SYRACUSE – One more time this season, top wrestlers from Cazenovia and Chittenango would test themselves against the best small-school competition in Central New York.
Only the top three finishers from each weight class in last Saturday’s Section III Division II championships at SRC Arena would advance to the Feb. 23-24 state meet in Albany, and one Laker would get there – Broden Enders, at 152 pounds.
Going in as the no. 3 seed, Enders won over Noah Rivera (Holland Patent) in the opening round and then shut out Braden White (Adirondack) 6-0 in the quarterfinals.
In the semifinals, Enders ran into Cooperstown’s T.J. O’Connor, the no. 2 seed, and lost 15-4, but bounced back and, by edging Justin Race (Sherburne-Earlville) 2-0, reached the consolation bracket final.
Waiting there was Chittenango wrestler Edward Geer, who had pinned Shane Byrne (Phoenix) in the first round and edged Trevor Rankin (Marcellus) 3-2 in the quarterfinals before a semifinal pin by Copenhagen’s Tavian Camper, who beat O’Connor in the championship round.
Having topped White 6-1, Geer now met Enders for third place and that state tournament berth, and it was the Lakers wrestler who came out on top, pinning Geer in two minutes, 26 seconds.
Bryce Enders earned a sixth-place finish at 160 pounds, having lost his quarterfinal 10-1 to Phoenix’s Will Burnell but winning 2-0 over Canastota’s Luken Glaser to assure a podium finish.
Gabriel Sanchez got through the first round at 145 pounds, 8-4, over Camden’s Brad Reader before a quarterfinal defeat to top seed and eventual champion Ryley Monica (South Jefferson).
Sanchez went on to lose to Dolgeville’s Bryce Mosher in the consolation bracket. Gryphon Foster, at 101 pounds, lost his opening-round bout to Marcellus’ Blaine Haney in a second-period pin.
As for Chittenango, Dan Mahle wrestled at 124 pounds, but suffered a first-round defeat to South Lewis’ Conner Carpenter when Carpenter got a fall in the second period. Peter Schulz (215 pounds) lost to Central Valley Academy’s Sal Fresco and Elijah McDonald did the same to CVA’s Jeremy McRedmond at 285 pounds.
