Plainsmen edge St. Anthony's to finish first at the prestigious Union-Endicott Duals.
Jim Carucci's decision in the final bout rallied
Shenendehowa (Clifton Park) to a 32-30 victory over St. Anthony's on Sunday in the final of the Union-Endicott Duals, which attracted New York's best wrestling field of the season.
Carucci topped the Friars' Michael Gangarossa 10-5 at 145 pounds to wipe out St. Anthony's 30-29 lead.
Nick Kelley's' second-period pin in the 130 match gave Shenendowa a 26-24 lead, but St. Anthony's moved ahead with a forfeit at 135. The Plainsmen then pulled to within 30-29 as David Almaviva earned a 6-3 decision at 140.
St. Anthony's had captured the first three matches before the Plainsmen's Tony Fusco earned a decision in the 189 class to begin chipping away.
Shenendehowa entered the weekend No. 1 and St. Anthony's No. 6 in the New York State Sportswriters Association Division I rankings. Shenendehowa defeated fourth-ranked Spencerport 42-25 and St. Anthony's eliminated No. 5 John Glenn 30-24 in the semifinals of the two-day event.
Against Spencerport, 125-pounder Max Miller earned a decision and Kelley and Almaviva posted pins in the final three matches.
On Saturday, Shenendehowa advanced out of pool play with victories over Chenango Forks by 64-15 and Minisink Valley by 48-21. St. Anthony's advanced with pool wins vs. Sayville by a 51-18 margin and Fulton 51-18.
In the third-place match, Spencerport defeated John Glenn 32-25. The Rangers won three straight U-E titles before being dethroned by John Glenn last year.
MORE WRESTLING: COLUMBIA WINS IN VIRGINIAColumbia (East Greenbush) knocked off four straight opponents over the weekend and won its bracket at the Virginia Duals to improve to 17-0 for the season.
Columbia had never placed in five previous trips to the Virginia Duals, which attracts top-notch fields in the scholastic and college divisions. Competing in the American Division, the Blue Devils defeated Western Branch (Va.) 57-18, Eastern Regional (N.J.) 51-18, Haddonfield (N.J.) 38-26 and Fauquier (Va.) 45-22.
Evan Wallace won four straight matches at 145 pounds, though his string of 21 straight pins came to an end in the semifinals.
"The best thing about going to the Virginia Duals for the kids is that they don't know anybody. Around here, you know everybody," Columbia coach Anthony Servidone told The Times Union. "This is much bigger than our state tournament. To be wrestling right next to Penn State, Michigan and Lehigh ... It is amazing that we won."
* Steven Rodrigues had quite the weekend. First, the
Fox Lane (Bedford) standout recorded career victory No. 200 with a technical fall in the Ted Murphy Shoreline Tournament semifinals. Then, the Rutgers-bound senior won the final vs. Palmyra-Macedon's Ben Mowry, making him the first five-time champion in the event's history.
Former Beacon standout Ryan Tompkins was the first Section I wrestler to win 200 matches, and Somers junior Brian Realbuto matched the feat earlier this season. Rodrigues is 24-0 this season and 201-24 for his career.
* A Granville wrestler tested positive for MRSA last week, resulting in the school having to postpone all athletic events to give the facilities a thorough cleaning. Coach Steve Palmer said the affected wrestler showed symptoms following a two-day tournament in Middlebury, Vt., the previous weekend. That wrestler and several teammates were referred to doctors.
Granville schools Superintendent Mark Bessen said his staff worked in conjunction with the Washington County Health Department to address the issue.
ICE HOCKEY: HAVE BUS, WILL TRAVELSaratoga Springs salvaged its weekend trip to the Rochester area with a 3-2 victory Saturday over Pittsford. A day earlier, the Streaks dropped a 5-2 decision to Gates Chili.
Saratoga already owns victories over state-ranked Shenendehowa and Mamaroneck and squeezed in a scrimmage vs. Williamsville North – another state-ranked squad – on New Year's weekend during a trip to Buffalo for a game.
The rugged schedule could pay off in the postseason.
"You can't hit everyone but you have to get those good teams," Saratoga coach Mike Ricupero told the Democrat and Chronicle. "You know you'll see them in it."
Section I's
Pelham Memorial takes a similar approach to scheduling. Though the Pelicans compete at the Division II level in the postseason, they play a brutal schedule that has allowed them to earn a state ranking despite a 2-6-1 start to the season.
A few of Pelham's early losses have been to Division I Suffern, Mamaroneck and McQuaid plus Division II Queensbury. The Pelicans started gaining traction last week with a 3-2 win over Section I nemesis Rye.
John Schiano, who has written about high school sports in western and central New York for more than 25 years, covers New York for MaxPreps. He may be reached at johnschianosports@gmail.com.
