There are wrestlers who are single-minded at the state wrestling tournament, then there are those who are just happy to be there. Chenango County’s wrestlers fall into the former category.
Greene head coach, Tim Jenks, has guided wrestlers to the state tournament the past two-plus decades, and has four young men heading to the mats at the Times Union Arena Friday when preliminary action begins at 10 a.m.
“We’ve said all year that we don’t want to just be there,” Jenks said of his team philosophy. “We’re not there just to place, we’re there to win it. As a junior, of course placing is great. But if you’re a senior, you have to be thinking about winning it. Nobody remembers the runner-up, and it’s something you can always look back on if you can win it.”
Norwich coach Joe Downey has his kids thinking the same thing. Downey himself was a four-time Section IV champion who was a runner-up after his junior season. Downey was a clearcut favorite his senior year, but following his final sectional title, suffered an injury in practice a few days before his final state tourney that kept him from realizing his dream. He knows better than most that second chances are not always a given, and you must believe you can win the tournament before stepping on the mat.
“There are people who walk into the arena (for the state tournament), and they are overwhelmed,” Downey said. “You can’t have that attitude. You have to go in knowing you’re the best and that no one can beat you. You can’t let anyone intimidate you, and if you have that mindset, you’ll do just fine.”
Chenango County sports a nine-man contingent from Greene, Norwich, Oxford, and B-G/Afton with better than half of the wrestlers with state tournament experience. Greene’s Mike Beckwith (160), Keegan Cerwinski (182), and Kyle Stanton (220) are making either their second or third trip to the D-2 championships, while Norwich’s Tristan Rifanburg (126) and Frankie Garcia (132) are veteran returners.
Rifanburg, just a freshman, is clearly the most decorated of all local wrestlers. He won a state title as a seventh-grader, and was the 112-pound state runner-up a season ago. The NHS plebe is the number two seed in his bracket with 2011 state champion Nick Tighe of Phoenix at the top of the bracket.
Rifanburg is part of what is possibly the deepest and most talented weight division in the tournament. Also featured in the weight class are three-time state place-winner Corey Dake of Lansing, and Ardsley’s Drew Longo. Rifanburg edged Longo in the state tournament in 2010 and 2011, the first of those wins for the 96-pound state title.
