Dual meet results and notes for the week of Monday, December 2nd through Thursday, December 5th.
Monday, December 2nd
Akron 47 – Lackawanna 36
The Steelers visited the Tigers for a non-league tilt. Thirteen of the fifteen bouts were contested as Lackawanna fielded a full lineup while Akron had to concede two forfeits. A full lineup is something the Steelers under head coach Abdulgawi Mohamed have been steadily building up to over the last few years. However, despite the forfeits, the Tigers were able to overcome the gifted twelve team points for the eleven-point win. Akron earned nine wins to Lackawanna’s six and six pins to the Steelers’ four. A very encouraging night for both teams and coaching staffs.
Tuesday, December 3rd
Amherst 42 – #9 Lake Shore 37
The Tigers held off their ECIC II rival on opening night for both squads behind a 10-5 decision win by Hassan Dobbins over defending Section VI Division II champion Julian Martin at 145-pounds. Lake Shore conceded three forfeits in the dual but still kept it close, nearly winning the match after falling behind 30-7 after seven bouts. Clinging to a 39-37 lead, Amherst’s Clark Whitefield gutted out an 8-3 decision win to seal secure the final score and Amherst win.
Spencerport (V) 58 – #8 St. Joe’s 16
The Marauders hosted the powerful Spencerport Rangers in their season opener for the third straight year. St. Joe’s’ Ben Parish and Ronnie Jones earned back to back wins at 160 and 170-pounds, respectively, to interrupt the Rangers’ scoring streak to start the match. Joseph Juncewicz and Caleb Lesswing were the only other ‘Joe’s winners on the night.
#6 Portville 54 – Randolph 22
The Panthers’ full lineup proved too much for CCAA II rival Randolph as they collected five forfeits on the evening, and without Dakota Mascho in the lineup. Jayden Lassiter and Roland Thompson wrestled back-to-back, and with Mascho back in the lineup makes that trio an extremely difficult one to beat. Randolph did collect four wins in the contest including three straight from 138 to 152-pounds.
Salamanca 43 – Franklinville/Cuba-Rushford 42 (tiebreaker)
The Warriors endured their second tie in seven days. This time, they came out on the winning end as their strengthened roster helped them collect four forfeits to only conceding two which was the criteria in this dual. Franklinville won five head-to-head matches to the Warriors’ three.
Lewiston-Porter 57 – Charter School for Applied Technologies 24
Lewiston started the season with a league win over the visiting Eagles, winning five of the six contested matches. The Lancers fielded eleven wrestlers in the dual, a good sign of much improved numbers going back a year to date.
Alexander (V) 57 – Barker/Royalton-Hartland 28
Inexperience and a handful of forfeits got the best of the Rams against a perennially strong Section V small school. B/R-H conceded three forfeits to Alexander’s full lineup, which is a positive sign given that they had to forfeit four-five times regularly early in last season. Five Rams earned wins in the contest. 99-pound freshman Gavin Ciarfella is a young wrestler to keep an eye on this season.
Wednesday, December 4th
The Falcons earned a walk-off pin by sectional finalist Travis Browning in the last match of the night to overcome the emerging Quakers in OP. Sectional 3rd place winner Dylan Wojciechowski was behind early in the match against Section VI champion Mike Pataky, but ultimately gutted out a 9-4 win in one of the more critical bouts of the evening. OP earned five pins to Frontier’s four, however the teams tied with seven head-to-head wins each. When was the last time this dual was this important, this close, and this early in the season all at the same time? With another very close dual in ECIC I on Wednesday, this league is shaping up to be possibly the deepest in WNY already.
#5 Hamburg 41 – Williamsville North/East 36
The tough Bulldogs survived against a well-coached and re-energized Spartans squad at home for new head coach Ken Schmitz’s first win. North’s defending sectional champion Cam Catrabone appeared at 132-pounds after having won at 99 last season. Hamburg’s Tim Cordwell did a good job to hold Catrabone to decision win for only three team points. Stars on both sides appeared and should be expected to carry each team this season. The combination of Catrabone and sectional champion Mike Catanzaro could be downright destructive at 132 and 138, respectively, should both stay there. Hamburg’s combination of Devin and Dylan Collins (152 and 160) and Jon Bennett and John Haberman (195 and 220) should will cause fits should they wrestle back-to-back like in this dual. Hamburg earned five pins to North’s four in this dual which made a huge difference given that the ‘Dawgs conceded a forfeit at 120-pounds.
The T-Birds opened with a big CCAA I win on Wednesday over a main rival. Olean, hit hard by graduation, had to concede four forfeits (not including a double forfeit at 285) and didn’t have Gavin Kulp in the lineup. As expected, Chautauqua Lake should be really tough from 99 right through 152, 160-pounds, perhaps strong enough to outright carry this team this season.
#7 Starpoint 48 – Williamsville South 31
The Billies gave the Spartans a good test in each team’s opening match of the season (despite three forfeits), perhaps one Starpoint had expected to win by a slightly larger margin. Either way, a win is a win, and Starpoint head coach Steve Hart with his full lineup has his sights set on an ECIC II title.
