WNY Wrestling Dual Meet Roundup Four

Cover photo courtesy of Michelle Gilbert

Dual meet results and notes for the week of Monday, January 11th – Friday, January 14th, 2022.

Tuesday, January 11th

#6 Frontier 39 – #10 Williamsville North/East 33

NO FORFEITS. The Falcons and Spartans combined for yet another ECIC I thriller in the first night of back to back duals versus ranked opponents for BOTH teams. Frontier won seven matches to North’s six which proved to be the difference maker as both teams secured six pins. Frontier’s Nick Baco was the lone winner by decision in the only six minute match of the night. Also, the Falcons’ Travis Browning made his first appearance of the season at 110-pounds (!!!). With the win, Frontier pulled even in the absolutely brutal ECIC I standings.

St. Mary’s 39 – Lockport 36

Eleven of thirteen bouts were contested in the dual as each team’s one forfeit cancelled each other out. Both teams collected five pins, however it was the Lancers’ Tanner Hartwig who gutted out the overtime decision with a five point move to claim the night’s only non-pin victory. Credit both of these coaching staffs for improved (and improving) participation.

#1 Newfane 42 – St. Joe’s 31

Fresh off winning the Section VI Division II Dual Meet title on Saturday, the Panthers hosted the Marauders in one of the two Monsignor Martin-Niagara County crossovers of the night. ‘Joe’s matched Newfane’s four head to head wins but conceded three forfeits in the dual. All four of the Panthers’ head to heads were by pin as Newfane improved to 14-1 overall this season.

Cheektowaga 36 – Tonawanda 30

The battle of the Warriors was a non-league ECIC dual this time due to realignment, however a special shoutout is in order for Cheektowaga head coach Matt Haberl who secured his 250th career coaching victory recently. Fun fact: Coach Haberl was once on the staff of the Tonawanda Warriors.

Medina 33 – Canisius 30

Akron 53 – CSAT 15

Wednesday, January 12th

#2 Falconer 38 – #3 Chautauqua Lake 21

In a battle of CCAA Div. I undefeateds, the Golden Falcons cruised at home to keep their six year league unbeaten streak alive while taking over sole possession of first place in the current league standings. Falconer jumped out to a 29-9 lead after nine weights losing only one head to head decision and conceding one forfeit while earning one tech fall, two pins, and four hard won decision victories over a solid Thunderbirds team. From 102 to 126, the squads split wins at two apiece but Dylan Newman’s victory at 102 officially put the match out of reach with three weights to go, 32-9. The Golden Falcons are firmly in the CCAA Div. I driver seat with few weeks remaining in the regular season. Credit Karsen DePasquale, Dalton Caldwell, Brodie Little, and Kyle Keefe especially for four huge head to wins on the night.

#5 Clarence 39 – #8 Hamburg 36

The Red Devils improved to 4-0 in ECIC I with another win over a quality Bulldogs squad. After falling behind 18-0, Clarence charged back with four straight pins and seven wins in the final ten weights. With the match tied 30-30 with three weights left and a guaranteed forfeit at 285, sophomore Joey Keller secured a huge pin at 189 followed by Rielly Popa’s gutsy 1-0 decision win at 215-pounds to guarantee the victory on senior night. Hamburg’s foursome of Sean Gordon, Ken Schmitz, Dylan Collins, and Luke Smeader were all impressive with pins.

#2 Starpoint 49 – #7 Amherst 9

NO FORFEITS. A tough and well coached Tigers team crossed county lines for a visit to Starpoint HS for a matchup of ECIC II unbeatens. The Section VI Div. I dual meet finalists proved to be too much for the young Tigers (only three seniors in the lineup) winning ten of thirteen bouts while conceding only three losses, all by regular decision. The #2 Spartans claimed five pins, three majors, and two decisions to improve to 4-0 in ECIC II and alone atop the league standings. Not only did the squads combine for a full dual meet, but they added nine exhibitions matches as well. Credit CJ Uptegrove with a very valuable win over a high quality Amherst opponent in the dual.

#6 Frontier 40 – #9 Jamestown 28

The Falcons backed up a big ECIC I win on Tuesday with another one on Wednesday against the resurgent Red Raiders. Frontier claimed seven victories to the Raiders’ six, however five pins (and one forfeit) and a major decision victory gave the boys from Blasdell bonus points in all seven wins. Jamestown claimed three pins in the loss who come back to Buffalo’s southtowns next week for an important showdown with Orchard Park. If Travis Browning goes 110 for the postseason things could real interesting in Section VI Div. I.

