CENTRAL NEW YORK – Achieving a landmark for its program, the West Genesee boys wrestling team claimed the championship of Monday’s Section III Division I Dual Meet at Jefferson Community College in Watertown, earning a berth in this Saturday’s New York State Public High School Athletic Association meet at SRC Arena.

The championship round of the Dual Meet pitted the Wildcats against Central Square and WG claimed victory by a score of 33-23 over the Redhawks.

Cole Willis got it going in the 116-pound opener shutting out Isaiah May 8-0 before a forfeit to Josh Fasulo at 124 pounds. Austin Fesinger, at 138 pounds, got his own shutout, 6-0 over Andrew Paciga, as Logan Willis (145 pounds) gained three key poins edging Jordan Ransom 11-8.

Central Square won the next two bouts, but even here Ali Abumustafa (152 pounds) got close in a 10-8 defeat to Landyn Dinegan before the decisive run began.

Jack Wade, at 170 pounds, blanked Jack Taskey in a 17-0 technical fall, with Maxx Fesinger pinning 190-pound opponent Bryce St. Clair in 74 seconds and, in a 215-pound classic, Elijah Apps held off Angelo Turo 11-10. Aiden Wright clinched the win when, at 101 pounds, he battled past Chris Pulis 4-2.

Back in the opening round, WG defeated Whitesboro 59-17, getting four pins in a row in the highest weight classes from Apps, Rylan Struse (285 pounds), Raul Colon (190 pounds) and Maxx Fesinger, who pinned John Dibrango in 35 seconds. Abumustafa and Max Alexander (124) added pins.

Then there was the Wildcats’ 32-28 win over Carthage which proved the closest call of the tournament, bridged by two forfeits at the start and finish but including plenty of action in between.

Max Alexander’s pin of Roger Joyce in 24 seconds preceded a second straight Fesinger technical fall. Then the Comets won five of the next six bouts, the lone exception Maxx Fesinger’s 40-second pin of Conor Hickey.

Ultimately, the bout at 215 was decisive. Apps would need a victory, and got it going all six minutes to get past Zach Pettitt in a 12-7 decision.

Leading up to the Dual Meet the Wildcats tuned up Jan. 17 defeating Syracuse City 51-19, with the best bout at 285 where Apps fought past Teddy Toe 10-7. Though aided by forfeits, WG also got a quartet of pins from Abumustafa, Cole Willis, Logan Willis and Harrison Card wrestling at 124.

And there was no letdown after the Dual Meet, either, WG getting an impressive 47-26 victory over Baldwinsville two nights later.

With four bouts left the Bees led 26-23, but Wade’s pin of Aiden Johnson at 170 began a closing surge where Apps (over Corbin Williamson) and Maxx Fesinger (over Connor Daughton) got pins in 90 seconds and Colon needed just 40 seconds to pin Lucas Vance at 215.

Earlier in the match, Logan Willis pinned Brendan Fredenburg in 62 seconds, with Alexander giving WG a third 90-second fall, this one over Jack Webb. Cole Willis got close in his battle with Cael Bruce at 108 but lost a 2-1 decision.

As if all this glory wasn’t enough, WG’s girls wrestling team won a big tournament of its own that same day in the Windsor Lady Knights Invitational with 124 points to edge Chenango Forks and Valley Central (121 points each) and win it.

Carmen Bishop reached the finals at 126 pounds and Layla Meany did the same at 152 pounds. Julianna Martini added a fourth-place finish at 100 pounds as three other Wildcats – Marlee Sherman (120 pounds), Annalise Johnson (145 pounds) and Ayana Dishaw (185 pounds) – had matching fifth-place efforts.