Still working with a short roster, the Skaneateles wrestling team hoped to hold its own against a tough field last Saturday when the Lakers hosted its annual dual meet – and it did, going 3-2 overall for a third-place finish.
Against neighbor and rival Auburn, the Lakers lost, 53-27, though it did get a fine moment from Preston Blake at 126 pounds as he outlasted Jack Bennink 11-8.
Mason Michel (99 pounds), Joey Brillo (138 pounds) and T.J. Greenfield (220 pounds) claimed forfeits as Christian Daley, at 132 pounds, pinned Eric Ansteth in the second period.
Skaneateles defeated Oneida 42-34, helped by forfeits to Daley, Blake, Boaz Arold (113 pounds) and James Leubner (182 pounds), while Greenfield wrestled pinned the Indians’ Jacob Lukasz in 72 seconds and Brillo, moved up to 145 pounds, pinned Riggley VanDyke.
East Syracuse Minoa handled Skaneateles 54-26, with Daley getting the Lakers on the board with a second-period fall over Bennett Ferrari as Brillo pinned Xavier Lowery in 99 seconds.
Hayes Danforth wrestled at 152 pounds and beat Nick Modlewski 11-2, while Greenfield nabbed the Lakers’ only other points with a 12-0 shutout of the Spartans’ Ameer Ladd.
Moving on, Skaneateles handled Cato-Meridian 48-29, with Brillo’s 59-second pin of Ethan Divelbliss following early forfeits to Daley, Jack Torrisi (126 pounds) and Adah Saunders (132 pounds).
Leubner got a forfeit, but Greenfield, wrestling at 285 pounds, pinned Nick Schmitt in 94 seconds as Michel and Arold picked up late forfeits.
Whether Skaneateles had a winning record at the meet depended on its match with Jordan-Elbridge, and they got an equal number of points, but the Eagles lost a point due to unsportsmanlike conduct and the Lakers pulled it out 42-41.
Greenfield, Brillo and Daley all were unbeaten in the tournament, and against J-E Brillo pinned Steve Tripp in 69 second as Greenfield won when Kyle Gersbacher took an injury default and Daley again claimed a forfeit.
A pivotal bout at 152 featured Danforth getting a 5-4 decision over J-E’s Cole Mullen. Dylan O’Hara (220 pounds) pulled out a 6-5 win over Jared Lawrence. Arold and Torrisi claimed forfeits.
Before that, Skaneateles did not get a single mat victory in last Wednesday’s match against Marcellus, only gaining points through forfeits in a 73-12 defeat to the Mustangs.
. Greenfield and O’Hara claimed those forfeits, but Skaneateles only had five other wrestlers on hand, forfeiting 10 bouts in all.
When the Lakers did contest bouts, a couple of them were close. Daley, at 132, dropped a narrow 4-3 decision to Jack Santariello, while Brillo, at 138, did push Marcellus star Cahal Donovan to six minutes in a 16-6 loss.
After a Wednesday trip to Chittenango, Skaneateles will wrestle this Saturday in the Onondaga High School League Liberty/Patriot tournament at Cato-Meridian.
