Skip to main content

wrestling

HS boys highlights for Tuesday

By Brian Hillabush

 Jon Casper had a dominant performance Tuesday helping to lead his Le Roy wrestling team to a 59-27 win over Hornell.

Casper pinned Tyler Warriner in just 23 seconds at 215 pounds.

Jesse Brennan also had a pin for the Oatkan Knights at 119.

--------------------------------------------------------

Batavia downed Kendall on the mat with ease, winning 59-30 to improve to 16-5.

Nick Lazaroni pinned James Klafehn in just 1:15 at 112 pounds and Will Ely droppe Lance Requa in 5:10 at 125 pounds.

------------------------------------------------------

Byron-Bergen (2-9) was able to hang with Northstar Christian, but a 21-8 third quarter allowed Northstar (9-3) to get the 56-40 boys basketball win.

Donald Harris had 13 points with seven rebounds, assists and steals while David Miller pitched in 11 points for Northstar.

David Garnish had a double-double for the Bees, scoring 11 points and grabbing 11 rebounds. Tyler Sass added 10 points.

McInally follows his state title with Wrester of the Week in Empire Conference

By Brian Hillabush

 Mike McInally, a Byron-Bergen grad and current RIT junior was the only Division III grappler to win a state title over this past weekend.

Now, he's won the Empire Conference Wrestler of the Week for the second week in a row and third time this season.

McInally, seeded first at 125 lbs. at the 2009 New York State Championships went 5-0 the weekend. He was the only Division III wrestler to win a championship.  McInally opened Friday's action with a pin over Pete Cole of Alfred State in 1:34, then scored a technical fall victory over Anthony Lebbad of Ithaca, 17-0. McInally advanced to the semifinals after defeating Shawn Haney of Brockport by pin in 3:20. McInally defeated Kyle Gilchrist of Columbia, 6-2 in the semifinals. He defeated #2 Dan Bishop of Buffalo, 3-1 in the championship. McInally is now 22-0 this season and ranked fourth in Division III at 125 lbs. 

McInally is ranked fourth in Division III at 125 pounds, but that bound to change. With a state title and perfect record, he could become on of the top ranked D3 wrestlers.

You can help save the Empire State Games

By Brian Hillabush

The Batavian has been all over the Empire State Games problems and recently wrote that the games scheduled to be in Hudson Valley were called off for financial reasons.

We had previously reported that there was plans to cut sports and start charging athletes up to $300 to compete. 

 There is currently an online petition that is being sent to Governor Patterson and Commissioner Ash, trying to bring the games back.

We, the undersigned, believe that canceling the Open, Scholastic and Masters divisions, the Senior Games and the Physically Challenged Games of the Empire State Games is something that needs to be reviewed. We believe that ALL divisions of the Summer Games and Winter Games, along with the entirety of the Senior Games and Games for the Physically Challenged should be reviewed on their merits and what they provide to New Yorkers. 

We have a very good understanding of the economic crisis New York State and the entire country are facing. However, we do not feel that the programs offered through the Empire State Games are a drain on the economy, rather we feel they help increase revenue in the regions where they are held, and they promote a healthy living style to ALL New Yorkers, some of the reasons for this follow. 

The Summer Games as a WHOLE entity brings in $10 to $15 Million to the local economy of the host city. The Winter Games brings in $1.5 Million to Lake Placid. If we add the $10 Million (low end) to the $1.5 million, the State tax on this comes to $460,000 directly back to the State in tax revenue. At a cost to the State of only $2 million, we feel this is a VERY wise investment. The Senior Games are Vital to the health of our maturing population and the Physically Challenged Games are the ONLY avenue these special kids have to participate in. In a time where you, yourself have shown interest in a healthy NY, what better way than these Games? The Masters division and the Senior Games already have a participation fee which should cover most if not all costs associated with their competition. Let the Scholastic, Open and Physically challenged kids continue to be assured a spot in these Games with no fee, to assure NO NEW YORKER IS LEFT OUT due to financial situation. 

In conclusion, we the undersigned, are not asking New York State to reinvest tax dollars in an event which is detrimental to the states long term (or short term) economic future, however, we are asking that someone looks at the WHOLE program called the Empire State Games and truly measures the economic impact these Games have on New York States overall economic plan as well as providing an opportunity for ALL New Yorkers to train and stay healthy. We do hope you will do the right thing here and re-institute these GREAT Games!!

