ONE STEP AWAY FROM STATES
Top seeds strong at Section 2 wrestling tournament afternoon
Entering Saturday night’s Section 2 wrestling championships there were 60 wrestlers that were one step away from a local title and an automatic berth into the New York State Public High School Athletic Association tournament in Albany in two weeks.
Divided into two divisions, large schools and small schools, the top-seeded wrestlers prevailed with only one top-seed falling before Saturday night’s scheduled championship finals.
The finals did not conclude before press time for the Troy Record and The Saratogian.
In Division 1 at 138 pounds, No. 4 seeded Niskayuna senior Willie Thaker defeated No. 5 Seamus Leavey, 6-3 before upsetting top-seeded Eric Griskowitz from Saratoga, 5-1 in the semifinal to earn a berth in the championship final. He was set to face second-seeded LaSalle junior Nick Pino.
A big win was already celebrated in the afternoon when sixth-seeded Shaker freshman Ryan Stein earned a 4-1 decision over Guilderland’s
2 seeded Tyler Grupe in the 195-pound semifinal. Stein, his coaches and his dad, Shaker athletic director, Matt Stein, hugged and jumped up and down after the afternoon victory.
In the bottom half of the large school brackets, senior Dylan Sleezer earned an overtime win at 113-pounds, a takedown of No. 2 Shaker freshman Michael Santore, 5-3. That earned him a meeting with his twin brother, Ryan Sleezer. It will be the third time the Sleezer’s will meet in a championship final.
No. 3 seeded Queensbury senior Dan Brady pinned No. 2 seeded Bethlehem senior Anthony Canova at 4:19 to advance to Saturday night’s final at 132-pounds.
Averill Park sophomore Sean Malenfant earned a trip to the finals with a 10-7 decision over No. 2 seeded Tyler Stanton from Shaker. The No. 3 seeded Malenfant was set to face top-seeded junior Jakob Edwards at 152-pounds.
No. 3 seeded 170-pound Guilderland senior Austin Grant earned a 5-0 decision over second-seeded Colonie’s Logan Stark to advance to the final and face top-seeded Jakai Townsend from Burnt Hills.
At 182-pounds, No. 3 seeded Vincent Daviero earned a 10-5 decision over No. 2-seeded Guilderland junior Cameran Durant to advance to the final and face No. 1 seeded Liam Mooney from Colonie.
No. 3 seeded Shaker sophomore Brian Garrity was set to face No. 1 seeded senior and defending Section 2 champion, Jake Stangle from Ballston Spa to close out the night’s festivities.
Division 2 (small schools) were not immune to minor upsets in the bottom half of the tournament brackets.
No. 3 seeded Hoosick Falls senior Gabe Fisher earned a 6-1 decision over No. 2-seeded Dylan Winchell of Warrensburg/ Bolton in the 113-pound semifinal to advance and face top-seeded Joey Scheeren from Galway.
Hoosick Falls senior and third-seeded wrestler Matt Laporte pinned second-seeded Watervliet/Heatly junior Patrick Moore at 4:28 to advance to Saturday night’s final against No. 1 seeded Trent Svingala at 132-pounds.
At 145 pounds Ravena-Coeymans-Selkirk senior Marlon Laing decisioned second-seeded Lansingburgh senior Brenden Finch, 5-4 to put the No. 3 seed into the final versus Warrensburg/Bolton sophomore Hunter McKenna.
In the Division 2 heavyweight division, No. 3 Warrensburg/Bolton senior Chris Wilson earned a 3-2 decision over No. 2 seeded Watervliet/Heatly senior Sterling Spoon for a spot in the 220-pound final against top-seeded Jeff Crooks from Cobleskill-Richmondville.
No. 3 seeded Christian Salvio from Ravena-Coeymans-Selkirk needed every second to advance to the 285-pound finale, pinning No. 2 seeded Coxsackie-Athens senior Marc Martinez at 4:59. He was set to face top-seeded Craig Sawyer from Hoosick Falls.
Visit www.saratogian.com for a full recap of Saturday night’s championship finals.