Southwestern senior Adrian Torres drives Mason DellaPenta of Eden/North Collins into the mat for a 6-3 sudden-victory win in the 110-pound Division 2 semifinals at the NYSPHSAA wrestling championships at MVP Arena in Albany on Saturday. P-J photo by Christian Storms

ALBANY — Southwestern senior Adrian Torres has been out for revenge in his final season with the Trojans wrestling team.

A year ago, Torres lost the Division 2 101-pound state championship against Tioga’s Declan McKee and then this year on the road back to the New York State Public High School Athletic Association wrestling championships he lost the Section VI 110-pound final to rival Mason DellaPenta of Eden/North Collins.

After a great showing on Friday at the MVP Arena in Albany, Torres had set a sectional final rematch with DellaPenta in the 110-pound Division 2 state semifinals.

Then on Saturday morning he showed how difficult it is to beat someone three times in one season, defeating DellaPenta in a 6-3 sudden-victory decision to get back into the state final.

“It feels amazing,” Torres said about getting back into the finals. “Especially against Mason DellaPenta, he beat me already two times this year. It feels amazing. I didn’t like having to face a Section VI kid, but I had to do what I had to do. ”

Southwestern senior Adrian Torres immediately reacts after winning the 110-pound Division 2 semifinal against Mason DellaPenta of Eden/North Collins. P-J photo by Christian Storms

DellaPenta got the better of Torres in the sectional final, squeaking away with the title by a 1-0 decision, so the plan for him at the state tournament was to be more aggressive.

“The plan all along was we needed to be offensive,” Southwestern head coach John Vogan said about the strategy. “We needed to get a takedown in the first period. We didn’t score any points in the sectional final, we were close, he was in on a lot of shots, but he didn’t start to open up until the third period. Our plan was in the first period to go after it and he got that takedown and I think that got a lot of pressure off of him. Mason wrestled awesome and kept coming back, we didn’t want to give up those stall calls. When it got to overtime I told him he just has to go after it.”

That plan worked out as he stayed ahead the whole match, securing his first takedown with just 17 seconds left in the first period to go up 3-0. DellaPenta escaped just before the period expired and a scoreless second made it 3-1 going into the third.

After accruing a stalling warning in the opening frame, Torres left the door open for overtime with an escape and a stalling, making it so DellaPenta did not even need a takedown to win. Then that is exactly what happened to set up overtime a sudden-victory overtime period with the pair of Section VI wrestlers knotted up at 3-3.

In the overtime, Torres went right back to being aggressive and it worked. Just 20 seconds into the overtime Torres was driving into DellaPenta and just 10 seconds later he was on top and back into the state final with a 6-3 decision.

Southwestern's Adrian Torres shows all of his emotions after getting back to the state final. P-J photo by Christian Storms

“When I was in overtime I started to get a little tired,” Torres said. “When I was circling I knew I needed to go one more time and put everything into that shot.”

On the mat right next to Torres was another rival in the Section IV champion McKee, the same person to defeat him in the 101-pound final a year ago with a 5-1 decision.

“I’ve wanted this match ever since I lost to him last year,” Torres said about McKee. “We’re going to get it back.”

Torres has defeated McKee before and now without the nerves of being a first time finalist, he has the confidence to be more aggressive as he attempts to end his high school career with the elusive state title.

“I think it’s awesome for Adrian to get another crack at him,” Vogan said about the rematch with McKee. “He has beat Declan before, he won in the Linda Knuutila final last year. He wrestled very defensive last year, I think he will open up more this year. I think he’ll be more confident, he wrestled Declan three times now and knows him to some degree pretty well. I think that will be an advantage and hopefully we’ll come out on top this time.”

Southwestern senior Adrian Torres embraces Head Coach John Vogan after winning the 110-pound Division 2 semifinal. P-J photo by Christian Storms

Two years ago, Southwestern senior Tavio Hoose was upset in the 190-pound Division 2 state championship by Greyson Meak of Cold Spring Harbor-VIII.

That was the final time Hoose wrestled for the Trojans as he went on to St. Francis, but this January he made the return home and just a little over a month later, he is back in the 190-pound Division 2 state final.

“I’m just really happy to be a Trojan again,” Hoose said. “I honestly couldn’t do it without Coach Vogan and Coach Lundmark. It’s been a long time coming, freshman year with that big win in the state finals against Meak, then sophomore year losing and last year tearing my MCL and not even going. I’ve had every outcome in this tournament and I’m just excited to be finishing my high school career of varsity wrestling with the right people.”

