SOURCE: armdrag.com

January 04, 2024

Mid Season Review - Monroe County Wrestling
By Craig Kaper, Monroe County Wrestling Chairman

The holiday season has ended and wrestlers were gifted the 2lb weight class increase. How will this affect the front runners in Monroe County? This season has been a great one so far and things will be heating up as the postseason quickly approaches.

101 lbs.

The lightest weight class in Monroe County is once again a strong one. The current top dog is Bennett Palmeri of Fairport. He has put together a great first half of the season which was highlighted by a Monroe County Championship Crown. There will be plenty of competition chasing after him in the postseason. Vitalii Pushnin of RH is a threat to claim top honors, he was a runner-up at the County Championships and can be dangerous in all 3 positions. We have already seen the effects of the weight increase at this class as Lukas Yeager of Hilton, a 6th place county finisher at 108 lbs is now at 101 and has a victory over Pushnin. Other top names at this weight are Koray Kocoaoglu of Pittsford, Aiden Vollmer of Schroeder, and Tyler Williams of Brockport. Kyle Taddeo of Hilton, Pittsford's Jack Rutledge and RH's Luke Koppers also are owners of some county hardware.

108 lbs.

The top wrestler at this weight and returning state rep Connor Guffey of Thomas has been nothing but dominant this season. He recorded a tech fall to claim the County Championship and is poised to make a return trip to Albany and will certainly have his eyes on coming home with a state medal. There are a few of the top grapplers at 116 who are certified for this weight but have not yet made a move down. Without the 50% rule that trip down may be a surprise appearance in the postseason. Monroe County and Section V fans are also waiting and anticipating a return of Hilton's Jon Testa. If Testa does return the outcome of this weight becomes more difficult to predict. Another top threat here is Brighton's Nathan Wagner. He is putting together a great season thus far and will challenge the field come February. Don't count out the other top county place finishers at this class: Jayden Miesch of Brockport, Juan Eckebrecht of Schroeder, and Marco Provenzano of Fairport. Also in the mix are Blake Donohue of Attica/Batavia and Giancarlo Constanzo of Churchville.

116 lbs.

The top grappler here made his season debut at the County Championships and did not disappoint as Ryan Cieslinski of Spencerport outlasted the field to claim the title. Cieslinski is a returning state medalist and will be a favorite to claim Supers gold. Nipping at his heels are a host of other strong grapplers in Jackson Harrison of Schroder and Teague Wolcott of Fairport. Both of these wrestlers tested Cieslinski at the county tournament. Also, Drew Aparo of Victor has only suffered losses at the hands of Wolcott and has yet to face Cieslinski and Harrison. Other top names here are Adam Gerby of Pittsford, Cam Guffey of Thomas, Joseph Molica of Greece, and Griffen Freeman of RH. As stated previously a couple of these guys are certified at 108, so stay tuned for February.

124 lbs.

This weight has been dominated thus far by Chris Noto of HFL. He claimed a 12-1 major decision in the finals of the county championship and has been beating up the field in each tournament he enters. He will be a major threat in February not just at the D2 Supers but at the State Meet as well. Next up is returning state medalist Richard Wood of Brockport. Wood too has been dominant all season and will be the front runner at this weight in D1. On his heels is yet another state rep in Trey LeChase of Fairport. LeChase claimed 3rd at the county tournament in a very deep field of talented wrestlers. Another very talented wrestler here is Devon Weber of Greece. Weber claimed 4th at the counties and will be looking to improve upon that come February. There are several other strong wrestlers looking to make noise at this weight come postseason; Colin Mastin of Thomas, Michael Soto of Spencerport, Spencer Palmeri of Fairport, Zachary Gaura of Schroeder and Angelo Attardi of Victor all have the potential to disrupt brackets.

131 lbs.

This is an extremely competitive weight class in Monroe County and at the top of the heap is Philly Provenzano of Fairport. Provenzano won the County Championship in dominant style with a pin in the finals. Joseph Trieste of Spencerport has also been piecing together a strong season. He will be looking for a first trip to Albany come February. HFL's Andrew Spalding has been a top contender for many seasons and nothing changes this year. He took home 3rd place honors at the county meet and has been on the state podium before. He will be competing in the D2 Supers and will look to shine there and in Albany in February. Other top names at this weight to look out for are Daniel O'Dea of Greece, Alex Pabon of Thomas, and Liam Torpey of Schroeder. Also, Carl Nicodemus of Greece and Carter Walworth of Churchville are All County wrestlers looking to make a statement.

