EMOTIONAL VICTORIES
First time titles, repeat titles bring out the best in wrestlers
GLENSFALLS, N.Y. » The Section II Division 1 and 2 wrestling championships are known more for the moments embracing the “thrill of winning” versus the “agony of defeat” and on Saturday night at the Cool Insuring Arena in Glens Falls as 30 different wrestler had their hands raised as Section II champions and New York State Public High School Athletic Association entries.
Averill Park’s Andrew Fountain epitomized that feeling after pinning Rennselaer County rival Jake Edwards 88 seconds into the 152-pound taking him Grasping into him a championship cradle down the leg and onto of Edwards, scooping is final. back, the sound of the referees hand onto the mat signaling the win sent Fountain onto his feet and nearly through the roof.
“That’s my goal my whole career and it just feels really good to finally “It’s finally “It a feels goal been get amazing. there,” I accomplished. set years Fountain I know ago and I said. can its do and it. it All was the the hard best work feeling.” paid off
As the No. 2 seed at 152, Fountain had no guarantees of a finals berth, or a sectional title. His confidence grew with his familiarity with Edwards.
“I knew I had to get an angle because he likes underhooks, so if shot straight he would have
thrown me,” Fountain said. “I knew to watch out for it, so I knew I had to get out to the side quick and just stay on him, be aggressive.”
Fountain’s emotions were so real that he received a rare accomplishment among teenage wrestling combatants – a hug from Edwards at the center of the mat when it was over.
After shaking hands with Edwards and the Columbia coaches, it was Fountain’s turn to finally enjoy one of the sports finer moments, leaping into the arms of his coach, Mike Malenfant.
That moment shared by wrestler and coach captured Fountain’s road to a title.
“Hard work and a lot of help from all my coaches,” Fountain said. “They work with me every day, the wrestle me so I have partners who have been around, it’s all hard work, my coaches and my partners, like Sean Malenfant helped me a lot.”
Fountain was joined by teammate Nik Koch as Warrior Section II champions and headed to the Time Union Center February 23 and 24.
For Columbia’s Michael Gonyea, winning another Section II title accomplished a goal set for himself, but also his teammates with his 13 second pin of South Glens Falls’ Logan Barody in the 126-pound title match.
“I actually wrestled him last year in the sectional finals here,” Michael Gonyea said. “I’ve done this enough, you have to wrestle your style, you can’t wrestle their style, you can’t let them do what they want to do. You want to wrestle smart.” Smart and with authority earning top honors for himself and his team. “This one meant a lot because my coaches told me before I went out that if I got a pin we won (Section II title) as a team,” Gonyea said. “I got the pin and we won as a team, that’s why I was so happy. “I went over and gave my coach a hug because this is my last rodeo. We won a sectional title as a team, we won Class As last weekend, it’s all coming into place for us", henendehowa’s Stevo Poulin earned the 99-pound Section II title with a technical pinfall of Ballston Spa’s Nick Palso with teammate Kiernan Shanahan pinned Niskayuna’s Peter Meshkov at 55 seconds for the 145-pound title.
In Division 2 (small school) division, Caleb Svingala took the 99-pound title with his pin of Hudson Fall’s Chris Pettys at 3:30 as his brother, Trent, earned a 5-0 decision over Greenville’s Aidan Cullen at 120 pounds.
Mechanicville- Stillwater’s Daniel Motta took the 132-pound title with his 4-2 decision over Schoharie’s Dylan Callahan. Sterling Spoon earned a technical pinfall over Warrensburg/ Bolton’s Chris Wilson at 195-pounds before big men, Cohoes’ Reggie Poulin and Hoosick Falls’ Craig Sawyer earned 220 and 285 pound titles, respectively.