It is great to see that there is a group out there trying save the ESG tradition. 155 people have signed the petition so far, and if you feel inclined to help keep our local athletes competing for Western New York, here is the link to sign the petition.

 

Byron-Bergen grad, McInally, wins state wrestling title for RIT

By Brian Hillabush

Former Byron-Bergen standout Mike McInally won all five matches he wrestled over the weekend and was the only Division III grappler to win a championship at the New York State Championships Saturday at SUNY Oswego.

McInally's RIT team was seventh out of 18 teams in the team tournament. 

McInally was the No. 2 seed at 125 pounds and dropped Columbia's Kyle Gilchrist 6-2 in the semifinals and University at Buffalo's Dan Bishop 3-1 in the finals.

McInally is ranked fourth in Division III at 125 pounds and has a 22-0 record.

Empire State Games are canceled

By Brian Hillabush

 The Empire State Games have officially been canceled.

The Democrat & Chronicle just reported that because of all the financial cutbacks we wrote about last week, the games have been called off.

 

Joseph Spector writes:

Organizers of this summer’s Empire State Games in the Hudson Valley announced today that they will not host the games because of a cut in state aid.

The state announced last week that because of budget constraints they will be unable to spend the $2.7 million to run the annual games, which date back to 1978 and include 30,000 youth and adult amateur athletes.

The games have become a huge event each summer for athletes from all over New York State and were scheduled to be in Hudson Valley from July 22-26. But it looks like the event, which averages 6,000 athletes and 24,000 spectators per year, is finished.

The D&C story says there was no immediate comment from the state Parks Department as to whether the games would be moved to a different location. But with the amount of preparation involved, it is highly unlikely.

With Hudson Valley putting an end to the this year's games, and with no promise of state funding in future years, this looks like the end of the Empire State Games.

“The Hudson River Valley LOC arrived at this regrettable decision based on an overwhelming feeling that the participation fee violates the spirit of the Games and that objections to this approach are so strong among our host site partners, sponsors and volunteers that maintaining the support necessary to successfully host the games has become untenable,” Steven V. Lant, chairman of the games and CEO of CH Energy Group, wrote to Parks Commissioner Carol Ash

New D&C polls show Batavia teams no love

By Brian Hillabush

 The Batavia girls basketball team is 11-1, defeated every Monroe County League team its faced other than Pittsford Mendon, took down every non-league opponent and still is getting no love from the Democrat & Chronicle

The new polls are out and still no Blue Devils in the large or small school category for girls basketball. People question Batavia's non-league schedule, yet they have defeated Dansville, which is ranked sixth. They also beat local powerhouse Elba, which received a No. 9 ranking.

Alexander got an honorable mention.

The Batavia boys basketball team is 9-1, and also not ranked. The only loss for the boys was at Pittsford Sutherland, which they will get a chance to avenge next week at home.

We do have a couple of ranked small schools.

Oakfield-Alabama is at No. 7 and Notre Dame is at No. 9. The two battled last night, with the Hornets winning 9-1.

We have tons of schools ranked in the small school category for wrestling.

Attica is having a great season and is currently at No. 3, Holley is No. 6 and Batavia is No. 7.

Wheatland-Chili is ranked eighth for small school swimming.

Batavia kisses possible state ranking goodbye with tough loss

By Brian Hillabush

There is no easy way to put this. The Batavia wrestling team had a 34-23 lead with two matches to go, meaning they could lose the final two by anything less than a pin they win the match.

The Blue Devils received an honorable mention and a victory over Letchworth would have given the team a state ranking.

But the Indians won the final two matches with pins and came away with a 35-34 win, crushing a Batavia team that had came back from a large deficit early on to take the big lead.

Batavia's Garrett Egglebrecht matched up with Letchworth's Anthony Harding at 119 pounds and Egglebrecht fell behind 2-0 early. He trailed 5-0 after two periods, but had not been pinned, even though he was saved by the bell in the second period. But Harding got him on his back in the third period and made the score 34-29.

