Warwick’s Ryan Ferro joined an elite group of Section 9 wrestlers Saturday night.

Ferro became just the eighth section wrestler to win back-to-back state titles with a 7-3 victory over Brewster’s Grant Cuomo.

Ferro’s second championship puts the senior in the conversation with Pine Bush’s Troy Bouzakis (1986-87, 1990), Valley Central’s Lou Ruggirello (2004-06), Valley Central’s Ricky Scott (2004-05), Middletown’s Rocco Mansueto (1997-98) and Cornwall’s Paul Paquin (1996). Suffern’s Joe Goldsmith (1971-72) and Lee Klepper (1968-69) also won consecutive titles. Suffern became a Section 1 school after 1984 season.

Ferro said this weekend’s road to the state title was more difficult than last year. Ferro had three pins and a victory by technical fall in winning the 2016 152-pound championship.

“It feels even better than the first one to be honest with you,” Ferro said after his win Saturday. “Last year, it wasn’t as tough. I was able to pound my way through it. The wrestler in the quarterfinals was tough and Cuomo, he’s a phenomenal wrestler. For me to see how I can wrestle those caliber of kids makes it better (than last year).”

https://youtu.be/TkhehFtyEqY

Quite a weekend for Section 9 wrestling.

For the second straight year, Section 9 crowned two state champions.

Warwick’s Ryan Ferro became just the eighth section wrestler to win back-t0-back titles.

Monroe-Woodbury’s Kendall Elfstrum capped an incredible comeback to capture his first title in sudden victory.

Both Ferro (37-0) and Elfstrum (19-0) finished their senior seasons undefeated. Can’t remember the last time a Section 9 wrestler completed an undefeated season.

Monroe-Woodbury coach Steve Fischbein was inducted into the state Hall of Fame before the finals. Fischbein, who is still an assistant in the program, congratulated Elfstrum minutes after his win in the state final.

“The most exciting final,” Fischbein said.

Elfstrum is one of the most humble, quiet wrestlers you’ll ever meet. He has absolutely no ego and just competes to his fullest on the mat. Elfstrum entered his final against Cardozo’s Simon Chee as the fan favorite. As the dramatics of the final unfolded, cheers for Elfstrum increased.

Fans, especially those from Long Island, were on Elfstrum’s side because Chee failed to return to the mat after an illegal slam by Islip’s Greg Hodulick, the second seed, in the semifinals. The decision allowed Chee to advance to the final and prevented Hodulick a chance at a state title. Many thought Chee could have continued in the match.

Elfstrum is Monroe-Woodbury’s fourth state champion, following Gary Fischbein (1983); Mike Mormile (2001) and Jamie Franco (2008).

Ferro defeated Brewster’s Grant Cuomo 7-3 in the 160-pound final in front of 30 family and friends including his parents Ray and Sue, his brother, Michael and sisters, Jill and Nikki.

The state tournament is Ferro’s last high school tournament. Some of Section 9′s seniors will compete in the Virginia Beach Nationals in late March. Not Ferro. The three-sport athlete goes right into baseball.

Ferro has yet to make his college decision. Maryland and Edinboro showed early interest. Maryland coach Kerry McCoy was in attendance at the Times Union Center to watch Ferro wrestle over the weekend. Ferro plans on taking a visit to Ohio State within the next two weeks.

“He hasn’t had the time to do the recruiting trips,” Warwick coach Phil Szumlaski said. “Now, he’s got to get out there and figure out where he wants to go. Whoever gets him next, it’s going to be a lucky program because he’s a special kid and a phenomenal athlete.”

Ferro and Elfstrum are part of special, talented senior class that will be remembered among the most accomplished in Section 9 history.

Eldred senior Noah Curreri earned the respect from the section’s Division I (large schol) wrestler by his work ethic and drive to be the area’s best in Division II (small school). Curreri drove from Sullivan County to Warwick at least once a week to work out with Ferro in the final month of the season. The pressure was on Curreri to become the section’s first Division II state finalist and he delivered over the weekend. He wrestled Warsaw’s Noah Grover, the top seed who had pinned his first three opponents tough the full six minutes. Grover would win 7-3, which included a late takedown as Curreri was attempting to tie the match, in the final. Curreri became only the second Section 9 Division II wrestler to win two state medals and the first since the state went to a wild-card format in 2007.

Wallkill senior Mike Fekishazy decided to bump up from 170 to 182 pounds during the season for a potential state final with Hilton’s Louie Deprez, the country’s top 182-pounder. Fekishazy became Wallkill’s first state finalist and got his wish. He wrestled Deprez to a 13-4 decision in the final. Only two other wrestlers this season had taken the undefeated Deprez to a decision this season. Fek, a two-time state medalist, is the only Wallkill wrestler to place in the state tournament.

Monroe-Woodbury senior Evan Barczak finished his career second in Section 9′s all-time wins list with 219. Barczak rebounded from a tough 4-3 loss to Fox Lane’s Matt Grippi in the semifinals to take third at 152 pounds and earn his third straight state medal. Barczak is fifth Monr0e-Woodbury to win three state medals following Gary Fischbein, Mike Mormile, Jamie Franco and Vinny Vespa.

Goshen senior Ryan Ellefsen recorded the most pins in the state tournament by a Division I or Division II wrestler. After dropping his first-round match 7-5 at the top seed at 220 pounds, Ellefsen pinned his next four opponents in the wrestleback round and then dismantled John Glenn’s Damien Caffrey in the third-place final. Caffrey had defeated Ellefsen 9-3 at the Eastern States Classic on Jan. 14. Ellefsen finished his varsity career with a 131-31 record and 96 pins. Goshen’s wrestling program has earned 10 state medals since 1975. Ellefsen, a 2016 state finalist, won two of those over the last two seasons.

Minisink Valley senior Tyler Lynch wrestled back for a sixth-place finish for his first state medal after a first-round loss.

For as much as their accomplishments on the mat, this senior class will be remembered as class acts outside the mat. Barczak and Curreri were voted by peers as sportsmanship award winners for Division I and Division II. The Division I award could have easily gone to Ferro, Elfstrum or Fekishazy.

Section 9 wrestling’s underclassmen, which includes state medalists Dylan Earl and Marco Vespa of Monroe-Woodbury, have tough acts to follow.

Wallkill senior and state 182-pound finalist Mike Fekishazy will sign his letter of intent to wrestle for SUNY Ulster Wednesday.

The addition of Fekishazy, Wallkill’s first state finalist, is huge for Ulster, which restarted its program this fall.

Fekishazy has earned both of the school’s state wrestling medals. He placed sixth at 170 pounds as a junior. Fekishazy was 40-3 this season and finished his high school career 152-31. The 152 wins rank second in school history behind Zac Mills (163).

Ulster, under coach Justin Signorelli, advanced two wrestlers Alec Guevara, a Wallkill graduate and Saugerties graduate Alex Munoz to the National Junior College Athletic Association championships last month.

Monroe-Woodbury’s Evan Barczak and Kendall Elfstrum and Goshen’s Ryan Ellefsen look to repeat as all-Americans at the Virginia Beach Nationals this weekend.

Barczak placed fourth and Elfstrum and Ellefsen were fifth in their respective weight classes at the Junior Nationals last season.

Elfstrum won the state high school Division I 195-pound title last month. He will wrestling at 182 this weekend.

Ellefsen, who placed third in the high school state tournament at 220 pounds, captured the NYWAY state title last weekend.

Minisink Valley junior 182-pounder Joey Yanis, who also was a champion at the NYWAY tournament, will compete in the Junior Nationals.

Here’s a list of local wrestlers that will be competing in Virginia Beach:
Senior Nationals (Friday-Sunday): Tyler Lynch (Minisink Valley, 113 pounds); Evan Barczak (Monroe-Woodbury, 160); Noah Curreri (Eldred, 160); Kendall Elfstrum (Monroe-Woodbury, 182); Ryan Ellefsen (Goshen, 220)

Junior Nationals (Friday-Sunday): Joey Porco (Delaware Valley, Pa., 106); Dylan Earl (Monroe-Woodbury, 113); Connor Greiner (Minisink Valley, 126); Mike McKinney (Delaware Valley, Pa., 132); Vinny Vetrano (Minisink Valley, 132); Dom Vetrano (Minisink Valley, 138); Shawn Davis (Delaware Valley, Pa., 152); Dillon Ross (Onteora, 152); Shaun Burgos (Pine Bush, 160); Timmy Ganuncio (Minisink Valley, 170); Adonis Morano (Middletown, 170); Shane Fagan (Delaware Valley, Pa., 182); Andrew Kidd (Delaware Valley, Pa., 182); Joey Yanis (Minisink Valley, 182);  Andrew Fenner (Minisink Valley, 285).

