WNY Wrestling Postseason Awards
- Matt O'Rourke
- 16 minutes ago
- 7 min read
Cover photo courtesy of Jeff Pataky // all photos courtesy of Jeff Pataky unless noted
Photos contained within this article are not authorized for republication unless granted prior written consent.
The 2025-2026 high school wrestling season concluded on Tuesday, March 10th at the Lake Erie Italian Club in Lackawanna with the 21st Western New York Wrestling Coaches Association Banquet of Champions. The annual banquet recognizes the outstanding wrestlers, coaches, and contributors of the recent wrestling season as well as the new WNYWCA Hall of Fame class.
On Tuesday, the WNYWCA recognized the area’s seventy-nine student-athletes who qualified for the boys and girls NYSPHSAA Wrestling Championships tournaments, Section VI Dual Meet champion teams, league champion teams and coaches of the year, three special award winners, and three individuals who were inducted into the Association’s Hall of Fame.
2025-2026 WNY Wrestling Coaches Association awardees
Special awards
Media Award: Mike & Cheryl Wertman, Orleans Hub
Al Feuz Memorial Contributors Award: Matt O’Rourke
Ilio DiPaolo Family Commitment to Wrestling Award: Ken Schmitz
2026 Hall of Fame: Colin Crickard, wrestler, Williamsville East HS
2026 Hall of Fame: Jared Lemke, wrestler, Alden HS
2026 Hall of Fame: Mike Arnold, wrestler, Pioneer HS
League coaches of the year
ECIC Division III: Abdulgawi Mohamed, Lackawanna
ECIC II: Zach Weidemann, Pioneer
ECIC I: Joe Glinsky and Drew Hull, Orchard Park
Niagara-Orleans: Mike Sanders, Albion
Niagara Frontier: Don McCoy, Niagara Falls
Msgr. Martin HS Athletic Association: Ron Lorenz, St. Francis
Chautauqua-Cattaraugus Athletic Association Division I: Ken Rowe, Chautauqua Lake
CCAA Division II: Ryan Thierman, Portville
Section VI Girls: Bill Morello, Lockport
Special coach awards
Rookie Coach of the Year: Rick Weber, Eden
Division I Assistant Coach of the Year: Bill Ploetz, Niagara Wheatfield
Division II Assistant coach of the Year: Matt DellaPenta, Eden
Jon Vesper Award: Matt Haberl, Cheektowaga Central
Photo courtesy of Bryon DeYoung
Special athlete awards
Section VI Girls Champion of Champions: Michaela Thomas, Iroquois
DeYoung
Division I Champion of Champions: Griffin LaPlante, St. Francis
DeYoung
Division II Champion of Champions: Tavio Hoose, Southwestern
DeYoung
In addition to the WNYWCA’s outstanding lineup of awards, I would also like to recognize some wrestlers and coaches for noteworthy performances this year as well as some of the top moments from the 2025-2026 wrestling season.
Special recognition – head coach: Don Lilly, Sweet Home
Special recognition – assistant coach: Jake Smith, Hamburg
Special recognition – girls coach: Chris Fairbank, Chautauqua Lake
Special recognition – male wrestler: Matthew Cox, Clarence
Special recognition – female wrestler: Gabriella Gelnett, Lockport
Unheralded Wrestler Award: Jake Zeigler, Portville
Selfless Soldier Award: Rory White, St. Francis
Newcomer of the Year: Tayler Pinzok, Sherman/Chautauqua Lake
Most Outstanding Wrestler (each league):
Chautauqua-Cattaraugus Athletic Association Division I: Tavio Hoose, Southwestern
Chautauqua-Cattaraugus Athletic Association Division II: Jake Zeigler, Portville
Niagara-Orleans League: Joey Burg, Akron
Msgr. Martin High School Athletic Association: Griffin LaPlante, St. Francis
ECIC Division I: Abduali Mukumov, Sweet Home
ECIC Division II: Takota Smith, Pioneer
ECIC Division III: Trevor DellaPenta, Eden
Niagara Frontier League: Keith Mixon, North Tonawanda
2025-2026 Final team power rankings:
Division I
1. St. Francis Red Raiders
2. St. Joe’s Marauders
3. Niagara Falls Wolverines
4. Orchard Park Quakers
5. Lancaster Legends
6. North Tonawanda Lumberjacks
7. Jamestown Red & Green
8. Clarence Red Devils
9. Sweet Home Panthers
10. Kenmore DevilDogs
Honorable Mention: Hamburg, Niagara Wheatfield
Division II
1. Chautauqua Lake Eagles
2. Eden Raiders
3. Pioneer Panthers
4. Falconer/Cassadaga Valley Golden Cougars
5. Lackawanna Steelers
6. Newfane Panthers
7. Akron Tigers
8. Gowanda Panthers
9. Portville Panthers
10. Albion Purple Eagles
Honorable Mention: Iroquois, Barker/Royalton-Hartland
Section VI Girls
1. Niagara Wheatfield/Niagara Falls/Newfane Falcons
2. Chautauqua Lake Eagles
3. Lockport Lions
4. Fredonia Hillbilliies
5. Orchard Park-Southtowns Quakers
6. Falconer/Cassadaga Valley Golden Cougars
7. Dunkirk Marauders
8. Clarence/Iroquois Red Devils
9. Sweet Home/Amherst Panthers
10. Kenmore DevilDogs
Honorable Mention: CSAT, Barker/Royalton-Hartland
2025-2026 WNY wrestling top-10 moments
Successful 1st Section VI Girls Dual Meet Wrestling Championships
Six teams wrestled in the very first edition of the Section VI Girls Dual Meet Wrestling Championships on Jan. 30 at D’Youville University to start a new wrestling tradition in WNY. While the top-3 placing teams asserted themselves as the best three squads in WNY, the tournament itself had competitive dual meets and laid the groundwork for what should evolve into an even bigger and more competitive Section VI championship in the years to come.