The Blue Devils had a solid grappler in Will Ely going at 125 pounds, and Letchworth put Austin Hedges out there with him in the final match.

Hedges led 5-0 at one point before Ely battled back to make it 5-4, but was avoiding the pin. Ely was just trying to hang on and take the decision loss, giving his team a victory.

Then, Hedges flipped him and put him on his back, scoring the pin with just 30 seconds left in the match.

Letchworth's big lead had a lot to do with the victory as it was 23-3 before you even knew it.

Batavia started well at 130 pounds with Trey Henderson winning a 10-8 decision over Anthony Harding. But Letchworth's Bucky Hendrickson captured an easy 16-0 win over Joe Muoio.

Mike Nevinger pinned Matt Leaton in 1:08, Frank Day downed Scot Shea in 1:12 and Chris Nevinger dispostd of John Pestillo in 1:33 to give the Indians the huge early lead.

But one of the best wrestling teams in the history of Batavia wasn't going to get crushed. They battled back.

Ryan Darch kicked things off with a 12-3 win over Dave Woolley to start the comeback.

Anthony D'Aurizio followed with an epic battle against a strong Evan Sylor. D'Aurizio nearly had a pin in the second period, but didn't get it and had a 7-2 advantage after two frames. Sylor scored some late points, but D'Aurizio walked away with a 9-6 victory.

Darch and D'Aurizio are two of Batavia's top grapplers and if either would have had a pin, the dramatics at the end would not have been an issue. So while both picked up victories, a few more points from either one of those two could have been huge, something coach Rick Stewart hopes his team learns come sectional time - every point matters.

Troy Ireland scored a pin and then Dylan Goodsell pinned Cody Waite with just 14 seconds left in the match. After Josh Mase took care of his opponent in 32 seconds and Nick Lazaroni had a pin in 54 seconds, Batavia was up 34-23.

That was before the Indians had the final two pins for the shocking victory.

 

Buffalo News says cancel ESG

By Brian Hillabush

 Last week I wrote about the cutbacks and possible $300 charge for the Empire State Games.

Keith McShea followed up with a great story in the Buffalo News today, basically saying the games are dead and should just be canceled.

 

Hopefully some sort of funding can be restored. State funding for the Games went from $2.7 million to zero. The Games can certainly be streamlined — a scholastic-only competition isn’t the worst thing. But making athletes pay? No way. How about cutting funding in half? Since when does Albany work this quickly and decisively?

The state’s announcement included the caveat that for the 2010 Games, scheduled to be held in Buffalo, that there is “hope of reinstating the suspended competitions, as well as revisiting the new fee structure.”

But we know how that goes. Once something is cut from a budget, good luck getting it back.

 

The story is a good read and makes some great points. As one of many Empire State Games fans, I am sad to hear about all these cut-backs. But I hate to say it, this is the beginning of the end.

 

Batavia youth wrestling clinic

By Brian Hillabush

It's time to sign up for the Batavia Youth Wrestling Clinic.

The Blue Devils are having an amazing season and the program is on the verge of becoming a powerhouse program. Now is the time for the kids to get involved and start learning.

The sign-ups are on Thursday from 5-7:30 p.m. at Batavia High School, and is for kids ages 5-11 in the Batavia public schools. 

The cost is just $10 and includes a t-shirt and an entree into the tournament.

Practices are on Sunday from 2-4 p.m. and Thursday from 7-8:30 p.m. in the auxillary gym. 

Kids will receive direct instruction from head coach Rick Stewart as well as assistants Ken Darch, Vinny Romanatto, Kelly Boyle and Rich Lovria.

For questions or concerns, please contact coach Rick Stewart at 409-1742.

Attica wrestling wins Bradshaw

By Brian Hillabush

 The Attica wrestling program is definitely one of the tops in the area, and they flexed their muscles yesterday at the 34th annual Robert Bradshaw Memorial Invitational Saturday.

The tournament didn't wrap up until 10 p.m. last night, but Attica wound up on top of the team standings, finishing ahead of many of the biggest and best schools from in and out of Section 5.

