WNY Wrestling Dual Meet Roundup Seven

**Tuesday, 1/17**

**#1 Starpoint 69 – #6 Amherst 6**

*Starpoint – ECIC II champions*

**NO FORFEITS.** Starpoint cruised to the team’s sixth and final league win of the season to lock up the ECIC II crown outright for the second straight year. The Spartans won 12 of 13 weight classes with eleven pins against the Tigers. Amherst falls to 4-1 in the league with a big showdown against #4 Hamburg/Eden coming up next Friday in the Jungle for 2nd place in the division and bragging rights. The Spartans and Tigers faced off at NCCC as part of the Thunderwolves’ 50-year celebration of the program on Tuesday night alongside NCCC vs. JCC, Chautauqua Lake girls vs. NFL girls, and NWAA vs. Newfane youth wrestling.

**#3 Newfane 35 – #5 St. Francis 31**

The Panthers and Red Raiders continued WNY’s longest running annual non-league head to head dual with a showdown of two top five teams in their respective divisions in Newfane. The inter-association rivalry was started 30 years ago and is still maintained by the programs on an annual basis. In their first meeting this season, St. Francis edged the Panthers 39-33 in Athol Springs. On Tuesday, the Raiders actually won more weights, 7 to 6, and more head to heads, 7 to 4, however bonus points carried the Panthers who secured two forfeits, three pins, and a tech fall.

**Niagara Frontier League girls 60 – Chautauqua Lake girls 21**

The combined NFL team secured its first dual meet win as part of the wrestling showcase at NCCC on Tuesday. Winners for the NFL were Lily Pieczonka, Gabby Barone, Addison Goodlander, Brenna McCarley, Hannah McCarey, Meghan Edwards, Gwyneth Edwards, Gia Scirri, and Doris Baker.

**Dunkirk 36 – Cheektowaga 30**

**Wednesday, 1/18**

**#1 Chautauqua Lake 40 – #3 Falconer/Cassadaga Valley 21**

*Chautauqua Lake – CCAA I champions*

In front of a packed house in an electric environment in Mayville, the #1 Thunderbirds earned the CCAA Div. I dual meet title outright going 6-0 in league duals with a 40-21 win over the Golden Cougars, ending Falconer’s legendary 46 match league win streak and eleven year league title streak. CL had eight winners to Falconer’s five and broke a late 21-21 tie by winning each of the last five weights in the dual to cruise to the win. With a 33-21 team score lead, Jack Bourgeois earned an 11-2 major decision at 145-pounds to seal the win with only one bout remaining. The T’Birds earned five critical pins as well courtesy of Jordan Joslyn, Martin Ohlsson, Trent Burchanowski, Ison Shirley, and Gavin Segovia. CL last tied for the league title in the 2014-2015 season with Falconer and Olean and were the last team to beat the Golden Cougars in CCAA I duals going back to the 2010-2011 season.

**#2 Newfane 52 – Barker/Royalton-Hartland 20**

*Newfane – Niagara-Orleans champions*

The powerful Panthers cruised to the team’s 9th consecutive N-O title and unbeaten season in the league with a home win in their N-O finale on Wednesday. The Panthers finish the season another perfect 5-0 in league matches and are now 45-0 in the last nine normal seasons in Niagara-Orleans duals.

**#6 Randolph 54 – Franklinville 13**

*Randolph – CCAA II champions*

The Cardinals secured the program’s first outright division title since the 2017-2018 season with a home win against Franklinville in the season league-dual finale. Randolph finishes the league slate a perfect 5-0 and will wrap up their dual season next Wednesday when they visit #4 Southwestern for a CCAA crossover.

**#2 Niagara Wheatfield 37 – #3 Niagara Falls 19**

The Falcons took sole possession of 1st place in the NFL standings on Wednesday night in another Niagara Cup thriller against archrival Falls in Sanborn. The Wolverines have held the Cup since the 2019-2020 season. Going into the last three weight classes, the teams were deadlocked 19-19, each having won five matches with only one pin for each squad. However, a few key wrestlers out of the lineup for Falls ultimately led to their demise as the Wolverines were forced to forfeit the last three weights. Nonetheless, the 2022-2023 Niagara Cup didn’t disappoint as both teams featured a number of returning sectional place winners. Wheatfield improved to 6-0 in the league, Falls, 5-1. NW can secure its first outright NFL title since 2018-2019 with a road win at Grand Island next week.

**#7 Lancaster 41 – #9 Clarence 30**

The Legends continue to find ways to win in ECIC I and did so yet again on Wednesday in hostile territory against the archrival Red Devils for the annual Border War. The Legends have had to battle night in and night out in an always competitive ECIC I schedule; out of their five league wins, four have been by scores of twelve points or less. Lancaster conceded two forfeits and received one in the dual and won six of ten head to head bouts, five by way of pin, including four in a row from 172 to 285-pounds. Perhaps none were as important as Evan Stancel’s overtime pin at 215-pounds. Lancaster improved to 5-0 in the league and can secure the division title outright next Wednesday with a road win over Frontier.

**#5 Pioneer 58 – Tonawanda 9**

The Panthers cruised to their fifth ECIC III win of the season against a much improved Warriors team on the road. Eight out of nine Pioneer head to head match winners earned pins in the contest. Pioneer is already over the 60 consecutive league win mark spanning the last nine regular seasons, so they can secure a 9th straight ECIC title next Wednesday should they take down Cheektowaga in Yorkshire. Tonawanda finishes the season 3-3 in ECIC III, not bad for a team that was held without a division win in 2021-2022.

