Hornell brings home the Class BBBB title
From staff reports
The Evening Tribune
Sunday, February 20, 2005

Full Text: Copyright © 2005 Hornell Evening Tribune.

BATH - The Hornell varsity wrestling team completed a 360-degree turnaround Saturday by winning the 2004-05 Section V, Class BBBB title at Bath-Haverling Central School. The Red Raiders began the season with two losses in dual meets, partially due to the extended football season.

"The entire team really wrestled great," said Hornell coach Matt Sheldon, who was named the Coach of the Year. "At 145, Ryan Dieter got head butted and tore open his lip in his semifinal match. He fought through it, got three stitches and came back for the finals. That shows the kind of championship team we have for the kids to have that kind of heart."

"We had 12 out of the 14 guys place and that's how you win tournaments," Sheldon added. "We only had three champions, but we had nine other guys place."

Hornell had a total of 202 points, followed by Attica with 167 and Bath-Haverling with 158.5.

The top four in each weight class advanced and those members in fifth place were named alternates, giving Hornell nine representatives in next weekend's Class B Super Sectionals at SUNY Brockport and three more as alternates.

Aaron Parks at 135 pounds, Tyler Sick at 152 and Bill Drake at 215 were crowned Section V champions for the Red Raiders. All three went in as No. 1 seeds.

"I felt pretty confident for those three guys," said Sheldon. "I thought that they had a good shot at winning."

Parks was up 7-0 heading into the final round of his championship match and just barely hung on for a 9-8 victory, despite giving up a point for stalling and getting taken down three times by Midlakes' Morgan Hoven. Sick won by technical fall over North Rose-Wolcott's Matt LaValley, 19-4.

Drake finished second at sectionals last season, but was the only Red Raider to advance to states with his first place finish in Super Sectionals. He got back on track with a 6-3 win over Midlakes' Enan Congdon in the finals.

"It went pretty well," said Drake of his day. "It was a big improvement in the team. We had a couple kids step it up like Dieter and our coaches were great."

"I think I could have better prepared, but I'm back on the right track," added Drake, who had to get back to his weight after the long football season.

Josiah Gardner battled Attica's Pat Hagerty in the 125-pound finals before getting pinned in 4:17 and Andy Drake was defeated 3-0 by Attica's Dylan Rusiniak at 130. Drake did not give up a point until the final period.

"Gardner got pinned in the finals against a kid that took second in states last year and he gave the kid a battle," Sheldon said. "Attica was the team that was trailing us too and he didn't stop."

Dieter was plagued by the injury to his mouth and fell 5-2 to Palmyra-Macedon's Ciaburri at 145 and Dan Rosemier also reached the finals at 171 and was pinned by North Rose-Wolcott's Mike Webster in 3:07.

Jimmy Ray took third at 112 and Joe Sirianni finished in fourth at 96. Kevin McAllister (103), Scott Ray (140) and Ryan Harrison (160) all took fifth place and will be alternates next weekend.

Justin Stewart at 189 pounds was the only Bath wrestler to win his weight class. Wayland-Cohocton was ninth out of 13 teams while Dansville finished in 11th and Wellsville was in last place.

Action will take place on Saturday at SUNY Brockport with each weight class featuring the best 16 wrestlers from every small school in Section V.

"We would like to take them all, but that's kind of out of the question," Drake said of the team's goal for Super Sectionals. "I would say a good number is three, but I'd like to have more. We've had a great year and some of these kids deserve it."