In some way, the lead-up for the area’s high school wrestling teams toward last weekend’s Section III championship slate was just as important, and exciting, as what took place in those sectional venues.
On Wednesday night, Marcellus got to face off with West Genesee, with the Mustangs prevailing 48-30 over the Wildcats, and Jordan-Elbridge took on its own neighborhood clash with Auburn and pulled out a 39-38 victory over the Maroons.
At Marcellus, the Mustangs bolted out to a 15-0 lead on West Genesee. Josh Widrick, in the 138-pound opener, pinned Cole Saxon with 27 seconds left, with Nick Distefano (145 pounds) holding off Devin Earl 4-1 and Sean Madden (152 pounds) pinning Aminel Mbekelu in 3:18.
WG closed the gap to 15-12 when Victor Elias, at 160 pounds, claimed a forfeit before Jarryd Souffront (170 pounds) beat Rob Seeley 9-3 and Sanqu Mbekelu, at 182 pounds, held off Tom Kinsella in a 4-2 decision.
In a key bout at 195 pounds, Cory Garvey gave Marcellus three points by edging WG’s Chandler McAvan 6-5. Kern Linder won at 220 pounds when Ahmad Wady took an injury default. Both were needed for Marcellus since it had to forfeit at 285 pounds (to Michael Mesa) and 99 pounds (to Nate Wade).
Now tied at 30-30, Marcellus briefly went in front when Noah Carbone (106 pounds) pinned Vincent Calabria late in the second period, but WG answered with Jordan Cushman’s 74-second pin over 113-pound opponent Zach Sperling.
But that would be WG’s last victory. Alex Czerniak (120 pounds) needed just 1:48 to pin Ejarian Burgin, and Riley Donovan’s 85-second pin over 126-pound opponent Nick Chemotti clinched the Marcellus match win before Sam Rice (132 pounds) ended the night by pinning Ian Blachford in 48 seconds.
While that was going on, J-E met Auburn, and the match was in doubt until the finale, where Derek Quigley’s ability to avoid a pin saved the Eagles’ winning effort.
Zach Harvey had opened at 120 with a second-period fall over Ryan Bochenek. Marion Quigley (132) took a forfeit, but Tyler Fietta (145) got the full six points when he pinned Dallas Hayden with six seconds left, a vital pin, as it turned out.
When Landry LaFleur (152) followed up with an 8-1 win over Alex Ansteth and Kamerin Langhorn (160 pounds) pinned James Klink in 53 seconds, J-E had a 27-6 lead, but Auburn stormed back by winning four of the next five bouts, including three pins and a technical fall.
Only Josh Roberts (220 pounds) broke up the Maroons’ run, pinning Rory Allen in 3:15. Two more Auburn pins followed, but the fact that it had to forfeit to Jared Alpha at 106 pounds meant that J-E led with one bout left.
It pitted Derek Quigley against Jamyr Grimes at 138. The match went beyond regulation, and though Grimes won 13-8, he only gained three points, when a technical fall or pin was needed for victory. Since Quigley hung in there for the decision, J-E held on for the match win.
West Genesee had preceded its match with Marcellus by earning a 4-1 record earned during the Jan. 28 Red Devil Duals at Vernon-Verona-Sherrill, which included a 42-40 victory over the host Red Devils.
Against VVS, Souffront, Burgin and Randall Ouimet (285 pounds) earned pins, as did Earl. Up by five, 42-37, with one bout left, WG needed Elias to avoid a technical fall or pin in the final bout – which he did, only taking a 1-0 defeat to Austin Vanderhoof.
‘Elsewhere in the VVS meet, the Wildcats beat Chittenango 54-33, topped Canajoharie-Fort Plain 51-36 and routed Unatego 58-27, only taking a blemish when it lost a tight 39-36 decision to Odessa-Montour, who also went 4-1, as did VVS.