The Shenendehowa wrestling team dominated Saturday’s Section II Class A tournament on its home mat.
Four Plainsmen won their weight classes to help Shen run away with the team title. Shen finished with 269 points, 77 points ahead of runner-up Columbia. Ballston Spa was third with 184 points, and Colonie placed fourth with 179 points.
Nick Kelley and John Belanger had little trouble winning their championship bouts for Shen. Kelley downed Columbia’s Corey Southard 15-3 in the 119-pound finals, while Belanger defeated Saratoga’s A.J. Rue 19-7 to take the 135-pound division title.
Shen’s Seth Hazelton and Mike Almaviva also won their weight classes. Hazelton pulled out a 6-4 victory over Evan Wallace in the 140-pound final, and Almaviva shut out Schenectady’s Isaiah Earing 6-0 for the 215-pound title.
In all, the Plainsmen had 10 finalists by far, the most of any team in the Class A field. Colonie was next with five finalists, followed by Ballston Spa and Columbia with four finalists apiece.
Colonie had three individual champions, led by middleweights Steve Anson and Jason Chudzinski. Anson defeated Shen’s David Almaviva 8-4 for the 125-pound title, while Chudzinski cruised past Shen’s Max Miller 7-2 in the 130-pound final. Zach Zovistoski beat Shen’s Will Bryans 10-0 for the 160-pound championship.
Ballston Spa had individual champions in Jared Wojtowiecz and Chris Ohnsman. Wojtowiecz edged Shen’s Dan Duffy 3-0 in the 152-pound final, and Ohnsman doubled up Colonie’s Matt McCarty 4-2 for the 189-pound title.
Shaker and Niskayuna also had individual champions at the Class A tournament. Shaker’s Blake Retell easily handled Ballston Spa’s Dalton Jones 16-2 to claim the 103-pound division title, and Niskayuna’s Alex Espina pinned Ballston Spa’s Toby Barnes midway through the second period to earn the 160-pound division championship.
Guilderland had several wrestlers place third at Sectionals. Mike Lainhart (96 pounds), Kevin Bates (119), Eugene Sellie (171) and Matt Miller (215) all shook off semifinal losses to win their consolation bracket finals for the Dutchmen, who placed fifth in the team standings with 116 points.
Bethlehem finished 11th with 57 points. Matt Greene (125) led the Eagles with a third-place finish.
In Class B, Queensbury fended off a challenge from host Burnt Hills-Ballston Lake to win the Sectional title. Queensbury finished with 244.5 points, while BH-BL placed second with 198 points. Averill Park was third with 159 points, and Mohonasen took fourth place with 119.5 points.
Dylan Clarke, John Acors and Zeal McGrew all won individual titles for BH-BL. Clarke defeated Lansingburgh’s Austin Schnapp 13-2 for the 160-pound championship, Acors pinned Queensbury’s Dan Hanchett 1:18 into their 215-pound title bout and McGrew outlasted Averill Park’s Alex Boudreau 14-8 for the 285-pound title.
Scotia-Glenville’s Nick Leffler and Mohonasen’s Anthony Paturso also earned individual titles. Leffler pinned Averill Park’s Peter Allen 11 seconds into the second period for the 130-pound division championship, while Paturso defeated BH-BL’s Josh Lyle 6-2 for the 145-pound title.
Ravena-Coeymans-Selkirk had multiple champions at Saturday’s Class CC Sectional tournament at Schalmont.
Freddy Pechette pinned Hudson Falls’ Kody Bruno 36 seconds into the second period for the 96-pound title, and Andy Lyman defeated Watervliet’s Andrew Etman for the 130-pound championship to lead the Indians, who placed third in the team standings with 178.5 points.
Loudonville Christian’s Brian Walsh and Schalmont’s Vincent Gallo also claimed individual titles. Walsh wrestling for Watervliet for the second consecutive year ` pinned Canajoharie/Fort Plain’s Zach Wilder for the 140-pound title, and Gallo claimed a second-period fall over Hadley-Luzerne/Lake George’s Jason Yard for the 189-pound crown.
Hudson Falls won the Class CC team title with 213 points, 21 points ahead of Watervliet.
Voorheesville’s Treadgold brothers picked up Class C Sectional titles Saturday in Granville.
Taylor Treadgold edged Granville’s Brendan Miller 11-9 for the 125-pound championship, while younger brother Quinn Treadgold scored a 12-4 victory over Fonda-Fultonville’s Michael Guiffre for the 130-pound title.
Voorheesville placed sixth in the team standings with 112 points, four points behind fifth-place Maple Hill. Corinth won the Class C championship with 215 points.
All the place finishers from last weekend’s class Sectionals compete for spots on the Section II team at this weekend’s state qualifier at the Glens Falls Civic Center.“