12 Lower Hudson Valley wrestlers place at 2023 New York State wrestling championships

ALBANY - The mental component of wrestling is just as important as the physical aspect, or the flashy records and accolades.

Only a select few go through a season undefeated and to be a state champion is an even more exclusive club, but once those state title aspirations are derailed, what happens next?

"Let's get the next best thing," Arlington junior Dillon Arrick, who battled back to take third in the state at 118 pounds. "I want to make the state finals, that's my goal next year, but once you lose, you just gotta leave it in the past and get the next best thing."

Day One: Five Lower Hudson Valley wrestlers upset their way to Day 2, state semis as low seeds

Division I (large-school): 2023 NYSPHSAA Division I complete round-by-round results

Division II (small-school): 2023 NYSPHSAA Division II complete round-by-round results

Wrestling: Lower Hudson Valley wrestlers aim to make a statement at states

For the second straight year, there were no Lower Hudson Valley state finalists, but 12 of them battled back to land on the podium and climb as high as they possible could, earning all-state honors.

Arrick, Ossining's Tristan Robinson-July, Nyack's Sam Szerlip, Carmel's Leo Venables, and the Iona Prep quintet of Paolo Ciatto, Sean Degl, Gabriel Garibaldi, Justin Shay and Max Watson, all placed in Division I.

In Division II, Hackley's Cole Joseph, Putnam Valley's Esuar Ordonez and Pearl River's Kevin O'Sullivan landed on the podium.

While the Lower Hudson Valley didn't get any state finalists, the future appears to be bright.

There were 26 wrestlers that reached the blood round, and 14 of them are slated to return next year. Unlike last season, when nine of the 11 all-state finishers also graduated.

"There was a lot of youth here, and that's special," Section 1 wrestling coordinator Jamie Block said. "But also, some of the seniors here basically lost a year of wrestling (due to COVID-19) and last year was a little wacky, since some schools had tremendous restrictions.

"There's a lot of youth, and one of the most exciting things was our certification numbers were very high this year, so that's exciting. Obviously, you gotta put in the extra time and extra work if you want to get up to this level, but I think the future is good for us."

Arrick, who also placed at states last season, earned his highest place-finish yet, taking third at 118 after winning a back-and-forth battle with Uniondale's Angel Banegas.

Trailing, 8-7, Arrick took down Banegas and pinned him in the final period.

"I'm just so happy, I had so much adversity this season, losing in Mid-Hudson, getting hurt at Eastern States and losing in the section finals," Arrick said. "I never let it get to my head, I wanted to win the next best thing, the next best match."

Arrick wasn't the only one to find redemption. Nyack's Szerlip found himself in a position to get revenge, when he and Carmel's Venables were slated to meet in the 172-pound third-place match.

After falling short of a section title, Szerlip built an early lead against Venables and hung on for a triumphant 10-8 win.

"That last match I had with him at sectionals two weeks ago, I just wasn't in the right mindset to wrestle," Szerlip said. "I was just happy I beat (Brewster's Ian) Sutherland after losing to him at divisionals and at that point, I was worn out mentally and emotionally. Today, I knew needed to beat him and I knew I could.

"Everybody wants to see how do you respond after a loss, I had time to think about it, but in the end, it was all over."

Outside of Section 1, Iona Prep finished its banner year with five all-state finishers. The Gaels finished second in team scoring, behind Section 9's Minisink Valley.

Third-place finisher at 132 pounds, Justin Shay helped lead the charge after taking his lone loss of the season in the state quarterfinals.

Shay battled back to take third, defeating Hewlett's Ariel Waldman, 5-3, in the consolation final.

"All the hard work paid off," Shay said. "It's great coming from having my first season ruined for COVID, my second season ruined for injury and to now, coming in third. … I kept saying, be tough, be tough and pulled it out."

Teammate Sean Degl also competed in the third-place match at 160, but fell in another close bout with top-seeded Connor Gregory of Ballston Spa, 3-2.

Watson finished his career with a win, taking fifth-place at 145, defeating Smithtown West's Kenny Leverich, 10-8.

Garibaldi finished in sixth at 285, and Ciatto rounded out the Gaels' place-finishers with an eighth-place showing at 138.

"Some of the guys, especially late, were broken but not beaten, and they came out and did everything they had to do to get wins and get us right up there to the top as a team," Iona Prep coach Tom Straehle said. "The culture has changed and it's just going to continue."

Ossining's Robinson-July ended his career on the podium, taking eighth at 160 after falling in a seventh-place match against Niagara Falls' Michael Syposs in a 6-2 bout.

In Division II, Hackley's Joseph and Pearl River's O'Sullivan also secured their first all-state distinction as seniors.

Joseph had already clinched a podium spot after reaching the semifinals at 138, and ultimately ended in sixth-place after a second-period pin in a rematch with Unatego-Unadilla Valley's Wyatt Meade.

Meanwhile, O'Sullivan battled back through the consolation bracket and took eighth at 160 in a closely-contested 3-2 bout with Letchworth's Chris Shearing.

Putnam Valley's Ordonez, a junior, will have something to build off for in the future. His career-best season culminated with all-state honors and an eighth-place finish at 126. He lost to Camden's Kolton Kelley in another close 3-2 bout in the seventh-place match.

"When you lose that first match either Friday or Saturday, you got to get upset, clean yourself up, get refocused and get back in there," Block said. "They all get it. Even in the matches they lost, every kid battled out there today, so they came with the right mindset and they should be nothing but proud of themselves."

Follow Eugene Rapay on Twitter at @erapay5 and on Instagram at @byeugenerapay

This article originally appeared on Rockland/Westchester Journal News: 12 Lower Hudson Valley wrestlers place at 2023 NYSPHSAA championships