Sophomore Nationals (Friday-Sunday): Marco Vespa (Monroe-Woodbury, 120); Nick Curreri (Eldred, 126); Frank Fea (Goshen, 126); Nick Albornoz (Minisink Valley, 132); Jack Dardia (Delaware Valley, Pa.); Steven Gazzillo (Cornwall, 145); Damien Lobello (Delaware Valley, Pa.); Kraig Thomas (Wallkill, 152); Will Leonard (Cornwall, 182).

Freshmen Nationals (Friday-Sunday): Nick Picariello (Minisink Valley, 106); Thomas Porco (Delaware Valley, Pa., 106); Travis Norman (Delaware Valley, 106); Machias McGill (Delaware Valley, Pa., 113); Nate Ross (Onteora, 126).

Middle School Nationals (Saturday-Sunday): Nick Fea (Goshen, 85); Nick Ross (Onteora, 105); Pat Ross (Onteora, 105); Cooper Kidd (Delaware Valley, Pa., 112); Jason Henderson (Delaware Valley, Pa., 180); Adam Fenner (Minisink Valley, 230).

Monroe-Woodbury seniors Evan Barczak and Kendall Elfstrum advanced to the quarterfinals of the Virginia Beach Senior Nationals Friday.

Barczak, wrestling at 160 pounds, reeled off three straight wins by decision, starting with an 11-2 victory over Colorado state champion Kolsen Welham. He meets two-time Minnesota state champion Bailee O’Reilly in the quarterfinals.

Elfstrum, the state 182-pound champion, also won three straight matches by decision. He defeated two-time Utah state champion Ritchie Heywood 4-2 in the round of 16. Elfstrum faces Dan Surich of Mahwah, N.J. in the quarterfinals.

Senior Nationals
Round of 16
160 pounds: Evan Barczak (Monroe-Woodbury) d. Jesse Rocco (Bangor, Pa.) 12-3; 182: Kendall Elfstrum (Monroe-Woodbury) d. Ritchie Heywood (Wasatch, Utah, two-time state champion) 4-2.
Round of 32
113: Stephen Dabelko (Coronado, Colo) d. Tyler Lynch (Minisink Valley) 14-9; 160: Evan Barczak (Monroe-Woodbury) d. Nate Kinsey (Cary, N.C.) 13-3; 182: Kendall Elfstrum (Monroe-Woodbury) d. Bradford Crislip (Ravenna, Ohio) 8-7; 220: Brice Pomeroy (Riverside, W. Va.) d. Ryan Ellefsen (Goshen) 8-6.
Round of 64
160: Evan Barczak (Monroe-Woodbury) d. Kolsen Welham (Holy Family, Colo., state champion) 11-2; Stephan Glasgow (Bound Brook, N.J., two-time state champion) d. Noah Curreri (Eldred) 14-5; 182: Kendall Elfstrum (Monroe-Woodbury) d. Sam Ashway (Kell, Ga., state champion) 17-7; 220: Ryan Ellefsen (Goshen) d. Marquis Cobbs (Cave Spring, Va.) 6-0.

Junior Nationals
Round of 16
182: Caden Steffen (Zumbrota-Mazeppa, Minn.) d. Joey Yanis (Minisink Valley) 3-2
Round of 32
106: Devin Sweeney (Potomac, Va.) d. Joey Porco (Delaware Valley, Pa.) 11-4; 170: Chase Forrester (Commerce, Ga.) d. Adonis Morano (Middletown) 14-6; 182: Joey Yanis (Minisink Valley) pin Brantley Little (North Forsyth, Ga.) 5:00; Justin Johnson (Owasso, Okla.) pin Andrew Kidd (Delaware Valley, Pa.) 1:03; 285: Cade Ridley (Commerce, Ga., state champion) pin Andrew Fenner (Minisink Valley) 5:24.
Round of 64
126: Ramazan Attasauov (Wayland, Mass., state champion) d. Connor Greiner (Minisink Valley) 7-1; 132: Saul Ervin (Union County, Ky., two-time state champion) d. Vinny Vetrano (Minisink Valley) 8-2; 138: Jake Garcia (Corona del Sol, Ariz.) pin Dom Vetrano (Minisink Valley) 1:33; 152: Matt Price (Piedmont, N.C.) d. Dillon Ross (Onteora) 3-2; 160: Erich Byelick (Lake Highland, Fla, two-time state champion) pin Shaun Burgos (Pine Bush) 1:07; 170: Adonis Morano (Middletown) d. Brandon Cooper (Bozeman, Mt.) 3-1; 182: Joey Yanis (Minisink Valley) pin Gerald Seeney (Scott, Ky.) 4:51; Andrew Kidd (Delaware Valley, Pa.) d. Bailey Coates (Benedictine, Va., state champion) 7-3 Ryan Fredette (Winslow, Maine, three-time state champion) tech. fall Shane Fagan (Delaware Valley, Pa.) 16-0, 2:45; 285: Andrew Fenner (Minisink Valley) d. Ramses Montalvo (Brooke Point, Va., state champion) 3-1.
Round of 128
126: Connor Greiner (Minisink Valley) pin Luke Schell (New Milford, Conn.) 2:53; 132: Tyler Jenkins (Rootstown, Ohio) d. Mike McKinney (Delaware Valley, Pa.) 8-6; Vinny Vetrano (Minisink Valley) d. Hunter Taylor (Independence, W. Va., state champion) 7-5; 138: Dom Vetrano (Minisink Valley) d. Rich Andrews (Ponaganset, R.I.) 12-0; 152: Cooper Roberts (Buford, Ga.) pin Shawn Davis (Delaware Valley, Pa.) 1:44; 160: Shaun Burgos (Pine Bush) d. Ian Barr (State College, Pa.) 14-10; 170: Garrett Barth (Fremont Ros, Ohio) d. Timmy Ganuncio (Minisink Valley) 7-4.

Sophomore Nationals
Round of 32
132: Peter Rolle (Edmond, Okla.) pin Nick Albornoz (Minisink Valley) :55; 182: Jeremy Nutt (Camden Catholic, N.J.) d. Will Leonard (Cornwall) 10-4.
Round of 64
126: Asa Garcia (Avon, Ind.) d. Frank Fea (Goshen) 5-3; 132: Nick Albornoz (Minisink Valley) pin Luke Canrobert (Newton Conover, N.C) :35; 138: Eian Sherman (Sandusky, Ohio) pin Damien Lobello (Delaware Valley, Pa.) 1:45. 160: John Podsednik (Leonardtown, Md.) d. Kraig Thomas (Wallkill) 14-0
Round of 128
120: Anthony Caruso (Cape Henlopen, Dela.) pin Marco Vespa (Monroe-Woodbury) 5:35; 126: Marcus Peterson (Sumner, Wash) d. Nick Curreri (Eldred) 8-4; 132: Dyllon Bernard (Comeaux, La.) pin Jack Dardia (Delaware Valley, Pa.) 3:11; 145: Chris Fasano (Pueblo County, Colo.) d. Steven Gazzillo (Cornwall) 8-4.

Freshman Nationals
Round of 128
106 pounds: Ethan Liptzin (Howell, N.J.) d. Nick Picariello (Minisink Valley) 7-2; 126: Stockton O’Brien (Wasatch, Utah) pin Nate Ross (Onteora) 2:30
Round of 256
106: Dominic Tafuri (Cedar Grove, N.J.) pin Thomas Porco (Delaware Valley, Pa.) 2:57.

Monroe-Woodbury’s Kendall Elfstrum just missed making the 182-pound finals of the Virginia Beach Senior Nationals Saturday.

Elfstrum fell to Mike Battista of Broad Run, Va. 10-9 in the semifinals. Battista escaped late in the match to win. Elfstrum bounced back, winning his next match and will wrestle for third place Sunday.

Monroe-Woodbury 160-pounder Evan Barczak and Goshen 220-pounder Ryan Ellefsen will wrestle for fifth place Sunday.

Eldred senior Noah Curreri, who won six times in the wrestleback round, fell one win short of placing. Curreri lost to Barczak 5-1 in his final match of the tournament.

Minisink Valley 138-pounder Dom Vetrano made a run in the consolation bracket of the Junior Nationals, winning six straight matches. He also was one win away from placing.

