Saturday, Feb. 23, 2019: No. 1 seeds go 60-0 on opening day of wrestling tourney

   Leading off today: All 30 of the No. 1 seeds won their two matches Friday to advance to the semifinals of the New York State Public High School Athletic Association individual wrestling championships in Albany.

   Saturday's semifinals at the Times Union Center start at 10 a.m.

   Section 11 accounts for 14 of the 60 Division I semifinalists, followed closely by Section 8 (13) and Section 5 (11).

   Hilton wrestlers had a huge day, winning 12 straight matches, including a pair of pins at 113 pounds by three-time defending state champ Greg Diakomihalis, who'll face a semifinal against Monsignor Farrell's Terry Adams, the 2018 champion at 106 pounds. Sam Deprez of the Cadets also pinned twice at 195 pounds to advance.

   Hauppauge junior Dan Mauriello worked one of the longest days, going overtime in both of his victories at 152 pounds in Division I to advance as a No. 6 seed. After dispatching Cyrus Smith of Edward R. Murrow in the PSAL 7-5, he went two overtimes to eliminate third-seeded Garrett Gibbons of Massapequa 2-1 via an escape.

   "He figured out a way to win," Hauppauge coach Chris Messina said. "Dan is very calculating and he got it done."

   Four-time state champion Adam Busiello of Eastport-South Manor recorded a pair of first-period pins in an aggregate 2:04 in his opening matches in the Division I 138-pound bracket. Also representing E-SM are defending state champ Zach Redding (126 pounds) with a pair of pins and Joe Gannone (170).

   Other notable developments from the large-school action:

    • Given a second chance as a late entry because Section 2 160-pound champ Peter Mashkov of Niskayuna (fractured sternum) was unable to compete, Shenendehowa sophomore Colden Dorfman remained alive in the main draw by beating the No. 4 and 5 seeds despite carrying a modest 25-15 record into the tournament.

    • Zack Ryder became a state semifinalist before becoming a teenager. The 12-year-old from Minisink Valley backed up his No. 3 seeding in the 106-pound class by scoring a pair of opening-day pins.

   "He's calm for a young kid,” Minisink Valley coach Kevin Gallagher said. "He's composed. He's humble and just has a great outlook on everything. After talking to him, you wouldn't think he's a seventh-grader."

    • Rocky Point senior Kristopher Ketchum, who twice this month obtained court orders allowing him to compete after a regular-season disqualification, is two wins from a title after grinding out two decisions, including a 9-6 victory over No. 3 seed Brock Delsignore of Shenendehowa.

    • All three of Niagara-Wheatfield's McDougalds moved on to the semifinals in their respective classes.    Brothers Willie (138 pounds, No. 2 seed) and Warren (top seed at 152) McDougald combined for three decisions and a technical fall. Cousin Justin McDougald, also a top seed, opened his tournament with a pin and a 2-1 decision at 132 pounds.

ADVERTISEMENT

   In Division II, Section 4 advanced a dozen competitors to the semifinals, including the trio of Stephen Taylor (Tioga), top-seeded Trentyn Rupert (Newark Valley) and Dylan Houseknecht (Odessa-Montour/Watkins Glen) in the heavyweight division.

   Among the Section 4 contingent is a quartet from Tioga: Taylor, John Worthing (138 pounds), Brady Worthing (132) and Austin Lamb (145).

   "We've all been here before, so we all knew we had a great chance of having four state champs this year and we want to make it happen," Lamb said.

   Meanwhile, Central Valley Academy's two defending champions stayed on track to potentially repeat.

   Senior Hunter Shaut is one win away from a third consecutive finals appearance after opening with a pair of

decisions in 145-pound action and will take on Lamb in one of the most highly anticipated semifinals.

   CVA sophomore Marek Bush, the 113-pound champion last year, is also in the semifinals for the third year in a row, this time at 126 pounds. He begins action Saturday looking to avenge a 4-2 loss to Chandler Merwin from Walton/Delhi in last month's Eastern States Classic.

   Also worth mentioning from Division II's first day:

    • Pleasantville junior Len Balducci, now a three-time state semifinalist, had the most exciting finish, overcoming a three-point deficit to pin Carter Schubert of Williamson-Marion-Sodus with :20 to go in their 120-pound quarterfinal.

   "There's no other feeling like it," he said of the late turn of events. "I've done it a few times before, but you still get the same feeling of excitement."

    • Charlie Grygas of Duanesburg narrowly averted upset in the 160 quarterfinals. The No. 2 seed trailed senior Shane Hoover of Bainbridge-Guilford/Afton/Harpursville 3-1 before scoring a takedown in the final second of the third period to tie. In the first overtime, Grygas scored another takedown near the edge of the mat in the last seconds for a 5-3 victory.

    • Gaven Bell's intriguing sophomore season is two victories away from concluding with a NYSPHSAA crown.

   Bell was the Section 8 champion for Cold Spring Harbor at 126 pounds last season but was unable to compete in the state tournament after tearing his meniscus in training. He made to Albany this year -- but as a competitor in the 160 bracket, five weight classes higher than a year ago.

   "I'm a natural 145-pounder but my good friend and teammate Ray Costa and I both said we didn't want to wrestle each other," Bell explained. But after running into trouble with Clarke's Austin Carman at 152, Bell bumped up one more class.

   "I just said I was going to go to 160 and get that title," Bell said.

   Full results: The complete brackets through the end of Friday's action, including wrestlebacks, are available on the NYSPHSAA website.

   More later: I'll blog again later Saturday, catching up on playoff action in basketball.