The road to the finals was not an easy path for most, but Hoose is not like most wrestlers as demonstrated by his toppling of 190-pound Division 2 top-seed and North Carolina State-commit Yanni Drapaniotis of Unatego/ Unadilla Valley/Franklin-IV in the semifinals by a 6-5 decision.

“That last semifinal match I didn’t wrestle at the best of my ability,” Hoose stated. “I think everyone can tell that, but at the end of the day I just have got to bounce back for this state finals.”

Southwestern senior Tavio Hoose goes for the takedown on 190-pound top-seed Yanni Drapaniotis of Unatego/ Unadilla Valley/Franklin-IV in the Division 2 semifinals at MVP Arena in Albany on Saturday. Hoose won the match by 6-5 decision to reach the state championship bout. P-J photo by Christian Storms

Despite the match being close, once Hoose secured the first takedown in the opening period there was little worry he would not come out on top.

The lanky Drapaniotis did show why he will be attending a Division I program next season in the second period as he was able to escape from Hoose and score the only takedown of the period.

However, an escape to end the second and then again to begin the third put Hoose in the driver seat for the final two minutes maintaining a 5-4 lead. A penalty point was awarded to Hoose as Drapaniotis struggled to score and in the final 20 seconds Hoose locked down the win even able to give up a stalling point for the 6-5 decision.

“He got a takedown early on which was key,” Vogan said about Hoose’s match. “Then he’s super hard to score on, he gave up one takedown, but once he was on his feet in the third period with a one-point lead it is really really hard to take him down. His shot defense is great, his stamina is great, his cardio is unbelievable and I could see Drapaniotis was starting to gas, starting to struggle. He trains for this, he trains for the third period, he’s never out of shape and never gasses.”

Hoose’s victory puts him in the state championship match for the final time in his high school career, giving him the opportunity to cap things off with potentially a second title to his name, avenging his championship loss in his sophomore season.

Southwestern's Tavio Hoose points to his chest after getting back to the 190-pound Division 2 state final. P-J photo by Christian Storms

“I think that’s a big deal,” Hoose said about potentially going out as a champion. “At the end of the day, I try to relieve myself of a lot of that pressure. Of course, winning is great, but I train so hard that’s always my goal that stuff like this isn’t that big of a deal. No matter what I happens I just like to go out there and compete, of course I want to bring home the state title, but at the end of the day that is going to be the result if I do the right things.”

Getting back to the final means more to Hoose this time after a tumultuous last year which saw him transfer to St. Francis for his junior season and suffer an MCL tear that prevented him from making states with a title loss in the 2025 Catholic High School Athletic Association championship.

“It’s very much a storybook finish for him,” Vogan said about Hoose’s career. “I’m very proud regardless of how it turns out. He is going to go down as one of the best wrestlers in Southwestern history and one of the top wrestlers in Section VI in recent time. Regardless it is going to be a great match and win or lose he has really done great coming back. He’s a great teammate, he’s been a great presence at our school and I’m just really proud of him the way this has turned out for him.”

Hoose will wrestle No. 3 Liam English of Berne-Knox-Westerlo/Middlesex-II in the final, as he knocked off No. 2 Trent True of Holland Patent-III in a 12-5 decision.

“My mindset is just to go and compete,” Hoose said ahead of his championship bout against English. “Wrestle to a good position, wrestle like me and if I do I don’t think I will lose.”

Falconer/Cassadaga Valley junior Dylan Newman found himself in a semifinal rematch against 126-pound No. 2 Brock Frederick of South Jefferson-III and he met the same fate as a year ago in the semifinals.

In another very close match between Newman and Frederick it was once again a stalling point given to Frederick that played a crucial role in the outcome of the match. In a very defensive match, neither wrestler could score a takedown in the first two periods, with escapes and a stalling penalty being the only points awarded.

Desperately needing a takedown trailing 2-1 with 20 seconds left, Newman left himself vulnerable as he made a desperation shot at Frederick, but that just resulted in the only takedown of the match going against him. Frederick quickly turned that last second takedown into a pin with just five seconds left in the match and for the second year in a row sent Newman to the consolation bracket.

Newman still has the opportunity to finish higher than last year when he took sixth place at 124 pounds and to do that he will just need one more win than he earned last season.

— — —

After two years of missing the podium at the state tournament, Chautauqua Lake/Westfield/Panama/Clymer junior Thandon Bensink will finally make the podium.

