Norwich captures second in Leo J. Sammon tournament over weekend; Marauders finish seventh in the field of 11 teams
ILION – The 2018 Leo J. Sammon Memorial Tournament was a pretty exciting tournament, as there was certainly wrestling talent in the gym on Saturday. With the crazy weather central New York had over the weekend starting Thursday night with the inches of snow with the sub-zero temperatures from Friday on, many weren’t sure if the tournament would happen. But Chenango County teams Norwich and Sherburne-Earlville braved the harsh weather and they wrestled.
Throughout the day, the 11 teams that attended put on outstanding matches to set up a great night for the finals with six Norwich wrestlers and the Marauders with
Norwich had both Dante Geislinger and Andrew Brown wrestle in the 99 pound bracket of the tournament. Brown and Geislinger met in the semi-finals. Geislinger moved one to wrestle in the finals against Mason Bush of the host Central Valley. Bush and Geislinger are both ranked in their sections as the top wrestler in their weight class, setting up one of the most anticipated matches of the finals.
Bush had previously faced Geislinger earlier this season at the Valley Duals in December with Bush winning their first meeting by a 3-0 decision. Geislinger was ready to revenge that early season loss as he had matched Bush through the first four rounds with three pins and one tech fall.
In an exciting match to start the finals, Bush handed Geislinger his second loss of the season by 2-1 victory for the Central Valley’s 99 pounder, improving to 32-0 on a season.
Earlier in the day, Purple Tornado Nick Glanville knocked off Camden’s Hunter Williams by a 3-1 decision win an action-packed battle. With the decision win, Glanville was matched up with Central Valley’s Jon Charles, who is ranked number one in division two of Section III, for the finals in the 106 pound weight class.
Glanville put up a fight in the finals, getting through first period of the match. But it was in the second when Charles became too much for the Norwich wrestler. Charles pinned Glanville in a time of 3:04.
The 126 pound field had throughout, but many weren’t surprised by Norwich’s Mike Squires making into the finals. Squires landed his spot into the finals with two pins, a tech fall and an 11-0 major in the semifinals.
He was set to wrestle Adirondack’s Kevin Spann, number two in NY State rankings. With both ranked number one in their sections, their bout was the match of the finals as the two gave fans what they were their to see.
The finals match lasted the full three periods but it was Squires who knocked off Spann in a 6-5 battle, giving Norwich their first Champion on the day.
The weight class with the largest field of the tournament was the 132 pound. The wrestlers were split into four pools, allowing for the top wrestling in each to reach the semi-finals of the bracket. Norwich’s Eli Rodriguez was among the four as he squared off with Ty Harter of Camden. Rodriguez went down with a shoulder injury giving Harter the win by injury default. The injury ended Rodriguez’ day at the tournament.
Also among the 132 pound field was Sherburne-Earlville’s Morgan Lakin. Lakin’s chances of making it to the finals was ended by Adirondack’s Keagen Case when case pinned in a time of 4:09.
Lakin’s loss to Case sent him through wrestleback rounds and Lakin did just that. He wrestled his way to a fifth-place finish as he topped wrestling powerhouse Central Valley’s Anderson Klosner with an exciting 6-5 decision win.
In a 160 pound semi-final, Sherburne-Earlville teammates Bailey Walzer and Vinny Albertina squared off. While it has to be difficult to wrestler a teammate, who are more than likely practice partners and every move the opponent it going to make, Wazler was the one who moved on after a 1-0 victory.
Walzer took on Camden’s Gavin Vera in the finals. Vera has wrestled in 33 matches this year, losing only six while racking up 17 wins by pin. Walzer wasn’t going to be number 18 for Vera. Walzer put up a tough fight but in the end Vera was crowned the 160 pound champion of the tournament.
In the third place match of the same weight class, Albertina faced Anthony Servidone of Little Falls. Servidone had only allowed 19 points to be scored against him this season. In the end, Albertina was able to get one point on the board but Servidone took third by a 3-1 decision win.
The 170 pound weight class featured five ranked wrestlers from the three sections who attended the tournament Saturday. Out of the nine wrestlers in the bracket, Purple Tornado Ty Rifanburg knocked off Mexico’s Josh O’Reilly with a 9-6 decision to land himself in the finals.
