Dual meet and tournament results and highlights for the week of Tuesday, January 28th – Saturday, February 1st.
Tuesday, January 28th
The Legends locked up the ECIC I title with a 7-0 league record in the 2019-2020 season. Lancaster moved to 18-1 on the season in the Border Brawl victory for their second league title in three years. The league championship story can be found here:
https://wnyathletics.com/article/legends-down-red-devils-in-border-war-to-capture-ecic-i-wrestling-crown
The Hillbillies overwhelmed the Panthers with a full lineup in a CCAA crossover dual, collecting three forfeits while both teams earned six head to head wins. It was the second league crossover in two weeks for Portville, who also narrowly escaped #7 Chautauqua Lake on January 16th. Dakota Mascho was impressive again with a quality win by major decision at 152-pounds. State ranked #16 Fredonia improved to 22-6 overall with the win.
Maple Grove 63 – Frewsburg 18
The Red Dragons concluded their CCAA II slate improving to 5-1 on the season for a runner-up finish in the league for the second season in a row.
Canisius 76 – Gow 12
Springville – Tonawanda
Wednesday, January 29th
#2 Iroquois 72 – Tonawanda 11
The Chiefs secured the ECIC III title outright improving to 6-0 in the league and 25-3 overall. It was the first league title for Iroquois since the 2017-2018 season as well as the first for new head coach Jim Kloc. The league championship story can be found here:
https://wnyathletics.com/article/iroquois-crushes-ecic-iii-wrestling-competition-to-reclaim-league-title
The Panthers locked up the team’s seventh straight league title and undefeated season. Head coach Chris Edwards and his Panthers improved to 7-0 in ECIC II this season and 22-6 overall. The league championship story can be found here:
https://wnyathletics.com/article/pioneer-claims-seventh-consecutive-ecic-wrestling-title
The Wolverines captured the Niagara Frontier League title outright for the first time since the 2010-2011 season and the first for nine-year head coach DJ Giancola. Falls finishes the season 7-0 in NFL duals and 15-7 overall while the Vikings finish 6-1 in league, 13-10 overall. The league championship story can be found here:
https://wnyathletics.com/article/strength-in-numbers-leads-niagara-falls-wrestling-to-first-league-championship-in-ten-years
#6 Portville 76 – Cattaraugus-Little Valley 4
The Panthers became back to back CCAA II champions with their final league win of the season. Portville finishes the 2019-2020 campaign with a 6-0 league record and a 20-2 overall mark. The league championship story can be found here:
https://wnyathletics.com/article/portville-wrestling-repeats-as-ccaa-ii-champion
The Bulldogs won nine bouts to the Falcons’ six with five of them being pins to defeat their cross town rival for the second time this season. Although the league title wasn’t a factor in this dual, the improvement of each of these teams and status as strong WNY programs continuing to rise only raises the significance of the bragging rights on the line. It was the final home match for Hamburg seniors Ryan Forrest, John Haberman, Tim Cordwell, Cody Rozler, Jack Gordon, and Dom Manzella. The Bulldogs were previously 41-36 winners over Frontier in the third place match at the Section VI Duals. The Falcons finished the season with a 4-3 mark in the rugged ECIC I standings and 17-12 overall.
A pair of young but emerging teams faced off in an ECIC I contest for important measuring purposes for each program. The Spartans ultimately came out on top with nine wins and four pins while each team conceded one forfeit. North finishes the season 3-4 in ECIC I and 9-9 overall, a nice improvement over last season’s 2-4 league and 3-10 overall marks. The Quakers finish the season with a 2-5 record in the brutal ECIC I and a 12-11 overall record.
#10 Starpoint 42 – East Aurora 32
Without a few normal starters in the lineup, the Spartans held off a quality Blue Devils teams at home to complete the ECIC II schedule, finishing 6-1 and the league’s runner-up squad. James Leuer stepped into the lineup and earned a great 4-2 decision win over EA’s Matt Skowronski at 99-pounds. Teammate Christian Lasher pushed Section VI champion Alex Skowronski at 132, but ultimately fell 4-2.
Kenmore 48 – North Tonawanda 40
The Devil Dogs edged a very similar Lumberjacks team in an NFL battle between two squads battling for the fourth spot in the league’s final standings. Kenmore’s win improved their league record to 4-3 this season, good for that fourth overall spot in the standings for the second year in a row, and 12-9 overall.
#5 Niagara Wheatfield 78 – Lewiston-Porter 9
The Falcons finish third in the NFL standings with a 5-2 league mark and a 15-7 overall record.
#7 Chautauqua Lake 54 – Dunkirk 26
Both squads wrapped up their CCAA I schedules. The Thunderbirds finish 4-2 in the league and third in the standings for the third time in the last four seasons. Dunkirk was able to score some points earning a few upper weight forfeits as well as a quality decision win for Gilberto Casablanca at 113-pounds. The T-Birds won every weight but one between 99 and 170-pounds.