Senior Nationals

Tyler Lynch, Minisink Valley, 113 pounds (3-2 in tournament)
First-round wrestleback: pin Curtis Lenz (Rainier, Wash.) :32
Second-round wrestleback: pin Dominic Cerillo (Niceville, Fla.) 3:40
Third-round wrestleback:  W 1-0 Chris Rivera (Patchogue Medford, N.Y.)
Fourth-round wrestleback: L 4-0 Anthony Pacheco (Sanger, Calif.)

Evan Barczak, Monroe-Woodbury, 160 (wrestling for 5th place)
Quarterfinal: L 6-5 Bailee O’Reilly (Goodhue, Minn.)
Seventh-round wrestleback: W 5-1 Noah Curreri (Eldred)
Consolation quarterfinals: W 5-1 Jakob Discher (Wasatch, Utah)
Consolation semifinals: L 2-1 Isaiah Johnson (A.L. Brown, N.C.)

Noah Curreri, Eldred, 160 (6-2)
First-round wrestleback: W 8-3 Charles Small (Manatee, Fla.)
Second-round wrestleback: W 6-0 Hunter Corwin (Union Pines, N.C.)
Third-round wrestleback: W 17-1, 4:00 Solly Cornish (Athens Drive, N.C.)
Fourth-round wrestleback: W 3-1 Juan Vernaza (Somerset Academy, Fla.)
Fifth-round wrestleback: W 3-2 Austin Deffenbaugh (Brandon, Fla.)
Sixth-round wrestleback: W 14-8 Barry Carpenter (Oscar Smith, Va.)
Seventh-round wrestleback: L 5-1 Evan Barczak (Monroe-Woodbury)

Kendall Elfstrum, Monroe-Woodbury, 182 (wrestling for third place)
Quarterfinals: W  6-0 Dan Surich (Mahwah, N.J.)
Semifinals: L 10-9 Mike Battista (Broad Run, Va.)
Consolation semifinals: W 7-2 Josh Loomer (Cajon, Calif.)

Ryan Ellefsen, Goshen, 220 (wrestling for fifth place)
Second-round wrestleback: Pin 1:49 Sebastian Rocher (Mauhs, Vt.)
Third-round wrestleback: Pin 2:09 Darrell Mason (Dunbar, Ill.)
Fourth-round wrestleback: W 7-0 Jarrett Walters (Danville Area, Pa.)
Fifth-round wrestleback: W forfeit Zach Knighton-Ward (Uniondale, N.Y.)
Consolation quarterfinals: Pin 1:29 Joe Marcano (Brandon, Fla.)
Consolation semifinals: L 8-3 Victor Lacombe (Hunterdon Central, N.J.)

Junior Nationals
Joey Porco, Delaware Valley, Pa., 106 pounds (0-2)
First-round wrestleback: Pinned :46 Thomas Dyment (Bethel, Ark.)

Connor Greiner, Minisink Valley, 126 (4-2)
Second-round wrestleback: W 11-0 Joe Paul (Maggie Walker, Va.)
Third-round wrestleback: Pin 3:03 Michael Crockett (Pulaski Academy, Ariz.)
Fourth-round wrestleback: W 7-1 Kyle Sams (Putnam Valley, N.Y.)
Fifth-round wrestleback: L 6-0 Nick Gonzales (Adams City, Colo.)

Mike McKinney, Delaware Valley, Pa., 132 (4-2)
Second-round wrestleback: Pin 3:29 Andy Evans (Freedom, Pa.)
Third-round wrestleback: W 6-4 Skyler Minutelli (Sparrows Point, Md.)
Fourth-round wrestleback: W 8-5 Anthony Herrera (Stansbury, Utah)
Fifth-round wrestleback: W 3-0 Adam Davis (Culver Military Academy, Ind.)
Sixth-round wrestleback: Pinned 2:20 Wes Rayburn (Piedra Vista, N.M.)

Vinny Vetrano, Minisink Valley, 132 (3-2)
Second-round wrestleback: W 5-0 Caelin Cascione (Jansen Beach, Fla.)
Third-round wrestleback: W 13-0 Matt Shelburne (Va.)
Fourth-round wrestleback: L 5-1 Alex Isbrandt (Miami East, Ohio)

Dom Vetrano, Minisink Valley, 138 (7-2)
Second-round wrestleback: W 3-1 Kade Grigsby (Columbia, Idaho)
Third-round wrestleback: W 12-0 Jacob Brady (Timber Creek, Fla.)
Fourth-round wrestleback: W 2-1 Angelo Mahaffey (Saucon Valley, Pa.)
Fifth-round wrestleback: W 1-0 Tristan Sellmer (Floyd, Ind.)
Sixth-round wrestleback: W 5-2 Gavin Stika (Norwayne, Ohio)
Seventh-round wrestleback: W 6-5 Phil Daub (Enka, N.C.)
Eighth-round wrestleback: L 8-2 Trent Johnson (John Hardin, Ky.)

Shawn Davis, Delaware Valley, Pa., 152 (0-2)
Second-round wrestleback: Pinned 3:02 Conor Panzarella (Donovan Catholic, N.J.)

Dillon Ross, Onteora, 152 (4-2)
Second-round wrestleback: W 11-0 Daniel Hajduk (Johns Creek, Ga.)
Third-round wrestleback: W 6-1 Michael Lucas (Holy Rosary Academy, Ark.)
Fourth-round wrestleback: W 4-3 Henry Hill (Vestavia Hill, Ala.)
Fifth-round wrestleback: W 2-1 Mikey Barrett (Bristol Eastern, Conn.)
Sixth-round wrestleback: L 6-0 Ron Miller (Battlefield, Va.)

Shaun Burgos, Pine Bush, 160 (3-2)
First-round wrestleback: Pin :35 Ty Husser (Rossford, Ohio)
Second-round wrestleback: W 12-7 James Murray (Lugoff-Elgin, S.C.)
Third-round wrestleback: L 11-4 Jakob Kennedy (Prince George, Va.)

Timmy Ganuncio, Minisink Valley, 170 (3-2)
Second-round wrestleback: W 11-5 Mike Parrish (Eastport-South Manor, N.Y.)
Third-round wrestleback: W 8-5 Will Kohlins (Lambert, Ga.)
Fourth-round wrestleback: W 7-4 Levi Larkin (West Central, Minn.)
Fifth-round wrestleback: L 6-4 Brandon Dickman (Creekside, Fla.)

Adonis Morano, Middletown, 170 (1-2)
Fourth-round wrestleback: L 6-2 Jack Krug (Bellmore-JFK, N.Y.)

Joey Yanis, Minisink Valley, 182 (2-2)
Fifth-round wrestleback: L 6-2 Tyler Matheny (Lake Braddock, Va.)

Andrew Kidd, Delaware Valley, Pa., 182 (2-2)
Third-round wrestleback: W 13-5 Edward Chavez (Rio Rancho, N.M.)
Fourth-round wrestleback: L 6-3 Christian Salter (Siegel, Tenn.)

Shane Fagan, Delaware Valley, Pa., 182 (0-2)
First-round wrestleback: Pinned 3:16 Austin Andres (Goddard, Kansas)

Andrew Fenner, Minisink Valley, 285 (2-2)
Fourth-round wrestleback: Pin 2:24 Brian Sidle (N.J.)
Fifth-round wrestleback: L 2-0 Isaiah McWilliams (Washington, Ind.)

Sophomore Nationals
Marco Vespa, Monroe-Woodbury, 120 (0-2)
First-round wrestleback: L forfeit Isaiah Castile (Crete Monee, Ill.)

Nick Curreri, Eldred, 126 (0-2)
Second-round wrestleback: L 5-0 C.J. Thompson (Camden Catholic, N.J.)

Frank Fea, Goshen, 126 (2-2)
Second-round wrestleback: Pin 1:59 Michael Shook (Union Pines, N.C.)
Third-round wrestleback: W 10-5 Zeke Marquez (Silver, N.M.)
Fourth-round wrestleback: L 6-4 Jon Spadaford (Half Hollow Hills East, N.Y.)

Nick Albornoz, Minisink Valley, 132 (2-2)
Third-round wrestleback: W 14-0 Dreyon Eure (Owings Mills, Md.)
Fourth-round wrestleback: Pinned 2:50 Reese Karst (Powell, Wy.)

Jack Dardia, Delaware Valley, Pa., 132 (0-2)
First-round wrestleback: L 3-1 Noah Roulo (Va.)

Damien Lobello, Delaware Valley, Pa. (0-2)
Second-round wrestleback: L 14-0 Lajess Sawyer (Center Moriches, N.Y.)

