All season long, the Skaneateles wrestling team has dealt with the reality of small numbers, often having to forfeit at least five bouts before it could even take the mat.
Despite all that, the Lakers still went 6-11, and even in some of the defeats won a majority of the contested bouts, as it did again last Wednesday night at Chittenango, where it still took a 45-42 defeat to the Bears.
Starting quickly at 220 pounds, Skaneateles had Dylan O’Hara pin Ethan Ferguson in just 76 seconds. Though it took a bit longer at 285 pounds, T.J. Greenfield pinned John Spencer late in the second period, improving to 25-4 on the season.
Chittenango took the next four bouts, two of them forfeits, before Preston Blake won at 126 pounds when Gage Gifford got disqualified. Then the Bears had to surrender points in forfeits to Joe Winkler (132 pounds), Christian Daley (138 pounds) and Robert Danforth (145 pounds).
When Joey Brillo pinned Devin Myers at 145 pounds to move his season mark to 25-3, the Lakers were up 42-24, but now needed Yorvin Solis to win at 152 pounds over Myers because the last three matches were forfeits in the Bears’ favor. Solis wrestled well, but took a 12-8 defeat.
From there, the post-season started for Skaneateles when it traveled to Cato-Meridian for last Saturday’s Onondaga High School League Class C/D Tournament, where it placed ninth in an 11-team field with 117.5 points.
Greenfield was victorious at 220, as none of his five bouts went past the first period. The longest time he spent on the mat was 97 seconds in the final , where Greenfield pinned Onondaga’s Nathan Pitre to earn career victory no. 100.
Brillo made his way to the finals at 138, but took an 8-0 defeat to Phoenix’s Ryan Dolebear. Daley made his way to the title bout at 132, only to get pinned by Marcellus standout Cahal Donovan.
Boaz Arold was fourth at 113, pinning Onondaga’s Noah Hartman for that spot, while O’Hara beat APW/Pulaski’s Tyler Crandall to finish fifth at 220. Winkler was seventh at 132 and Hayes Danforth was seventh at 145.
Skaneateles is headed for Hannibal this Saturday to take part in the Section III Class C tournament. Only top-four finishers in each weight class are guaranteed trips to SRC Arena for the Feb. 10 overall sectional tournament.
