class. Stencel (44-1) will face Section III champion Tariq Block from Christian Brothers Academy/Jamesville-Dewitt in the first round on Friday. While Ryan is one of only three returning state place winners (5th in NYS 2019), the top two seeds in the bracket are surprisingly not any of them. Stencel’s only loss of the season is to top seeded Section II and Eastern States champion Brock Delsignore (41-4) from Shenendehowa. Delsignore missed placement in 2019. 2-seeded Joe Lopresti from Sayville (XI) competed in 2019 but also missed placement. A state title for Stencel would be the first for the Legends in 34 years.

195: The Legends have back to back state qualifiers as senior Codie Scotland (45-1) captured his first sectional title and opportunity to compete in Albany. Scotland is the 10-seed in the bracket and will wrestle Guilderland’s (II) Cameron Durant (30-7) on Friday morning. If Scotland wins his first match, he will more than likely get a chance at 2-seeded Section VIII champion Matt Hegi (35-3) from Mepham HS. Hegi competed in 2019 but fell one win shy of guaranteed placement. Iona Prep’s Matt Kelly (43-3) is the top seed in the bracket coming off of a 3rd place finish in 2019.

220: No returning state place winners are in the bracket, giving Grand Island senior Blake Bielec as good a chance as any to finish on top of the podium on Saturday night. Bielec (41-4) will make his third straight appearance at states and is the 8-seed going into the tournament. Blake will face Section II champion and 9-seeded Ryan Stein (35-2) from Shaker in the first round. With a win Blake will most likely see top seeded Alex Semeneko (32-2) from McKee-Staten Island Tech (PSAL) in the quarterfinals.

285: Two WNY athletes will represent the area in a loaded field of big school heavyweights that features five returning state place winners. Amherst senior Ryan Bitka (36-5) makes his second straight trip to Albany this time as the Section VI champion. Bitka missed placing in 2019, but looks to podium this time around as the 9-seed in the bracket. Ryan will face Section I champion and 8-seeded Nino Prisco (39-5) from Fox Lane in the first round. With a win over Prisco, Bitka could see returning state finalist and top seeded Lucas Scott (33-0) from Section IV’s Chenango Forks in the quarterfinal. St. Joe’s senior CHSAA champion Caleb Lesswing (30-6) earned the 10-seed in the bracket and will wrestle Section III champion and 7-seed Collin Null (35-4) from Carthage HS. Null and Lesswing have met this season, a 5-2 win for the Comets senior at Eastern States. A possible opening round win for Lesswing could pit him against returning NYS 3rd place finisher Collins Burns from Hilton.

Division II preview 

99: Newfane 7th grader Aidan Gillings (39-6) joined elite company when he won the Section VI title on February 15th, joining three time state champion Ryan Needle (1999-2003) as only the second Newfane middle school wrestler to qualify for states in program history. As a result of an impressive first varsity season, Gillings earned the 2-seed in the bracket going into Friday behind only Section III champion Trey Kimball (39-2) from Camden HS. Kimball was a 6-1 winner over Gillings in the Spc. Ken Haines Memorial Tournament final in Oswego on December 28th. Aidan’s opening round match will be against 15-seeded Section I champion Christian Perlleshi (27-3) from Pleasantville. Chautauqua Lake freshman Martin Ohlsson (32-8) earned an at-large to states and is the 4-seed in the bracket. Martin will see Section II wildcard Avi Berg (29-1) from Glens Falls in the first round on Friday morning.

106: Returning NYS finalist Andy Lucinski (45-2) is the 2-seed in the bracket behind the only other returning place winner, defending NYS champion Jace Schafer (50-2) from Section V’s Palmyra-Macedon. Lucinksi and Schafer met in the 2019 finale which ended in a 2-0 decision win for the latter. They also met on December 14th in a state final rematch, another decision win for Schaefer, 8-5. A third Schafer/Lucinksi match in a year has been on a collision course since both committed to 106 for the postseason. However, to have another shot at a state title the Newfane junior will need to defeat 15-seeded Gabe Cubero (29-9) the Section VIII champion from Clarke HS in the first round to start the tournament. Also representing WNY will be Falconer junior Brayden Newman (40-8). Newman will make his first appearance at the individual championships after a heroic finish at the state duals that helped the Golden Falcons to the Division II title on February 1st. Brayden is the 10-seed in the bracket and will wrestle Section III champion Carl Santariello (33-3) from Marcellus/Onondaga in the opening round. Should Lucinski and Newman win their first bouts they would meet again in the quarterfinals.