**HM Orchard Park 45 – HM Frontier 27**

The Quakers earned their second league win of the season against a well coached Frontier squad in an ECIC I, southtowns rivalry in Blasdell. OP won eight weights to five including six pins in the win. The Quakers will host #9 Clarence next Wednesday for the league finale for both squads which could be a very intriguing match considering Orchard Park could end the 2022-2023 season at 3-3 in ECIC I with a win, while a loss for Clarence would put them at 3-3 in the division.

**#4 Southwestern 43 – HM Jamestown 21**

Cross town rivals Southwestern and Jamestown met in Lakewood on Wednesday for a non-league matchup of Chautauqua County teams on the rise. SW collected the team’s 10th win of the season and also honored Trojan Wrestling alumni & got a special video message from past head coach and Upstate NY Chapter of the National Wrestling Hall of Fame member Walter Thurnau before the match.

**#10 Portville 45 – HM Frewsburg 16**

Fresh off the team title at Franklinville over the weekend, the Panthers cooled the Bears who have impressed in recent weeks in both teams’ CCAA II season finale. Portville earned seven head to head wins to only one for Frewsburg. The Panthers land in second place in the division this season at 4-1 while the Bears finish in 3rd at 3-2 in the league.

**Kenmore 54 – CSAT 24**

**NO FORFEITS.** The only match of the night in WNY without a forfeit was between two unranked teams, one of which has only existed for seven years. The DevilDogs won nine of thirteen bouts, all by pin to collect Kenmore’s 3rd NFL win of the season. Coincidentally, all of CSAT’s four wins were pins too which resulted in the exact maximum amount of points in a team dual meet in NYS HS wrestling.

**Williamsville South 45 – East Aurora/Holland 21**

The Billies get their first ECIC II win of the season winning nine of thirteen weights against the Blue Devils. South will host Sweet Home next Wednesday with some in-town bragging rights on the line.

**#7 Iroquois 60 – Sweet Home 16**

**#8 Williamsville North/East 61 – West Seneca/Depew 9**

**#8 Medina 45 – Akron 30**

**HM Lake Shore 46 – Lackawanna 24**

**North Tonawanda 60 – Lewiston-Porter 7**

**Grand Island 48 – Lockport 27**

**Maple Grove 36 – Gowanda 25**

**St. Mary’s 54 – Gow School 6**

**Fredonia 40 – Salamanca 30**

**Dunkirk 42 – Olean/Allegany-Limestone 24**

**Thursday, 1/19**

**#1 Chautauqua Lake 59 – #10 Portville 12**

A night after a huge statement win for the program the T’Birds send their seniors out on back to back home wins while achieving the teams’ 20th win of the season. Next week, the T’Birds host a quality Hamburg/Eden squad in their final tune up before traveling east to the Salt City for the NYSPHSAA Dual Meet Wrestling Championships.

**#9 Wilson 54 – Albion 15**

The Lakemen complete the 2022-2023 campaign with their 18th win in their dual meet and Niagara-Orleans season finale, smashing their previous program wins record of 10 set in the 2018-2019 season. The teams combined for 10 head to head matches as Wilson enters a wrestler at all but one weight. Wilson won seven of those matches, all of which came by pin.

**HM Springville 39 – Gowanda 33**

The Griffins take down the Panthers in a Route 457 ‘Battle of Zoar Valley’ on Wednesday in Springville for a non-league, local rivalry win. The teams tied with 30 points each tallying forfeits and pins, however a tech by Griffin McKinsey and a major by Preston Bond were the difference makers for SGI. Senior Russell Maul sealed the win for the Griffins with a pin at 285-pounds.

**Kenmore 53 – St. Mary’s 12**

The DevilDogs get ten wins to three against the Lancers and now sit right at .500 overall on the season.

**Friday, 1/20**

**#10 St. Joe’s 45 – #5 St. Francis 21**

*St. Joe’s – Msgr. Martin High School Athletic Assoc. dual meet champions*

After cracking the top-10 rankings this week, the Marauders earned a statement win at home in the annual Snake Pit match with the outright Msgr. Martin dual meet title on the line. ‘Joe’s won nine weights to the Raiders’ four, including accepting two forfeits. After seven matches, St. Joe’s trailed in the team score 21-15. However, Nathaniel Lopez secured a decision at 285 that started a stretch run of six straight wins to end the match in favor of the Marauders. Dorian Buckley, Luke Ventresca, Nik Massaro, and Jayson Kline all earned critical pins in the win. Massaro’s pin sealed the match with only one bout remaining, and Austin Zimmerman and Kline each looked impressive in important head to head matchups. The postseason starts next weekend for both teams with the CHSAA Dual Meet Championships at Iona Prep HS, Sat. and Sun. 1/28-1/29.

**#3 Falconer/Cassadaga Valley 48 – #4 Southwestern 27**

The Golden Cougars and Trojans each wrapped up their 2022-2023 league slate with a Friday night showdown of top-4 WNY teams in Falconer. The Golden Cougars won eight of thirteen matches and accepted three forfeits in their second win over SW this season. Falconer finishes in 2nd place in CCAA I with a 5-1 dual record and 17-5 overall while Southwestern lands in 3rd place at 4-2 in the division. Keep in mind three of WNY’s top four ranked small school teams represent this league.

**Kenmore 57 – Canisius 18**

The DevilDogs end a busy week at 3-0 with an NFL victory and two wins over Msgr. Martin teams. Kenmore will host Lewiston-Porter for their NFL finale on Wednesday before hosting the annual Ken-Ton Tournament on Saturday, the final tune-up before the start of the postseason for area public schools the following weekend.