Bradshaw Top 20

Attica, 187
Rush-Henrietta, 174
Northport, 165.5 
Queensbury, 145
Batavia, 140.5
Guilderland, 130
Canandaigua, 129
Churchville-Chili, 119
Brockport, 117.5
Greene, 108
Newark, 95
Gates Chili, 78
Geneva, 71
Irondequoit, 68
Byron-Bergen, 67
Webster Schroeder, 67
Bishop Kearney, 66.5
Palmyra-Macedon, 66
Waterloo, 62
Livonia, 56

 

“We were hoping to pick up a top five,” head coach Eric Romesser told the Daily Messanger, “but I didn’t expect to win. I’m happy to squeak it out.”

Lance Compton surprised everybody and won the 125-pound weight class and sectional contender Luke Pariso surprised nobody with a 171-pound title, beating Byron-Bergen's Zack Green 9-0 in the finals. Vinnie Napierski and Doug Beitz had second place finishes.

Batavia also had a champion in Ryan Darch, who beat his teammate Troy Ireland 6-1 in the finals.

You can see the complete results here

New Section 5 wrestling rankings are out

By Brian Hillabush

 The Section 5 rankings were just released and we have several local individuals that are ranked high in their perspective weight classes.

Batavia's Ryan Darch is the top ranked grappler at 160 pounds and Pembroke's Graham Jensen is tops at 189 pounds.

There are many others ranked in the top five in Section 5 through the different weight classes, which can be checked out here

Batavia wrestling coach chimes in on economic changes

By Brian Hillabush

 Batavia wrestling coach Rick Stewart figured the school uniforms were coming for state competition. But he thinks the possible $300 charge for Empire State Games participants is going to kill the event.

"It is what it is, but I think there must be another way the state can raise money," Stewart said. "As a coach, if my kid were to make Empires, and it cost $300 to get uniforms and stuff when it was free before, I would still encourage him to do it."

Stewart agrees with most that the hefty cost will deter many athletes from even trying out for the games, but has a good idea on how to keep the numbers up for the scholastic grapplers.

" There is an adult (open) and kids (scholastic) competition," Stewart said. "I would be more than willing to say that the state should furnish the kids, but once you are an adult and have your own job and make money, you can pay to participate - split it in half rather than everybody paying for it. When you are an adult, it is a hobby for you."

As far as schools wearing their own singlets for the state competition and the possibility of having just one champion, Stewart believes New York State is the only one that still has team uniforms for each section - and that small school wrestlers can compete with the big schools.

"Back when I was in school, that's how it was," Stewart said of having a single state champion in each weight class. "I don't think it makes that big of a deal in wrestling. It makes all the difference in the world, but it matters in dual meets. A school like Spencerport or Fairport has twice the number of kids to fill their weight classes."

The Blue Devils are 14-5 and have several potential sectional champions that could contend for a state title.

BB wins, Elba shocked and BHS wrestling dominates

By Brian Hillabush

 How close is Genesee Region League girls basketball?

Pretty close.

Both Pembroke and Byron-Bergen have solid squads, but the Bees improve to 5-4 with a 49-47 win over the Dragons, who fall to 5-3.

The game was within five points the entire way, with Pembroke missing a pair of shots to win at the end.

Mary Cocking led Byron-Bergen with 16 points with Rory Partridge chipping in eight

Nicole Sharick led the Dragons with 10 points, six boards and four steals. Kelsey Lewis also had 10 points and Jackie Dubois dished out five dimes.

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Geneseo flat out shocked Elba 40-36.

The Lancers are highly ranked in the state and came into the game 7-1. But it was Geneseo that jumped out to a 5-2 first quarter lead and held on the rest of the way.

Kat Olverd scored 14 points with five dimes and hit the critical shot, a 3-pointer with two minutes left that gave Geneseo an eight point advantage.

Katie Dewar had three points with eight rebounds.

Nobody took over the scoring for the Lancers, with Sarah Schwartzmeyer leading the way with just nine points. Cassy Engle and Julie Webster had seven points apiece.

-------------------------------------------------------------------------

Julie Brooks had a huge game for the Hawks as Holley beat Attica 38-23.

Brooks dropped in 20 points with 16 rebounds and four steals. Sh was helped out by Emily Troupe, who had 10 points.

Margaret LaFleur had 10 points for the Blue Devils.

Holley is now 2-5.

