The only fitting way for the fine high school careers of Baldwinsville wrestlers Mike Spicer and Jeremy Pond to end was for each of them to make a run through last weekend’s New York State Public High School Athletic Association championships at Albany’s Times Union Center.
Though it was Spicer’s first state meet appearance, he still garnered the no. 2 seed at 285 pounds, which meant that, if the seeds were correct, he would make it all the way to Saturday night’s championship round.
But it started on Friday afternoon with Spicer taking on Clarence’s Sean Kloss in the first round. Just as with many of Spicer’s tougher matches, it was close from start to finish, with neither wrestler getting on the board until Kloss escaped late in the second period for a 1-0 edge.
Needing his own escape in the third period, Spicer pulled it off, and then waited until the final seconds before earning the decisive takedown for a 3-1 victory and a quarterfinal berth against Burnt Hills’ Jake Warren.
But the first round had taken a toll, and Warren nearly pinned Spicer in the first period. Eventually, the deficit grew to 8-0 before Spicer fought back, making up ground, but not enough of it as Warren prevailed 12-6. Hours later, in the consolation bracket, Spicer met Middletown’s Horace Duke, who with a quick moved pinned Spicer in 24 seconds.
Warren would go on to a fourth-place finish at 285, a division won by Fairport’s William Bolla when he beat Amityville’s Deonte Wilson 2-1 in the championship bout.
Meanwhile, Pond was intent on making his own long run in the state meet at 138 pounds. Drawing the no. 7 seed, Pond faced Ray Cotto (John Jay-Cross River) in the first round.
It proved quite wild, with Pond nearly pinning Cotto and piling up points to take an 8-3 lead. Not letting up, Pond kept building his margin and nearly pulled off a technical fall, but gladly settled for an 18-5 victory that put him in the quarterfinals.
Here, though, Pond had to face the no. 2 seed, Happuage’s Jay Silverstein. Essentially, the first period decided matters as Silverstein grabbed a 3-0 lead, and though Pond did get a pair of points from escapes, it wasn’t enough to avoid a 7-2 defeat.
Later that night, Pond looked to start a run through the consolation bracket against Webster Thomas star Cory Guinta. But again, Pond only managed a pair of escapes sandwiched in between plenty of strong moves by Guinta that led to a 10-2 decision.
Silverstein eventually reached the state final, but lost to top seed Vito Arujau (Syosset) in an 8-3 decision.
