Worth the wait: Hansen claims first section title
VESTAL – Nik Hansen just couldn't stay healthy the first half of his wrestling career at Oxford. Three knee surgeries later and a pair of heart-breaking near-misses in 2012 and 2013 made Sunday's championship that much sweeter for the Blackhawks senior.
Hansen captured the 160-pound Section IV Division II title Sunday night at the Binghamton Events Center, one of seven Chenango County grapplers to claim titles in the division two ranks.
Norwich, Class B champions the previous week, added a Division II championship to a sterling season, its first since the section split its tournaments into two divisions 10 years ago.
Hansen placed third in the section the previous two years coming up one victory shy of reaching the finals. This time around, Hansen (160) made the most of his opportunity beating Whitney Point's Jordan Torbitt in overtime, 5-3.
In the last 30 seconds of the final period, Torbitt was hit with a stalling penalty that allowed Hansen to tie the match at 3-3. Just 12 seconds into overtime, Hansen sprawled off a Torbitt takedown attempt, and slid behind the stout Golden Eagles wrestler for the decisive two-pointer.
"I don't think I've ever wanted it more for a kid than Nik," said Oxford head coach Craig Tefft. "He's a kid that gives everything to the sport."
Early on in the tournament finals, Oxford senior Joe Nelson returned to the top of the podium after a one-year absence. A sectional champion as a sophomore, Nelson (113) dominated top-seeded Brandon Gould of Watkins Glen, 14-5.
"He just made a couple of mistakes that I was able to capitalize on," Nelson said after the victory.
Nelson won his first section title as a sophomore, and wound up placing third in the state that year. Last season, Nelson missed significant time with an injury, and struggled in the sectional tournament placing fourth. Nelson said he wasn't mentally or physically prepared last year, and Tefft agreed.
"With Joe, physically, it's all there," Tefft said. "It's about getting him in the right state of mind. When those two (physical and mental) come together for him, he's tough to beat."
Norwich punctuated its team title with a pair of sectional champions. Tristan Rifanburg (138) won his fifth sectional title to put himself among the all-time elite sectional champions, and Frankie Garcia (152) won his second straight title. Both NHS juniors won their matches by technical fall to help extend their team’s points lead.
Norwich entered the finals with an eight-point cushion, and wound up with a nine-point margin over runner-up B-G/Afton Harpursville.
"We knew we were leading by 8 1/2 points, and again we leaned on our two captains who were in the finals," said Norwich coach Terry Hagenbuch. "If I had to count on two guys, Frankie and Tristan are the ones I would want. And they came through."
Norwich had five other kids place among the top five in displaying its best team balance at this tournament in several years. "You could see the type of team we had for tournaments, and we wrestled extremely well last week to win the Class B tournament," Hagenbuch said. "(Winning a section team title) is in the back of your mind, but your number one goal as a coach is to get the kids as far as possible in the tournament and to place when they haven't placed before. One of the leaders on our team put on the chalkboard this week, 'Section IV champions.' The kids knew they weren't done, and they figured it out."
B-G/Afton/Harpursville had a pair of title winners in Chris Cirigliano (106) and Jamie Griswold (145). For Cirigliano, it was his second straight title as he hopes to build on his state place finish from a year ago.
Since losing early in the season at the Clyde Cole Tournament, Cirigliano has sported a perfect record, and he dispatched Deposit-Hancock's Stephen McKee by pin in 2:32.
Griswold, who started to come on midway through last season, hit his stride this season once he dropped to 145 pounds full time. The top-seeded Bears senior secured a takedown of Owego's Nate Bell with 1:09 left in the third period, and hung on for the 3-2 victory.
Greene sophomore Christian Dietrich (182) rolled to his third Section IV title. Unbeaten on the year, Dietrich pinned Watkins Glen's Ian Chedzoy at the 3:31 mark.
Dietrich has rarely been tested this season, and should enter the state tournament in two weeks as the number one seed in his weight class.
"This year we wanted Christian to turn people and become more of a pinner," said Greene head coach Tim Jenks. "From here on out, we're not worried about the pins, we just want the wins."
The New York State Wrestling Tournament is scheduled Feb. 28-March 1 at the Times Union Center in Albany.
Section III results
Sherburne-Earlville had two runner-up finishes and four total place finishes at the Section III Division II Championship Saturday.
Hunter Owen (120) and Garrett DuVall (220) each advanced to the finals with Owen dropping a 10-8 final in overtime to Morrisville-Eaton's Zach Burke, while DuVall lost a 10-1 decision to Sandy Creek's Jake Benedict.
Placing third was Jack Buell (160), who lost a 3-2 decision in the semifinals to eventual champion Trevor Allard of Mexico. Kevin Dunshee added a fourth-place finish.
Otselic Valley's Isaiah Dunagan (145) became his school's first sectional place winner in the program's two-year history placing fifth at 145 pounds. Dunagan won his first two matches to advance to the semifinals and guarantee a top-six finish. After losing consecutive matches, Dunagan secured his fifth-place standing winning by default.