-------------------------------------------------------------------

Batavia wrestling continues to win.

The Blue Devils thumped East Irondquoit/Eastridge 72-6 and are now 14-5.

Scott Shea, Troy Ireland, Ryan Darch, Anthony D'Aurizio, Josh Mase, Will Ely, Trey Hendersonm Matt Leaton and Joe Muoio all had wins for  Batavia.

 

Empire State Games in trouble

By Brian Hillabush

This very well could be the beginning of the end of the Empire State Games.

It was announced by The Buffalo News this morning that the Empire State Games might be downsizing, and in fact starting to charge athletes up to $300 each to participate in the summer games.

"I would say that this is a very unfortunate thing because it would keep a lot of scholastic athletes that are trying to play in Empires out," said Batavia coach Buddy Brasky, who has coached the last three Western squads. "There are a lot of kids that couldn't afford to pay that feed. It could lead to the end of the Scholastic Empire State Games." 

Western Regional director Lou Reuter also doesn't feel very good about the future of the games.

“I can understand that everyone is having to take a hit,” he told Buffalo News reporter Niki Cervantes, because of the weak economy and state budget crisis. “But it’s almost like the demise of the Empire State Games.”

Reports are that some sports - assuming the non-spectator sports - could flat out be eliminated, but without help from the state, this year's games in the Hudson River Valley could be in serious trouble.

Brasky can only keep 10 players on his scholastic boys basketball team, but can see where it will be a problem for him to attract quality players that are from lower income families.

"(If I were going to recommend) that a player tries out for the games, I would leave it up to the individual athlete," Brasky said. "I still think it is a worthwhile experience, but they have to see if it is worth a $300 experience. With all the AAU basketball out there, I don't know if kids would pay that kind of money to play in the Empire State Games."

Brasky has 10 roster spots to worry about. Imagine what the track & field coaches and wrestling coaches would have to worry about if those larger squads. 

As somebody that has covered these games before, I know that there is funding by the New York State Office of Parks and other organizations, but I have never noticed a lack of corporate sponsorships. It really is never a problem to get a $6 hot dog or $4 bottle of water either.

Times are tough for everybody as we are dealing with this economic downswing, but having a chance to get the best athletes in the state together during the summer time for a chance to compete is something worth fighting for. 

And it might not be just athletes that would feel the frustration if the student athletes are charged to participate. Some coaches just don't know if the extra effort of trying to get good enough talent to compete will be possible, or even worth it.

"I'd have to think about (coming back to coach this summer," Brasky said. "This is the first time I've heard about this, so I'm going to get in touch with director Lou Reuter. This is something I'm going to have to think about, if I want to keep going under these circumstances."

Wrestling state rankings out

By Brian Hillabush

 The newest team rankings are out for the New York Sportswriters Association and there are some intriguing choices. 

While Section 5 is well represented, Warsaw is 15-3 and ranked eighth while Waverly of Section 4 is the top small school with a 7-4 record.

Attica is 16th at 9-9, Letchworth is 21st (13-5) and Holley comes in at 25th (17-5). I would think that the history Holley has would get the squad a higher ranking.

And how does Batavia get just an honorable mention? The Blue Devils are loaded with sectional contenders and just went 6-3 in the Brett D. Dixon Memorial.

Paddock all-time Section 5 wrestling king

By Brian Hillabush

 We don't do a lot on Warsaw here at The Batavian, but I must congratulate one of the most classy athletes I've covered in my years of local sports journalism.

Warsaw's Ian Paddock pinned Spencerport's Roy Daniels in just 50 seconds in the second round of the Teike-Bernabi Tournament, making some serious history.

The three-time state champion tied the state's all-time record for wins. He jumped one ahead of Webster Schroeder's Gregor Gillespie - another stud grappler - for career wins at  No. 239. That is the largest amount of victories anybody has had in Section 5.

"It's a pretty good feeling, and it's a nice record to hold because there were a bunch of good wrestlers before me who held the mark," Paddock told the Democrat & Chronicle

Paddock has gone 25-0 so far this year, was 53-1 last year and has compiled an insanely impressive 239-6 record seventh-grade.

Ian broke the school record of 235 earlier in the year, a mark that was originally set by his brother Paul.

