Dual meet and tournament results and notes for the week of Wednesday, Nov. 30th through Saturday, Dec. 2nd, 2023.
Wednesday, Nov. 29th
Southwestern 58 – Fredonia 12
A very talented Trojans team fielded a full lineup against the Hillbillies, collecting three forfeits and five pins in the season and CCAA I league opener for both teams. Three of the lightest first four weights did go a full six minutes as Fredonia wrestlers battled with the Torres brothers while former Dunkirk athlete and returning sectional 5th place winner Issiah Ruiz challenged defending Section VI champion Kenji Walters in a 9-2 decision loss. Next up for SW is a grueling two day battle at the Joe Shifflet Sweet Home Duals.
Falconer/Cassadaga Valley 58 – Portville 15
The Golden Cougars start the 2023-2024 campaign off with a CCAA crossover win against a Portville team that was conceding forfeits at three weights. Falconer got bonus points in all seven head to head wins with six pins and a major decision. Besides a CCAA I visit to Olean next week, F/CV won’t have any more duals until after the new year, going heavy on individual tournaments in the meantime.
Olean/Allegany-Limestone 42 – Dunkirk 27
Despite a big roster at certifications, the Marauders were plagued with forfeits on the road at Olean for the CCAA I opener for both teams. Dunkirk did win four of the five head to head matches, but Olean wrestlers collected 36 points via forfeit and a pin at 190-pounds to seal the victory.
Thursday, Nov. 30th
St. Joe’s 38 – Amherst 36
NO FORFEITS! St. Joe’s/Amherst has become a fun, inter-athletic association, high quality local rivalry in four of the last five seasons (minus spring 2021 ‘season’) with the score getting closer each time. The Tigers brought a two match win streak against the Marauders to Kenmore Ave. on Thursday night, winning last year’s season opener for both teams by two points. This time around, it was the Marauders edging the Tigers by two in their opener, earning five pins and a crucial tech fall and a decision, AND without returning state placer Austin Zimmerman in the lineup. Amherst accumulated six pins in six wins – three between 160-215 and three from 101-124. The trio of Nik Massaro-Sean Gordon-Jayson Kline at 131, 138, and 145 all pinned, and with Zimmerman in the lineup at 124 could be a downright lethal stretch for ‘Joe’s this season. Hopefully, MarauderStyle vs. TigerStyle square up to kick off the 2024-2025 season next winter.
Canisius 37 (criteria) – Kenmore B 36
Friday, December 1st
Amherst 46 – Frontier 18
A night after a narrow loss, Amherst responds in their home opener with a convincing win over the Falcons in an ECIC crossover. The Tigers won nine of thirteen weights including seven head to head wins and four pins. Four Tigers who lost on Thursday night rebounded with wins against Frontier, all of which accounted for team bonus points (one forfeit, one major, and two pins). Amherst hosts Lake Shore and Frontier visits Clarence for each team’s respective ECIC division opener next Wednesday.
Friday, Dec. 1st – Saturday, Dec. 2nd
Joe Shifflet Sweet Home Duals @ Sweet Home HS
Southwestern cruised to the Sweet Home Duals team title with a perfect 8-0 record over a nearly all large school field in Amherst. On Friday, the Trojans took down defending tournament champion and Section V power Churchville-Chili, 39-33, as well as Wilson and ECIC big schools Clarence and Lancaster while their Saturday schedule included both the 3rd and 4th place teams in the final standings. Four different Trojans went 8-0 overall while three more went 7-1.
Two time state placer Carmine Calimeri captured his 100th career win during the tournament while defending NYS champion Tavio Hoose earned MOW honors. Calimeri was one of those Trojans who went 7-1 with the one loss coming to fellow returning state qualifier Victor Cusatis from Wilson. Both met at 131-pounds with Cusatis emerging Vic-torious with a 13-7 decision, a result that may have postseason considerations on the backend of this season. Hoose gutted out a quality win by decision over returning NYS Div. I 6th place winner Coy Raines, 4-3, in the Trojans’ dual with the Saints.