Steven Gazzillo, Cornwall, 145 (1-2)
First-round wrestleback: Pin 2:50 Kole Krause (Groton, N.Y.)
Second-round wrestleback: L 8-1 Nathan Villareal (Gilroy, Calif.)

Kraig Thomas, Wallkill, 152 (2-2)
Second-round wrestleback: W 5-1 James Robert (Ellis Tech, Conn.)
Third-round wrestleback: W 5-4 Nkosi Barnes (Lexington, N.C.)
Fourth-round wrestleback: L 4-2 Seamus Selmi  (Bethesda-Chevy Chase, Md.)

Will Leonard, Cornwall, 182 (3-2)
First-round wrestleback: Pin 2:16 Jayden McCubbin (Cave Spring, Va.)
Second-round wrestleback: W 4-2 Dylynn Houser (Cookeville, Tenn.)
Third-round wrestleback: W 5-4 Tahjah Watts (Vidalia, Ga.)
Fourth-round wrestleback: L 9-1 Shane Noonan (Hazleton Area, Pa.)

Freshman Nationals
Nick Picariello, Minisink Valley, 106 pounds
Second-round wrestleback: Pinned 3:52 Logan Sciotto (Rocky Point, N.Y.)

Nate Ross, Onteora, 126 (0-2)
First-round wrestleback: Pinned 1:26 Stockton O’Brien (Wasatch, Utah)

Warwick senior Ryan Ferro committed to wrestle at Big Ten power Ohio State Sunday afternoon following a visit to Columbus this weekend.

Ferro, a two-time state champion and four-time Section 9 titlist, chose Ohio State over Maryland, North Carolina and Edinboro. He’s expected to compete for a spot in Ohio State’s lineup at 157 pounds. Ohio State placed second in the NCAA Division I championships earlier this month.

“The coaches were great,” Ferro said. “They were nice and seemed very committed at what they were doing there. I really liked that. All the kids on the team treated me good. I thought everything about that school was that awesome.”

For more on Ferro’s commitment, check back later on recordonline.com and Varsity845.com.

Monroe-Woodbury 182-pounder Kendall Elfstrum won his sixth match of the Virginia Beach Senior Nationals, defeating George Walton of Bound Brook, N.J. 4-3 to finish third.

Elfstrum, who will wrestle at Division I Princeton in the fall,  earned all-American (top eight) status for the third straight year.

Monroe-Woodbury’s Evan Barczak and Goshen’s Ryan Ellefsen repeated as all-Americans.

Barczak, who will wrestle for Division I Drexel in the fall, placed fifth at 160 pounds, defeating Shawn Mosca of Wheatley, N.Y. 6-1 for fifth place.

Ellefsen, who will wrestle for Division I Clarion in the fall, pinned Freddie Green of Spanaway Lake, Wash. in 3:53 in the fifth-place match.

The 2017 Varsity 845 wrestling team is live online and in print.

Ryan Ferro, the V845 wrestler of the year for the second straight season, helped rebuild Warwick’s youth program with coach Phil Szumlaski. The program went from six or seven wrestlers to more than 100. And, all the young wrestlers want to be like Ferro, a state champion. Read the story here.

Ferro, Monroe-Woodbury’s Evan Barczak and Kendall Elfstrum, Eldred’s Noah Curreri, Goshen’s Ryan Ellefsen, Wallkill’s Mike Fekishazy and Minisink Valley’s Tyler Lynch return to the first team. Read their all-star bios here.

Photographer Erik Gliedman changed up the way we shoot our all-stars this year. Gliedman used the team colors of the wrestler as background for the photos. The photos can be viewed at the top of all-star bios story or on our Instagram account @Varsity845.

VIDEO: Wrestler of the Year Ryan Ferro talks about his favorite moment of the season and rebuilding Warwick’s youth wrestling program

VIDEO: Varsity 845 all-stars share their favorite moment of the 2016-17 season

Ryan Ferro is officially a Buckeye.

Ferro signed his national letter of intent to wrestle at Ohio State during a press conference Monday morning at Warwick High.

The two-time state champion thanked everyone who helped him along the way, including his family and coaches at the high school and youth levels.

Ferro gave a special mention to the Ginley family. He started wrestling with Joe and Paul Ginley in youth and said he considers them, “brothers.” Ferro said Christina Ginley is the inspiration for his hard work. Christina Ginley died in a car accident on March 14, 2013 on his way to soccer tournament in Virginia. Ginley was a Warwick senior.

“She reminds me to always keep going and never give up no matter how hard it gets and I can’t thank Mr. and Mrs. Ginley enough for their support,” Ferro said. “Mr. (Joe) Ginley saw potential in me at five years old and hasn’t stopped believing in me. I can’t thank him enough for everything that he’s done and continues to do in helping me reach my goals as an athlete.”

After his press conference, Ferro shared more about Christina Ginley being his inspiration.

“I have a picture of a statue of angel for her on my phone,” Ferro said. “She was just a great person…If I don’t think I’m going to have a good day, I looked at it and think of her.”

VIDEO: Ferro’s press conference with some words from coach Phil Szumlaski and athletic director and football coach Greg Sirico.

One of the state’s top wrestling programs has added one of Section 9′s top returning lightweights to its lineup.

Jordan Suarez, a 2017 section 99-pound finalist, has transferred from Pine Bush to Minisink Valley, Minisink Valley coach Kevin Gallagher confirmed.

Suarez, a sophomore, advanced to the section final as a fifth seed and finished the 2016-17 season with a 22-7 record.

Minisink Valley, the state’s No. 6 team in the final rankings last season, returns the majority of its lineup that includes a talented senior class of  2017 Section 9 champions Dom Vetrano (a two-time titlist) and Vinny Vetrano, two-time section champion Connor Greiner, two-time section finalist and 2017 state qualifier Joe Yanis and 2017 section finalists Timmy Ganuncio and Andrew Fenner.

Kevin Gallagher has built Minisink Valley into a consistently, state-ranked program since he took over as head coach in the 2000-2001 season.

Recently discovered that Gallagher spent the previous two seasons as a volunteer coach for the program after having a successful run at Oxford Academy in the Binghamton. Gallagher was informed Wednesday that he will be inducted into the New York state wrestling Hall of Fame on Feb. 24 at the Times Union Center in Albany before the state finals.

Gallagher will join Section 9 coaches Don Blaine (Cornwall), Jeff Cuilty (who retired last season after coaching at Newburgh Free Academy and Wallkill) and Steve Fischbein (Monroe-Woodbury) in the Hall of Fame. He is 426-98 in his career at Minisink Valley, Oxford and Middletown.

“It just shows how many good people that are around you, guys like Scott (Hendershot, Minisink Valley assistant coach),” Gallagher said. “He’s the best. It’s humbling.”

Gallagher was drawn back to Minisink Valley to teach and coach at his alma mater.

“When I was at Oxford, I liked it a lot and there was only probably one other place that I would go and it was Minisink,” Gallagher said. “I always thought about coming back and I wanted to. I almost came back a couple of times. It just wasn’t time yet. The time was right when I came back.”

Minisink Valley has won five Section 9 tournament team title, a Section 9 Duals title in the 2014-15 season and finished that season ranked as the state’s No. 1 Division I (large school) under Gallagher. A.J. Aeberli won the school’s second state title in 2016.

For more on Gallagher’s honor, check the Times Herald-Record’s print and online editions Saturday.

Follow local high school sports on Twitter and Instagram @Varsity845

Goshen’s Frank Fea won all five of his matches, including four by fall, at the Lance Golubinski Duals in Goshen Saturday.

Fea returned to high school wrestling for his senior season. The two-time Section 9 medalist placed fourth at 106 as a sophomore and third at 99 as a freshman.

Saugerties 48, Goshen 40

99 pounds: Robert Drost (S) won by forfeit; 106: Dylan  Tierney (G) won by forfeit; 113: Matt DeFalcon (G) pin Kristian Chauncey 1:28; 120: Eli Weinstein (G) pin Jacobus Hockx 1:41; 126: John Alejo (G) won by injury default over Tristan Villarreal; 132: James  Heinlein (S) pin Yuval Fogelman :45; 138: Frank  Fea (G) pin Aiden Gruen :58; 145: Dan Mandic (G) d. Sean Costello 12-2; 152: Matt Garton (G) won by forfeit; 160: Daniel Ball (S) pin Christopher  Fini 5:51; 170: Matt Bucci (S) pin Nathan Wulech 2:29; 182: Graeme Knisell (S) won by forfeit; 195: Craig Laurey (S) won by forfeit; 220: Anthony Owen (S) pin Ethan Rodriguez 1:04; 285: Alfredo Martinez (S) won by forfeit.