#8 Southwestern 39 – Gowanda 36
The Trojans held off a Panthers squad that has improved throughout the season in their home dual meet finale. The teams tied with seven wins apiece, however SW earned bonus points in six of those matches compared to five for the Panthers which was the difference in the team scoring. Junior Garrett Swan earned his 100th career win in the dual as well. Gowanda’s Dom Rodriguez earned a quality win with a 3-2 decision over Dagon Bryant at 145-pounds.
Jamestown 62 – West Seneca 18
The Raiders finish their ECIC I schedule in the win column after facing the league’s ranked top six teams.
Williamsville South 51 – Alden/Depew 29
The Billies finish 3-4 in ECIC II and 9-5 overall this season.
Eden 42 – Maryvale 39
The Raiders finish 3-3 in ECIC III after edging the Flyers.
Randolph 42 – Salamanca 33
The Cardinals finish 4-2 in CCAA II good for third place in the league standings.
Lockport 45 – CSAT 24
The teams combined for eleven contested matches as the Lions improved to 2-5 in NFL duals, much better than last season’s finish.
HM Amherst 57 – St. Mary’s 26
The Tigers entered a full lineup and collected two forfeits without Hasan Dobbins and Ryan Bitka in the lineup. The teams combined for thirteen contested matches.
Sweet Home 48 – St. Mary’s 37
Matt Ash edged Sammy Esaleh, 9-5, in a bout between two quality wrestlers. Both teams collected two forfeits apiece.
Thursday, January 30th
#3 Hamburg 51 – Jamestown 24
Hamburg finishes 5-2 in ECIC I good for third in the league for the fifth straight season. Head coach Ken Schmitz has led this team to a 19-5 overall record and a 3rd place team finish at the Section VI Duals in his first season as head coach of the Bulldogs.
Lackawanna 51 – Cheektowaga 24
The Steelers finish 13-12 overall and 5-1 in ECIC III for second place in the team standings. Compare this team’s finish to 2-5 league and 6-12 overall records in 2018-2019.
#7 Chautauqua Lake 49 – Maple Grove 30
Three forfeits in the upper weights wasn’t enough for the Red Dragons to overcome the strong lightweight group of Thunderbirds in a CCAA crossover dual. C’Lake won eight of the nine head to head matches between 99 and 152-pounds, pinning in four of them. The T-Birds finish the 2019-2020 campaign at 8-10 overall while the Dragons finish with a 13-8 overall record.
#10 Albion 56 – Lyndonville (V) 22
The Purple Eagles end the season with a 10-3 overall mark with an inter-section win over the Tigers.
Niagara Falls 50 – Newfane 18 (junior varsity)
A night after a big varsity league championship win, Wolverines and Panthers JV wrestlers matched up for a non-league dual of their own. Winning matches for Falls were Mike Syposs, Grady Peterson, Rocco Strangio, Vincenzo Falsetti, Cameron Hall, Naszir Miller, Matt Kaminska, Charles Dunn, A’Treal Mayfield, and Luis Ubiles. Newfane winners were Owen Shank, Eric Ridgeway, and Xavier Thomas. Four exhibitions were wrestled in addition to the JV dual. Newfane’s Dominic Massar and Niagara Falls’s Anthony Navarroli each were victorious in exhibitions.
Gowanda 60 – Cattaraugus-Little Valley 10
Friday, January 31st
HM St. Joe’s 45 – St. Francis 39
The Marauders secured their first Monsignor Martin dual meet title and 4-0 league record in three seasons behind six pins including a Caleb Lesswing walk-off fall at 285 to seal the win. The league championship story can be found here:
https://wnyathletics.com/article/lesswing-leads-st-joes-to-monsignor-martin-wrestling-dual-meet-title
East Aurora 49 – #9 Lake Shore 31
The Blue Devils earned an ECIC II rivalry win over the Eagles as well as revenge for a loss at the Section VI Duals to end their dual meet schedule. EA won nine matches to LS’s six, five by way of pin. East Aurora finishes with a 4-3 league mark and 14-12 overall record. Lake Shore finishes the season with a 2-5 record in the strong ECIC II division.
HM Amherst 64 – Sweet Home 17
In one of their best efforts at a full lineup this season, Sweet Home entered a wrestler at every weight except two. However, the full and experienced lineup of the Tigers was too much for their in-town rival as Amherst advanced to 5-2 in ECIC II to conclude this season’s league schedule. Amherst will battle St. Joe’s next on February 5th.
