Section II gets three titles
Douglass, Hitchcock, Schell prevail in their championship matches
The morning session Saturday at the New York State wrestling championships proved fruitful for Section II as six area competitors secured berths in a state final. That block of wrestling at MVP Arena also produced a rarity as Section II was guaranteed a champion before the finals in the evening took place.
Reed Douglass (Canajoharie/ Fort Plain) and Ray Hutton (La Salle) both advanced to the Division II title match at 172 pounds.
Two weeks ago, Douglass defeated Hutton 6-4 in overtime in the Section II Division II championships at Cool Insuring Arena. After the win, Douglass helped Hutton off the mat and held his hand in the air. Saturday, the two seniors — seeded No. 5 (Douglass) and No. 7 — got the chance to run it back in the state Division II state final and what a match it turned out to be.
It appeared the two standouts were headed for another overtime session, but Douglass executed a dramatic takedown just inside the circle with one second left to capture a pulse-pounding 3-1 decision and become the first wrestler from Canajoharie to earn a state championship.
“Ray is a good friend of mine. I would have done the same thing had I lost. I want to go talk to him as soon as possible,” Douglass said.
As he did two weeks, Douglass raised his arms in the air in triumph, then lifted Hutton off the mat and raised his arm up as the referee sent Douglass’ arm
skyward. Roughly 45 seconds after achieving his ultimate wrestling achievement, Douglass exulted in seeing friend Dylan Schell stun topseeded Mikey Altomer in the Division I 172-pound final.
Douglass, who earlier this season described himself as a “bad wrestler” after going 9-16 as a freshman, showed throughout the postseason how much he has improved in three years.
“I have literally had (state champion) on my bathroom mirror for a year now,” Douglass said.
Hutton was denied becoming the 10th champion, and seventh different wrestler, from La Salle to earn a state title since 2000.
Schell became the first Queensbury competitor to win a state championship since Josh Etu earned the 215-pound crown in 1998.
“This feels like a dream come true. A lot of hard work, crying, sweat, everyone,” said Schell, who finished the season at 35-0. “I tore my meniscus earlier this season and didn’t think I would be out here this year. Last year, I tore the other one. It motivated me to work on that. Once I got back, I watched a lot of college wrestling when I wasn’t wrestling to stay on point.”
Clinging to a 2-1 lead late in the third period, Schell clinched his win with a takedown in the waning seconds. The senior let out a roar at the conclusion of his title win.
“I let a lot of stress out,” Schell said. “I have been waking up at 3
o’clock (in the morning) these past few days. I was really excited to wrestle. I am really looking forward to celebrating the win and being able to eat some sushi, my favorite food. I want to thank all of coaches and family for letting me do this.”
In the final match of the evening, Warrensburg/Bolton junior star Tristen Hitchcock posted a 3-1 overtime win over General Brown’s Nick Rogers in the Division II 285-pound championship match.
“I kind of put myself in that situation. I definitely should have won that match in regulation, but I did what I had to do and let my conditioning play a factor,” Hitchcock said. “I think we are truly one of the best conditioned teams in the state and it shows. It definitely wasn’t the prettiest, but I got it done and definitely feels great to bring home the first state championship for Warrensburg.”
Shaker standout Ryan Stein, seeded No. 2 at 215, advanced to the final of the state tournament 29 years
after his father Matt Stein captured the 1993 title at 250 pounds for Shenendehowa. Unfortunately for the senior, he dropped a 6-0 title decision against Minisink Valley senior and No. 1 seed Ethan Gallo.
In all, 25 of the 52 Section II wrestlers competing at the state championships earned a podium finish (top eight in their weight class).
In Division I, semifinalist Liam Carlin (Burn Hills) came in fourth at 126 pounds. The other area competitor in that weight class, Shenendehowa’s Ayden Robles, finished eighth. The other place finishers from Division I outside those that competed in the finals are Ralph Keeney (Ballston Spa, 102, fifth), Tyler Whiteley (Burnt Hills, 110, eighth), Michael Santore (Shaker, 119, eighth), Gabriel Goss (Burnt Hills, 132, seventh), Tyler Rossini (Burnt Hills, 138, seventh), Renso Montalvo (Amsterdam, 145, fifth), Dillon Blanchard (Guilderland, 189, seventh) and Darrien Insogna (Ballston Spa, 215, seventh).
Berne-Knox-Westerlo/Middleburgh star Gabe English landed a Division II No. 10 seed at 102 pounds and proceeded to reel off three quality wins to earn his berth in the final.
Other Division II competitors to earn place finishes were Dylan Devine (Schalmont, 126, eighth), Tanner McKenna (Warrensburg/Bolton, 132, seventh), Owen Hicks (Fonda/Johnstown, 145, fourth), Kendryek Flynn (Watervliet/Cohoes, 152, eighth), Troy Austin (Whitehall, 189, sixth) and Logan Marissal (Hadley-Luzerne/Lake George, 215, fourth).