North Tonawanda 42 – Lockport 33

Old NFL adversaries squared off to renew the 2021-2022 rivalry match which did not disappoint. Clinging to a 36-33 lead going into the last bout of the night, it was the ‘Jacks’ Camerohn Kozlowski who earned a late second period pin at 152-pounds to secure the win for NT who improved to 4-1 in the NFL while reaching at least ten wins overall for the third time in four years. NT collected seven pins in all seven wins while Lockport claimed six wins including two forfeits. A huge shoutout is in order for head coach Bill Morello and the Lockport staff for fielding a full lineup and continuing to rebuild the Lions program. Even in two close defeats this week, the Lions have shown great effort and improved participation.

#1 Lancaster 49 – #10 Williamsville North/East 18

The Section VI  Div. I Dual Meet champion Legends improved to 4-0 tied with Clarence atop the league standings with an ECIC I win over the Spartans. Lancaster secured ten wins to North’s three, but were held to only four pins in the dual. Next week’s annual Border War with Clarence will most likely determine the league champion for the fifth time in the last six seasons.

#4 Pioneer 53 – Lake Shore 9

The Panthers march on in the quest for winning yet another ECIC title while keeping WNY’s longest league winning streak alive. Pioneer entered a wrestler into all but one weight class and won eight of ten contested bouts. Things will get interesting down the stretch if two-time defending sectional champion and 2020 NYS place winner Dan Kirsch stays at 118-pounds for the rest of the season.

St. Francis 60 – St. Mary’s 18

The Red Raiders get their first Msgr. Martin win of the season to kick off a backloaded league slate. St. Francis won nine of the eleven contested bouts, all by pin, to improve to 1-0 with the league leading Canisius Crusaders coming up Thursday night.

#1 Newfane 50 – Wilson 12

The freshly crowned Section VI Div. II Dual Meet champions are a win away from another Niagara-Orleans dual title.

#5 Iroquois 65 – Williamsville South 12

The Chiefs stormed to their third ECIC II win of the season and are right in the midst of the league title race with 3-1 Amherst and 4-0 Starpoint, whom Iroquois will meet in each of the next two weeks, respectively.

#7 Southwestern 60 – Fredonia 18

The Trojans pay a visit to a surprising Gowanda team next week before hosting the #2 Golden Falcons in back to back CCAA I duals. Southwestern will meet three (currently) ranked teams in their final four duals of the season.

Orchard Park 50 – West Seneca West/East + Depew 24

The Quakers finally got into the league win column after two close loses and one run in with Lancaster in ECIC I. OP collected three forfeits but conceded two and won eight of ten contested matches with four pins. The Quakers host back to back ranked ECIC I rivals next week when the Red Devils and Red Raiders come to town.

East Aurora/Holland 42 – Cheektowaga 21

Remember what I said about more manageable league duals for the Blue Devils after Christmas? EA is 2-0 in ECIC II since the break with only one more league match versus a scrappy Sweet Home team coming to town in early February. The winner of that dual will probably end up right in the league’s four spot behind three very good and ranked squads.

Springville 30 – Eden 25

The Griffins improved to 4-0 in ECIC III and 8-1 overall while remaining tied at the top of the league standings with Pioneer. Springville collected a number of forfeits in the dual but it was Eden who claimed all four head to wins in the match. The Griffins host Pioneer next week.

#3 Niagara Falls 69 – Lewiston-Porter 3

#3 Niagara Wheatfield 63 – Grand Island 10

Maryvale 48 – Lackawanna 24

Albion 63 – Akron 12

Maple Grove 54 – Franklinville 0

Kenmore 49 – CSAT 18

Frewsburg @ Randolph

Thursday, January 13th

St. Francis 39 – Canisius 35

The Red Raiders overcame a late 35-21 deficit at the 2-0 Crusaders behind three straight pins to end the dual courtesy of Tucker Jobe, Tyler Wilkinson, and capped off by senior journeyman Liam Edwards at 160-pounds. However, Canisius was still able to keep the match tight while conceding three forfeits. The win propelled St. Francis to the top of the Msgr. Martin standings in only two nights of wrestling at 2-0 in Msgr. Martin duals, followed by Canisius at 2-1, and St. Joe’s at 1-1. The St. Francis/St. Joe’s dual 2022 edition is only a week away. Likewise, the top three spots for CHSAA dual meet tournament qualification for Msgr. Martin teams are still up for grabs.

Friday, January 14th

Sweet Home 52 – Tonawanda 12

The Panthers picked up a non-league rivalry match win over the visiting Warriors. After the varsity coach, peewee wrestlers from Tonawanda, North Tonawanda, and Sweet Home hit the mat for a round robin event put on by the Sweet Home staff for some awesome Friday night bonus wrestling. Also, the Panthers honored 2017 graduate and Section VI champion Dominic Crouse as the program’s 9th inductee to the wrestling Wall of Fame.