This is Tuesday night's roundup with a few pictures from Monday night. Catholic Central girls soccer team defeated Schenectady, 3-1. The Crusaders (4-1-1, 10-3-1) kept pace with the Patriots (6-1-0, 9-4-0) in the Big 10 Conference standings.

At bottom, current Penn State head wrestling coach Cael Sanderson, who is the only wrestler to complete four years of NCAA action with four individual titles and not a single defeat, also appeared at a clinic at Shenendehowa High School Monday afternoon.

All photos were taken by Mike McMahon - The Record.

SCHUYLERVILLE -- Mollie Gilchrist scored two goals and added an assist for the Hoosic Valley High School girls soccer team in a 3-1 Wasaren League victory over Schuylerville Tuesday night.
Janelle Stannard tallied the Indians’ other goal.
Laura Capobianco scored the Horses’ (7-4-0, 8-4-1) lone goal.
Samantha Carlo made 15 saves in net for Hoosic Valley (10-2-0, 12-2-0).

Burnt Hills 4, Niskayuna 0: Jess Lyden paced the Lady Spartans (11-3) with two goals and an assist while Bryony Striffler added a goal and two helpers in a Suburban Council tilt. Nicole DeCresente chipped in with a goal and an assist for Burnt Hills.
Shenendehowa 6, Ballston Spa 1: The Plainsmen cruised to a Suburban Council win behind two goals and an assist from Shannon McMillan. Kristin Connors, Madeline Mylod, Ali Lewis and Danielle Rizzicone added single goals for the Lady Plainsmen.
Sarah Chandler tallied a goal for the Scotties.
Heatly 6, Rensselaer 1: Alexi Anderson, Angelica DeCianni, Melissa Heffern and Jessica Strizzi notched single goals for Heatly in a CHVL win. Elora Repula scored Rensselaer’s only goal.
Berlin 5, New Lebanon 0: Maria Gordon and Brianna Stowell sparked the Mountaineer offense with two goals each. Rachel Ferries accounted for Berlin’s other goal. Lauren Sears stopped 15 shots for New Lebanon in the loss.
CCHS 4, Amsterdam 0: The Lady Crusaders improved to 5-1-1 in the Big 10 and 10-3-1 overall after a league victory. Gia Sergovich, Gabby Maninfilo, Kelsey Moss and Julie McNeff registered single goals for CCHS.
Hoosick Falls 5, Salem 0: Samantha Scott tallied a goal and two assists to lead the Panthers, who had five different players score in a non-league romp. Ashley Constantino, Karley Morin, Alyssa Schneider and Emily Hoag added single goals for Hoosick Falls (7-1, 15-1).
Mackenzie Dumas made 30 saves in net for Salem (0-7).
Troy 2, Lake George 1: Morgan Avery and Lissi Vink-Lanias scored a goal each for the Flying Horses in a non league victory. Caroline Murphy scored the lone goal for Lake George.

Boys Soccer
CCHS 2, Amsterdam 0: Edwin Asena put the Crusaders on the board on a goal set up by Giacomo Giglio. The Crusaders second score came on an Amsterdam own goal. Charlie Farrell stopped four shots to earn the shutout while Jon Toper made 11 saves for Amsterdam.
Cairo-Durham 2, Greenville 1 (2 OT): Andy Fishman’s shot trickled into the net with one second remaining in the second overtime to give the Mustangs a thrilling victory over its cross-town rival. James Tschinkel put the Spartans up 20 minutes into the match before Fishman tied it at one off a corner kick.
Albany Academy 3, Fonda 2: Peter Lobel and Nick Abel scored goals four minutes apart to secure a Colonial Council victory for the Cadets. Jordan Newton put Academy on the board in the 16th minute. Erik Franklin and Tom Lyons kept Fonda in the game with a goal each.
Mechanicville 2, Ravena 2 (OT): Mark Gaetano notched two goals to pace the Red Raiders in a Colonial Council draw. Danny Benvenutti and Kenny Fuqua tallied single goals for Ravena. Caleb Foard stopped nine shots in net for Mechanicville.
Ichabod Crane 5, Cohoes 1: The Riders soundly defeated the Tigers in a Colonial Council match on two goals by Bernie Watts and a goal each by Tyler Jablanski, Ricardo Cruz and Mitchell Niemeyer. Mohammed Rasoully tallied the Tigers only goal while Ryan Laughlin made six saves in net.
Schalmont 2, Voorheesville 1: Zack Saccocio scored the game-winning goal for the Sabres in a Colonial Council victory over the Blackbirds.
Mohonasen 6, Averill Park 1: Attilio Tebano, Chris Parisi, Connor McDermott, Shane Connell and Keith Park registered singles goals for the Mighty Warriors in a Suburban Council rout. Nick Hess scored Averill Park’s lone goa.
Bethlehem 3, Colonie 2: The Eagles held on for a Suburban Council victory to bring its season mark to 11-1. Pat Gunty tallied two goals and Zach Rockmore scored the Eagles final goal. Tommy Osipitan and Mossimo Smiroldo accounted for Colonie’s two scores.
Niskayuna 2, Burnt Hills 0: Ryan Tauss scored on a drive from ten yards out in the 22nd minute to put the Silver Warriors on top in a Suburban Council match. Monil Patel tallied Niskayuna’s second goal and Ahmad Salamah stopped five shots in net.
Matt Horan made seven saves in goal for the Spartans.