North Tonawanda impressed with a good team effort posting a 6-2 record. NT was led by returning sectional champion Dylan Gagnon going 7-0 which included an OT win over another sectional champion in Jacob Stephenson from Wilson. The Lumberjacks earned a quality win over league rival Grand Island, 39-28, as well as wins over both Clarence (36-32) and Lancaster (42-36) for the first time in program history in the team’s second straight top-3 finish at Sweet Home.
Final standings:
1. Southwestern 8-0
2. Churchville-Chili (V) 7-1
3. North Tonawanda 6-2
4. Grand Island 5-3
5. Clarence 4-4
5. Lancaster 4-4
7. Kenmore 3-5
8. Wilson 2-6
9. CSAT 1-7
10. Sweet Home 0-8
VinLouie’s Pizzeria Southtowns Duals @ St. Francis HS
Another quality opening weekend Southtowns Duals didn’t disappoint with a diverse field of large and small schools from the NFL, ECIC, CCAA, and Msgr. Martin leagues with teams hailing from sections V and VI and the CHSAA.
Section V power Attica/Batavia cruised to the team title with an 8-0 dual record capping off the tournament with a high quality win over the host Red Raiders. A/B’s returning 3x NYS place winner Casper Stewart was named tournament MOW in leading the Blue Devils.
Despite a number of athletes missing to the CHSAA football championship game, St. Francis held off quality Niagara Falls (42-33), Orchard Park (42-36), and Newfane (45-30) squads on the way to a 7-1 mark to open the season. St. Francis hosts Gow School on Wednesday before a showdown with Williamsville North/East (5pm) at UB’s Center for the Arts before the Bulls take on Michigan State next Thursday, 12/7. Despite big losses at graduation, coaches Eagan and McCoy coached a young Wolverines squad to a 3rd place finish capped off by a 46-24 win over Orchard Park which might be impactful for Section VI Duals considerations.
Final standings:
1. Attica/Batavia (V) 8-0
2. St. Francis 7-1
3. Niagara Falls 6-2
4. Orchard Park 5-3
4. Newfane 5-3
6. Hamburg 4-4
7. Fredonia 2-6
8. Gowanda 2-6
9. St. Mary’s 1-7
10. Salamanca 0-8
Saturday, Dec. 2nd
Bill Andersen Memorial Tournament @ Cicero-North Syracuse HS
Falconer/Cassadaga Valley traveled back to the heart of Section III for the grueling Anderson Tournament, coming away with another top-10 finish against a field loaded with strong wrestling teams. In total, four Golden Cougars placed in their brackets to land Falconer a 7th place team finish. State tournament qualifier Dylan Newman repeated as Anderson Tournament champion, pinning his way through the 116-pound bracket while brother Evan was runner-up at 110. Freshman Patrick Braley battled through and won four straight consolation matches to land a spot in the 3rd place bout, ultimately settling for 4th place at 152-pounds. Senior Mason Kilmer finished 6th at 160-pounds.
28th Annual Triple-O Mechanical Byron-Bergen Invitational @ Byron-Bergen HS
Defending Section VI small school champion Chautauqua Lake cruised to the team title by nearly 100 points scoring 184.5 compared to 2nd place Victor’s (V) 88.5 points. Pioneer was 3rd in the team standings with 83 team points.
In their first action of the new season four C’Lake champions led a group of nine total Eagles place winners that also included two runners-up and three 3rd place winners. Three of the four champions pinned their way through the tournament whereas the fourth athlete pinned in two of three matches on the day, including the final, which helped CL gobble up team points. The Eagles’ defending NYS small school champion Jordan Joslyn was named tournament MOW while teammate and returning state placer John Watson picked up his 100th career win. Pioneer landed four top-4 place winners led by 145-pound champion Wyatt Opferbeck.