113: WNY will have not one, not two, but three wrestlers competing in Albany. Section VI champion Daniel Kirsch (46-0) from Pioneer takes his undefeated record on the road and will be the 6-seed in the weight class for his first appearance in Albany. Kirsch will meet Section I champion Jackson Wainwright (34-5) from Our Lady of Lourdes HS on Friday morning. With a win in that match, Daniel could meet retuning NYS 5th place finisher Jackson Polo from Section VIII’s Cold Spring Harbor in the quarterfinal. Polo is one of four returning state place winners in the bracket. Fredonia’s 8-seeded David Ball (33-4) will make his second straight appearance at states but will face off with Iroquois’s 9-seeded Michael Schiffhauer (44-8) in an all Section VI battle on Friday morning. Both wrestlers earned entry to the state tournament as at-large recipients but haven’t met this season previously. The Ball/Schiffhauer winner will more than likely meet top seeded returning NYS champion Dante Geislinger from Section IV’s Norwich. All four top seeds are the retuning place winners in this weight.

120: Section VI doubles up at 120-pounds as well with two, top eight seeded wrestlers with state tournament experience. Two-time Section VI champion Carson Alberti (42-2) from Alden/Depew missed placing in 2019 while in Division I. Alberti’s second trip to states finds him as the 7-seed in a loaded bracket and a first round match against PSAL champion Joe Ferrara (39-6) from Petrides HS. Alberti could potentially meet 2-seeded and three time state place winner Mason Bush from Central Valley Academy (III) in the quarterfinals. Iroquois junior Donovan Bukaczeski (43-5) will make his second trip to Albany as a wildcard and has earned the 8-seed in the bracket. Donovan will wrestle 9-seeded Joe Sparacio (34-4) from Section XI’s Bayport-Blue Point in the opening round. Sparacio is a returning 4th place NYS finisher. Section V’s three time NYS champion and #11 nationally ranked Anthony Noto from Honeoye Falls-Lima is the top seed in the weight class that features five returning state placers and ten of the seventeen competitors returning with state tournament experience.

126: Two-time sectional champion Alex Skowronski (37-6) is the lone WNY representative in another crowded Division II weight class. The East Aurora senior will make his second trip to states as the 14-seed going into the tournament. Alex will take on returning state finalist and Section II champion Caleb Svingala (42-0) from Maple Hill in the opening round. The bracket features five returning state place winners including three overall finalists and 2019 NYS state champion and #12 nationally ranked Jordan Titus (35-0) from Section XI’s Center Moriches HS, the top seeded wrestler in the weight class. If the higher seeds were to hold in the lower side of the bracket, both quarterfinals would feature four of the five returning state placers. However, Skowronski will be looking to make sure that doesn’t happen.

132: Another trio of Section VI wrestlers will compete in Albany at 132-pounds. Sectional champion Ryan Sweeney (46-5), a sophomore from Iroquois, will compete at states for the first time and is the 6-seeded wrestler in the bracket. Ryan will take on Section II wildcard Patrick Moore (37-4) from Watervliet on Friday morning. With a win in that match, Sweeney could possibly take on returning NYS 4th place winner Dean Shambo (37-6) from Mexico HS, one of two returning state place winners out of Section III in the weight class, in the quarterfinals. Maple Grove’s Luke Tomlinson (43-2) earned an at-large invitation to the state tournament and is the bracket’s 9-seeded wrestler. The Red Dragon sophomore will wrestle Section IV champion and 8-seed Josh Post (33-4) from Newark Valley in the first round on Friday morning.  Should he win his first match Luke could take on top seeded returning NYS 4th place winner and Section VIII champion Gage DeNatale (28-3) from Locust Valley HS in the quarters. Also competing in Albany will be 2019 sectional champion and 2020 wildcard entry Julian Martin (38-7) from Lake Shore. Martin had an impressive sectional tournament wrestling back to 3rd place after meeting Tomlinson in the quarterfinal to help make a case for an at-large back to states. 12-seeded Martin will wrestle Section II champion Aidan Cullen (39-2), the 5-seed from Greenville HS in his Friday opener. 2018 state champion Marek Bush (50-5) from Section III’s Central Valley is the 2-seed in the bracket.