Section IV Division II Results
Team scores (Top-10 of 27 teams): Norwich 108.5; B-G/A/H, 97.5; Deposit-Hancock, 90; Tioga, 89; Oxford, 87.5; Sidney, 83; Maine-Endwell 78; Windsor, 60.5; Watkins Glen, 60; Waverly, 60. Greene (13th), 51.5; Unadilla Valley (22nd), 22.
Local Results Only
Finals
106: Chris Cirigliano (BGAH) pinned Stephen McKee (DH), 2:32.
113: Joe Nelson (Oxf) dec. Brandon Gould (WG), 14-4.
138: Tristan Rifanburg (N) tech fall over Greg Lee (Lans), 16-0.
145: Jamie Griswold (BGAH) dec. Nate Bell (Owe), 3-2.
152: Frank Garcia (Nor) tech. fall over Dylan Gifford (Sid), 19-4.
160: Nik Hansen (Oxf) dec. Jordan Torbitt (WP), 5-3 (OT)
182: Christian Dietrich (Gre) pinned Ian Chedzoy (WG), 3:31.
Third-fourth consolation finals
99: Caleb Wiggins (CV) pinned Ty Rifanburg (N), 4:37.
106: Jacob Lehr (CV) pinned Zach Mills (N), :31.
113: Kiegan Brown (ME) won by DQ over Nate Hansen (Oxf)
120: Cole Rifanburg (N) dec. Ryan Kwiatkowski (Owe), 9-5
132: Nate Grubham (WP) dec. Jake Andrews (BGAH), 3-1.
138: Brock Post (ME) dec. Madison Hoover (BGAH), 1-0.
170: Kirkland Dolan (One) pinned Joe Jackson (Oxf), 4:58.
220: Alex Avolio (UV) dec. Brad Chesebro (Nor), 2-1.
Fifth-sixth consolation finals
99: Dalen Geislinger (N) dec. Garrett Lockwood (Gro), 5-0.
113: Brandon Macumber (DH dec. Josh Lindsey (BGAH), 8-2.
120: Kaleb Stone (Tio) dec. Ryan McMahon (BGAH), 5-2.
126: Brendan Wheeler (Gre) dec. Dan Hosking (Tio), 9-4.
138: David Michael Robinson (BGAH) dec. Dakota Coffey (Wal), 6-0.
145: Nick Cocola (WG) dec. Braxton Howell (Gre), 6-1.
195: Grey Bennis (Edm) pinned Jeff Pornbeck (Gre), 4:29.
220: Garyn Huntley (Oxf) pinned Aaron Shipman (Tio), 1:33.
285: Kordell Huntley (Oxf) pinned Colton Arcangeli (WG), 2:25.
Hansen captured the 160-pound Section IV Division II title Sunday night at the Binghamton Events Center, one of seven Chenango County grapplers to claim titles in the division two ranks.
Norwich, Class B champions the previous week, added a Division II championship to a sterling season, its first since the section split its tournaments into two divisions 10 years ago.
Hansen placed third in the section the previous two years coming up one victory shy of reaching the finals. This time around, Hansen (160) made the most of his opportunity beating Whitney Point's Jordan Torbitt in overtime, 5-3.
In the last 30 seconds of the final period, Torbitt was hit with a stalling penalty that allowed Hansen to tie the match at 3-3. Just 12 seconds into overtime, Hansen sprawled off a Torbitt takedown attempt, and slid behind the stout Golden Eagles wrestler for the decisive two-pointer.
"I don't think I've ever wanted it more for a kid than Nik," said Oxford head coach Craig Tefft. "He's a kid that gives everything to the sport."
Early on in the tournament finals, Oxford senior Joe Nelson returned to the top of the podium after a one-year absence. A sectional champion as a sophomore, Nelson (113) dominated top-seeded Brandon Gould of Watkins Glen, 14-5.
"He just made a couple of mistakes that I was able to capitalize on," Nelson said after the victory.
Nelson won his first section title as a sophomore, and wound up placing third in the state that year. Last season, Nelson missed significant time with an injury, and struggled in the sectional tournament placing fourth. Nelson said he wasn't mentally or physically prepared last year, and Tefft agreed.
"With Joe, physically, it's all there," Tefft said. "It's about getting him in the right state of mind. When those two (physical and mental) come together for him, he's tough to beat."
Norwich punctuated its team title with a pair of sectional champions. Tristan Rifanburg (138) won his fifth sectional title to put himself among the all-time elite sectional champions, and Frankie Garcia (152) won his second straight title. Both NHS juniors won their matches by technical fall to help extend their team’s points lead.
Norwich entered the finals with an eight-point cushion, and wound up with a nine-point margin over runner-up B-G/Afton Harpursville.
"We knew we were leading by 8 1/2 points, and again we leaned on our two captains who were in the finals," said Norwich coach Terry Hagenbuch. "If I had to count on two guys, Frankie and Tristan are the ones I would want. And they came through."