138 lbs.

Samson MiKissick Staley of Pittsford is a returning state medalist and shined throughout his path to a Monroe County Championship. He has put together a strong effort at this point in the season and will be the favorite come the postseason. Unable to take part at the county tournament this year was Jacob McVige of HFL. McVige will be a huge threat to win the D2 Supers this season and punch his ticket to another trip to Albany. Finishing in 2nd at the county tournament was Brockport's William Wood. Wood has been at the top of his game through the first portion of the season and will be a true contender at this weight. Another state rep currently at this weight class is Tyler Simons of Hilton. He took 3rd at the county meet and will also be in contention for top honors. The 4th place finisher at the county tournament was Eric Mclean of Thomas. Mclean too has all the tools to contend in February. Other county place finishers to look out for are Wyatt Bryman of Attica/Batavia and Andrew Jeffers of Churchville. Bryman will be competing in D2 and has the talent to make a run. Also making All County were Virgil Joseph of Schroeder and Owen Courtney of Brockport.

145 lbs.

The first of two Raines brothers out of Churchville leads this weight class. Cael Raines is getting things done so far this season and most recently was named the MOW of the Akron Tournament. He won the Monroe County Championship and is a returning state qualifier. His county championship opponent was Waylan Winseman out of HFL. Winseman will represent Monroe County in the D2 postseason and he too will be looking for a return trip to Albany. Dino Battisti of Brockport is yet another returning state rep at this weight. Battisti came in 3rd at the county meet and will be eager to back into the purple singlet come February. Fletcher Smith of Rush Henrietta is another threat here. He competed up a weight for the county meet and captured 5th place honors. Claiming 4th place honors in the county was Ben Burrows of Pittsford who should be in the postseason mix. Rounding out the All County wrestlers are Tyler Wolfe of Canandaigua, Shane KyKendall of Spencerport, Remy O'Keefe of Eastridge, and Ben White of Fairport.

152 lbs.

This weight features one of Section V's and NY'S best wrestlers in Casper Stewart of Attica/Batavia. The senior is primed for a run at a state title and this time around he will be competing in D2. He has been dominant in NY this season and his only blemishes come from opponents outside of NY. He most recently won the Battle of the Bridge tournament in Virginia where he was also named the Most Outstanding Wrestler and earlier in the season took home 5th place honors at the famed Beast of the East tournament in Delaware. At the Monroe County Tournament it was former state rep Zach Gerby of Pittsford who claimed top honors. Gerby outlasted Paul Rose of Brockport 6-3 to take home the title. Both Gerby and Rose have strung together outstanding seasons thus far. Two other big names at this weight are Philip Testa of Hilton and Austin Boff of Brockport. They finished in the 3rd and 4th spots at the county meet. Also in the mix here are All County wrestlers Maximus Taylor of Schroeder, Peter D'Angelo of Brighton and Gauge Whitman of Canandaigua.

160 lbs.

Former state medalist Landon Lazarek of Hilton has been sidelined with injury since the early part of the season and Section V fans are eagerly awaiting his return. He made a serious run in Albany last year and would be considered the guy to beat in Section V D1 should he make his way back on the mat. Another top contender here is returning state rep and Monroe County Champion Jackson Koppers of Rush Henrietta. Koppers is a seasoned wrestler who once again is having a strong season. Outside of the county but still Section V D1 is Casey Liess of McQuaid, he too will be a contender at this weight in the postseason and nipped Koppers in OT at the finals of the Spencerport tournament. This weight class is not short on talent as Rudy Antonucci of Pittsford came in 2nd at the county meet and will be in the mix, along with 3rd place finisher Jonathan Schmitt of Thomas and 4th place Ian Pitt of Schroeder. Also at this weight is 8th grader Eli Ricci of Victor who took 5th at counties and Cole Hoats of Irondequoit who placed 6th. Other All County wrestlers include Jayden Gourdine of Churchville and Gabe Wastowicz of HFL.

170 lbs.

Making a strong run to Monroe County Gold was Andrew Frost of Churchville. The young grappler came from the 5th seed and upended several strong wrestlers on his path to the title. His finals opponent was Dylan Fitzgerald of Brockport who is also having a strong season. Two additionally tough wrestlers here are 3rd place finisher Max Meager of Hilton and Sam Renica of Pittsford. Both are seasoned and will be part of the top core of contenders at this weight. In addition Victor's Shane Kisielewski was not at the county meet due to injury but did just recently drop a close OT match to Frost. Also in the mix is Eastridge's very tough Nkodia Ndongala. Ndongala took home 5th place honors and has a win over Kisielewski earlier this season. Other All County wrestlers in the mix are Giancarlo Pickering of Greece and Luke Meeson of Thomas.

