SOURCE: www.thelcn.com

January 09, 2017

#Avon #Geneseo takes 2nd place at #RedJacket Tourney https://t.co/SwYEImVrhk pic.twitter.com/2NYr9xbL71

— armdrag.com (@wnywrestling) January 10, 2017

Avon takes 2nd in Red Jacket, Farrell gets M.O.W. & 100th win
By Kevin Hooker, LCN
Reproduced by armdrag.com with permission.

Avon/Geneseo took 2nd place out of 14 teams at the Red Jacket Invitational, sending five wrestlers to the finals and crowning two champions.

126-pound Malachy Farrell was a star again, winning his final 9-2 against Hunter Thompson from Williamson, PA, winning the Most Outstanding Wrestler award for lightweights (for the 2nd tournament in a row) and getting his 100th career victory.

"Malachy works out hard and it shows up on the mat," said Avon/Geneseo coach Andy Englert. "He wrestles calm and that helps him focus. As a sophomore to get his 100th win in the finals against a tough opponent was very special."

145-pound Dan Cook also won the title with a 5-3 victory in the finals over Nick Constantino of Waterloo. 2nd place finishers were 120-pound Nick Rivers, 132-pound Joye Levendusky, 138-pound Jon Robinson. In all, Avon/Geneseo's five finalists were five weight classes in a row from 120-145, proving how tough the club is in the middle of the lineup.

Joye Levendusky and Jon Robinson both lost minor decisions in the finals to tough opponents, Levendusky losing a 3-0 battle vs. Holden Waid of South Seneca and Robinson falling 4-1 to Damon Empson of Dundee. Nick Rivers, only a freshman, won two close matches to make the finals, including an upset over the #2 seed in the semifinals 7-6.

"It was good to see Joye advance to the finals as a female competitor," said Coach Englert. "She wrestled a tough opponent and it was a great match. It was an honor to see her out there for the Braves."

Every single wrestler Avon sent to the mat placed in the top 6, a big accomplishment with so many teams competing for the podium. 126-pound Nick Hall had a solid tournament, placing 4th in the same weight class as teammate Farrell. 182-pound Chad Batzel took home 3rd, while 99-pound Esther Levendusky and 220-pound Jadyn Kurtz both took 5th. Esther, an 8th grader, beat a junior en route to her 5th place finish in her first-ever individual varsity tournament. She won a nail biter in her 5th place match 4-2 over a Red Creek opponent.

"As a whole, it was our first weekend doing an individual tournament and it was nice to see how the kids responded," added Coach Englert. "Individual success builds team success and that's why our team took 2nd. It was really nice to see all 9 place."

Avon/Geneseo will host the LCAA County Tournament next week.