Bound For Albany
By Cody Crandall
ccrandall@post-journal.com
Beginning Friday at the Times Union Center in Albany, the top wrestlers from all across the Empire State will battle it out at the New York State Public High School Athletic Association Division I and II Championships.
Falconer headlines the list of local teams and student-athletes making the near six-hour trek, as the Golden Falcons had four wrestlers earn their way into the Division II state tourney: Dylan Ingrao (145 pounds), Dan Torres (152 pounds), Cameron Page (160 pounds) and Corey Keefe (182 pounds).
Ingrao, a junior, will be returning to Albany for the second straight season and will know what to expect on the big stage under the bright lights. He will enter competition as the No. 3 seed at 145 pounds and will kick off his tournament against Saranac’s John Devins of Section VII. Ingrao holds a current record of 50-4.
“Dylan’s been there before,” Falconer coach Drew Wilcox stressed. “He’s been on a hot streak here and he just needs to continue that and he’ll be just fine.”
Torres locked up a spot at states after he picked up a decisive 13-3 major decision over Southwestern’s Giuseppe Hoose in the 152-pound championship of the recent Section VI State Qualifier. The junior, who has a 49-8 record, will face a stiff test right off the bat this weekend, however, as his first match will be against the top seed at 152 pounds, Hunter Richard of Section III’s Holland Patent.
“Dan’s improved immensely from last year to this year,” Wilcox explained. “And, yeah, I’m fine with him wrestling the No. 1 seed. He has nothing to be nervous about. All of the pressure is on that kid and (Dan) can just go out and wrestle his best and see what happens.”
Page set the Falconer school record for takedowns this year and is riding a huge wave of momentum heading into the state tourney, as he holds a record of 49-4. The senior is the No. 2 seed in his weight class and will open the tournament against Robbie Velichko of Section I’s Putnam Valley-Haldane.
“Cameron is an exceptional wrestler on his feet,” Wilcox emphasized. “He’s probably (one of) the best kids I’ve coached as far as being on his feet goes. He’s motivated, he’s focused on what he needs to do. He’s wrestling really well and if he just goes out there and wrestles the way he has the last month and a half, he’ll be fine.”
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Keefe earned an at-large bid at 182 pounds following a season in which he went 51-3 and set a school mark for wins in a campaign. He lost in the finals of the recent state qualifier, but Wilcox is certainly encouraged by the hard work Keefe has put in on the mat. Keefe will begin his tourney against the No. 7 seed, Dillon Warner of Section II’s Schoharie.
“I think everyone needs to lose and I don’t think losing (in the finals) of the state qualifier is necessarily a bad thing as long as you find a way to get in (to the state tournament),” Wilcox stated. “He’s earned the right to be at the state tournament. He’s worked extremely hard over the course of the past three years that I’ve had him and I think he’ll be ready to go.”
Dunkirk/Silver Creek’s Nick Jones will be making his third consecutive trip to Albany, as he earned an at-large bid at 285 pounds in Division II after he went 35-1 this season. The senior is the No. 4 seed and will square off against Brendan Marsocci of Section V’s Byron-Bergen in his first match Friday.
“(His prior experience) is going to be huge,” Dunkirk/Silver Creek coach Joe McMurdy stressed. “Two years ago, he finished fourth there. Last year…I think he finished 2-2 up there and didn’t place. … He’s been through it all so I think that will help.”
Joining Jones will be his teammate, Billy Seiders at 138 pounds. Seiders, who has enjoyed a prosperous career for Dunkirk/Silver Creek, was the individual champ at 138 pounds at the state qualifier. The senior will kick off his state tourney against top-seeded TJ Philpotts of Section III’s Holland Patent.
“The last month, he’s had to wrestle a lot of tough kids,” McMurdy said. “And I think it’s prepared him (for states). I do look at (facing the top seed) as a positive. The kid’s never seen Billy, Billy has never seen him, so I think it’s a good thing right off the bat. We’re looking forward to that.”
Two wrestlers from Gowanda will be competing as well: David Poff (120 pounds) and Charlie Valone (220 pounds).
