ALBANY, NY – The biggest stage of the 2016-2017 season, the New York State high school wrestling state championships is upon us, and Chenango County will be represented by nine wrestlers.
These nine wrestlers are all from powerhouse local DII teams Norwich and Bainbridge-Guilford-Afton Harpursville (BGAH).
The two-day tournament at Times Union Center in Albany – the site of the state championships since 2009 – gets underway early on this morning, 8:30 a.m. on Dec. 24, and continues until the completion on the night of Saturday, Feb. 25.
Friday's schedule:
8:30 a.m. – Gates open
9:30 a.m. – Parade of Champions, National Anthem, Sportsmanship Awards
10 a.m. - 2 p.m. – Preliminary Round of wrestling
2 p.m. - 4 p.m. – Championship Quarterfinals
4 p.m. - 8 p.m. – Consolation Wrestle-backs
Saturday's schedule (Session 1)
8:30 a.m. – Gates open
9:30 a.m. – National Anthem
10 a.m. - 12:30 p.m. – Championship Semifinals, Consolation Wrestle-backs
12:30 p.m. - 2 p.m. – Consolation Wrestle-backs and Semifinals
2 p.m. - 3 p.m. – Consolation Finals
Saturday's schedule (Session 2)
5 p.m. – Gates Re-open
5:50 p.m. – Championship Ceremonies Begin
6:30 p.m. – Championship Finals (Two-mats DI and DII) and Podium Awards every five matches
Representing Section IV Athletics, Chenango County, and their respective schools are the following wrestlers: Norwich – Mikey Squires 106 pounds, Eli Rodriguez 113 pounds, Ty Rifanburg 145 pounds, Cole Rifanburg 152 pounds, and Brennan Slater 182 pounds; BGAH – Brody Oleksak 106 pounds, Ben Bivar 138 pounds, Madison Hoover 160 pounds, and Austin Carr 170 pounds.
These nine wrestlers will be appearing in eight different weight classes – Squires and Oleksak both at 106 pounds – with eight of the nine being seeded in the top eight.
Norwich:
• Mikey Squires will be wrestling at 106 pounds for Norwich and currently holds a season record of 37-6. Squires first match of the tournament from the fourth-seed spot is against Ricky D`elia a sophomore from Port Jefferson.
“Mikey has a nice seed for his first time making it to the State Tournament. But he is in the upper bracket with returning state champ Jon Charles who has beaten Mikey twice this year,” said Norwich coach Bob Hagenbuch. “Close matches but to get to redeem those losses we have to just take it one match at a time and stay focused.”
• Eli Rodriguez will be wrestling from the top-seed at the 113 pounds weight class and currently holds a season record of 35-6. Rodriguez's first match is against Matt Laporte a sophomore from Hoosick Falls.
“Eli is the number one seed. Being a 3rd place returner he is no stranger to big tournaments. When it's on the line Eli flips the switch and really wrestled well in big matches. He just can't look past any opponent and he will be fine,” said coach Hagenbuch.
• Ty Rifanburg will be the lone Chenango County wrestler who did not garner a top-eight seed in the state tournament – but will instead be looking to prove his belonging at the 145 pounds weight class. Ty holds a season record of 38-7, and will first face off against Dustin Joy a senior and fourth-seed from Lyndonville.
“Ty is also a state place winner from last year. With that said he is not even seeded. That's just tells you how tough his bracket is. Ty is a competitor and he will use not being seeded as a motivator for sure. We like him under the radar. He is very dangerous and should place high on the podium,” said Hagenbuch.
• Cole Rifanburg a Norwich senior will be the third seed in one of the most competitive weights – 152 pounds, along with aforementioned 145 – Cole currently holds a season record of 36-4, and will face off against Sean McGarvey a senior from Pearl River.
“This is Coles second trip in three years. Cole is going in as a wildcard and is still seeded third that really tells you how the state feels how dominate he has been all season. Cole is a senior and just missed being a section champ. He wants his name up on the wall in our wrestling room to be part of an elite company and he is very focused and motivated right now,” said Hagenbuch.
• Brennan Slater will be the fifth-seed at the 182 pound weight and currently holds a 37-6 season record. Up first for Slater is a matchup against Zak Trim a junior from Maple Grove.
“Brennan like Mikey is also making his first trip to the big show. Seeded fifth he should make some noise in Albany. True competitor and every time he steps on the mat he knows he is going to win. That's a quality that is hard to have in this sport and at this level. Won't be shocked to see him in the finals,” said Hagenbuch.
