Wallkill's Fekishazy advances to state semis
Fekishazy two wins from 182-pound title
Wallkill's Mike Fekishazy advanced to the semifinals in the opening day of the state wrestling tournament.
ALBANY, N.Y. >> Wallkill High’s Mike Fekishazy advanced to the semifinals of the New York State Public High School Athletic Association’s wrestling tournament with a pair of big wins Friday at the Times Union Center.
The senior, who earned a sixthplace medal at 170 pounds last year, is seeded third in the tourney. He fights second-seeded Matt DeCicco of Niagara Wheatfield in this morning’s Division 1 (large school) 182 semifinals. The championships are tonight.
Fekishazy pinned TJ Toles of Chaminade in 1:59. Jhavon Innocent of East Ramapo, who decisioned No. 6 Tyreek Bromley of Long Beach 12-8, gave the Panther star a battle in the quarterfinals. An escape made the difference as Fekishazy won 1-0 to move himself two wins away from a state title.
On the other side of the 182 bracket, top-seeded Louie Deprez of Hilton will take on No. 5 Joe Franzese of John Glenn.
There were 14 other area athletes competing in the event. Four won their first round of the consolation round, but only Rondout
Valley’s Ian Houck has advanced to today’s action.
Wallkill’s Andrew Davis and Onteora brothers Dillon and Nate Ross won in the wrestlebacks.
Onteora’s two other Ross brothers, Pat and Nick, plus teammate Zach Chartrand, Colby Amell of Saugerties, Brad Bonner of Wallkill, Rondout’s Nikko Walsh and William Sutherland, Matt Malherio of Highland, Jeffrey Kiluba of Red Hook and New Paltz’s Ben Cuppett all lost in the first round of the main then were eliminated in the wrestlebacks, all going 2-0 for the day.
Cuppett, who has had back problems, was forced to default by injury 4:59
into his first match, then forfeited the next bout.
Houck had a pair of tough matches at D-2 132. He lost 2-1 to fifth-seeded Riley Gerber of Camden, but edged Joe O’Brien of Mount Sinai in the consolation round and then advanced to Saturday with a forfeit win from Letchworth’s Chase Runfola.
Davis, who received an at-large bid, lost his first match at Division I 126 7-1 to second-seeded Austin Hertel of Hilton, but defeated Ian McKenna of New Hartford 2-0. He later lost 4-1 to Niagara Falls’ Willie McDougald.
Dillon Ross lost 4-1 in his D-2 (small school) 152 bout with second-seeded Ross McFarland of Phoenix. He turned around and pinned Mattituck’s Thomas Hoeg in 1:29. A pair of third-period takedowns led to a 4-2
loss to Saratoga’s Jacob Nolan.
Nate Ross was pinned by third-seeded Jack Bokina of Mattituck in 5:17, but he bounced back to pin Saranac’s Alex Christman in 1:00 in his D-2 126 wrestleback. Zach Flaitz of Canisteo-Greenwood eliminated him 5-0. How local athletes fared: DIVISION 1
99: Colby Amell (Saugerties) lost tech. fall to Myles Griffin (Jamesville Dewitt) 15-0; lost to Drake Dille (Elmira) 4-0. 126: Andrew Davis (Wallkill) lost to Austin Hertel (Hilton) 7-1; decisioned Ian McKenna (New Hartford) 2-0; lost to Willie McDougald (Niagara Falls) 4-1.
132: Brad Bonner (Wallkill) lost by fall to Matt Maquet (Long Beach) :40; lost to Luca Errico (Byram Hills) 8-2.
182: Mike Fekishazy (Wallkill) won by fall over TJ Toles (Chaminade) 1:59; decisioned Jhavon Innocent (East Ramapo) 1-0. —— DIVISION 2
99: Nikko Walsh (Rondout Valley) lost tech fall to Mason Bush (Central Valley Academy) 18-3; lost by fall to Justin Smith (Marcus Whitman) 1:42.
106: Pat Ross (Onteora) lost by fall to Trent Svingala (Maple Hill) 1:10; lost to Ricky Nichols (Gouverneur) 4-3.
113: Nick Ross (Onteora) lost by fall to Caleb Robinson (Walton-Delhi) 1:21; lost by fall to Mikey Bruno (Putnam Valley-Haldane) :47.
126: Nate Ross (Onteora) lost by fall to Jack Bokina (Mattituck) 5:17; won by fall over Alex Christman (Saranac) 1:00; lost to Zach Flaitz (CanisteoGreenwood) 5-0.
132: Ian Houck (Rondout Valley) lost to Riley Gerber (Camden) 2-1; decisioned Joe O’Brien (Mount Sinai) 1-0; won by forfeit over Chase Runfola (Letchworth).
138: Matt Malherio (Highland) lost to Colin Hogan (Peru) 7-3; lost maj. dec. to TJ Beebe (Mattituck) 10-1.
145: Zach Chartrand (Onteora) lost by fall to Adam Wagner (South Seneca) 4:14; lost to Dan Alberico (Camden) 9-4.
152: Dillon Ross (Onteora) lost to Ross McFarland (Phoenix) 4-1; won by fall over Thomas Hoeg (Mattituck) 1:28; lost to Jacob Nolan (Saratoga) 4-2.
170: Jeffrey Kiluba (Red Hook) lost to Trevor Snow (General Brown) 6-1; lost to Micah Miller (Maine-Endwell) 7-2.
182: Ben Cuppett (New Paltz) lost by injury default to Doug Simmons (Canastota); forfeited to Dillon Warner (Schoharie).
285: William Sutherland (Rondout Valley) lost to Lucas Sanders (Glens Falls) 7-5; lost to Robert Christ (Mount Sinai) 6-3.