Poff was the champion of his weight class at the state qualifier and will enter states as the No. 5 seed, setting up an opening matchup with Hector Rodriguez of the Eagle Academy (Bronx).
“I think at this point, you just have to do what you’ve been doing all season,” Gowanda coach Mark Leous said. “We’re not going to try to change anything. Just try to keep it calm, keep a calm approach and take one match at a time.”
Gowanda’s Valone was able to secure a wildcard berth after he wrestled his way to a 42-4 record this winter. He will take on the No. 3 seed at 220 pounds in Division II, Hammond Raes of Section V’s Midlakes.
“Chuck is one of those kids who you are just really proud of,” Leous stated. “He’s just gotten better and better. It’s pretty cool that he’s put it all together. It’s fun to watch kids grow in to great athletes.”
Maple Grove’s Trevor Micek (170 pounds), Zak Trim (182 pounds) and Shane Hetrick (113 pounds) will all have a shot at becoming a state champion.
Micek, a senior, only has one loss on the season and was the winner at 170 pounds at the Division II state qualifier. Awaiting Micek will be the No. 2 seed, Sean Mosca, of Section VIII’s Carle Place-Wheatley.
“(He’s) been great,” Maple Grove coach Tim Shrout stated. “We had really high hopes for Trevor. He was a couple wildcard points away from going last year to the state tournament and actually in the sectional finals he wrestled last year’s (eventual) state champion to a triple-overtime loss. …I think he realized how close he was last year and what he could look forward to and accomplish.”
Trim recorded an impressive 2-1 decision over Falconer’s Keefe in the 182-pound final at the state qualifier to punch his ticket to the Times Union Center. He will kick off his quest for a state title against Brennan Slater, the No. 5 seed from Section IV’s Norwich.
“One of the nicest things about Zak is that he really progressed through the season and sort of found his own way… his own style,” Shrout explained. “He’s actually found his way doing that and has been able to compete successfully at least at the later end of the season.”
Hetrick is another wrestler who has worked his way back to states after securing an at-large bid. He’s 35-4 on the season and came up just short of winning an individual title at the state qualifier. Hetrick is the No. 6 seed at 113 pounds in Division II and his first match will be against Kevin Velez of Petrides.
“I think Shane is just so quick and he’s really tough to score points on from an opponent’s perspective,” Shrout said. “And he’s really strong for that size. That’s something that a lot of people don’t appreciate is all the extra work that Shane puts in to maintain strength during the year.”
Fredonia is another local team that will be well-represented in Albany thanks to Hector Colom and Dalton Gardner.
Colom, who has already competed at states multiple times, has only lost once this winter and will enter this weekend as the No. 3 seed at 132 pounds in Division II. He will battle Gideon Jardine of Hadley Luzerne-Lake George from Section II in his preliminary match.
“He loves to compete,” Fredonia coach Joe Santilli said. “And he’s definitely not lacking confidence in himself. He feels comfortable anywhere he is on the mat. Good positions or bad positions, he thinks he can score from there and that’s what he tries to do. He loves to compete. … I think that’s what makes him rise up against other competitors.”
Gardner earned a spot in Albany following a victory over Maple Grove’s Hetrick in the 113-pound final at the state qualifier. Last year as an eighth-grader, Gardner enjoyed some success at the state level and will look for more of the same when action kicks off Friday. He is the No. 7 seed and will take on Dylan Price of Section III’s Onondaga-Tully in the opening round.
“He’s narrowed his focus,” Santilli explained. “I think he’s now paying more attention to his technique. … Dalton’s a pretty laid-back young man. He doesn’t get too high or too low. …He’s only concerned about the one (match) in front of him. And that’s the first match. That’s your expectation, is to get after the first match.”
Other wrestlers from the Chautauqua-Cattaraugus Athletic Association who will be participating include Portville’s Nick Kozlowski at 126 pounds and Olean’s Jordan McLaughlin at 220 pounds.
Preliminary action is set to begin around 10 a.m. Friday while quarterfinals are slated for approximately 2 p.m. and wrestlebacks for 4 p.m.
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