Port Jervis  57, Goshen 18
99 pounds: no contest; 106: Dylan  Tierney (G) won by forfeit; 113: Eric Tigue (PJ) pin Matt DeFalcon :48; 120: Eli Weinstein (G) d. Caleb Harrison 13-12; 126: Joey Amato (PJ) d. John Alejo 9-7; 132: Carson Sauschuck (PJ) pin Yuval Fogelman 4:33; 138: Frank  Fea (G) pin Gavin Staerker :41; 145: Dan Mandic (G) d. Asher Pelton 8-2; 152: Joseph Mahaney (PJ) pin Matt Garton 4:38; 160: Drew Harrison (PJ) pin Christopher Fini 1:28; 170: Griffin Roddy (PJ) pin Nathan Wulech 1:23; 182: Dominic Zappolo (PJ) won by forfeit; 195: Jason Butler (PJ) pin Kyle Dahowski :55; 220: Jacob Southard (PJ) pin Ethan Rodriguez :30; 285: James Oosterom (PJ) pin Shane  Reynolds :15.

Goshen 37, Eldred-Liberty-Sullivan West 34
99: no contest; 106: Dylan  Tierney (G) pin Joey Curreri 1:01; 113: Matt DeFalcon (G) d. Tim Dirie 14-5; 120: Eli Weinstein (G) won by forfeit; 126: John Alejo (G) d. Daniel Adams 9-5; 132: Pat Cuddy (G) won by forfeit; 138: Frank  Fea (G) won by forfeit; 145: Nicholas Curreri (ELSW) d. Dan Mandic 5-3; 152: Henry  Peters  (ELSW) d. Matt Garton 9-1; 160: Caesar Santiago (ELSW) pin Christopher Fini 5:07; 170: Luke Jones (ELSW) d. Nathan Wulech 12-6; 182: James DeAveiro (ELSW) pin Luis Mancilla 1:47; 195: Drew Bendy (ELSW) pin Kyle Dahowski  5:40; 220: Jovane Dennis (ELSW) pin Ethan Rodriguez 1:09; 285: Shane Reynolds (G) won by forfeit.

Goshen 67, Nanuet 3

99 pounds: no contest; 106: Dylan  Tierney (G) pin Logan Massa 1:07; 113: Matt DeFalcon (G) d. Tyler Nicholson 12-1; 120: Eli Weinstein (G) pin Steve Guterl 2:39; 126: John Alejo (G) d. William Shin 7-6; 132: Cody Massa (N) d. Pat Cuddy 2-0; 138: Frank  Fea (GO) pin Ryan MacRobbie :54; 145: Dan Mandic (G) d. Josh Gold 4-2; 152: Matt Garton (G) pin Jeremy Schucker :58; 160: Christopher Fini (G) d. Chris Falborn 3-2; 170: Nathan Wulech (G) pin Nick DiModugno :33; 182: Luis Mancilla (G) pin Nick Urzi 1:20; 195: Kyle Dahowski (G) won by forfeit; 220: Ethan Rodriguez (G) pin Mark Siquenza :59; 285: Shane  Reynolds (G) won by forfeit.

Oneonta 45, Goshen 36
99 pounds: Devon Gould (O) won by forfeit; 106: Dylan  Tierney (G) pin Kevin Ignacio :36; 113: Jack  Caruso (O) pin Matt DeFalcon 2:24; 120: Eli Weinstein (G) pin Brendan Horth 4:48; 126: John Alejo (G) d. Carter Neer 9-2; 132: Cameron Neer (O) d. Pat Cuddy 7-6; 138: Frank  Fea (G) pin Hunter Burch :51; 145: Dan Mandic (G) d. Nick Dower 5-3; 152: Dalton Wells (O) pin Matt Garton 1:36; 160: Christopher  Fini (G) won by forfeit; 170: Nathan Wulech (G) won by forfeit; 182: Trey Lambrecht (O) won by forfeit; 195: Jovanny Hernandez (O) pin Kyle Dahowski 1:10; 220: Jerry Wells (O) pin Ethan Rodriguez 2:16; 285: Richie Serafin (O) pin Shane  Reynolds :17.

Port Jervis  51, Saugerties 19
99 pounds: Robert Drost (PJ) won by forfeit; 106: no contest; 113: Eric Tigue (PJ) pin Kristian Chauncey 2:52; 120: Caleb Harrison (PJ) pin Jacobus Hockx 5:19; 126: Joey Amato (PJ) pin Tristan Villarreal 1:53; 132: Carson Sauschuck (PJ) d. James Heinlein 5-4; 138: Gavin Staerker (PJ) d. Aiden Gruen 11-2; 145: Sean Costello (S) d. Asher Pelton 19-9; 152: Joe Mahaney (PJ) pin Nate Cantwell 5:59; 160: Griffin Roddy (PJ) pin Daniel Ball 1:04; 170: Drew Harrison (PJ) d. Matt Bucci 5-1; 182: Graeme Knisell (S) d. Dominic Zappolo 11-9; 195: Jason Butler (PJ) tech. fall Craig Laurey 17-1; 220: Anthony Owen (S) pin  Jacob Southard 3:09; 285: James Oosterom (PJ) pin Alfredo Martinez 1:17.

Saugerties 66, Monticello 14
99 pounds: Robert Drost (S) won by forfeit; 106: no contest; 113: Kristian Chauncey (S) d. Colby Rivas 8-3; 120: Jacobus Hockx (S) won by default over Isaac Hernandez; 126: Kyle  Desmond (M) d. Tristan Villarreal 12-6; 132: James  Heinlein (S) won by forfeit; 138: Aiden Gruen (S) won by forfeit; 145: Sean Costello (S) pin Raziel Chico 2:27; 152: Doug Doherty (M) won by injury default over Nate Cantwell; 160: Daniel Ball (S) won by forfeit; 170: Matt Bucci (S) won by forfeit; 182: Graeme Knisell (S) won by forfeit; 195: Craig Laurey (S) won by forfeit; 220: Anthony Owen (S) pin Gary Ivory Jr. 1:26; 285: Michael Carpinone (M) tech. fall Alfredo Martinez 15-0, 2:29.

Saugerties 39, Oneonta 36
99 pounds: Devon Gould (O) d. Robert Drost 6-5; 106: Kevin Ignacio (O) won by forfeit; 113: Jack Caruso (O) d. Kristian Chauncey 5-3; 120: Jacobus Hockx (S) pin Brendan Horth 3:30; 126: Carter Neer (O) pin Tristan Villarreal 5:11; 132: James  Heinlein (S) won by forfeit; 138: Hunter Burch (O) d. Aiden Gruen 4-1; 145: Nick Dower (O) d. Sean Costello 8-6; 152: Dalton Wells (O) won by forfeit; 160: Daniel Ball (S) won by forfeit; 170: Matt Bucci (S) won by forfeit; 182: Graeme Knisell (S) pin Trey Lambrecht 1:33; 195: Craig Laurey (S) d. Jovanny Hernandez 11-6; 220: Anthony Owen (S) pin Jerry Wells 5:25; 285: Richie Serafin (O) pin Alfredo Martinez 1:43.

Saugerties 48, East Ramapo 33
99: Robert Drost (S) won by forfeit; 106: no contest; 113: Kristian Chauncey (S) won by forfeit; 120: Akeem Francis (ER) pin Jacobus Hockx :22; 126: Aaron Rivera (ER) pin Tristan Villarreal 2:35; 132: James  Heinlein (S) pin Junior Gonzalez-Acosta 2:28; 138: Larsen Larame (ER) d. Aiden Gruen 6-5; 145: Sean Costello (S) won by forfeit; 152: Larson Larame (ER) pin Nate Cantwell 2:17; 160: Coby Simexan (ER) pin Daniel Ball 3:58; 170: Matt Bucci (S) pin Jonathan Lafortune 1:16; 182: Graeme Knisell (S) pin Youri Guillaume 1:14; 195: Jhordyn Innocent (ER) pin Craig Laurey 1:39; 220: Anthony Owen (S) pin John Miranda-Realpe 1:30; 285: Alfredo Martinez (S) won by forfeit.

Rondout Valley’s Nikko Walsh was named the top freshman wrestler at the Mid-Hudson tournament following his 2-1 win over Cornwall’s Christian Prokosch in the 99-pound final.

Walsh went 7-0 with three pins in the two-day tournament.