WNY place winners:
138: Jordan Joslyn (CL) – champion
145: Wyatt Opferbeck (Pioneer) – champion
170: John Watson (CL) – champion
215: Mason Maring (CL) – champion
285: Walter Lukasiak (CL) – champion
108: Reece Senske (Medina) – 2nd
116: Gavin Burchanowksi (CL) – 2nd
190: Jayden Malecki (CL) – 2nd
108: Alex Bourgeois (CL) – 3rd
116: Thandon Bensink (CL) – 3rd
124: Sebastian DeJesus (CL) – 3rd
190: Conor Crandall (Medina) – 3rd
215: Sawyer Kingsbury (Medina) – 3rd
152: Lane Dziekonski (Pioneer) – 4th
285: Luke Matheis (Pioneer) – 4th
Final WNY team standings:
1. Chautauqua Lake 184.5
2. Victor (V) 88.5
3. Pioneer 83
9. Medina 58
15. Albion 8
Matthew Marino Invitational @ Webster-Schroeder HS (V)
Niagara Wheatfield placed twelve wrestlers in the top-6 of their weights at the Marino Tournament round-robin but were outpaced by Section V powerhouse Brockport, 258-247, for the team title. Defending Section VI champion and state placer Te’Shaun Mathews was the lone champion for the Falcons who had two more wrestlers take 2nd place while four more claimed 3rd in their respective brackets.
Williamsville North/East was fourth in the team standings led by champions Tanner (101-pounds) and Cam (160) Catrabone and runner-up Max Smith at 285-pounds. Cam was a 15-0 tech fall winner over returning NYS 3rd place winner Tavian Camper from Section III small school Copenhagen for first place. Cam was named tournament MOW for his performance.
St. Joe’s rounded out the top five teams led by 145-pound champion Jayson Kline and two runners-up and two 3rd place winners. Kline was an impressive 4-3 winner over returning state tournament qualifier Dino Battisti from Brockport for first place in the bracket, his second win over a NYS tournament qualifier on the day. The Marauder senior was also a winner by pin over NW’s state qualifier Chase Richards on the way to the first place match.
Iroquois’s returning NYS 3rd place winner Trevor Barry edged out fellow returning in-section NYS place winner Matt Trim from Maple Grove, 2-1, for first place at 215-pounds.
WNY top-3 place winners:
101: Tanner Catrabone (WNE) – champion
145: Jayson Kline (SJ) – champion
152: Te’Shaun Mathews (NW) – champion
160: Cam Catrabone (WNE) – champion
215: Trevor Barry (Iroq) – champion
108: Josh Pfeiffer (Iroq) – 2nd
116: Eian Peterson (NW) – 2nd
124: Austin Zimmerman (SJ) – 2nd
131: Nik Massaro (SJ) – 2nd
138: Sean Gordon (SJ) – 2nd
190: Iain O’Donnell (NW) – 2nd
215: Matt Trim (MG) – 2nd
285: Max Smith (WNE) – 2nd
101: Parker Brenon (WNE) – 3rd
138: Garrett Chase (NW) – 3rd
145: Chase Richards (NW) – 3rd
152: Alex Schiffhauer (Iroq) – 3rd
160: Joe Cicco (NW) – 3rd
170: Aidan Schenk (SJ) – 3rd
215: John Fike (NW) – 3rd
285: Nathaniel Lopez (SJ) – 3rd
Final WNY team standings:
1. Brockport (V) 258
2. Niagara Wheatfield 247
3. Webster-Schroeder (V) 238
4. Williamsville North/East 188.5
5. St. Joe’s 168
8. Maple Grove 92.5
9. Iroquois 92
1st WNY wrestling team ranking – following results from Weds. 11/29 – Sat. 12/2
1. Niagara Wheatfield Falcons
2. St. Francis Red Raiders
3. Williamsville North/East Spartans
4. St. Joe’s Marauders
5. Amherst Tigers
6. North Tonawanda Lumberjacks
7. Grand Island Vikings
8. Jamestown Red Raiders
9. Niagara Falls Wolverines
10. Orchard Park Quakers
1. Chautauqua Lake Eagles
2. Southwestern Trojans
3. Falconer/Cassadaga Valley Golden Cougars
4. Newfane Panthers
5. Pioneer Panthers
6. Wilson Lakemen
7. Iroquois Chiefs
8. Portville Panthers
9. Randolph Cardinals
10. Maple Grove Red Dragons