SOURCE: www.buffalonews.com

February 29, 2004

By Keith McShea, News Sports Reporter
Buffalo News
February 29, 2004

In the first year that the state wrestling championships were split into two meets, it was the big guys from the small schools who put on a show for Section VI.

Salamanca's Kane Smith and Southwestern's Matt Mazgaj were dominant while Frank Zielinski of Fredonia scored a last-second victory as the trio of juniors claimed state championships at the heaviest weight classes Saturday evening before an announced crowd of 7,446 at the University at Buffalo's Alumni Arena.

With the Division I (large school) and II (small) championships being held side-by-side, the Division II meet concluded with Smith winning at 189 pounds, Mazgaj taking 215 and Zielinski scoring a last-second escape to beat Dan Randall of Salem (Section X), 6-5, in the final at 275.

"I never thought I'd make it until my senior year -- it's been my goal all my life. This is awesome," said Zielinski, who saw a 5-3 lead disappear when Randall scored a reversal with seven seconds left.

That put Zielinski on the bottom, and he slipped out of Randall's grasp with three seconds to go and started celebrating. "You've got to get out," he said. "We worked on that all week, and you just have to do it."

Smith was bouncing across the gym before the 189 final started, and he spent most of it bouncing his opponent off the mat during a 12-4 win over Karl Meyer of Perry (Section V). Smith roared through the tournament, adding a 17-6 semifinal win (over Elliot Smith of Gouveneur) to a technical fall and a pin and finished 42-0.

"It's been my goal ever since seventh grade," said Smith. "I want to punish these kids. I want them to remember who I am. But I respect every kid, you know?"

Mazgaj advanced to the final with two pins, including a victory over Justin Thorpe of Beekmantown (Section VII) in 3:39, then seemed in total control of his 7-2 victory over Brendan Hill of Cooperstown (Section III).

"We've had two state champs the last couple years from Southwestern (Ed Pawlak in 1999 and Jim Nelson in 2002), and I look up to them completely," said Mazgaj, who went 39-2 with 35 pins this season. "I'm just glad I could be part of that."

Section IV (Binghamton area) had four back-to-back title performers and the most outstanding wrestlers in each meet. The Division I honor went to Troy Nickerson of Chenango Forks, a 119-pound junior who became just the state's second four-time champion when he pinned Tom Magnani of Islip with 36 seconds left in the first period. Nickerson joins Jesse Jantzen of Long Island's Shoreham-Wading River (1997-2000) as a four-time champ. It was the third straight year Nickerson beat Magnani in the finals.

Chris Hand of Whitney Point (Division I 145) won his third straight title, while Division II most outstanding wrestler Tyler Mumbalo of Bainbridge-Guilford/Afton (112) and J.P. O'Connor of Oxford (119 Division II) also repeated. Trevor Chinn of Canandaigua (Section V) won the 145 title in Division II for his second straight title.

Section VI had seven finalists among the 15 weight classes in Division II and finished with 11 place-winners to earn fourth place in the team scoring.

Cassadaga Valley senior Kevin Rosplock lost the 125-pound final, 5-3, in overtime to Taylor Malone of Lowville. Malone set a new state record for wins with 245 by using his upper body strength to score a takedown with 49 seconds left in overtime.

Andrew Grillo of Holley (Section V) scored a second-period takedown and then fended off Frewsburg senior Matt Campion, 4-2, in the 135 final.

Eric Decker of Bainbridge-Guilford/Afton, a sophomore with long blonde hair frizzing out of his green headgear and his last name tattooed across his back as if it were a jersey, scored three takedowns in a 7-3 victory over Newfane senior Jeremy Stopa in the final at 152.

Eden senior Joe Calderon spend much of his 140-final with John Minckler of Gouveneur (Section X) up in the air, as Minckler lifted him up several times as he scored four takedowns in a 9-2 victory.

The only local wrestler in a Division I final was Iroquois freshman 103-pounder Matt Mariacher, who was the victim of two barrel-roll takedowns in the first period and lost, 5-2, to Shawn Farnham, a junior from Baldwinsville (Section III).

Mariacher led nine Western New York place finishers in Division I, including two each from Niagara Falls and Lancaster. Falls senior Josh Eagan, who lost in the first round, won four times to take third at 145 while junior 215-pound semifinalist Nick Strange placed fifth. Lancaster teammates Mark Lewandowski (96) and Brandon Monin (140) both lost in the semifinals and placed sixth.

Jason Weber of Orchard Park beat semifinalist and sixth-place finisher Chris Smith of St. Francis to help him finish fourth at 275. Justin Walp of Lew-Port took fourth at 112 while Bill Suefert of West Seneca West was sixth at 152.

Other Division II place-winners included two who had lost in the first round -- Alden freshman Jared Lemke (fourth at 103) and Medina senior Justin Hartway (fifth at 130) -- as well as two semifinalists: Medina senior Mike Crane (fourth at 112) and Brad Penhollow of Falconer (sixth at 171).

Former Pioneer coach Dick Post, whose Panthers went 184-10 from 1970 to 1984, received a standing ovation prior to the meet as he was honored as this year's only inductee into the New York State Wrestling Hall of Fame.

The championships will be broadcast tonight at 8 on the Empire Sports Network.