Wrestling: John Jay-East Fishkill, Somers/North Salem, Ossining lead Greeley divisionals
CHAPPAQUA - The Horace Greeley divisionals had it all, from traditional wrestling powerhouses, returning section champs and state-qualifiers, to other teams and wrestlers on the rise and aiming to make a statement.
However, Saturday also marked the beginning of the Section 1 wrestling postseason. Records and accomplishments went out the window, the only thing that mattered was securing a highly-coveted top-four placement in each weight class to qualify onto next week's Section 1 Division I championships at Arlington High School.
John Jay-East Fishkill led the way with 10 sectional qualifiers, followed by Somers/North Salem and Ossining right behind with nine each, then Fox Lane (8), Horace Greeley (7), Carmel (4), Mamaroneck (4), and Harrison (1).
While the Patriots are pleased with their growth after rebuilding the past couple of years, there's still further room for improvement.
"We didn't win any of our last (medal) matches, so we definitely have some work to do," John Jay coach Dale White said. "It should fire them up pretty good, they should come into sectionals with their head on their shoulders. They're not far off from everybody else. To drop them at the end like that is kind of disappointing, but it lit a fire under them and they should come back strong."
The Patriots had five finalists, but no individual title-winners.
"They did a lot of offseason training, so they're pretty strong," White said. "They just need the mental side of it, that confidence."
Ossining, who had nine qualifiers through to sectionals, also had the most individual title wins, with Colin Liebertz (102 pounds), Anthony Lofaro (152), Tristan Robinson-July (160) and first-year wrestler Marlon Wheatley (285) finishing on top.
"These guys have been working hard in the room all year, and we're just ready to peak at the right time, and I think we showed what we could do," Ossining coach Tom Larm said. "We can make some noise next week. The four champions, we're super proud of, but wrestlebacks are really where it counts as well, so we're excited."
One Ossining wrestler especially looking forward to sectionals is junior 152-pounder Anthony Lofaro.
Lofaro, a third-place finisher last season that fell short of states in an auto-qualifier match, has emerged as a contender for the 152-pound title. He almost didn't get a chance to wrestle due to an ankle injury from football season and doctors were skeptical he'd be able to make a return.
"It's been really good, I missed this sport a lot," Lofaro said. "I was gone for a while because of a football injury, but I'm back and I feel like I'm stronger than ever, and I'm ready to compete next Saturday. It's really just been a blessing."
Somers/North Salem also impressed, with nine qualifiers and two divisional champs in Ryan Ball (110) and Anthony Tucci (145).
Last season, the Tuskers only had four sectional qualifiers. They entered unheralded and were required to wrestle in the outbracket round of the Section 1 Dual Meet Tournament. They turned heads with an impressive deep run, but they've maintained success since then and have had plenty of breakout wrestlers.
Ball was the only Tusker to earn all-section last season, but expect more of his teammates to join him on the podium this season.
"Last year, COVID was really, really bad, and we hated it," Ball said. "Every time someone got COVID, it was a week out, and we couldn't get work in. Some people even had family members and stuff have it, and it got to their head. It was just cruel."
Now a front-runner for the 110-pound title, Ball isn't taking any of it for granted, nor does he plan on slowing down.
"I always just think in my mind, a quote I always say, 'Anyone can get beaten on any given day,'" said Ball of how he avoids complacency. "When you're undefeated and you always have a lot of pressure, and once you lose that pressure gets taken off. Just keep taking a couple deep breaths, and that's pretty much it."
While they've taken big strides throughout the year, the Tuskers are aiming to finish strong overall.
"I'm so proud of the team this year, the chemistry has been amazing," Tucci said. "Everything's just jumped up from last year, it's awesome seeing all the younger kids advance and all the seniors advance. It's awesome to see."
Winner's circle
Ossining led with four title-winners: Liebertz (102), Lofaro (152), Robinson-July (160) and Wheatley (285).
Fox Lane had the second-most champs, with Justin Gierum (126), Alex Berisha (189) and Nathan Brauning (215) leading their team. Berisha defeated Horace Greeley's Vinny Sasso with a second-period pin in a highly-anticipated bout.
Somers/North Salem had Ball (110) and Tucci (145), but Horace Greeley and Carmel each had a pair of title-winners. Kai Lueckerath (118) represented for the home crowd, and so did his teammate, Josh Hametz (132), who solidified his hold on the top spot with a win over 132-pound contender Evan Prine of John Jay-East Fishkill.
Carmel freshman Nikita Rusnak (138) won a back-and-forth finale and his teammate, defending section champ Leo Venables (172), also won a divisional title to top off his day, which also included his 100th win in the quarterfinals.
Follow Eugene Rapay on Twitter at @erapay5 and on Instagram at @byeugenerapay.
This article originally appeared on Rockland/Westchester Journal News: Wrestling: John Jay-EF, Somers, Ossining lead Greeley divisionals
