In between snowstorms and lots of holiday cheer, the Baldwinsville wrestling team somehow found the time to participate in a pair of tournaments that closed out the 2012 portion of its schedule.
First, the Bees hosted its own Holiday Tournament on Dec. 22, an event whose field was pared back due to a winter storm that kept a few teams from traveling to the Baker High School Gym.
Still, South Jefferson, West Genesee, Hoosick Falls and Whitesboro made it to the round-robin tournament, and the Bees beat three of them – everyone except the Spartans, who prevailed 46-30 over B’ville in a match that would prove decisive.
South Jefferson dominated in the lower weight classes, claiming all but one match between 99 and 138 pounds. Kevin Paul (120) proved the exception, beating Adam Hutchinson 11-2.
B’ville did win all three matches in the highest weight classes. Joe Nasoni, at 195 pounds, got a 17-2 technical fall over Ryan Charlebois, while Brian Honsinger (220) pinned the Spartans’ Antonio Diaz with 22 seconds left in their match and Jake Florack (285) took 1:51 to pin Nakita Bedore.
Chad McArdell, at 152 pounds, earned B’ville’s other pin, finishing off Griffin Charlebois in 3:11 as Connor Ross (145) won a tough 8-4 decision over Jacob Moulton. Jake Norton, wrestling at 160, lost a tough 3-2 decision to Trevor Cowles.
B’ville would not lose again on this day, doubling up West Genesee 53-26, holding off Hoosick Falls 48-29 and shutting out Whitesboro 87-0 to finish 3-1 on the meet. South Jefferson, with a 4-0 mark, won it.
Six days later, the Bees made its way to Dolgeville for the Mountain Duals – two more days of competition against eight different opponents from across Upstate New York.
Starting well, the Bees took out Averill Park 48-30, claiming seven of the eight matches from 145 to 220 pounds as McArdell, Norton, Honsinger, Nasoni, Nick Balduzzi (182) and Gunnar Sutphen (170) all earned pins.
A 50-23 victory over Wayne followed, as did a 75-8 romp over Oxford. But B’ville lost, 36-27, to Penfield to deny itself a chance at a 4-0 mark on day one of the tournament.
Against Penfield, the Bees were tied, 27-27, with two matches to go, but the Patriots used a pin and decision in the last two matches, at 99 and 106, to prevail. McArdell, Nasoni and Honsinger each gained pins, with Nasoni, Sutphen, Honsinger and Paul each going 4-0 during the first day’s action.
By far, the most dramatic match came early on Saturday, a showdown with Canastota that went to the wire before the Bees lost to the Raiders 32-31.
Brandon Schmid (126) won the opener, and B’ville went in front with consecutive victories from McArdell, Norton and John Petrelli (160). Though Canastota won five of the next six matches, Nasoni, at 189, got one of the best wins of his career when he pinned 2012 state Division II 170-pound champion Zach Zupan in the second period.
With a forfeit to David Rush (106) and Jeremy Pond’s 11-7 decision over Mike Zupan at 113, it all rode on the 120-pound finale. Dominick Arcadi needed any sort of decision to claim the team match, but instead the Raiders’ Nate Walker pinned him in less than a minute.
Shaking that off, B’ville rolled past Adironack 55-27, and then got in another close match with Troy LaSalle, prevailing 44-39 by taking the last two matches. Paul, wrestling at 126, edged Brandon Diaz 6-4 and Schmid, moved up to 132, pinned Will McMann in 3:18 to clinch it.
The Bees closed out a 6-2 tournament run with a 48-27 victory over Amsterdam. Nasoni’s pin over Amsterdam’s Christian Lopez completed a perfect 8-0 run through the tournament, while Honsinger went 6-1. Sutphen, Paul and McArdell eachwere 6-2 and Norton finished at 5-2.
With all that done, B’ville earned a much-needed rest that will continue through the first full week of 2013 – until Jan. 9, when it has a CNY Counties League first-place showdown with Cicero-North Syracuse, three days before appearing at the Cazenovia Invitational.
