Chase takes fifth at state championships
Henrietta Post
March 07, 2001

Full Text: Copyright 2001 Henrietta Post.
Reproduced with the permission of Messenger Post Newspapers.

Dan Chase sprinted over to coach Mickey Marlowe and gave him a bear hug for what seemed to last an eternity.

It symbolized Chase's gratitude and appreciation to the Rush-Henrietta coach that helped guide him to a fifth-place finish at 152 pounds at the 39th annual New York State Public High School Athletic Association wrestling championships last weekend in Syracuse.

"It feels good because I went out a winner," the Rush-Henrietta senior said. "I could have done a lot better, but making this far is very satisfying for me."

Chase dominated from start to finish in decisioning Angelo Ashker of Niagara Falls (Section 6) 8-2 in the fifth-place match. Mike Patrovich, who finished as the runner-up last season at 152 pounds, beat defending champion Joe Mazzurco 7-4 in the title match.

"He's going to go down as one of the best all-time in Rush-Henrietta wrestling," Marlowe said.

The four-time sectional champion amassed the most victories in school history with 166 wins. He surpassed Geoff Selleck's 158 victories and Shamir Rhodes's 157 wins.

It was the fourth consecutive year the Royal Comets sent a representative to the state tournament. Selleck placed fourth at 152 pounds last season while Rhodes took fourth at 145 pounds in 1999 and sixth at 135 pounds in 1998.

"Chase helped turned the program around and put it on the map," said Marlowe, whose has coached him since he started wrestling in the pee-wee program at age seven. "He's been wanting to go the states since he started wrestling."

Earning a first-round bye, Chase pinned Greene sophomore Sherwood Fendryk (Section 4) in three minutes, 49 seconds in the quarterfinals.

In the semifinals, Mazzurco overpowered Chase several times with takedowns en route to a 9-3 decision. It was only the second loss that Chase had incurred, losing to LaSalle senior Zach Taber (Section 2) in the Spencerport Tournament.

"It's tough there because you have the best wrestlers in the state, along with a big crowd, he was a little more tentative then usual," Marlowe said.

The toughest blow that Chase has encountered this season came in his first consolation match. Leading 3-1 with less than 20 seconds left in the third period, Jordan Call of Section 4 got a shot on Chase to put him on his back and tie the match at 3. Jordan's late surge helped him pin Chase with one second remaining in regulation. The late-heroics by Jordan bewildered Chase, knowing that he had the match won.

"It stung a lot, it shocked me," Chase said. "He got a good shot on me and put me on my back and pinned me before I could get free."

The unbelievable turn of events late in the match were evident on the face of the coaches.

"That was devastating, he had the match won and he made a mistake," Marlowe said.

Chase regrouped after the shocking upset to defeat Ashker in the fifth-place match. He finished the season with a 38-3 record.

According to Marlowe, Chase has been leaning towards SUNY Cortland to continue his wrestling career at the collegiate level.