Senior Pat Nasoni and sophomore Kevin Paul both represented Baldwinsville’s wrestling team during last weekend’s New York State Public High School Athletic Association championship meet at Albany’s Times Union Center.
Nasoni, the Section III champion at 195 pounds, quickly saw his hopes of a deep title run quickly dashed by Niagara-Wheatfield’s Jake Kelly, who pinned him 35 seconds into the third period of Friday’s opening-round match.
As Kelly went on to a third-place finish, Nasoni went into the consolation bracket, where he recorded a 57-second pin over Ryan Kelly (Miller Place), but then took a 13-6 defeat to another Long Island wrestler, Sewanhaka East’s Rob Zorn. For his senior season, Nasoni had a record of 39-6.
Paul, meanwhile, met the same fate as Nasoni, in terms of a first-round defeat. The Section III champion at 106 pounds could not solve Massena’s Nathan Marshall, but did last all six minutes in a 13-0 loss.
It was much the same in the consolation bracket, where Paul ran into Saratoga Springs’ Dominic Inzana and dropped an 11-1 decision, leaving him with a final season mark of 32-10.
Ward Melville’s Nick Piccininni won the 106-pound state title, edging MacArthur’s Justin Cooksey 4-2, while at 195 pounds Shenendehowa’s Tony Fusco beat Johnson City’s Reggie Williams 11-3 to take the top prize.