138: Panama junior Brendon Ramsey (38-4) will make his second career trip to Albany after having captured his first sectional title back in 2018. Wrestling throughout his career as part of the combined squad with Chautauqua Lake, Ramsey will look to place this time around at states. Brendon has earned the 12-seed in the bracket and will wrestle 5-seeded Section II champion Greg Hotaling (30-6), a junior from Cobleskill-Richmondville HS who is a returning state tournament qualifier. Overall the bracket features eight returning state tournament qualifiers, and two overall placers including defending NYS champion Brady Worthing (42-0) from Section IV’s Tioga HS. A podium finish is certainly within reach for Ramsey amidst a very even crowd of 138-pound wrestlers.

145: Section VI champion Ryan Nugent (38-5) will make his second straight appearance at states after a wildcard entry in 2019. The Newfane junior has earned the 7-seed in the weight class and will meet Section XI champion and 10-seed Willy Kraus (31-6) from Hampton Bays in the first round on Friday morning. Kraus is also a returning state qualifier. A win over Kraus could put Nugent in a quarterfinal matchup with 2-seeded PSAL champion Hector Rodriguez (30-4) from Eagle Academy HS. Rodriguez is a returning state tournament qualifier. The bracket’s top wildcard entry, Pioneer junior Kameron Riordan (42-3) will compete at states for the first time and is the 15-seed going into Friday. Riordan will take on Rodriguez in first round wrestling action. Compared to some weights, 145 is fairly thin on wrestlers with state experience and features only one returning placer, NYS 5th place winner and top seeded Brody Oleksak (35-1) from Section IV’s Bainbridge-Guilford/Afton/Harpursville.

152: WNY doubles up again at 152-pounds, however the entries will meet each other for a third time in a month in the opening round on Friday. Section VI champion Dakota Mascho (39-2), a sophomore from Portville, and Falconer senior and at-large entry Bryce Baglia (50-4) will both make their first appearances at the state tournament. Mascho earned the 8-seed while Baglia is the nine ensuring another head to head meeting. Mascho has won 7-1 in both of their meetings this month. Whoever wins their first round bout will more than likely face top seeded Section VIII champion Christian Hansen (36-2) from Cold Spring Harbor in the quarterfinal. The weight class is one of the least 2019 state qualifier populated brackets in the tournament. The only returning state place winner, Nick Ross (27-3) from Section IX’s Onteora is a 2019 NYS 3rd place finisher but fell to the 7-seed in the bracket.

160: Eden’s Giovanni Schifano was a win away from guaranteed placement in 2019 but is back this time as the Section VI champion and 2-seed in the weight class for a final run at a state title. Giovanni (42-1) will wrestle Section XI champion Jackson Cantelmo (35-7) from Mattituck in Friday’s opening round. Schifano is seeded only behind returning NYS finalist and North Carolina State commit Jake Null (43-0) from Section III’s Dolgeville HS. Null is familiar with WNY foes, as Iroquois’s state champion Cory Day defeated the Blue Devil in the 2019 state final. Also representing WNY in the weight class will be Olean senior Gavin Kulp (38-6) who earned one of the four at-large entries for his first trip to the state tournament. Kulp earned the 12-seed and will meet Section V champion and 5-seeded Andrew Englerth (47-0) from LeRoy in the first round. Seven wrestlers with state tournament experience are in this weight class, however Null is the only returning place winner.

170: Now two-time Section VI champion Jason Frazer (26-5), a senior from Tonawanda will make his second consecutive trip to Albany. Frazer missed placing in 2019 but will look to do so in his final high school wrestling tournament. The 8-seeded Frazer will take on returning NYS 6th place finisher and 9-seed Nate Ross (29-4) from Onteora in the opening round. A win against a tough opponent in Ross in the first round could set Jason up with a quarterfinal showdown with returning NYS finalist Mikey Squires (35-2) from Section IV’s Norwich HS. Portville junior Jayden Lassiter (37-5) earned an at-large entry and the 12-seed in the bracket. Jayden will face 5-seeded Section V wildcard Kaul Runfola (38-3) from Letchworth in the first round of the tournament. Returning NYS 5th place finisher Matt Campo from Section XI’s Mt. Sinai is the only other returning place winner and is the 2-seed situated on the bottom side of the bracket.