190 lbs.

If dominance has a photograph it could very well be that of Hilton's Elijah Diakomihalis. He is 20-0 this season with the closest matches culminating in a technical fall. He is a strong favorite to claim gold in Albany and at this point in his campaign has gone untested. Despite this there are other wrestlers in the mix that have the potential to podium in Albany. Reid Johnson of Greece is having a stellar season and has just one loss at the hands of Diakomihalis. Eastridge's Ronald Dietz came in 3rd at the counties and has most recently been competing at 170 lbs. Time will tell which direction he chooses to take but will be a threat at either weight. Three additional contenders here are Trevor Weeden of Churchville, Kiernan Hayden of Thomas, and Tymothy Murrell of Attica/Batavia. Other All County wrestlers include Cooper Farrell of Brockport and Ashton Allen of Schroder.

215 lbs.

Section V and Monroe County have another state title contender in Coy Raines of Churchville. Raines holds state hardware after making the podium in 2023. He won the Monroe County Tournament earlier this season and to date has just one loss to a returning state champ out of Section VI. The runner-up at the county meet is returning state rep Mason Depew of Canandaigua. Depew has all the potential to podium in Albany should he make a return. Outside of Monroe County but still in Sec V D1 is Harrison Aquirre of McQuaid. Aquirre is currently 17-0 and will be in contention at this weight for a trip to Albany. Two additional threats here are Tyler Stewart of Thomas and Austin Rohr-Cimino. They finished in the 3rd and 4th spots at the county tournament. Additional All County wrestlers at this weight are John Dibattisto of Hilton, Jamison Riley of Victor, Phillip Noyes of Pittsford, and Chris Settles of HFL.

285 lbs.

Another strong performing wrestler from Churchville is Gael Sanchez. Sanchez is currently 20-0 and pinned his way through the Monroe County bracket to claim the title. He will be a strong favorite to make a trip to Albany in February. Anthony Cimino of Thomas and Blaze Waters of Fairport are two additional contenders at this weight who have their sights set on postseason glory. Additional All County wrestlers are Alex Johnson of RH, Kaden Armosino of Spencerport, Tyler Beatzold of Attica/Batavia, and Thomas Jos-Phelan of Gates Chili.

The Team Race!!!

We are quickly approaching the Section V D1 and D2 Dual Meet Championships.

In D2 both HFL and Attica/Batavia possess strong lineups that could challenge D2 powerhouses like Pal Mac for top honors. Attica/Batavia had a big win at the opening of the season as they knocked off a very talented St. Francis team out of Section VI by a convincing score of 48-23. That St. Francis squad is currently ranked 10th in D1 while Attica/Batavia comes in at #12 in D2. The only blemish for Attica/Batavia is a recent loss to D1 Brockport who is currently the #7 School in D1. HFL has just one loss on their record also at the hands of Brockport.

In D1, you guessed it, Monroe County Champions - Current #7 in D1 - and 13-0 Brockport is the team to beat at this point in the season. Brockport's lineup from top to bottom is strong and perhaps most importantly, consistent. After their most recent win over Attica/Batavia they have captured the league title in Monroe County D3. The Monroe County D2 League title is down to a 3 team race. Thomas is currently 4-0 and knocked off Churchville who is currently 3-1 in the league standings. Both of these teams are listed as HM in the most recent state poll. Each team has just 1 league match left as both still need to face the 3-0 Schroeder team. So in this division it is still very much a 3 team race. In Monroe County D1 there is once again a 3 team race brewing. Pittsford stands at 4-0 with a big win over Fairport who is 3-1. Fairport beat Hilton who is 2-1 but has yet to face Pittsford. The next couple weeks will decide this one.

IF we were to use the NFL's Playoff Picture tactic the D1 Bracket for Section V Duals currently looks like this:

 - Brockport vs. East High

 - Fairport vs. Thomas

 - Churchville/Schroeder vs. Canandaigua

 - Pittsford vs. McQuaid Jesuit

However, with several key matches still at play this could all change dramatically.

The Section V D1 Dual Meet Championships will be held at Brockport High School on January 20th starting at 9:00 a.m.