Locals look to advance to states at tournament
Onteora’s Ross, Rondout’s Walsh, Houck seek to repeat as sectional champs
State berths will be on the line Sunday as area wrestlers compete in the Section 9, Division 2 championship meet.
State berths are on the line Sunday as area wrestlers compete in the Section 9, Division 2 championship meet at SUNY Ulster in Stone Ridge.
The action begins at 11:15 a.m. with outbracket and Round of 16 matches. Quarterfinals are scheduled for 11:45 a.m., with semifinals and wrestlebacks slated for 1:30 p.m. Consolation semifinals and consolation finals are set for 3:30 and 4:30, respectively.
Introduction of the finalists are scheduled for 5:30 p.m., with the championships slated to start at 5:45.
Three state-ranked athletes will be vying for return trips to the state meet, which is Feb. 2324 at the Times Union Center in Albany.
Dillon Ross of Onteora, 41-2 this season, is bidding for a fourth consecutive sectional title. He won at 152 pounds last year and is ranked second in the state at 170.
A pair of Rondout grapplers are also state-ranked. Nikko Walsh
(26-3) is bidding to defend his Section 9 crown at 99. He’s No. 2 in the state.
Fellow Gander Ian Houck captured the 132 title in 2017 and is the top seed (285) at 145, where he is eighth in the state. This could be the match of the night as he could face defending 145 champ Zack Chartrand (2210, seeded second) of Onteora. Chartrand defeated Houck this season.
Another outstanding matchup should be at 138, where defending Mat Malherio of Highland could face Onteora Nate Ross, who won the 126 crown and has moved up.
Red Hook’s Matt Morris, a finalist as a freshman in ‘17, is the top seed at 106.
The 120 final could be a matchup of top-seeded Pat Ross of Onteora (30-7), who won 106 last year, and No. 2 (32-2) freshman Ethan Palanca of New Paltz.
Another freshman, Nick Ross of Onteora, won the 113 crown in ‘17 and is topseeded at 126. Another local top seed is New Paltz’s Devin Dixon at 220.
Red Hook’s Liam Dietrich, one of three athletes with more than 20 wins, is the No. 1 at 285. He reached the final last year and won the Mid-Hudson Invitational this season. Seedings 99 Pounds 1. Nikko Walsh (Rondout Valley); 2. Joey Curreri (Eldred/ Liberty/Sullivan West); 3. Peter Bender (Highland); 4. Jack Hyland (New Paltz)
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106 Pounds 1. Matt Morris (Red Hook); 2. Timmy Pereira (Rondout Valley); 3. Elliot Crocco (New Paltz); 4. Summer Conetta (Chester/Tuxedo)
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113 Pounds 1. Aiden Cuppett (New Paltz); 2. Eric Tigue (Port Jervis); 3. James Long (Chester/Tuxedo);4. Logan Zehr (Highland)
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120 Pounds 1. Pat Ross (Onteora); 2. Ethan Palanca (New Paltz); 3. Alex Lopez (Red Hook); 4. Walter Evans (Ellenville)
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126 Pounds 1.Nick Ross (Onteora); 2. Liam Bullock (Chester/Tuxedo); 3. John Antonelli (Marlboro); 4. Joey Amato (Port Jervis)
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132 Pounds 1. Carson Sauschuck (Port Jervis); 2. Nanuk McBride (Red Hook); 3. Ceasar Luna (Highland); 4. Trevor Faveron (Onteora)
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138 Pounds 1. Nate Ross (Onteora); 2. Nick Curreri (Eldred/Liberty/Sullivan West); 3. Mat Malherio (Highland); 4. Brad Acvedo (Highland)
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145 Pounds 1. Ian Houck (Rondout Valley); 2. Zach Chartrand (Onteora); 3. Joe Mahaney (Port Jervis); 4. Logan Smith (Highland)
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152 Pounds 1. William Harrison (Port Jervis); 2. Luke Jones (Eldred/ Liberty/Sullivan West); 3. Logan Michael (New Paltz); 4. Henry Peter (Eldred/Liberty/ Sullivan West)
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160 Pounds 1. Tristen Schiafo (Red Hook); 2. Griffin Roddy (Port Jervis); 3. Anthony Buchanan (Highland); 4. Caesar Santiago (Eldred/Liberty/Sullivan West)
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170 Pounds 1. Dillon Ross (Onteora); 2. Dominic Zappolo (Port Jervis); 3. James Deaviero (Eldred/ Liberty/Sullivan West); 4. Aidan Maduro (Highland)
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182 Pounds 1. Jason Butler (Port Jervis); 2. Jack Purcell (New Paltz); 3. Drew Bendy (Eldred/Liberty/ Sullivan West); 4. Hayden Campolong (Red Hook)
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195 Pounds 1. Raven Aumick (Port Jervis); 2. Ryan Hobson (Red Hook); 3. Francisco Miguel (Eldred/Liberty/Sullivan West); 4. Adam Albright (Highland)
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220 Pounds 1. Devin Dixon (New Paltz); 2. Nicholas Rekuc (Ellenville); 3. Jacob Southard (Port Jervis); 4. Jovane Dennis (Eldred/Liberty/Sullivan West)
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285 Pounds 1. Liam Dietrich (Red Hook); 2. James Oosterom (Port Jervis); 3. Casey Maynard (Highland); 4. Evan Jansen (New Paltz)