ONONDAGA COUNTY –
A busy stretch of area high school wrestling was set to include, over a pair of Tuesday nights, two showdowns between Liverpool and Cicero-North Syracuse. Then the whole schedule changed.
First, cold winter temperatures closed school and postponed the head-to-head match between the Warriors and Northstars on C-NS’s home mats.
Then, the two rivals were set to reunite at Liverpool in the 4 vs. 5 match-up in the Division I championship of the Section III Dual Meet, the winner to take on top seed Indian River in the semifinals.
But that event got moved and would now take place at Fulton, the first two rounds without spectators leading up to Thursday’s championship match at C-NS.
Liverpool went out last Wednesday and defeated West Genesee 48-18, giving head coach Steve LoFaso his 100th career victory.
Two close bouts set the night’s tone. At 138 pounds, Mohammed Yousuf blanked Jack Wade 1-0 before Jonah Geller (145 pounds) needed a single escape to top Maxx Fesinger 1-0.
Five Warriors pins followed from Josiah Russel (152 pounds), Jayce Bliss (172 pounds), Connor Kral (189 pounds), Cade Leombrone (285 pounds) and Tyler Vivacqua (132 pounds).
Forfeits went to Pierce Goodave at 110 pounds and Lucas Smith at 126 pounds, with Owen Atchie (160 pounds) close in a 3-1 defeat to Colin McAvan and Rocco DeGilormo (118 pounds) taking a 4-2 loss to Logan Willis.
During Saturday’s Phoenix Mid-Winter Classic, Liverpool finished fifth in a 14-team field, seeing Geller edge Gouverneur’s Drew Gates to win at 145.
No other Warriors wrestler reached the finals, but DeGilormo and Atchie each recorded third-place finishes, with Leombrone and Smith both finishing fourth.Kral, Vivacqua and Preston Alonzo (145 pounds) all took fifth place.
C-NS also wrestled last Wednesday, its first action in two weeks since the Kenneth Haines Memorial Tournament on Dec. 28, and dominated Fayetteville-Manlius, handling the Hornets 66-10.
Aside from three forfeits, the Northstars got eight other wins through pins, none quicker than 152 pounds, where Gavin Ciszewski finished off Nicolai Pavlov in 49 seconds.
Joe Kozubowski (285), Kennedy Thomas (132), Dominick Racht (138) and John Sherbourne (160) also earned first-period falls, with Anthony Ciciarelli (118) and Drew Baker (126) getting their pins in the second period and Kamdin Bembry (215 pounds) a third-period pin over Jackson Schwab.