182: Section VI champion Hudson Johnson (43-9) from Falconer has landed as the 8-seed in a weight class with sneaky good potential to be very entertaining this coming weekend. The Golden Falcons senior earned his first trip to states after an enormous last month of wrestling. Johnson will take on 8-seeded Section III wildcard Ethan Eldred (30-4) from Sherburne-Earlville HS in the opening round. Johnson could meet top seeded returning 3rd place NYS finisher Ethan Cooper (36-3) from Cobleskill-Richmondville in the quarterfinals with a first round victory. Cooper is one of three defending state place winners in the bracket which also includes undefeated NYS 4th place winner and 2-seeded Section III champion Anthony Rasmussen from South Jefferson/Sandy Creek. Joining Johnson in Albany will be at-large recipient Ceric Kristan (40-3) from Brocton representing the combined Fredonia team. Kristan competed in Albany in 2019 as the Section VI champion. Ceric is the 10-seed and will wrestle Perry High School’s (V) sectional champion Brock Conaway (51-0), the 7-seed, in the first round. The Kristan/Conaway winner could see Rasmussen in the quarterfinal.

195: Southwestern sophomore Dontae Hoose (37-4) finds himself as the lone WNY representative in the 195-pound small school bracket. The Trojans’ Section VI champion will enter the tournament as the 13-seed in the weight class drawing 4-seeded returning NYS 5th place finisher Kolton Gagnon (29-4) from Section VIII’s Cold Spring Harbor in the first round. Gagnon is one of three returning place winners in the bracket (two of whom are wildcards) and six overall returning state tournament qualifiers. Dontae is looking to be the next Hoose to place in the state for Southwestern following brothers Giuseppe (3rd in 2018) and Mason (6th in 2015). South Jeff/Sandy Creek’s Tyler Mousaw (32-0) hasn’t placed in the state but earned the top seed in the bracket for this weekend.

220: Allegany-Limestone junior Connor Walsh (34-4) captured his first Section VI title and entry to the state tournament and has earned the 5-seed for his first appearance in Albany. Walsh, who represents the combined Olean/A-L team, will take on 12-seeded Angelo Sereno (29-7) in the first round of the tournament. Sereno is the PSAL champion from Petrides HS and is a returning state qualifier. A first round win for Walsh could put him up against Section III champion Sam Sorenson (35-3), a freshman from Homer, in the quarterfinals. The bracket features a trio of returning place winners led by Cobleskill-Richmondville’s top seeded Jeff Crooks who was 4th in 2019. Fredonia’s sectional finalist Alex Christy earned the final wildcard spot in the weight class and will wrestle Section X champion Archie Green from Ogdensburg in the pigtail match. The winner of that bout will face Crooks in the round of sixteen.

285: Newfane’s Jaden Heers (42-2) captured his second straight sectional title and trip to Times Union Center. The Newfane senior moved up three spots from last year’s seven seed to the 4-seed for this weekend’s championships. Jaden will wrestle 13-seeded Section XI champion Tyler Marlborough (33-7) from Mattituck in the first round on Friday morning. Local rival Cody Wilson (29-4) has earned a wildcard entry to the state tournament for the first time and has landed as the 5-seed. The Albion senior will meet Section IX champion Devin McGovern (23-4) from Chester in the first round. Should both Heers and Wilson win their preliminary matches, they could meet for the fifth time this season in the state quarterfinals. By Saturday night Wilson could be the first Albion NYS place winner since Tim Uderitz in 1997 and only the program’s third ever placer. Fredonia’s Jake Skinner (27-3) made it three Section VI seeds in a row as he earned the 6-seed in the bracket. Skinner will take on PSAL champion Erijon Skenderi (24-9), a junior from Petrides, in the first round. Canastota’s (III) Mike Leibl (42-0) is the lone returning place winner in the weight class as a 5th place finisher in 2019. Leibl is the 2-seed behind Ardsley’s (I) George Lebberes (37-4). Leibl, Lebberes, and Heers are the only athletes in the bracket with state tournament experience.