ALBANY – Only nine times in the history of the Cazenovia wrestling program has someone emerged to compete for a New York State Public High School Athletic Association championship, with Lee Avery responsible for three of those appearances from 1965 to 1967.
Now Broden Enders can be added to that list.
Enders, a senior, capped off his high school career by going to Albany’s MVP Arena last weekend and taking part in the NYSPHSAA Division II touranment at 152 pounds, the reward for a 38-4 season.
A pin of Canastota’s Mason Morris back on Nov. 30 began a campaign for Enders that included nine consecutive wins to open before a pair of setbacks in December against Keegin Christian (Palmyra-Macedon) and Bryce Burdy.
What followed, starting on Dec. 15, was a run where Enders won 26 of his next 27 bouts. He won the Port Byron Invitational and prevailed at the Lakers’ own invitational in January during this stretch.
Post-season honors followed, Enders beating Will Burnell (Phoenix) 6-2 for the Onondaga High School League title Jan. 27 at Jordan-Elbridge and then topping Braden White (Adirondack) 3-0 for the Section III Class C title at Canastota a week later.
During this 26-1 stretch, the lone setback was a defeat to Cooperstown’s T.J. O’Connor – who would return at the sectional Division II meet and beat Enders 15-4 in the semifinals, though Enders roared back to finish third.
While O’Connor got the no. 5 seed at the state meet, Enders was the no. 16 seed, and if he beat Newark Valley’s Cadin Creeley in the opening round in Albany, it would mean a shot at top seed Caden Bells from Tioga.
But Creeley never let Enders get on the board, getting takedowns in each of the first two periods and ultimately winning it 4-0 to relegate Enders to a stint in the consolation bracket.
Winning his other bouts on Friday, Enders nearly got a technical fall against Michael Horth (Gowanda) 16-3 and then, in the next round, took less than three minutes to get that technical fall beating Granville’s Jaxon Torres (Granville).
One more win on Saturday would get Enders on the podium, but in a close bout with Henry Martin (Croton-Harmon), Enders took a 7-4 defeat, his season ultimately concluding at 40-6.
