All kinds of events made 2017 memorable for the Baldwinsville wrestling program beyond the usual activity on the mat.
The Bees’ program was designated a “Team of Honor” by the Greater Syracuse Sports Hall of Fame in an induction dinner held in October at the OnCente for its unbeaten streak that spanned the 1970s and early 1980s.
Just before that, long-time B’ville head coach Leo Johnson received a special tribute from the New York State chapter of the National Wrestling Hall of Fame during its annual dinner in September.
After all that, it was time for the Bees to get going on the 2017-18 season, and to do so without the likes of Jeremy Pond and Mike Spicer, wrestlers who won sectional Division I titles a season ago.
B’ville got the toughest possible opening assignment, traveling to Fulton last Thursday to renew its long-time rivalry with the Red Raiders. But Fulton would control matters from the outset and prevail 66-12.
Of the 15 bouts, the Bees just won three of them. Zach Hahn, at 126 pounds, shut out Nick Parrish 3-0, and Luke Ebral won a wild 220-pound battle with Jon Parrish in a 12-10 decision. Aiden Cali claimed a forfeit at 99 pounds.
Otherwise, Fulton controlled matters with seven pins, a technical fall and two forfeits. Nate Hahn did drop a close 145-pound bout to Ian Bogardus 10-7 as Jacob Cavallo had a 9-1 loss to Andru Walts.
Weekend action followed as B’ville wrestlers went to the Andersen Tournament at Cicero-North Syracuse, where the Bees finished 15th out of 19 sides, with only Hahn reaching the finals at 126, where he lost to Onondaga’s Dylan Price 8-3. Cavallo, at 120 pounds, beat Fulton’s Kaleb Carreon 6-1 for third place. Gunner Hunt was seventh at 195 pounds
B’ville has another head-to-head match with a traditional power Wednesday as it hosts Holland Patent before going to the General Brown Duals in Dexter on Saturday.