Norwich notably broke their school record for most ever Section IV Champions in one tournament during the Section IV tournament – having four.
“We have talked about this moment since November 7. This is what we train for. They know this opportunity is no guaranty. That it's not easy to get to States every year. Most don't. They know it wasn't handed to them. They just have to do what they have done all year. Be aggressive, wrestle six minutes and be relentless. That's the Norwich way. If they do that and put smart matches together they will be successful,” said Hagenbuch.
BGAH:
• Brody Oleksak will join Norwich's Squires as a seeded wrestler in the 106 pound weight. Oleksak holds a 32-5 season record and will first face off against Joe Contrastano a freshman from Carle Place-Wheatley – coming from the fifth-seeded spot.
“Brody Oleksak, wild carded in. An eighth grader who has an excellent skill set. Just needs to get a little stronger so he can take full advantage of his skill set,” said BGAH coach Brandon MacNaught of what his wrestler needs to do to come out on top.
• Ben Bivar will be the eighth seed at the 138 pound weight. Bivar currently holds a 37-4 season record and will face Phil Calandra a senior from Depew first.
“Ben Bivar, 11th grader who is very unpredictable in style. You can usually count on a high scoring affair, much to the pain it gives his couch. (He) Never gives up,” said coach MacNaught.
• Madison Hoover a BGAH senior will be wrestling at 160 pounds and has garnered the fourth-seed at the weight. Hoover currently has a 38-1 season record, and will first face off against Mike Labow a senior from Gouverneur.
“Madison Hoover, 12th grader, solid in all three positions, third trip to the state tourney so podium or bust. Needs to stay active,” said coach MacNaught.
• Austin Carr, BGAH's second senior will be wrestling at 170 pounds from the fourth-seeded spot as well. Carr holds a season record of 31-1 overall, and will first face off against Eric Bartnik a senior from Cheektowaga.
“Austin Carr, 12th grader, second trip (to the State Tournament) in a row. The key will to be set his pace for the match. Select his spots for his shots. Critical (that) he stays on his offense,” said coach MacNaught.
Below are the top-eight seeds for the DI NYS Wrestling Championships at each weight class:
99 pounds:
John Worthing –10th grader from Tioga – Section 4
Mason Bush – 8th grader from Central Valley Academy – Section 3
Jordan Titus – 8th grader from Center Moriches – Section 11
Anthony Noto – 9th grader from HFL – Section 5
Mike Evans – 8th grader from Springville – Section 6
Carter Baer – 7th grader from Gouverneur – Section 10
Logan Dubuque – 10th grader from Peru – Section 7
Marek Bush –8th grader from Central Valley Academy – Section 3
106 pounds:
Jon Charles – 11th grader from Central Valley Academy – Section 3
Trent Svingala – 10th grader from Maple Hill – Section 2
Matt Garland –10th grader from South Jefferson-Sandy – Section 3
Mikey Squires – 9th grader from Norwich – Section 4
Brody Oleksak –8th grader from BGAH – Section 4
Len Balducci – 9th grader from Pleasantville – Section 1
Bradley Cheek – 10th grader from Canisteo-Greenwood – Section 5
Ethan Ferro – 8th grader from Pal-Mac – Section 5
113 pounds:
Eli Rodriguez – 9th grader from Norwich – Section 4
Trey Laflamme – 12th grader from South Jefferson-Sandy Cre – Section 3
Neiko Scarano – 12th grader from Little Falls – Section 3
Caleb Robinson – 10th grader from Walton-Delhi – Section 4
Mikey Bruno – 11th grader from Putnam Valley-Haldane – Section 1
Shane Hetrick – 12th grader from Maple Grove – Section 6
Dalton Gardner – 9th grader from Fredonia – Section 6
Tristian Richardson – 8th grader from Ogdensburg – Section 10
120 pounds:
Orion Anderson – 11th grader from Schuylerville – Section 2
Matt Caccamise – 12th grader from Wayne – Section 5
Luke Bokina – 11th grader from Mattituck – Section 11
Cahal Donovan – 10th grader from Phoenix – Section 3
David Poff – 12th grader from Gowanda – Section 6
Zach Braddell – 10th grader from Tonawanda – Section 6
Austin Lamb – 10th grader from Tioga – Section 4
Carson Dobozy – 12th grader from Peru – Section 7