As the 7-seed of the 132-pound Division 2 bracket, Bensink was bounced in his opening match against prequarterfinal opponent No. 10 Jason Canedo of Deposit/Hancock-IV in a 9-2 decision.

However, that was not the end of the road for him as he entered the gauntlet in the consolation bracket, keeping the dream of the podium alive.

Putting together a pair of victories including a 5-3 decision against Bradley Munoz of Petrides and then a technical fall over Connor Murphy of Seaford-VIII to end Friday night.

Then in his blood match on Saturday morning it was back to the grind against Mason Butler of Camden-III. Bensink managed to clinch himself a guaranteed spot on the podium when he squeaked out of the contest with a 3-2 decision.

He can determine how high up the podium he goes with third place being the peak which will require three more wins, but even another two losses puts him at 8th in the state.

Making his states debut, Chautauqua Lake/Westfield/Panama/Clymer teammate Colton Hamilton joined Bensink on the podium after he pulled off a victory in his blood match of the 215-pound Division 2 consolation bracket against Mason Eckelman of Lowville-III.

Hamilton was in control his entire match against Mason Eckelman of Lowville-III and secured a second-period pin at 2:46 to guarantee himself a spot on the podium Saturday night.

While Bensink and Hamilton went the long way to the podium, local quarterfinalists Patrick Braley of Falconer/Cassadaga Valley, Miles Torres of Southwestern and Kasen Hardy of Salamanca won their blood matches on Saturday morning for a spot on the podium.

Torres scored five points in the final period of his match against Jackson Labarge of North Adirondack-VII in the 118-pound consolation bracket, Braley dominated Carson Turner of Canisteo-Greenwood-V with a first-period pin at 1:48 and then Hardy squeaked by Fredy Lemus of Island Trees-VIII with a 1-0 decision at 285 pounds by scoring an escape in the second period.

Randolph senior Kamren Anderson came up one win short of making the podium, dropping his blood match against Freddy Smith of Sherburne/Earlville-III in the 103-pound Division 2 consolation bracket.

Anderson scored the first takedown of the match against Smith, but a late reversal spelled out the end for him.

Once the first period ended, Smith controlled the match earning two near falls in the second frame and building his lead up to 12-3 heading into the third. Anderson gave it one final push, but being so far behind he likely needed a pin and was unable to get the best of Smith who held on for the 13-8 decision.

— — —

Four of the local wrestlers that made the trip to states saw their seasons end during Friday night’s action, but still turned in terrific seasons.

Southwestern senior Carmine Calimeri’s bid for five state placements came to an end in the wrestlebacks after being upset in the prequarterfinals at 138 pounds by losing a narrow 11-10 decision against No. 12 Jayden Acomb of Ravena/Coeymans/Selkirk-II.

The previously fifth-seeded Calimeri posted a consolation win over Benjamin Lawson of Jordan-Elbridge-III with a pin in 3:30, but he could not make it to Saturday for the first time in his varsity career as he was held off by a 10-9 decision against Garrett Mehlenbacher of Dansville/Wayland-Cohocton-V.

Jamestown junior Aaden Howard dropped both of his matches in his debut at states, falling in the first-round of the 132-pound Division 1 bracket by 11-1 major decision defeat at the hands of No. 12 Chase Allocca of Carmel-I. He was then bounced from the consolation bracket by Colin Matone of Minisink Valley-IX with a pin at 53 seconds.

Chautauqua Lake/Westfield/Panama/Clymer’s Alex Bourgeois suffered the same fate in his states debut after being initially eliminated in the first-round of the 144-pound Division 2 bracket by No. 20 Steven McCann of East Rochester-V with a 10-6 decision. He was then eliminated from the tournament by an 8-2 decision from Sacha Macadam of the Collegiate School.

Gowanda/Pine Valley’s Nathan Warrior managed a first-round victory at 144 pounds, defeating No. 21 Diego Villacis of North Shore-VIII with a pin at 2:26.

That was followed by a prequarterfinal loss to 5-seed Cyler Baer of Gouverneur-X in an 18-3 technical fall and then was eliminated by a 1:43 pin from Teegan Smith of Saranac-VII.

Falconer/Cassadaga Valley junior Dylan Newman fights for a takedown against Brock Frederick of South Jefferson-III in the 126-pound semifinal. Newman came up short of Frederick after being pinned in 5:56. P-J photo by Christian Storms