The Cazenovia wrestling team had a 3-2 record to finish third in a six-team field during the Dec. 15 Sara B. Allen Duals at Groton High School.
In the opener, the Lakers routed Southern Cayuga 72-3, all the wins from forfeits, before falling 54-36 to Vestal. Against the Golden Bears, Kevin Valentine (145 pounds), Sam DeLeon (160 pounds), Casey Cunningham (182 pounds) and Shaun Zampetti (99 pounds) picked up pins.
Cazenovia then beat Moravia 60-24 as Valentine, wrestling this time at 152 pounds, and Cuningham again got pins, joined by Matt Knutsen (126 pounds), Doug Buckley (145) and Maxwell Fisher (220 pounds).
A win over Marathon provided a third title, but Cazenovia lost, 40-28, to Groton, despite Knutsen winning again as he knocked off Joe Bishop 17-8. Every other Lakers point came from a forfeit.
Back in the OHSL Liberty division last Wednesday night, Cazenovia faced Homer at Buckley Gym, and took a 52-27 defeat to the Trojans, though Carter Polhaum gave the Lakers a highlight at 285 pounds when he pinned Raiden Sturdevant in 25 seconds.
Zampetti earned a 53-second pin over Collin Stevens, but Homer won every bout from 106 to 145 pounds, including a close one at 132 where Gerald Viehauer lost, 3-1, to Zack Duff.
Valentine claimed a 6-4 decision over Josh Markley at 152 before DeLeon pinned Allan Markley in 75 seconds. Cunningham won, too, pinning Zander Johnson in the second period as John Frega (195 pounds) lost 5-0 to Sam Sorenson.
Meanwhile, Chittenango went to Phoenix on that same Wednesday night and struggled in a 76-6 defeat to the Firebirds, the only points coming from a forfeit to Blayde DeBlieux at 99.
Andrew Bailey (120) had an 11-3 defeat to Jeff Cooper, but all of Phoenix’s other wins came from pins and forfeits.
This followed Chittenango’ sappearance at the Dec. 15 Brett Dixon Memorial Duals at Central Square, where it went 3-2, taking losses to the host Redhawks and Rome Free Academy, but beating Otselic Valley and Jordan-Elbridge.
In particular, the Bears’ 39-38 win over J-E boiled down to a single bout, at 220, where Chittenango’s John Spencer held on in a narrow 4-3 decision over the Eagles’ Jared Lawrence. Devin Myers (160), Peyton Denney (120 pounds) and Mark Young (126 pounds) also earned pins.