Sherburne-Earlville’s Ethan Eldred, the 152 pound Section III champion from a year prior, was sent to wrestlebacks early in the tournament. But just like his teammate Lakin, Eldred wrestled his way back to land in the fifth place match of the placing round. In that match, he faced Adirondack’s Ben Gerling. Eldred took down Gerling the fourth ranked 170 pound wrestler of Section III, division two.
Rifanburg wrestled Trent Ingraham of Central Valley. Ingraham had only lost two matches this season coming in the finals against Rifanburg, who has only wrestled in 12 matches this season with one resulting in a loss.
Ingraham took down Rifanburg by a 9-3 decision for the 170 pound title, earning himself the Heavyweight Most Outstanding Wrestler of the tournament as Rifanburg was the fourth ranked opponent Ingraham beat over the course of the day.
Norwich had 182 pound Brennan Slater next on the mat, facing Indian River’s Jeromy Henning. Slater took down Camden’s John Mitchell by a score of 9-1 to advance to the semi-finals. In those semis, Slater pinned Central Valley’s Bryson Youngs, advancing to the finals. He awaited the other semi match between Indian River’s Jeromy Henning and Mitchell to battle.
The match went the distance plus extra time but Henning took Mitchell down in Sudden Victory and pinned him for a chance to take on Slater in the finals.
Slater stuck Henning in the second period, pinning him for the Norwich wrestlers fourth pin of the day and the weight class title.
The favorite in the 220 pound bracket was Norwich’s Tyler Rice. Rice pinned his opponent in under a minute for all four of his matches leading to the finals. He faced familiar county wrestler Alex Thompson of the Marauders. Thompson landed in the finals after going 3-0 on the day with a major decision and two pins of his own.
The two have met in a similar setting at the Clyde Cole semi-finals back in early December. Rice took that meeting by way of a 8-4 decision.
In this match, Rice pinned Thompson for his fifth pin of the day, winning his first career Leo J Championship.
Norwich finished second overall with their three champions and two runner-ups on top of the point scored in the earlier rounds, compiling for a final team score of 262. Sherburne-Earlville snagged a seventh place team finish with 131.5 points.
Both are in action on the mat again later this week.
Throughout the day, the 11 teams that attended put on outstanding matches to set up a great night for the finals with six Norwich wrestlers and the Marauders with
Norwich had both Dante Geislinger and Andrew Brown wrestle in the 99 pound bracket of the tournament. Brown and Geislinger met in the semi-finals. Geislinger moved one to wrestle in the finals against Mason Bush of the host Central Valley. Bush and Geislinger are both ranked in their sections as the top wrestler in their weight class, setting up one of the most anticipated matches of the finals.
Bush had previously faced Geislinger earlier this season at the Valley Duals in December with Bush winning their first meeting by a 3-0 decision. Geislinger was ready to revenge that early season loss as he had matched Bush through the first four rounds with three pins and one tech fall.
In an exciting match to start the finals, Bush handed Geislinger his second loss of the season by 2-1 victory for the Central Valley’s 99 pounder, improving to 32-0 on a season.
Earlier in the day, Purple Tornado Nick Glanville knocked off Camden’s Hunter Williams by a 3-1 decision win an action-packed battle. With the decision win, Glanville was matched up with Central Valley’s Jon Charles, who is ranked number one in division two of Section III, for the finals in the 106 pound weight class.
Glanville put up a fight in the finals, getting through first period of the match. But it was in the second when Charles became too much for the Norwich wrestler. Charles pinned Glanville in a time of 3:04.
The 126 pound field had throughout, but many weren’t surprised by Norwich’s Mike Squires making into the finals. Squires landed his spot into the finals with two pins, a tech fall and an 11-0 major in the semifinals.
He was set to wrestle Adirondack’s Kevin Spann, number two in NY State rankings. With both ranked number one in their sections, their bout was the match of the finals as the two gave fans what they were their to see.
The finals match lasted the full three periods but it was Squires who knocked off Spann in a 6-5 battle, giving Norwich their first Champion on the day.
The weight class with the largest field of the tournament was the 132 pound. The wrestlers were split into four pools, allowing for the top wrestling in each to reach the semi-finals of the bracket. Norwich’s Eli Rodriguez was among the four as he squared off with Ty Harter of Camden. Rodriguez went down with a shoulder injury giving Harter the win by injury default. The injury ended Rodriguez’ day at the tournament.
