Cover photo courtesy of Jeff Pataky
Photos contained within this article may not be used for republication unless authorized by WNY Athletics with prior written consent.
Two-time defending Section VI Division I Dual Meet champion Niagara Wheatfield and three-time defending small school champion Chautauqua Lake will again represent Section VI at Saturday’s NYSPHSAA Dual Meet Championships at SRC Arena at Onondaga Community College in Syracuse. Wrestling gets underway at 9am.
The Falcons will be making the team’s fifth appearance at the ‘state duals’ in program history and their third in a row. NW reached the state championships as the Section VI large school champion team in 2020, 2024, and 2025 and as a wildcard entry in 2019 and 2023. Wheatfield is 4-5 in four appearances at the state tournament so far but has only reached the semifinals once (2019).
NW's Dylan Pringle // Pataky
NW's Muntathar Abbas // Pataky
NW's Eian Peterson // Pataky
NW head coach Rick Sweney // Pataky
Wheatfield did not earn a top-8 seed for the first time for the 2025 state duals. The Falcons (14-2) will meet 1-seed Section IX champion and perennial powerhouse Minisink Valley and 8-seed Section I champion Briarcliff/Byram Hills/Valhalla/Westlake in their pool matches on Saturday morning. Minisink’s talented lineup features the #1 ranked (via Flowrestling) pound for pound wrestler in the country in senior Penn State commit PJ Duke. Only Minisink and Section IV champion Horseheads have more appearances at the state duals (7) than NW amongst NYS big schools.
NW features four wrestlers with 2024 Section VI championships place finishes including runner-up and NYS tournament qualifiers Garrett Chase (sr) and Chase Richards (jr).
Minisink Valley team profile:
Hometown: Slate Hill
Section IX champion
Mascot: Warriors
Head coach: Kevin Gallagher
Current record: 21-0
State duals experience: 2018-2024
State duals record: 18-4
Place finishes: 2018 runner-up, 2020 champion, 2022 champion, 2023 runner-up, 2024 runner-up
Previous meetings vs. Section VI: 60-13 win vs. Lancaster (2018), 64-11 win vs. Lancaster (2020), 55-7 win vs. Starpoint (2022), 42-13 win vs. Niagara Wheatfield (2023), 35-27 loss vs. Starpoint (2023 state final)
Briarcliff/BH/Val./Westlake team profile:
Hometown: Briarcliff Manor
Section I champions
Mascot:
Head coach: Joe Grippi
Current record: 21-0
State duals experience: none
7th NYSPHSAA Wrestling Dual Meet Championships – large school field:
1-Minisink Valley (IX)
2-Horseheads (IV)
3-Farmingdale (VIII)
4-Long Beach (VIII)
5-Webster-Schroeder (V)
6-Shenendehowa (II)
7-Saratoga Springs (II)
8- Briarcliff/Byram Hills/Valhalla/Westlake (I)
NS-Niagara Wheatfield (VI)
NS-West Genesee (III)
NS-Brockport (V)
NS-Sachem North (XI)
Chautauqua Lake will make its third straight trip to the state duals on Saturday as three-time defending Section VI Division II Dual Meet champion squad. The Eagles (18-6) have earned the 8-seed in the bracket meaning they will face unseeded Section VII champion Peru and Section XI champion and top-seeded John Glenn in pool duals. All three teams will make their third program appearances in Syracuse. For Peru, it will be the Nighthawks’ first appearance at the state tournament since 2019. John Glenn is the defending NYS small school runner-up squad from the 2024 championships. Of note, the field features last year’s large school state champion squad Plainedge (VIII) but does not feature the three-time defending champion Tioga Tigers (IV).
CL's Thandon Bensink // Pataky
CL's Gavin Burchanowski // Pataky
CL's Chris Bowen // Pataky
CL head coach Ken Rowe // Pataky
Through two tournaments, the Eagles are 2-2 in pool matches and are looking to punch through to the semifinals for the first time. Chautauqua has not wrestled Peru or John Glenn at the championships before, however both programs carry long and proud traditions. Glenn features a talented group of five returning NYS tournament qualifiers led by 2023 NYS champ & 2024 4th place winner Tommy Aiello in the lightweights.
Four wrestlers with Section VI place finishes return for Chautauqua led by NYS finalist Mason Maring (sr) and returning state qualifier Thandon Bensink (so).
John Glenn team profile:
Hometown: Huntington
Section XI champions
Mascot: Knights
Head coach: Thomas Brocking
Current record: 11-4
State duals experience: 2023, 2024
State duals record: 4-2
Place finishes: 2024 runner-up
Previous meetings vs. Section VI: none
Peru team profile:
Hometown: Peru
Section VII champions
Mascot: Nighthawks
Head coach: Mike Seymour
Current record: 15-2
State duals experience: 2018, 2019
State duals record: 1-3
Place finishes: none
Previous meetings vs. Section VI: none
7th NYSPHSAA Wrestling Dual Meet Championships – small school field:
1-John Glenn (XI)
2-Gouverneur (X)
3-Plainedge (VIII)
4-Seaford (VIII)
5-Unatego/Unadilla Valley (IV)
6-Sherburne-Earlville (III)
7-Salem/Cambridge (II)
8-Chautauqua Lake (VI)
NS-Peru (VII)
NS-Nanuet (I)
NS-Port Jervis (IX)
NS-Wayne (V)
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