ONONDAGA COUNTY – Back in December, the Baldwinsville wrestling team got close to a win over Liverpool, indicating that it stood right near the top of the ladder among SCAC Metro division sides.
The feeling was quite different after Wednesday’s meet with Cicero-North Syracuse, where the Bees started well, but then were run over in a 52-16 defeat to the Northstars.
They had started at 145 pounds, where Brandon Levin earned a third-period pin over Gavin Ciszewski, and continued when Max Naples (152 pounds) shut out Zion Mukass 11-0.
What followed, though, was C-NS taking 10 of the remaining 11 bouts on the card, the lone exception at 285 pounds, where Korbin Haney pinned Joe Kozubowski early in the third period.
Aaron Fredenburg ended up in the closest decision at 172 pounds, taking a 6-2 loss to Dylan Firenze. Olusegen Gbengbe went all six minutes in his 138-pound finale, where Dominick Racht beat him 13-6.
All of this followed B’ville’s victory in the Jan. 22 Syracuse Duals, where it swept all five opponents it faced.
It was nearly a shutout when the Bees handled Oswego 56-3, and a 66-0 shutout of Auburn followed as it handled host Syracuse 54-9 and then stopped Phoenix 45-12.
The big match was last, B’ville against West Genesee, the issue in doubt until a final pin by Keagan Hayes secured a 36-27 victory over the Wildcats.
WG only trailed 30-27 and knew that any decision in the 126-pound finale between Hayes and Mason Doran would swing the match. So Hayes went out and, late in the second period, pinned Doran.
Down 12-0 after three straight losses to open the meet, B’ville began to turn around with Fredenburg’s 31-second pin of Dylan Radcliffe as Naples, at 160 pounds, pinned Francisco Cross.
Then, in a pivotal stretch, Haney, Judson Ferris (189 pounds) and Fred Pickard (215 pounds) all gained quick pins, Pickard only neeeding 32 seconds to finish off Omar Almlaiti.
B’ville still will seek lots of top finishes when it goes to Henninger High School Saturday for the Section III Class AA championships.