Pine Bush senior Shaun Burgos, a 2017 Section 9 finalist, defeated Red Hook’s Tristan Schiafo 15-7 to win the 160-pound title.

Cornwall’s Will Leonard pinned Saugerties’ Anthony Owen in 5:07 to capture the 220-pound title.

Newburgh Free Academy’s Maxz DeCapua won the 195-pound title, defeating Guilderland’s Cameron Durant 8-3.

Cornwall’s Steve Gazzillo joined the 100-win club with a victory in his first match of round-robin wrestling Wednesday.

Mid-Hudson tournament
(at Arlington HS, Freedom Plains)
Team standings: 1. Rocky Point (RP) 227.5; 2. Ward Melville (WM) 147; 3. Cornwall (CORN) 144.5; 4. Newburgh Free Academy (NFA) 129.5; 5. Mattituck (M) 122; 6. Arlington (A) 119; 7. Longwood (L) 116.5; 8. Guilderland (G) 113.5; 9. Pine Bush (PB) 105.5; 10. Valley Central (VC) 104; 11. John Jay-East Fishkill (JJEF) 94.5; 12. Onteora (O) 89.5; 13. Wallkill (W) 87; 14. Mamaroneck (MAM) ; 15. Red Hook (RH) 74; 16. Rondout Valley (RV) 73; 17. Saugerties (S) 69; 18. Hewlett (H) 68.5; 19. 19. Ossining (OSS) 66.5; 20. Port Chester (PC)  45; 21. Beacon (B) 37.5; 22. Maspeth (MAS) 29.5; 23. Our Lady of Lourdes (OLL) 27.5; 24. Highland (HIGH) 14; 25, Marlboro (MARL) 4.

Championship finals
99 pounds: Nikko Walsh (RV) d. Christian Prokosch (CORN) 2-1
106: Ivan Garcia (PC) d. Dennis Robin (A) 6-2
113: Logan Sciotto (RP) pin Tim Bova (A) 1:43
120: Anthony Sciotto (RP) d. Evan Matias (RP) 1-0
126: Tyler Albis (JJEF) d. James Faison (W) 5-0
132: Raf Lievano (WM) d. Luke Bokina (M) 9-3
138: Ryan Callahan (RP) won by forfeit over Zach Bonner (OSS)
145: Jack Bokina (M) d. Steve Gazzillo (CORN) 15-1
152: Corey Connolly (RP) pin Tyler Serafini (NFA) 4:59
160: Shaun Burgos (PB) d. Tristan Schiafo (RH) 15-7
170: Dillon Ross (O) d. Gevorg Arakelov (MAS) 9-0
182: Mike Gordon (HEW) d. Tyler Grupe (G) 13-4
195: Maxx DeCapua (NFA) d. Cameron Durant (G) 8-3
220: Will Leonard (CORN) pin Anthony Owen (S) 5:07
285: Liam Dietrich (RH) d. Diego Orellana (OSS) 1:28

Third-place consolations (Section 9 wrestlers only)
106: Greg Fischer (NFA) d. Tom Fitzsimmons (WM) 3-1
120: Gavin Pasqualini (A) d. Pat Ross (O) 6-1.
126: Matt Romano (VC) pin Nick Ross (O) 4:30
132: Tommy Askey (PB) d. Kris Ketcham (RP) 3-1
138: Dan Cassera (WM) pin Dylan Greer (PB) 5:37
145: Crew Fullerton (MAM) d. Nick Florin (PB) 4-1
152: Joe Pushman (W) d. Wilbur Bailey (L) 4-1
170: Derek White (JJEF) d. Matt Bucci (S) 4-3
182: Chris Tremper (PB) won by forfeit over Tyler Pelech (L)
195: Craig Laurey (S) d. Max Haegele (WM) 3-2
285: Jake Pohl (RP) pin Bryce Moore (VC) 4:22

Fifth-place consolation (Section 9 matches only)
99 pounds: Matt Davis (W) d. Chris Crawford (B) 11-0
120: Travis Phillips (VC) d. Jadin Vega (CORN) 4-2 OT
126: Luke Fischer (NFA) d. Chris Stellwagon (WM) 11-4
138: Nate Ross (O) d. Jeffrey Jensen (G) :18
145: Ian Houck (RV) d. Ruben Cruces (L) 4-3
152: Mike McGowan (MAM) d. Dan Heffner (CORN) 6-4
170: Colin Cummings (VC) d. Brayan Duque (A) 10-2
182: Lucas Ardivinna (OLL) d. Alex Miller (NFA) 2-1
220: Midjerry Paul (L) d. Mark Crisfield (VC) 2-1 OT
285: Caleb Williams (NFA) d. Javon Hines (JJEF) 3-1.

Minisink Valley senior 182-pounder Joey Yanis earned the second seed, the highest by a Section 9 wrestler, at this weekend’s Eastern States Classic.

Yanis is one of eight seeded wrestlers for Minisink Valley, the state’s top large-school team. Minisink Valley senior Tim Ganuncio is the seventh seed at 160.

Here are the top seeds in each weight class and the seeded Section 9 wrestlers:

99 pounds: 1. Mason Bush (Central Valley Academy); 8. Nikko Walsh (Rondout Valley, Fr.); 10. Justin Morales (Middletown, Soph.); 11. Evan Hewett (Minisink Valley, Fr.); 14. Christian Prokosch (Cornwall, Sr.).

106: 1. Anthony Noto (Honeoye Falls-Lima); 9. Greg Fischer (Newburgh Free Academy, Sr.); 17. Nick Picariello (Minisink Valley, Soph.); 20. Matt Morris (Red Hook, Soph.); 24. Jacob Chenier (Kingston, Soph.)

113: 1. Dylan Ryder (Half Hollow Hills West); 8. Dylan Earl (Monroe-Woodbury, Sr.)

120: 1. Adam Busiello (Eastport-South Manor, Jr.); 5. Marco Vespa (Monroe-Woodbury, Jr.); 17. Pat Ross (Onteora, Fr.)

126: 1. Beau Bartlett (Wyoming Seminary, Pa.); 16. Matt Romano (Valley Central, Soph.); 24. Nick Ross (Onteora, Fr.)

132: 1. Jack Davis (Wyoming Seminary, Pa.); 11. Connor Greiner (Minisink Valley, Sr.); 21. Tommy Askey (Pine Bush, Soph.)

138: 1. Josh Lee (Burlington, Mass.); 11. Dom Vetrano (Minisink Valley, Sr.); 19. Nate Ross (Onteora, Soph.); 27. Joe McGinty (Monroe-Woodbury, Soph.); 30. Dylan Greer (Pine Bush, Sr.).

145: 1. Frankie Gissendanner (Penfield); 14. Vinny Vetrano (Minisink Valley, Sr.); 18. Steven Gazzillo (Cornwall, Jr.); 21. Ian Houck (Rondout Valley, Sr.); 24. Zach Chartrand (Onteora, Sr.)

152: 1. Jacori Temmer (Long Beach, Sr.); 13. Tyler Serafini (Newburgh Free Academy, Jr.); 23. Tristen Schiafo (Red Hook, Sr.)

160: 1. Jake Silverstein (Hauppauge, Sr.); 7. Tim Ganuncio (Minisink Valley, Sr.); 10. Shaun Burgos (Pine Bush, Sr.); 21. Collin Cummings (Valley Central, Sr.)

170: 1. Tyler Barnes (Ballston Spa, Sr.); 7. Dillon Ross (Onteora, Sr.); 14. Jason Butler (Port Jervis, Sr.); 25. Matt Bucci (Saugerties, Jr.)

182: 1. Jake Logan (New Rochelle, Jr.); 2. Joey Yanis (Minisink Valley, Sr.); 18. Alex Miller (Newburgh Free Academy, Sr.)

195: 1. Elijah Rodriguez (Long Beach, Sr.); 10. Maxx DeCapua (Newburgh Free Academy, Soph.); 19, Ryan Hobson (Red Hook, Sr.)

220: 1. Joe Benedict (South Jefferson-Sandy Creek, Sr.); 6. Will Leonard (Cornwall, Jr.)

285: 1. Deonte Wilson (Amityville, Sr.); 5. Andrew Fenner (Minisink Valley, Sr.); 11. Liam Dietrich (Red Hook, Soph.)

Follow @Varsity845 on Twitter for Eastern States Classic updates

Minisink Valley advanced seven wrestlers to the Round of 16 at the Eastern States Classic.

Senior Connor Greiner improved to 27-0 with a 7-1 win over Churchville-Chili’s Nate Sanborn in a 132-pound round of 32 match.

