CENTRAL NEW YORK – More challenges awaited the Cazenovia and Chittenango wrestling teams as each of them would take losses before the Lakers hosted its annual tournament Saturday at Buckley Gym.
The Lakers had 45.5 points, finishing 12th in a 15-team field right behind the Bears (69 points) in 11th place as South Jefferson/Sandy Creek, with 158 points, claimed the top spot.
Andrew Bailey won at 189 pounds for Chittenango, claiming a 12-2 decision over Oxford-Greene’s Hunter Page in the title bout. He was the only Bears or Lakers wrestler to reach the championship round.
At 110 pounds, Cazenovia’s Evan Ruteck won third when he beat the Bears’ Dan Mahle with a second-period pin in the consolation bracket final. Broden Enders got third at 152 pounds with a 10-0 shutout of Canastota’s Logan Mead as Luke Martin was fourth at 215 pounds for the Bears.
Cazenovia met Southern Hills last Tuesday night, only able to win three of the eight contested bouts in a 39-29 defeat.
Broden Enders pinned Alex Wilcox in 87 seconds, with Finn Tobin (160 pounds) getting a third-period fall over Amr Shabani to make it 12-0 Cazenovia in the early going.
From there, though, all the Lakers could earn on the points side was forfeits to Exazander Simzer (215 pounds) and Cullen Arnold (110 pounds) before Bryce Enders (138 pounds) got a 17-2 technical fall over Sye Stanton. John Fowler, at 172 pounds, lost 6-1 to Aiden Moltion.
When Chittenango took its turn against Phoenix a night later, the Bears were in it until the final bout of the night before it lost 42-36 to the Firebirds. After a forfeit to Bailey, Martin took just 19 seconds to pin Nick Root, with Dan Mahle also getting a forfeit at 110.
At 126 pounds, Vincent Lazzaro got a third-period pin over Chase Huntley, and Chittenango tied it, 36-36, when Edward Geer (145 pounds) pinned Correy McAllister with two seconds left and Quentin Mohamed (152) had a second-period fall over Avery LaRobardiere.
In the closing bout at 160, Phoenix broke the tie when Cody Hager pinned the Bears’ Bryce Asmussen.
Cazenovia wrestled again on Thursday against a powerful Camden side and lost, 63-6, to the Blue Devils, the only points coming at 110 when Rutecki pinned Talon Kimball. The Lakers’ match with Liverpool, scheduled for Jan. 25, was moved up one day to Jan. 24.
