Each of the area’s trio of wrestling teams earned victories last week, including Marcellus, who culminated another strong run by claiming the top spot in last Saturday’s Dan Wickham Classic at Unatego High School.

Earning a total of 224.5 points, the Mustangs were well clear of runner-up Elmira, who had 157.5 points, and it conquered the rest of the 17-team field by earning a series of strong finishes, led by 113-pound champion Alex Czerniak and 132-pound champion Ben Hood.

All that Czerniak was earn pins over Lucas Baker (Marathon) and Morgan Lakin (Unatego Valley) to set up a final against Monticello’s Patrick Owens, where Czerniak prevailed in a 7-2 decision. Hood survived a 9-8 semifinal with Cooper Hall (Deposit-Hancock) before edging Paddy Lupole (Susquehanna Valley) 4-1 in the finals.

Two other Mustangs – Sam Rice at 126 pounds, and Nick Distefano at 145 pounds – also reached the finals, with Rice taking a 9-5 defeat to Walton’s Mike Bryden in his title bout and Distefano beaten by Monticellos’ Michael LaRuffa in a third-period fall.

Riley Donovan, at 120 pounds, earned third place, while Nate Lukins (170 pounds) matched that finish and Kern Linder (220 pounds) pinned Dustin Gould (Chenango Forks) in the third period to get his own third-place finish.

Tristan Duger was fourth at 138 pounds, the same finish at Corey Garvey at 182 pounds and Alexsandr Popov at 285 pounds. Noah Carbone (99 pounds) claimed fifth place, while Josh Widrick was sixth at 132 behind Hood and Matt Kazor took sixth at 195 pounds.

Two nights earlier, Marcellus had gone to Cazenovia and rolled past the Lakers 58-16.

Though it was senior night for Cazenovia at Buckley Gym, the hosts had to forfeit four early bouts, amounting to 24 points. That gave the Mustangs a cushion, even though Garvey and Linder took defeats to, respectively, Alex Curr and Kevin Frega.

Popov pinned Evan Duskee in just 74 seconds as Matt Kazor (195 pounds), Noah Carbone (99 pounds), Czerniak and Donovan took those forfeits, as did Duger and Sean Madden (152 pounds) later in the match. Hood, did wrestle and beat Zack Maxwell 16-5. DiStefano took just 69 seconds to pin Nick Monroe, with Lukins finishing off the night by gaining a 25-second fall over Cazenovia’s Dominick King.

West Genesee was coming off a busy stretch in the first full week of 2016 that had begun on Jan. 5 with a home meet against CNY Counties League power Baldwinsville, which resulted in a 62-15 defeat to the Bees.

Of the 15 bouts, the Wildcats won just three times, and two of them were forfeits to Jordan Cushman (99) and Ethan Coates (285). Only Liam Kotas, at 160, prevailed on the mat, and he had to work hard to inch past Alex Candee 8-7.

Other bouts proved close, including Brady Ryan, at 132 pounds, falling to Tyler Patrick by that same 8-7 margin as Shayne Middleton (182 pounds) had an 8-4 defeat to Dan Fawwaz. Tanner Buza (113 pounds) lost, 9-0, to Zach Hahn as Zach Valerino (220 pounds) fell to Mike Spicer 12-0.

Then the Wildcats turned that result around in last Tuesday’s match against Fayetteville-Manlius, amassing seven pins in the course of defeating the Hornets 60-20.

Middleton earned the first fall, at 182, taking just 74 seconds to finish off Charlie Josephson. After Randell Ouimet (195) took a forfeit, Valerino pinned Luke Ovadias in just 63 seconds and Coates got a fall over Andrew Testani in 1:35.

Buza took a forfeit, but Cole Wade wrestled at 126 and pinned Ben Christopher in 75 seconds. Brady Ryan (132) pinned Jon Scalzetti with just eight seconds left in their bout as Mike Linton (145) earned a pin over Justin Young at the end of the second period. To end this successful evening, Kotas took 81 seconds to pin Andrew Guillaume and Griffin Sasso, at 170, pinned Sam French midway through the second period.

In Saturday’s Cazenovia Invitational, WG finished ninth out of 16 teams with 84 points and saw Kotas win at 160, while Coates was fourth at 285. Linton also had a fourth-place finish at 145 as Middleton got fifth place at 182 and Ryan was sixth at 132.

Jordan-Elbridge got into the act on Thursday with a pair of wins, topping Lyons 48-21 and Dundee 46-18.

Against Lyons, Marion Quigley (120) pinned Jeffrey Young in 54 seconds, with Landry LaFleur (138) taking just 93 seconds to finish off Zack Albrecht. At 285, Taylor Rivenburgh pinned Matt Albanese in 1:40. Forfeits went to Alex Everett (120), Alex Parkolap (132), Nate Mott (152), Kamerin Langhorn (160) and Jessi Tripp (99).

Then, against Dundee, more of J-E’s points were earned on the matt with pins. Tripp wrestled and pinned Paul Knapp in 46 seconds, with Rivenburgh taking 73 seconds to finish off Joe Dillon and Max Bondgren (195) pinning Harry Nice in 1:32.

Parkolap got his fall over Logan Thompson in 3:15 as Langhorn had a second-period pin over Leif Hoyt and Anthony Ortiz, at 170, pinned Braydon Eatherton in 2;43. Everett beat Julian Ortiz 14-4 as Josh Roberts, at 220, earned a forfeit.

West Genesee will hold its annual Alumni Night this Friday when it hosts Moravia at 6:30. This year’s reunion has an “All in the Family” theme as families with multiple wrestlers that have gone through the Wildcats program will be honored.

All alumni and friends are welcome, there, and after the meet with Moravia there will be a social get-together at Ansil’s Pub on Chapel Drive in Fairmount. Those interested can call 727-1360 or email [email protected].