Local wrestlers win sectional titles

Athletes from Canastota, Camden, and Chittenango took home individual and team banners.

At the 2016-17 Section III Division II wrestling championships, Canastota’s Doug Simmons and Chittenango’s Connor Fredericks both walked off the matts champions.

At the 2017-18 championships on Saturday, Simmons and Fredericks were once again champions, this time, in different weight classes.

A year after capturing the 182 crown, Simmons left little doubt in the 195 on Saturday. Following a first round bye, the Canastota senior drew a familiar foe in the 195 Division II quarterfinals: teammate Brandon Otts. Simmons got the better of his Raider teammate, pinning Otts at the 2:10 mark. In the semifinals, Simmons took on South Jefferson’s Austin Kellogg, advancing to the final via a 3:53 pinfall. The title match pitted Simmons against Cato-Meridian’s Harold Sherman, where the Canastota stand-out needed all of 32 seconds to pin his third opponent of the day.

Like Simmons, Chittenango’s Connor Fredericks enjoyed a fruitful Saturday at Onondaga Community College. A year after his individual championship at the 170 class, Fredericks took down Canastota’s Andy Marshall in the 182 quarterfinals with a 1:42 pin before advancing past Camden’s John Mitchell via a technical fall at the 1:57 mark. In the final, Fredericks grabbed a 6-1 decision over Homer’s Paul Morse to earn the Division II Section III 182 crown.

While Fredericks and Simmons saw slight twists to their 2016-17 narrative, the Camden Blue Devils enjoyed the greatest plot twist of the day. A year after finishing fifth overall in Section III Divison II, the Blue Devils unseated defending champion Central Valley Academy, taking home the team title with a 140.5 overall score. The next closest side was CVA at 126.5.

Camden’s Devin Coleman fell just short of a title victory on Saturday, advancing to the 99 final with wins over Cortland’s Josh Rowland and then Beaver River’s Andrew Walseman. In the finals, Coleman ran into Central Valley Academy’s Mason Bush, the 2016-17 champion Division II 99 champion. The title round went into sudden victory, but Bush once again proved his pedigree, taking a 3-1 overtime win.

Joining Coleman in the finals were Blue Devil teammates Tybarius Harter in the 132, and Riley Gerber in the 138. Harter took down Sherburne-Earlville’s Morgan Lakin via a 10- 0 decision to advance to a semifinal showdown with Morrisville-Eaton standout Beau Burke. Harter prevailed over Burke with a 2-1 OT decision to vie the championship against Marcellus’ Cahal Donovan. Harter’s run ended with a 10-2 loss to Donovan, and the Blue Devil took third in the 132.

Gerber, who earned a first round bye in the 138, advanced to the semifinals by pinning Otselic Valley’s Corbin Learned in 4:16. In the semifinals, Gerber earned a 5-2 win over South Lawrence’s Kyle Greene. New Hartford’s Ian McKenna was waiting for the Camden senior in the championship, and Gerber fell in an 8-5 decision, earning second overall in the 138.

Cazenovia wrestler Matt McLaughlin also vied for a title Saturday, Following a first round bye, McLaughlin pinned Adirondack’s Hunter Carr to advance to the semifinals, where he topped Onondaga/Tully’s Dylan Price a 3-2 decision. The Laker senior faced off with another Adirondack foe in the 126 final, falling in a 4-0 decision to Kevin Spann.

Burke, the 2016-17 132 champ, bounced back from a 2-1 overtime loss to Harter to win two straight - a 4-2 decision over Adirondack’s Keegan Case followed by a 6- 0 3rd place win over Mexico’s Austin Reed - to win third in 132.

Like Burke, Canstota’s Marshall Bruggeman overcame an early defeat before winning a consolation bracket. Bruggeman was ousted from the 145 semifinals by eventual champion Hunter Shaut of Central Valley Academy. In the consolation bracket, Bruggeman responded with back-toback wins over General Brown’s Matt McMannaman and Camden’s Colby Johnson for the third place finish.

Notable consolation results:

• Hunter Wi l l iams, Camden, lost a 3-1 decision to Jon Charles, Central Valley Academy, in the 113 consolation title match.

•Ian O’Neil, Vernon-Verona- Sherrill, lost 3-2 to Kyle Greene, South Lewis, in the 138 consolation title match.

•Mason Warner, Morrisville-Eaton, fell in 2:48 to Jake Null, Dolgeville, in the 152 consolation title match.

•Jeremiah Brunje, Vernon-Verona- Sherrill, fell 6-0 to Nick Herringshaw, Holland Patent, in the 160 consolation title match.

•Michael Bristol, Camden, fell 4- 0 to Dylan Stellmack, Onondaga/ Tully, in the 170 consolation title match.

•John Mitchell, Camden, fell by pinfall at the 4:25 mark to Bryce Dare, Holland Patent, in the 182 consolation title match.

•Isiah Prado, Chittenango, fell 11-5, to Austin Kellog, South Jefferson/Sandy Creek, in the 195 consolation title match.