Norwich had five other kids place among the top five in displaying its best team balance at this tournament in several years. "You could see the type of team we had for tournaments, and we wrestled extremely well last week to win the Class B tournament," Hagenbuch said. "(Winning a section team title) is in the back of your mind, but your number one goal as a coach is to get the kids as far as possible in the tournament and to place when they haven't placed before. One of the leaders on our team put on the chalkboard this week, 'Section IV champions.' The kids knew they weren't done, and they figured it out."
B-G/Afton/Harpursville had a pair of title winners in Chris Cirigliano (106) and Jamie Griswold (145). For Cirigliano, it was his second straight title as he hopes to build on his state place finish from a year ago.
Since losing early in the season at the Clyde Cole Tournament, Cirigliano has sported a perfect record, and he dispatched Deposit-Hancock's Stephen McKee by pin in 2:32.
Griswold, who started to come on midway through last season, hit his stride this season once he dropped to 145 pounds full time. The top-seeded Bears senior secured a takedown of Owego's Nate Bell with 1:09 left in the third period, and hung on for the 3-2 victory.
Greene sophomore Christian Dietrich (182) rolled to his third Section IV title. Unbeaten on the year, Dietrich pinned Watkins Glen's Ian Chedzoy at the 3:31 mark.
Dietrich has rarely been tested this season, and should enter the state tournament in two weeks as the number one seed in his weight class.
"This year we wanted Christian to turn people and become more of a pinner," said Greene head coach Tim Jenks. "From here on out, we're not worried about the pins, we just want the wins."
The New York State Wrestling Tournament is scheduled Feb. 28-March 1 at the Times Union Center in Albany.
Section III results
Sherburne-Earlville had two runner-up finishes and four total place finishes at the Section III Division II Championship Saturday.
Hunter Owen (120) and Garrett DuVall (220) each advanced to the finals with Owen dropping a 10-8 final in overtime to Morrisville-Eaton's Zach Burke, while DuVall lost a 10-1 decision to Sandy Creek's Jake Benedict.
Placing third was Jack Buell (160), who lost a 3-2 decision in the semifinals to eventual champion Trevor Allard of Mexico. Kevin Dunshee added a fourth-place finish.
Otselic Valley's Isaiah Dunagan (145) became his school's first sectional place winner in the program's two-year history placing fifth at 145 pounds. Dunagan won his first two matches to advance to the semifinals and guarantee a top-six finish. After losing consecutive matches, Dunagan secured his fifth-place standing winning by default.
Section IV Division II Results
Team scores (Top-10 of 27 teams): Norwich 108.5; B-G/A/H, 97.5; Deposit-Hancock, 90; Tioga, 89; Oxford, 87.5; Sidney, 83; Maine-Endwell 78; Windsor, 60.5; Watkins Glen, 60; Waverly, 60. Greene (13th), 51.5; Unadilla Valley (22nd), 22.
Local Results Only
Finals
106: Chris Cirigliano (BGAH) pinned Stephen McKee (DH), 2:32.
113: Joe Nelson (Oxf) dec. Brandon Gould (WG), 14-4.
138: Tristan Rifanburg (N) tech fall over Greg Lee (Lans), 16-0.
145: Jamie Griswold (BGAH) dec. Nate Bell (Owe), 3-2.
152: Frank Garcia (Nor) tech. fall over Dylan Gifford (Sid), 19-4.
160: Nik Hansen (Oxf) dec. Jordan Torbitt (WP), 5-3 (OT)
182: Christian Dietrich (Gre) pinned Ian Chedzoy (WG), 3:31.
Third-fourth consolation finals
99: Caleb Wiggins (CV) pinned Ty Rifanburg (N), 4:37.
106: Jacob Lehr (CV) pinned Zach Mills (N), :31.
113: Kiegan Brown (ME) won by DQ over Nate Hansen (Oxf)
120: Cole Rifanburg (N) dec. Ryan Kwiatkowski (Owe), 9-5
132: Nate Grubham (WP) dec. Jake Andrews (BGAH), 3-1.
138: Brock Post (ME) dec. Madison Hoover (BGAH), 1-0.
170: Kirkland Dolan (One) pinned Joe Jackson (Oxf), 4:58.
220: Alex Avolio (UV) dec. Brad Chesebro (Nor), 2-1.
Fifth-sixth consolation finals
99: Dalen Geislinger (N) dec. Garrett Lockwood (Gro), 5-0.
113: Brandon Macumber (DH dec. Josh Lindsey (BGAH), 8-2.
120: Kaleb Stone (Tio) dec. Ryan McMahon (BGAH), 5-2.
126: Brendan Wheeler (Gre) dec. Dan Hosking (Tio), 9-4.
138: David Michael Robinson (BGAH) dec. Dakota Coffey (Wal), 6-0.
145: Nick Cocola (WG) dec. Braxton Howell (Gre), 6-1.
195: Grey Bennis (Edm) pinned Jeff Pornbeck (Gre), 4:29.
220: Garyn Huntley (Oxf) pinned Aaron Shipman (Tio), 1:33.
285: Kordell Huntley (Oxf) pinned Colton Arcangeli (WG), 2:25.
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