9. Lackawanna secures share of ECIC III title
The Steelers locked up a share of the ECICI III league title on Feb. 4th with a 51-24 victory at home over Springville. Lackawanna finished the league dual meet slate at 5-1 tied atop the standings with Section VI Duals champion Eden, whom the Steelers went 1-1 against this winter. As far back as program records show, the share of the ECIC division title is the first league dual meet championship in Steelers Wrestling program history.
8. Noli Paddock claims Eastern States title
Chautauqua Lake sophomore Noli Paddock achieved a significant victory for her season and career resume in capturing the Eastern States 138-pound title on Jan. 11. Noli went 3-0 on the day claiming her 5th first place finish of the season (she won eight tournament titles by season’s end) to assert herself as the top contender at 138-pounds in NYS at the midway point of the season.
7. Orchard Park captures league dual meet title for the first time in 33 years
On Feb. 3, the Quakers took down league rival West Seneca/Depew, 60-22, capping off a perfect 7-0 season in ECIC I duals to claim the programs’ first league dual meet championship since 1993. Orchard Park took down all seven league rivals to achieve the clean sweep in ECIC I, including wins over four fellow WNY large school ranked teams in the final WNY Wrestling Central 2025-2026 power ranking.
6. Eden captures first Section VI Dual Meet Championships title
The Raiders earned the top seed in the Section VI Division II Dual Meet Championships and made the most of their opportunity to claim the program’s first Section VI Duals title. On Jan. 3, the Raiders took down 8-seed Salamanca in the first round before defeating WNY heavyweights and past Duals champions in 4-seed Falconer, 43-32, in the semifinal and ultimately 2-seed Pioneer, 42-35, in the title bout. First year head coach Rick Weber and staff required a total team effort to overcome two forfeits in the lineup.
5. St. Francis rewrites CHSAA Championships records
The top team in NYS dominated the 2026 NYS CHSAA Championships on Feb. 15. The Red Raiders tied the existing record of 13 CHSAA tournament finalists (St. Anthony’s, 2011) but broke the record for most CHSAA champions in one tournament (nine, St. Anthony’s, 2011) crowning ten champions and qualifying them for the NYS federation championships. St. Francis’s 423 team points also set a new CHSAA tournament mark as the Raiders defeated St. Anthony’s previous record of 337-points set in 2011.
4. St. Francis is back to back NYS federation championships team champion
The Red Raiders captured the NYS Division I individual team title in Albany outscoring runner-up Minisink Valley (IX), 165 to 75.5-points, which is also a new NYS tournament team point record. Nine of ten Raiders placed in their respective brackets which also set a new state record for most placers from one team in a single state tournament. Likewise, St. Francis carried the CHSAA team to its highest place finish in state tournament history taking 2nd in the Division I section scoring, only 8.5-points behind team champion Section XI on Saturday night.
3. Zach Caldwell captures NYS Division I 190-pound title
St. Francis senior Zach Caldwell battled to the top of the NYS 190-pound field in Albany on Feb. 27-28. As the 2-seed in the bracket, Zach earned back to back tech falls in the pre-quarter and quarter final rounds. In the semifinal, he earned a takedown in overtime to secure a spot in the NYS title match. Against the top seed in the tournament finale, Zach earned a late takedown with less than twenty seconds remaining in the third period ultimately holding on to win by one point, 5-4, to secure the Division I 190-pound NYS title.
2. Tavio Hoose earns second career NYS title
Tavio added a second NYS individual title to his career resume in winning the 2026 NYS Division II 190-pound title. Tavio was the 4-seed in the bracket and advanced to the state semifinals with two technical falls. In the semi, he earned a narrow 6-5 decision win over the top seed to advance to the state title match for the third time in four years. In the finale, Tavio earned a late third period takedown with little time remaining for the go ahead score as he would hold on to win, 6-4, to become a two-time NYS champion and Section VI’s only state champion in the 2025-2026 season.
1. Griffin LaPlante overcomes early deficit to win back to back state title
Top seeded returning NYS champion Griffin LaPlante found himself in an unusual predicament in the 165-pound NYS title match. After earning the first takedown, Griffin was put to his back from neutral with over forty seconds remaining in the first period. LaPlante dug deep and gutted out forty-two long seconds fighting to not get pinned in front of thousands of people in Times Union Center eager for an upset. However, Griffin survived the ordeal and after some blood time and the end of the period got to work. In the second period, he escaped off bottom and took his opponent down three times just in the second frame, ultimately going on to win his second straight NYS title by decision, 14-11.
The top dual of the 2025-2026 season amongst WNY goes to the Section VI Girls Dual Meet Championships finale between the Falcons and Eagles. A forfeit-less, narrow two point victory was everything that a sectional dual meet final, championship match should be about, and the final of the 1st Section VI Girls Duals delivered. Trailing 19-14 at the mid point of the dual, a stretch run of four straight bonus point wins for NW gave the Falcons the lead with two bouts remaining. A win by technical superiority and one by pin the final two bouts for Chautauqua wasn’t quite enough to overcome the deficit as NW held on to win, 32-30. Niagara Falls’ Jezell Allen had a big day earning critical wins against both Chautauqua and Lockport in their pool match to help lead the Falcons to the title.
Photo courtesy of Joe Kraus
(All non-WNWCA special recognition recipients, team rankings, top moments, and best dual were selected by WNY Athletics' Matt O'Rourke)