Ian will be wrestling for Division I powerhouse Ohio State next year on a full ride.

He is continuing his run in the Teike-Bernabi Tournament at Spencerport today. Paddock will be honored in a ceremony before the final round today.

HS highlights for Wednesday

By Brian Hillabush

 Tate Westermeier continues to be one of the top guards in the Genesee Region League, and he delivered a huge win for his Attica boys basketball team over their biggest league rival, Alexander.

Westermeier scored 10 of his game-high 21 points in the first quarter and added 6 rebounds in the game as the Blue Devils won 42-36.

The win helps Attica improve to 3-0 in the league - keeping them right with Oakfield-Alabama at the top of Division I - and 4-2 overall.

Craig Wolfley added eight points for Attica.

Troy Shulnut led the Trojans (2-4) with eight points, with Kyle Woodruff and Andy Bittner adding six each.

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Pat O'Keefe dropped in 15 of his game-high 27 points in the fourth quarter as Pittsford Sutherland outscored Batavia 25-17 to take home a 69-57 win.

Wayne Dillworth had 12 boards and eight assists to go with his four points and Dylan Sherwood added 20 points for Sutherland (4-0).

Andrew Hoy had 24 points and Josh Budlong added 11 for the Blue Devils, who fall to 4-1.

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

The Lancers gave Notre Dame its stiffest test of the season so far, but the Fighting Irish still came away with an impressive 65-41 win on the road.

Kevin Francis had 20 points and Matt Thompson added 12, including three 3-pointers in the second quarter as the Fighting Irish had a 22-11 advantage.

Gregg Barr added 10 points for Notre Dame (3-0).

Phil Ostroski had 12 points and Sonny Giuliano added nine points with eight boards for the Lancers (2-3).

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Brian Mitchell guided his Holley basketball team to its first victory of the season with 24 points and four blocked shots, giving the Hawks a 50-36 victory over Byron-Bergen.

John Wharram and Chad Barhytt did the work on the boards, grabbing 10 rebounds apiece.

Kurtis Fannon had 11 points for the Bees (1-4).

 -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

In what Batavia coach Rick Stewart called the battle for the league title, his Blue Devils fell short.

Brighton beat host Batavia 35-28 in Batavia to knock the Blue Devils out of the ranks of the unbeatens.

Josh Mase, Nick Lazarony, Joe Muoio, Troy Ireland, Anthony D'Aurizio and Ryan Darch had the Batavia wins, but it wasn't enough.

Great opportunity for local wrestlers

By Brian Hillabush

I just stumbled upon something that might be of interest to local wrestlers, who are looking to peak before sectionals.

Keith Lowrance, one of the top wrestling coaches in the country, will be hosting a clinic in Brockport on Sunday, Dec. 21.

The cost is $75 per wrestler and appears to be well worth it when you see Lowrance's resume.

  • Granby State Champion
  • Two-time Big Ten Champion
  • Two-time All-American
  • Coached State Champion teams at Granby and Kempsville High Schools
  • Virginia and National Coach of the Year
  • Record 271-33-2
  • Coached 35 State Champions, 102 Place-winners
  • Several High School and College All-Americans
  • Produced the nationally renowned Granby System Videos

Blue Devils win Christmas Tournament

By Brian Hillabush

 For the second straight year, the Batavia wrestling team won its own Christmas Tournament.

The Blue Devils scored 186 points to easily down second-place finisher Fulton, which had 164.5 points.

Nick Lazarony (135 pounds), Ryan Darch (160), Anthony D'Aurizio (171) and Dylan Goodsell (285) all had victories for the Blue Devils.

Plenty of local wrestling action this weekend

By Brian Hillabush

 Daily News sportswriter Alanna Stage previews all of the local wrestling tournaments this weekend on the Daily's Web site today.

Batavia will be hosting its 35th Christmas Tournament and is looking to repeat after winning it for the first time in 16 years last season.

Attica hosts the 2nd annual Sgt. Richard Romesser Attica Blue Devils Dual Meet Challenge. Nine teams will compete in a dual-meet, round-robin style tournament.

Holley swept the Holley Team Tournament last year and has won the tournament 13 out of 15 times.

Authentically Local