#4 Grand Island 48 – North Tonawanda 27
An upstart Lumberjacks team that fell by just barely over twenty points to an experienced Vikings squad should be encouraged as they continue into the season. NT has got something good going on. The dual was the first Niagara Frontier League match for both teams.
Niagara Falls 60 – Lockport 21
Even after losing a lot of talent to graduation in the spring, Falls entered a full lineup and all but two wrestlers in the 15-man JV lineup. Lockport unfortunately had to concede a number of forfeits, though participation has clearly improved since last season. They split with the Wolverines four-to-four wins each in the eight contested matches. The teams combined for eleven contested matches in the JV dual as well. Willie McDougald captured his 200th career victory.
#10 East Aurora/Holland 52 – Alden/Depew 21
The numbers looked excellent for newly combined Alden/Depew squad. When it comes to combining squads and teams among schools and all the considerations that go along with it, one can imagine that must be a very uncertain time for both the athletes and coaches involved. Credit to Alden/Depew for finding a way. It was the first ECIC II win of the season for EA who entered an athlete at all but one weight class. Depew’s Carson Alberti took on EA’s Alex Skowronski at 132 and won by decision, 11-5, in a battle of two returning sectional champions.
#3 Fredonia 52 – Southwestern 27
NO FORFEITS! Credit to SW and head coach Mark Arnold for building this program back up with improved participation. In this one, the talented Hillbillies roster was too much for the Trojans as they collected ten individual wins with seven by way of pin. Dave Ball appeared at 126-pounds after missing the week one dual. A result like this should attract some attention to the Trojans going forward into this season.
#1 Niagara Wheatfield 56 – Kenmore West/East 22
A young Kenmore squad put up a nice fight against perennial powerhouse Wheatfield on opening night. The Falcons collected seven pins in the win including six straight from 106 to 138. Kenmore won all four bouts between 182 and 285 including a rare Wheatfield forfeit at 220-pounds. The Falcons were without Te’Shaun Mathews and Collin Coughenour.
#2 Lancaster 71 – West Seneca West/East
The Legends took advantage of an inexperienced West Seneca roster collecting six pins in the process. Between 170 and 285-pounds the Legends should be lights out this season.
#3 Clarence 66 – Jamestown
The Red Devils collected seven pins and three forfeits in their ECIC I opener.
Frewsburg 52 – Cattaraugus-Little Valley 18
The Bears are 2-0 to kick off league action in 2019-2020. The Timberwolves had to hand over a few forfeits and both combined for some double forfeits, however in the six contested matches each team collected three wins. C-LV’s all came by way of pin.
Akron 54 – Medina 33
The Tigers took advantage of a number of Mustangs forfeits to collect an N-O win. However, Medina collected four wins in the six contested bouts.
Lackawanna 58 – Maryvale 30
The Steelers have been one of the nice surprises of the firs two weeks of the season. Their full lineup was too much for the Flyers as they earned five pins and four forfeits in the contest. All five of Maryvale’s wins came by way of pin. Nagi Fadel and Mohamed Alshawi should be expected to carry the bottom part of this lineup all season.
Albion 66 – Wilson 18
Albion cruised to a league win without Cody Wilson who was being honored at the 2019 Trench Trophy banquet as one of WNY’s top lineman. The Purple Eagles earned seven pins in the dual as well as three forfeits. Wilson continues to carry good numbers year to year.
#6 Portville 75 – Salamanca 9
Eight pins and a handful of forfeits propelled the Panthers to their second win in CCAA II this season. Dakota Mascho was in the lineup at 160-pounds after missing Tuesday’s match. The Mascho-Lassiter-Thompson stretch of the lineup is a matchup nightmare for opposing teams.
#1 Falconer 78 – Randolph 3
Did this lineup get better with a year of experience for all, despite losing a state champ, a state place winner, and a state tournament wildcard at graduation?
#1 Falconer 87 – Dunkirk 0
#4 Newfane 67 – Barker/Royalton-Hartland 11
#5 Pioneer 75 – Sweet Home 9
Eden 48 – Cheektowaga 36
Thursday, December 5th
Franklinville 45 – Olean 42
Franklinville earned a nice program win over a squad that attended the state dual meet tournament last season. Franklinville collected five forfeits in the win while Olean accepted four. The Huskies were again without Gavin Kulp.
Canisius 47 – Lockport 29
The Crusaders started off the season with a win over head coach Dave Wilcox’s alma mater. Canisius won six of the nine head to head matchups, three of which came by way of pin.
#8 St. Joe’s 72 – Gow 18
Don’t look now, but the Ravens fielded a FULL LINEUP in their first dual of the season. The Marauders overwhelmed Gow with their talented lineup, but the fact that Gow was able to produce a full lineup speaks volumes about their school, coaches, and students and should be considered an enormous moral victory for the Monsignor Martin league overall.
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