CAZENOVIA – Evan Rutecki’s run to the 102-pound championship gave the Cazenovia wrestling team a welcome victory during its annual invitational meet held last Saturday at Buckley Gym.
Rutecki did not give up a point in either of his bouts in Pool A, winning each of them by technical fall. Then he defeated Indian River’s Gabriel Whiting 13-2, nearly getting another technical fall.
The final pitted Rutecki against South Jefferson-Sandy Creek’s Brock Frederick, and while it proved the closest bout yet, Rutecki prevailed in an 8-2 decision to go to the top of the podium.
Overall, the Lakers finished 10th in a 16-team field with 127 points. Liverpool made it to the top spot with 318.5 points, ahead of Indian River’s second-place total of 287 points.
Tallon Widrick grabbed a fourth-place finish at 110 pounds, while Broden Enders was fifth at 152 pounds and Kaleb Vazquez matched that fifth-place effort at 285 pounds.
In each of those instances, Enders and Vazquez beat wrestlers from Chittenango in their fifth-place bouts as Enders beat Quentin Mohamed and Vazquez stopped Jacob Ezzo.
But the Bears’ best finish came from Andrew Bailey at 189 pounds, with Bailey getting that spot by pinning South Jefferson-Sandy Creek’s Reegan Macklen in two minutes, 41 seconds.
Earlier in the week, Chittenango lost, 36-27, to Jordan-Elbridge, getting two victories on the mat.
Bailey pinned the Eagles’ Angelo Turo late in the first period, with Mohamed beating Chris Martinez 8-3 as Dan Mahle, at 110 pounds, and Mason Ferstler, at 118 pounds, claimed forfeits.
