The Baldwinsville wrestling team would go last Saturday to the Cazenovia Invitational, where with 100 points it took sixth place in a 19-team field. Rome Free Academy (146.5 points) edged Indian River (145 points) and Elmira (141 points) for the team title.
Aiden Cali earned the title at 99 pounds, edging Indian River’s Kane Lynch 5-4 in the semifinals and then, in the title bout, having an easier time with RFA’s Justin Wright, claiming a 10-4 decision.
On the other end of the docket, Billy Loadwick claimed the 285-pound crown, having survive a tense 1-0 semifinal with Cato-Meridian’s Santana Salvador before edging Elmira’s Jeremiah Cheatham 6-4 in the finals.
Luke Eberl nearly won at 182 pounds, beating Homer’s Sam Sorenson 5-2 in the semifinals before a title bout where he lost, 2-1, to Auburn’s Keyshin Cooper. Dom Sposato finished fourth at 182 pounds as Mike Letizia also got fourth place at 195 pounds.
A pair of close bouts in the higher weight classes, plus a truncated schedule, turned the tide against B’ville in last Wednesday’s match against the Syracuse City team at Henninger High School.
The Bees lost, 33-24, to Syracuse, as only 11 weight classes were contested. The fact that four bouts did not take place hurt B’ville’s deeper lineup.
Yet it still had a chance to claim team honors, as at 160 pounds Connor Kral got close against Jacere Duncan, only to take a 7-6 defeat as Will DuBois (220 pounds) had a 4-2 loss to Jerome Davis.
Those results, along with Eberl (195 pounds) falling to Mykle Thomas 8-2, kept B’ville from all the points it needed as it only claimed three different wins on the mat to go with a forfeit to Jarred McMonagle at 106 pounds.
Mason Clark, at 99, had one of them, pinning Emilio Ocasio early in the third period. Liam Fitzgerald (132 pounds) needed 3:45 to pin Malik Egerton as Letizia needed 97 seconds to pin Carl Witherel.
Remaining busy this week, the Bees face league rival Cicero-North Syracuse on Wednesday and go to the Akley Duals at Oswego on Saturday afternoon.