Nick Picariello (106), Dom Vetrano (138), Vinny Vetrano (145), Tim Ganuncio (160) and Andrew Fenner 285) each won round of 32. Joey Yanis received a bye into the round of 16.

Also advancing to the round of 16 with wins were Middletown’s Justin Morales (99), Rondout Valley’s Nikko Walsh (99), Newburgh Free Academy’s Greg Fischer (106), Monroe-Woodbury’s Dylan Earl (113), Monroe-Woodbury’s Marco Vespa (120); Pine Bush’s Tommy Askey (132); Cornwall’s Steve Gazzillo (145), Onteora’s Dillon Ross (170) and Valley Central’s Marc Crisfield.

Rondout Valley freshman Nikko Walsh scored the first win for Section 9 with a 7-2 decision over Wantagh’s Ben Rogers in the 99-pound round of 64.

Monroe-Woodbury’s Joe McGinty (138), Rondout Valley’s Ian Houck (145) and Minisink Valley’s Nick Albornoz (145) earned first-round wins.

Eastern States Classic
(at SUNY Sullivan, Loch Sheldrake)
Round of 32
99 pounds: Nikko Walsh (Rondout Valley) tech. fall Chris Dwyer (Horace Greeley) 16-0, 4:00; Cody Merkin (Walton-Delhi) pin Grant Barczak (Monroe-Woodbury) 3:12; Brendan Goodrich (Mount Sinai) pin Joey Curreri (Eldred-Liberty-Sullivan West) 1:38; Jared Weinhaus (Sachem East) d. Christian Prokosch (Cornwall) 7-1; Justin Morales (Middletown) pin John Fortugno (Byram Hills) 5:34; Jake Hoffman (Fox Lane) d. Evan Hewett (Minisink Valley) 4-2.
106: Nick Picariello (Minisink Valley) d. Bobby Moore (Wantagh) 6-0; Greg Fischer (Newburgh Free Academy) tech. fall Jacob Chenier (Kingston) 15-0, 4:47; Carter Baer (Gouverneur) tech. fall Matt Morris (Red Hook) 17-0, 3:27; Josiah Encarnacion (Wantagh) d. Eric Tighe (Port Jervis) 11-3.
113: Dylan Earl (Monroe-Woodbury) d. Aidan Araoz (Wantagh) 13-4; Jon Charles (Central Valley Academy) d. Ryan Burgos (Monroe-Woodbury) 8-2.
120: Marco Vespa (Monroe-Woodbury) tech. fall Cameron Ahearn (Plainedge) 15-0, 3:37.
126: Matthew Mina (Brooklyn Tech) d. Matt Romano (Valley Central) 11-4; Vin Micelo (Port Jefferson) d. Sean Savacool (Minisink Valley) 9-0.
132: Tommy Askey (Pine Bush) d. Joe Simons (Farmingdale) 9-3; Connor Greiner (Minisink Valley) d. Nate Sanborn (Churchville-Chili) 7-1; Justin Vines (Wantagh)pin Gavin Staerker (Port Jervis) 2:48.
138: Dom Vetrano (Minisink Valley) pin Ryan Callahan (Rocky Point) 3:00; Tyler Sung (New Canaan, Conn.) tech. fall Joe McGinty (Monroe-Woodbury) 15-0, 4:20.
145: Vinny Vetrano (Minisink Valley) d. Ian Houck (Rondout Valley) 7-5; Kyle Mosher (South Side) pin Carter Stewart (Monroe-Woodbury) :47; Logan Duers (Hadley Luzerne-Lake George) pin Zach Chartrand (Onteora) 3:48; Jack Bokina (Mattituck) pin Nick Albornoz (Minisink Valley) 2:21; Steve Gazzillo (Cornwall) d. Ryan Burgbacher (Patchogue-Medford) 4-3.
152: Daniel Bogie (Eagle Academy) pin Destin Morano (Middletown) 1:26; Jack Chesman (Pearl River) d. Ray Napolitano (Valley Central) 12-3; Dempsey Carroll (Copenhagen) d. Tyler Serafini (Newburgh Free Academy) 6-1; Benny Baker (Wyoming Seminary, Pa.) pin Luke Jones (Eldred-Liberty-Sullivan West) 1:34; Corey Connolly (Rocky Point) d. Tristen Schiafo (Red Hook) 9-3.
160: Nicholas Noel (Fulton) d. Collin Cummings (Valley Central) 14-2; Tim Ganuncio (Minisink Valley) pin Matt Majoy (Syosset) 4:56.
170: Ben Quattrociocchi (Fairport) pin Matt Bucci (Saugerties) 1:13; Nick Meglino (Edgemont) d. Jason Butler (Port Jervis) 7-4; Dillon Ross (Onteora) tech. fall Zak Hodgson (Cold Spring Harbor) 16-1, 4:00.
182: Jake Cook (Ballston Spa) pin Darnell Kornegay (Middletown) 1:40; Parker Brooks (Shenendehowa) d. Alex Miller (Newburgh Free Academy) 9-1.
195: George Grigalashvili (James Madison) pin Julius Oquendo (Middletown) 3:04; Joe Andreessen (Lancaster) pin Andrew Wierzbicki (Warwick) 3:55; Reggie Melvin (Niskayuna) d. Anton Juncaj (Minisink Valley) 6-2; Jonathon Parrish (Fulton) d. Ryan Hobson (Red Hook) 4-3.
220: Marc Crisfield (Valley Central) d. James Bellucci (Pawling) 3-2.
285: Andrew Fenner (Minisink Valley) d. Jake Pohl (Rocky Point) 4-2; Jake Stangle (Ballston Spa) pin Preston Havison (Monroe-Woodbury) :42.
Round of 64
99 pounds: Nikko Walsh (Rondout Valley) d. Ben Rogers (Wantagh) 7-2.
106: Jake Eckerle (Commack) pin Drew Greco (Warwick) 1:27.
113: Marek Bush (Central Valley Academy) pin Jordan Suarez (Minisink Valley) 1:52; Drew Munch (Wyoming Seminary, Pa.) pin Hunter Brown (Warwick) :30.
120: Josh Post (Newark Valley) d. Pat Ross (Onteora) 8-1; Noah Clausen (Saranac) pin Jordan Pinskey (Warwick) 1:22; Zach Redding (Eastport-South Manor) pin Bryan McDougall (Warwick) 3:16; Dove Bonjean-Alpart (Poly Prep) pin Joey Amato (Port Jervis) :54.
126: Max Maquet (Long Beach) pin Nick Ross (Onteora) 4:32; Jared Altan (Plainedge) pin Luke Fischer (Newburgh Free Academy) 1:49; Kyle Fields (Danbury, Conn.) d. Carson Sauschuck (Port Jervis) 5-1; Sean Savacool (Minisink Valley) pin Alex Christman (Saranac) 3:55; Tyler Kellison (Jamesville-Dewitt-CBA) tech. fall Jimmy Heinlein (Saugerties) 18-3, 4:15.
138: Jake DeWolf (Niagara Wheatfield) d. Nick Florin (Pine Bush) 13-5; Donald Wood (Center Moriches) pin Asher Pelton (Port Jervis) :45; Danny Mauriello (Hauppauge) pin Nick Curreri (Eldred-Liberty-Sullivan West) :24; Ben Howe (Elmira) d. Frank Fea (Goshen) 8-4; Tyler Desena (Garden City) d. Nate Ross (Onteora) 4-1; Joe McGinty (Monroe-Woodbury) d. Maurico Arango (Yorktown) 3-2; Danny Jada (Burnt Hills) pin Derrick Magsamen (Pine Bush) 3:49.
145: Gavin Leath (Sachem East) d. Dan Heffner (Cornwall) 9-0; Zachary Lawrence (Duanesburg) d. Dan Mandic (Goshen) 17-3; Ian Houck (Rondout Valley) pin Kawan Wills (Arlington) 3:09; Nick Albornoz (Minisink Valley) d. Jack Wieboldt (Oyster Bay) 7-6.

Newburgh Free Academy senior Greg Fischer advanced to his second straight Eastern States Classic quarterfinal with a pin of Arlington’s Dennis Robin in 6:23.

Rondout Valley freshman Nikko Walsh scored the first three points of the match on a takedown and escape and held on for 3-2 win over Palmyra Macedon’s Jace Schafer to advance to the 99-pound quarterfinals.

Monroe-Woodbury junior Marco Vespa is headed back to the quarterfinals after a 4-0 win over Hauppauge’s Anthony DiBartolo.

