Whitehall’s Lavin makes unexpected run to Class D title

By the seeding criteria, Kyle Lavin is not supposed to appear at Saturday’s Section II Division II wresting championships at Cool Insuring Arena in Glens Falls. The Whitehall senior’s season should have concluded Feb. 4 at the Class D sectionals if the seeds were to be believed.

Lavin defied what his record said.

Seeded No. 6 at 145 pounds, Lavin proceeded to knock off the top three seeds in his weight class in succession to enter Saturday’s championship as a champion. He will look to add a berth in the state championships to his resume if he can nab of the two berths available at 145 pounds.

The top four finishers in each weight class from the five classification tournaments advance to compete in the Division I and II tournaments. Not only could Lavin move on, but he also registered three of his biggest wins this season to secure a Class D individual title. He also helped the Railroaders finish tied for fourth in the team standings with Canajoharie/fort

Plain at 144 points.

For his efforts, Lavin has been selected as the Times Union Boys’ Athlete of the Week for Jan. 30-Feb. 5.

Lavin opened his Class D Tournament by defeating third-seeded Zoey Lints (Duanesburg) 19-5 in the quarterfinals. Lints captured a state title last month at the first Girls’ Wrestling Invitational in Syracuse.

In the semifinals, Lavin pinned second-seeded Gavin Mccabe (Warrensburg/lake George) at 4:28. Earlier this season, Mccabe edged Lavin 6-5.

Having already earned a slot in the Division II Tournament for a chance to advance to the state championships, Lavin capped his incredible showing at the Class D event by pinning top-seeded Brayton Cary (Salem/cambridge) at 5:31. Like he did with Mccabe, Lavin beat Cary after previously suffering a pair of 7-4 losses against him, the first in a Jan. 11 dual meet and in the title match at the Ken Baker Classic Jan. 26.