**Tues. 12/13/2022**
**#9 Williamsvillle North/East 44 – #8 Clarence 24**
The Spartans earned a crucial road victory over the Red Devils to move solely into first place in ECIC I with a 2-0 league record thus far. Sectional dual meet tournament considerations (for both teams) made this dual even more important. Williamsville has won the last two against Clarence with this 20-point differential being an eye catching score. The Spartans won seven head to head matches compared to only four for Clarence. All of North’s wins accumulated team bonus points too. The Spartans are home on back to back nights next week vs. ranked teams when they host HM St. Francis on Tuesday and #7 Frontier for another big ECIC I showdown on Wednesday. Clarence’s next league match isn’t until January 4th. Keep an eye on a couple of Red Devils like AJ Didas (11-1), Joey Keller (11-1), Reilly Popa (10-0), and Bryce Hawes (9-2) who are off to nice starts for Clarence.
**#5 Hamburg/Eden 57 – Williamsville South 12**
The Bulldogs improved to 2-0 in ECIC II with a convincing win at South. Hamburg took 10 of 13 weight classes earning six team points at all but one. Hamburg has some nice stretches in its lineup primarily anywhere from 102/110 to 138 and from 160 to 189. Next week, Hamburg goes back to the Town of Amherst for an ECIC II dual at Sweet Home before a Town of Hamburg rivalry ECIC crossover with #7 Frontier in Blasdell. And, for the first time, the teams will battle over the ‘Hamburg Hammer’ which is being introduced as a new annual tradition.
**Canisius 42 – Gow 15**
The Crusaders sit alone atop the MMHSAA standings with a 2-0 league record before the new year. Next up is a big league showdown at St. Joe’s on January 3rd.
**Weds. 12/14**
**#6 Amherst 46 – #8 Iroquois 20**
Amherst nabbed its second ECIC II win of the season to tie Starpoint and Hamburg/Eden for the league lead. The Tigers fielded a full lineup in this one, but a very young Chiefs team was able to score 20 team points and hold Amherst to less than 50 in spite of their youth and not having their best wrestler for the dual. Amherst won seven head to head matches to Iroquois’s four, but only earned four pins in those matches. This Chiefs team has only two seniors, three juniors, and eight sophomores and below. Amherst gets Williamsville South and Sweet Home before ending the league slate with Starpoint and Hamburg later on next month.
**#7 Randolph 44 – Gowanda 18**
The Cardinals opened up CCAA II action with a road win, sending out a wrestler at all but one weight class. Randolph will get perhaps the biggest test remaining on their league schedule next week when they host the defending league champion Portville Panthers on Wednesday.
**#4 Lancaster 60 – West Seneca/Depew 15**
The Legends accepted a number of forfeits but pinned in all six of their head to head wins which also happens to be their first in-section competition of the season. Lancaster has battled it out with some of Section V’s best in the first two weekends of the season. They’ll travel to take on a solid Brockport team next Tuesday before hosting Jamestown on Wednesday night. While W. Seneca was light on numbers in this dual, take note of the youth on this team: only one senior, sixteen freshman, and twenty-one wrestlers that are sophomores or below. If this very young group can stick together there is no doubt that Coach Recor can make this squad into a winning one in the coming years.
**#9 Portville 40 – Maple Grove 18**
Portville got its first league win of the 2022-2023 season. Next week’s road showdown at Randolph will likely determine the league champion.
**#1 Starpoint 63 – Sweet Home 12**
The Spartans improve to 2-0 in ECIC II and 15-0 overall this season. Starpoint will visit East Aurora next Wednesday, but won’t see #5 Hamburg, #6 Amherst, or #8 Iroquois for league duals until January.
**#1 Chautauqua Lake – Dunkirk**
**#2 Niagara Wheatfield 62 – HM North Tonawanda 12**
The Falcons improve to 2-0 in the NFL with their second over 60-point performance in as many weeks. This Wheatfield lineup is going to be tough for anyone to beat. NT will see Niagara Falls on January 4th and has important league duals vs. Kenmore and Lockport in the last two weeks of next month.
**#3 Niagara Falls 51 – Kenmore 18**
The Wolverines and NW Falcons are tied atop the NFL standings at 2-0 after only two weeks. Falls and Kenmore combined for eleven individual matches, ten of which were won by Falls wrestlers. Sawyer Dickinson was the lone head to head winner for the DevilDogs. At 11-1 so far, this is one freshman to keep an eye on in WNY. Next up for Kenmore are three big NFL matches in a row with Lockport, Grand Island, and North Tonawanda on deck.
**HM St. Francis 54 – St. Mary’s 24**
The Red Raiders kicked of Msgr. Martin action with a win on the road. St. Francis is 6-3 overall at the end of the third calendar week of wrestling. The Lancers’ Jamari Coleman is 8-0 going into the weekend with seven pins thus far.
**#5 Pioneer 60 – Maryvale 9**
Pioneer gets is second ECIC III win of the season. Next up for the Panthers is a home dual with last year’s league runner-up, Springville, to kick off 2023.
**Lake Shore 54 – Cheektowaga 9**
At the end of the week the Eagles are tied atop the ECIC III standings with Pioneer at 2-0. Lake Shore was able to fill 11 of 13 weights in this dual with six head to head winners. Senior Blake Hageman is 6-1 through the first three weeks of the season and should be a name to keep in mind as the season progresses. Likewise, sophomore Alexiya Thuman is unbeaten so far and is one of the most outstanding female wrestlers in WNY. Also on Wednesday, the Eagles were paid a visit from legendary program alumnus and Bellator MMA superstar Patrick “Patchy” Mix, fresh off his victory last weekend at Bellator 289 in Connecticut. Next up for the Eagles is a huge road test at Pioneer on January 10th.
**#10 Springville 34 – Tonawanda 33 (criteria)**
The Griffins narrowly escape the visiting Warriors with a win on criteria to get their first league win of the season. The tie breaker criteria came down to pins which favored the Griffins, 4 to 2.
**Lockport 52 – CSAT 21**
Big shoutout to the Lions and Eagles combining for 11 head to head bouts out of a possible 13 in the varsity dual, with each team giving up only one forfeit. Lockport won eight of those bouts, all of which went for five or six team points. The Lions visit Kenmore next Wednesday for what could be a really great dual between two similar teams.
**Medina 43 – Barker/Royalton-Hartland 30**
Seven forfeits were exchanged in this dual which was the kickoff match for the 2022-2023 Niagara-Orleans League slate. Medina won four head to heads in the contest.
**Frewsburg 52 – Franklinville 18**
A Bears team that struggled with numbers in recent years put eleven wrestlers on the mat against the Panthers and won four of the six head to head matches for a CCAA II opening night win.
**Grand Island 54 – Lewiston-Porter 12**
**Olean/Allegany-Limestone 60 – Salamanca 18**
**Thurs. 12/15**
**#4 Newfane 63 – Albion 9**
The Panthers get a big win the N-O opener for both squads and unveil a fresh, brand new Resilite mat with the velcro seams. Newfane will test this new mat against next Wednesday when the #6 Lakemen come to town for a huge Niagara-Orleans showdown.
Comments