Lyndonville (V) 60 – CSAT 27
Akron 70 – Cheektowaga 12
St. Mary’s – West Seneca
Saturday, February 1st
NYSPHSAA Dual Meet Championships @ Onondaga County Community College, Syracuse
Four Section VI squads represented WNY at the 3rd edition of state duals in Syracuse. #1 state ranked Falconer captured the program’s first NYS Division II title going 4-0 and edging the two-time defending state champion Mt. Sinai Mustangs, 40-39 on a final bout, walk off pin by Brayden Newman at 106-pounds.
It was an incredible day for the Golden Falcons, who made their third straight appearance at the Duals. Falconer defeated Section V’s Palmyra-Macedon 51-31 then Section III powerhouse Central Valley Academy 45-33 to advance to the semifinal round for the second year in a row. The Golden Falcons handled Section VIII champion W.T. Clarke, 42-30, setting up a showdown with the defending champions out of Suffolk County. With the title on the line, Falconer needed at least four pins in the final five matches to have any shot of winning outright. Brock Johnson was the hero the team needed showing a level of fortitude and unselfishness rare in high school athletics, getting off of his back and eventually coming up with a pin. Collin Beichner and Collin Mower got the job done in the upper weights setting up Newman’s dramatic pin in the final bout. A full state championship match report can be found here:
https://wnyathletics.com/article/newmans-walk-off-pin-lifts-falconer-to-first-new-york-state-dual-meet-wrestling-title
Iroquois was the latest addition into the tournament field in the first three years of the event after another team backed out and ones ahead of the Chiefs with more qualifying points weren’t able to go. After finding out late Thursday that his team would be in, head coach Jim Kloc organized a practice for the next morning and they were off to Syracuse Friday afternoon.
The Chiefs took on Section VIII’s top seeded Cold Spring Harbor first thing Saturday morning and wrestled well but fell by a score of 47-21. Iroquois earned four wins in the five weight classes between 99 and 126, three by pin, but were outdistanced by a very deep Seahawks lineup there after. Ryan Sweeney appeared at 126-pounds for the first time this season to help give his team some leverage in the lineup. Iroquois did however come away with a win at the event after crushing Section X’s Gouverneur 58-24 to go 1-1 in the program’s first state duals appearance.
“At the end of the day, with a twenty-four hour notice, I’m proud of every one of the kids,” said Kloc after his team’s win over Gouverneur. “A lot of them had to cut a few pounds pretty much overnight, and they all did it without complaining. This was a goal we had from the beginning of the year and under circumstances we accomplished it. Win or lose we still made a statement against the number one team (top seeded Cold Spring). They were not expecting us to be that close until the end.”
Niagara Wheatfield took on Section VIII champion MacArthur HS but fell by a narrow 34-32 margin in their first match of the day. The Generals earned eight wins to NW’s seven and conceded a forfeit at 99-pounds but came away with the win.
The Falcons took on a familiar foe in Section I’s Fox Lane but ultimately fell by a 57-12 score, only winning two bouts in the dual. Tremell Mathews was a forfeit winner at 113-pounds while Justin McDougald was the only Falcons winner from 120 to 285.
Lancaster made it back to Syracuse as a wildcard entry after having qualified for the first state duals. The Legends took on Section XI runner-up Commack but fell by a 38-22 score. In their second pool match, Lancaster ran into NYS #1 ranked and eventual state champion team Minisink Valley (IX) and were defeated 64-11. Myles Gronowski went 2-0 at the Duals and became one of the only sophomores in program history to achieve his 100th win this early into his career.
2020 ECIC JV Tournament @ Amherst HS
The ECIC JV tournament was well attended by up and coming junior varsity level athletes from across the conference. Individual champions were:
99: Payton Mack (Amherst); 4-0 with two technical falls, a pin, and a decision.
106: Nick Murphy (Clarence); 5-0 with three pins, a major decision, and a decision.
113: Thomas Martin (Lake Shore); 3-0 with two pins and a decision.
120: Cameron Millender (Sweet Home); 3-0 with a pin and two decisions.
126: Peter Panaro (Clarence); 4-0 with two pins, a major decision, and a decision.
132: Justice Strickland (Iroquois); 3-0 with two pins and a major decision.
138-A: Max Waliszewski (Lake Shore); 3-0 with two pins a medical forfeit.
138-B: Austin Taylor (Lake Shore); 3-0 with a pin, a major, and a decision.
145: Kenny Che (Alden/Depew); 3-0 with two pins and a decision.
152: Owen Cummins (Clarence); 4-0 with a pin, a tech fall, and two decisions.
160: Elija Depasquale (Hamburg); 3-0 with two pins and a decision.
170: Ethan Taylor (Lake Shore); 3-0 with three pins.
182: Matthew Murphy (Williamsville South); 3-0 with two pins and a decision.
195: Kyle Gembolys (West Seneca); 5-0 with five pins.
220: Nick Baco (Frontier); 3-0 with two pins and a decision.
285: Angelo Bibbs (Amherst); 3-0 with thee pins.