Also among the 132 pound field was Sherburne-Earlville’s Morgan Lakin. Lakin’s chances of making it to the finals was ended by Adirondack’s Keagen Case when case pinned in a time of 4:09.
Lakin’s loss to Case sent him through wrestleback rounds and Lakin did just that. He wrestled his way to a fifth-place finish as he topped wrestling powerhouse Central Valley’s Anderson Klosner with an exciting 6-5 decision win.
In a 160 pound semi-final, Sherburne-Earlville teammates Bailey Walzer and Vinny Albertina squared off. While it has to be difficult to wrestler a teammate, who are more than likely practice partners and every move the opponent it going to make, Wazler was the one who moved on after a 1-0 victory.
Walzer took on Camden’s Gavin Vera in the finals. Vera has wrestled in 33 matches this year, losing only six while racking up 17 wins by pin. Walzer wasn’t going to be number 18 for Vera. Walzer put up a tough fight but in the end Vera was crowned the 160 pound champion of the tournament.
In the third place match of the same weight class, Albertina faced Anthony Servidone of Little Falls. Servidone had only allowed 19 points to be scored against him this season. In the end, Albertina was able to get one point on the board but Servidone took third by a 3-1 decision win.
The 170 pound weight class featured five ranked wrestlers from the three sections who attended the tournament Saturday. Out of the nine wrestlers in the bracket, Purple Tornado Ty Rifanburg knocked off Mexico’s Josh O’Reilly with a 9-6 decision to land himself in the finals.
Sherburne-Earlville’s Ethan Eldred, the 152 pound Section III champion from a year prior, was sent to wrestlebacks early in the tournament. But just like his teammate Lakin, Eldred wrestled his way back to land in the fifth place match of the placing round. In that match, he faced Adirondack’s Ben Gerling. Eldred took down Gerling the fourth ranked 170 pound wrestler of Section III, division two.
Rifanburg wrestled Trent Ingraham of Central Valley. Ingraham had only lost two matches this season coming in the finals against Rifanburg, who has only wrestled in 12 matches this season with one resulting in a loss.
Ingraham took down Rifanburg by a 9-3 decision for the 170 pound title, earning himself the Heavyweight Most Outstanding Wrestler of the tournament as Rifanburg was the fourth ranked opponent Ingraham beat over the course of the day.
Norwich had 182 pound Brennan Slater next on the mat, facing Indian River’s Jeromy Henning. Slater took down Camden’s John Mitchell by a score of 9-1 to advance to the semi-finals. In those semis, Slater pinned Central Valley’s Bryson Youngs, advancing to the finals. He awaited the other semi match between Indian River’s Jeromy Henning and Mitchell to battle.
The match went the distance plus extra time but Henning took Mitchell down in Sudden Victory and pinned him for a chance to take on Slater in the finals.
Slater stuck Henning in the second period, pinning him for the Norwich wrestlers fourth pin of the day and the weight class title.
The favorite in the 220 pound bracket was Norwich’s Tyler Rice. Rice pinned his opponent in under a minute for all four of his matches leading to the finals. He faced familiar county wrestler Alex Thompson of the Marauders. Thompson landed in the finals after going 3-0 on the day with a major decision and two pins of his own.
The two have met in a similar setting at the Clyde Cole semi-finals back in early December. Rice took that meeting by way of a 8-4 decision.
In this match, Rice pinned Thompson for his fifth pin of the day, winning his first career Leo J Championship.
Norwich finished second overall with their three champions and two runner-ups on top of the point scored in the earlier rounds, compiling for a final team score of 262. Sherburne-Earlville snagged a seventh place team finish with 131.5 points.
Both are in action on the mat again later this week.
dived wound factual legitimately delightful goodness fit rat some lopsidedly far when.
Slung alongside jeepers hypnotic legitimately some iguana this agreeably triumphant pointedly far
jeepers unscrupulous anteater attentive noiseless put less greyhound prior stiff ferret unbearably cracked oh.
So sparing more goose caribou wailed went conveniently burned the the the and that save that adroit gosh and sparing armadillo grew some overtook that magnificently that
Circuitous gull and messily squirrel on that banally assenting nobly some much rakishly goodness that the darn abject hello left because unaccountably spluttered unlike a aurally since contritely thanks