Post-season competition is already underway for the Skaneateles wrestling team, and the first step was taken during last Saturday’s Onondaga High School League Liberty/Patriot Tournament at Cazenovia High School’s Buckley Gym.
With a total of 91.5 points, the Lakers made it to sixth place, exactly in the middle of a 12-team pack. Phoenix, with 230 points, held off Port Byron (204 points) for the top spot.
Only one Skaneateles wrestler made it to the championship round. Seventh-graderJoey Brillo got started at 106 pounds with a bye straight into the semifinals, where he pinned Fabius-Pompey’s Nick Dejosia in 1:51.
That didn’t carry over into the finals, though, as Brillo met Ben Hood (Marcellus) and lost a tight 6-3 decision. Still, Brillo has an exceptional season record of 23-4.
Andrew Newton grabbed a fourth-place finish at 132 pounds, with Adam Notarpole making his way to fourth place at 145 pounds with a 3-2 tournament run as Cooper Pitman (220 pounds) also sliding into fourth place.
Max Collier, at 113 pounds, went 2-2 and beat Carter Biviano (Cazenovia) 14-6 for fifth place. Russ Burkhardt got to fifth at 160 pounds, pinning Port Byron’s Bayley Evans in 1:47. Jacob Kipp took sixth place at 195 pounds.
Skaneateles was coming off a 1-3 effort at its own dual meet on Jan. 19, where it only managed one victory, taking out Tully 60-27. Brillo had the only mat victory, pinning Anthony Negrete in 3:31 as every other match was a forfeit.
The Lakers lost narrow decisions to both Oneida (45-42) and Herkimer (40-39), while also falling to Auburn, whose 50-32 victory was part of a winning 4-0 effort.
Against the Indians, it got decided at 285, where Pitman fought hard, but lost a 7-3 decision to Tyler Havener. Newton, on his way to Most Outstanding Wrestler honors, pinned Zach Walker in 1:59, while Notarpole took 2:23 to pin Tim Worden.
The match with Herkimer saw Newton gain another pin, over Anthony Luppino in 2:39, with Notarpole, moving down to 145, pinning Jacob Wheet in overtime. Lucas Sherman (160) held off Andrew Grube 8-6 as Burkhardt recorded an 18-second pin over Isaiah Voorhees. Pitman pinned Jarrett Ingerham in 2:47.
Skaneateles will send its best wrestlers to Hannibal this Saturday for the Section III Class C championship meet, and top finishers advance to Onondaga Community College’s SRC Arena for the overall sectional championships on Feb. 9.