Pine Bush senior Shaun Burgos pinned Minisink Valley’s Tim Ganuncio with nine seconds left to advance to the quarterfinals in a matchup of Section 9′s top 160-pounders.

Valley Central’s Marc Crisfield eliminated the eighth and ninth seeds to make the quarterfinals in his first Eastern States Classic.

Minisink Valley senior Joey Yanis recorded his 21st pin of the season in the round of 16.

Onteora senior 170-pounder Dillon Ross and Newburgh Free Academy sophomore 170-pounder Maxx DeCapua won by decision and Cornwall junior 220-pounder Will Leonard advanced by technical fall in the round of 16.

Eastern States Classic
(at SUNY Sullivan, Loch Sheldrake)
Round of 16
99 pounds: Nikko Walsh (Rondout Valley) d. Jace Schafer (Palmyra Macedon) 3-2; Luke Smith (Hauppauge) d. Justin Morales (Middletown) 4-106: Greg Fischer (Newburgh Free Academy) pin Dennis Robin (Arlington) 6:23; Nick Picariello (Minisink Valley); Anthony Noto (Honoeye Falls-Lima) pin Nick Picariello (Minisink Valley) 2:53.
113: Christian Gannone (Eastport-South Manor) d. Dylan Earl (Monroe-Woodbury) 20-9.
120: Marco Vespa (Monroe-Woodbury) d. Anthony DiBartolo (Hauppauge) 4-0.
132: Willie McDougald (Niagara Wheatfield) d. Connor Greiner (Minisink Valley) 12-4; Cahal Donovan (Marcellus) tech. fall Tommy Askey (Pine Bush) 18-3, 4:49.
138: Dom Vetrano (Minisink Valley) pin Tyler Sung (New Canaan, Conn.) 5:58.
145: T.J. Philpotts (Holland Patent-Saquoit Valley) d. Vinny Vetrano (Minisink Valley) 3-1; Kiernan Shanahan (Shenendehowa) d. Steve Gazzillo (Cornwall) 19-6.
160: Shaun Burgos (Pine Bush) pin Tim Ganuncio (Minisink Valley) 5:51
170: Dillon Ross (Onteora) d. Bailey O’Brien (Locust Valley) 7-0
182: Joey Yanis (Minisink Valley) pin Parker Brooks (Shenendehowa) 2:43
195: Maxx DeCapua (Newburgh Free Academy) d. Dylan Nerich (Bryant) 3-2
220: Marc Crisfield (Valley Central) pin Cole McKee (Peru) 4:41;  Aidan Lilly (New Rochelle) d. Adam Fenner (Minisink Valley) 3-1; Will Leonard (Cornwall) tech. fall Thomas Bachmeier (Bethpage) 17-1, 4:24; Michael Doggett (Wyoming Seminary, Pa.) pin David Strauss (Monroe-Woodbury) 2:23.
285: Deonte Wilson (Amityville) pin Bryce Moore (Valley Central) 2:57; Andrew Fenner (Minisink Valley) d. Sam Jones (Fulton) 3-2; Bailey Wood (Walton-Delhi) d. Liam Dietrich (Red Hook) 7-5.

Minisink Valley senior Joey Yanis was denied a place in the 182-pound final, dropping an 8-5 decision to Horace Greeley’s Jacob Ferreira.

Yanis recorded his 100th win with a second-period pin in the Eastern States Classic 182-pound quarterfinals.

Yanis defeated Odean Gray of Grand Street Campus in 3:56. He is the only Section 9 wrestler alive in the semifinals.

For match video, click below.

Monroe-Woodbury junior Marco Vespa scored the first takedown in his 120-pound quarterfinal against returning Connecticut state champion Ryan Jack of Danbury.

Jack prevent Vespa from scoring another point in the match, recording a 9-2 win.

Minisink Valley senior Dom Vetrano, the No. 11 seed, gave third-seeded Anthony Sobotker all he could handle in a 138-pound quarterfinal. Sobotker prevailed 10-7. For match video, scroll below.

For video of the match, scroll down.

Eastern States Classic 

(at SUNY Sullivan, Loch Sheldrake)
Semifinals
182: Jacob Ferreira (Horace Greeley) d. Joey Yanis (Minisink Valley) 8-5
Quarterfinals
99 pounds: No. 1 Mason Bush (Central Valley Academy) d. No. 8 seed Nikko Walsh (Rondout Valley) 13-3
106: No. 1 Anthony Noto (Honoeye Falls-Lima) d. No. 9 Greg Fischer (Newburgh Free Academy) 4-0
120: No. 4 Ryan Jack (Danbury, Conn.) d. No. 5 Marco Vespa (Monroe-Woodbury) 9-2
138: No. 3 Anthony Sobotker (North Babylon) d. No. 11 Dom Vetrano (Minisink Valley) 10-7
160: No. 2 Jake Nolan (Saranac) d. No. 10 Shaun Burgos 11-2
170: No. 2 Ross McFarland (Phoenix) d. No. 7 Dillon Ross (Onteora) 3-2
182: No. 2 Joey Yanis (Minisink Valley) pin  No. 10 Odean Gray (Grand Street Campus) 3:56
195: No. 2 Austin Cooley (Wyoming Seminary, Pa.) tech. fall No. 10 Maxx DeCapua (Newburgh Free Academy) 23-8, 4:56
220: No. 1 Joe Benedict (South Jefferson-Sandy Creek) pin Marc Crisfield (Valley Central) 1:11
220: No. 3 Halil Gecaj (John Jay Cross River) d. No. 6 Will Leonard (Cornwall) 5-1
285: No. 4 Trentyn Rupert (Newark Valley) pin No. 5 Andrew Fenner (Minisink Valley) 3:08

Eastern States Classic
(at SUNY Sullivan, Loch Sheldrake)
Finals
99 pounds:  Stevo Poulin (Shenendehowa) pin Mason Bush (Central Valley Academy) 5:08
106: Matt Griffin (Jamesville-Dewitt-CBA) pin Jordan Titus (Center Moriches) 3:43
113: Nic Botello (Wyoming Seminary, Pa.) d. Dylan Ryder (Half Hollow Hills West) 6-2, sudden victory
120: Adam Busiello (Eastport-South Manor) d. Anthony Sciotto (Rocky Point) 8-3
126: Beau Bartlett (Wyoming Seminary, Pa.) vs. Orion Anderson (Schuylerville-Greenwich)
132: Jack Davis (Wyoming Seminary, Pa.) d. Justin Vines (Wantagh) 10-7
138:  Chris Gomez (Patchogue-Medford) d. Jonathan Spadafora (Half Hollow Hills East) 5-2
145: Frankie Gissendanner (Penfield) d. Kyle Mosher (Southside) 12-3
152: Jacori Teemer (Long Beach) d. Matt Grippi (Fox Lane) 9-5
160: Jake Silverstein (Hauppauge) d. Chris Barker (Fairport) 3-0
170: Tyler Barnes (Ballston Spa) d. Paul Calo (Southington, Conn.) 8-2
182: Jake Logan (New Rochelle) d. Jacob Ferreira (Horace Greeley) 5-4
195: Austin Cooley (Wyoming Seminary, Pa.) d. Jonathan Loew (Wantagh) 7-5
220: Joe Benedict (South Jefferson-Sandy Creek) pin Halil Gecaj (John Jay Cross River) 1:18
285: Joey Slackman (Commack) d. Tony Cutrie (Wyoming Seminary, Pa.) 6-4.

Third-place consolation finals
182:  Sammy Deprez (Hilton) d. Joey Yanis (Minisink Valley) 3-1
220: Michael Doggett (Wyoming Seminary, Pa.) d. Will Leonard (Cornwall) 8-0

Fifth-place consolation finals
106: Josiah Encarnacion (Wantagh) d. Greg Fischer (Newburgh Free Academy) 9-4
170: Dillon Ross (Onteora) d. Jake Stefanowicz (Wyoming Seminary, Pa.) 7-3
195: Doug Simmons (Canastota) d. Maxx DeCapua (Newburgh Free Academy) 7-1
285: Andrew Fenner (Minisink Valley) d. Tim Nagosky (Smithtown West) 6-3

Seventh-place consolation finals

99 pounds: Rocco Camillaci (Hilton) d. Justin Morales (Middletown) 8-2
132: David Berkovich (Poly Prep) d. Connor Greiner (Minisink Valley) 4-3
138: Dom Vetrano (Minisink Valley) pin Tony Negron (North Babylon) 2:01
160: Shaun Burgos (Pine Bush) d. Sam Wolf (Warsaw) 8-2