Girls Volleyball
Troy High 4, Bishop Gibbons 1: The Flying Horses (9-1, 12-1) dropped the first set 23-25, before rallying to post scores of 25-15, 25-15, and 25-21 in the final three sets. Rachel Martin had seven kills while Lauren Cooney added four kills and five digs. Vanessa Addo chipped in with three blocks and three kills for Troy.
Gibbons was led by Caroline Bouchard’s 11 service points, three aces and 14 digs while Alexandra Gosh dished out 16 assists and smashed 13 digs.
Berlin 3, New Lebanon 0: Sarah Bentley scored eight service points, 12 aces and five kills in a CHVL victory for the Moutaineers (2-7, 3-12) by scores of 25-10, 25-11 and 25-10. Brandy Morine added five service points, four aces and two digs for Berlin. Sarah Eaton led New Lebanon with two kills and three digs.
Maple Hill 3, Catskill 0: Maple Hill remains unbeaten in the Patroon Conference at 13-0 after a three game sweep of Catskill by scores of 25-12, 25-17 and 25-8.
Bethlehem 3, Colonie 0: The Lady Eagles (12-2, 13-2) swept Colonie with scores of 25-11, 25-9 and 25-20 in a Suburban Council match. Kat Rice registered 10 kills, four service aces and one block while Lydia Loy-Santelli dished out 25 assists for Bethlehem.
Stephanie Reinhart led Colonie with two service aces and six assists and Emily Finlan added five kills.

Boys Cross Country
Lansingburgh 24, Cohoes 34: The Knights captured a Colonial Council 2.5 mile race at Lansingburgh High with C.J. Sousis crossing the line first in 13:26. Johnny SotoMoya was second for Cohoes in 14:15. Lansingburgh’s Albert Scardera was third in 14:18.
Hudson 23, Maple Hill 34: Hudson’s Brendan Connor came in first in 17:34 while teammate Patrick LaChance was second in 17:54 and Zac Sohotra was third in 18:08.
Shaker wins Suburban dual: Jon Vallacorsa finished Colonie Town Park’s 3.1 mile course in 15:33.90 for Shaker, who defeated Shenenedehowa 16-45 and Ballston Spa 15-50. Christian Delago was second in 15:54.70 and Mike Libruk was third in 15:55.30 for the Blue Bison.
Suburban dual at Colonie: Columbia’s Kyle Gronostaj completed the 4860-meter course at the Crossings of Colonie in 15:58.84 for first place. Andrew Coy was second in 16:16.41 for Guilderland, who beat Colonie 25-31 and Columbia 24-37. Colonie’s Ed Bronn was third in 20.81.
Colonial Council dual: Cobleskill’s Mike Lape captured a top time of 13:46 at Schalmont High’s 2.25 mile course. Xavier Baggetta finished just one second behind to lead Schuylerville. Mike Suchacki was third in 13:53 for Cobleskill. Albany Academy’s top finisher was Peter Schmitz-Morfe who was fourth in 13:55.

Girls Cross Country
Cohoes 22, Lansingburgh 37: Jessica Ayotte and Lydia Dawes finished 21 seconds apart in a Colonial Council victory for Cohoes at Lansingburgh’s 2.5 mile course. Blair Meeson finished third in 16:59 for the Lady Knights.
Maple Hill 19, Hudson inc: Hannah Riordan finished in first place in a time of 20:53 to lead Maple Hill while Kelsey Oglesby was second in 21:07. McKenzie Colwell was Hudson’s top finisher in third with a time of 21:50.
Blue Bison take dual meet: Christine Coughlin was the top finisher in a Suburban Council dual meet at Colonie Town Park. She completed the 3.1 mile course in 19:52.30 while Marianna Lansing was second in 19:53.20 and Shannon Lavender third in 19:55.00 for Shaker.
Colonie wins division: Colonie’s Kaylee Scott completed the 4860-meter course at the Crossings of Colonie in 18:51.75 for a first place finish. The Lady Red Raiders defeated Columbia 26-33 and Guilderland 25-30 to capture the Southern Division with an 8-3 mark.
Columbia’s Anna Boughtwood was second in 18:53.84 and Guilderland’s Jenna Robinson finished third in 18:58.96.
Colonial Council dual: Larissa Melendez was first in the 2.25 mile race in a time of 15:19 while teammate Marisa Hitchcock was second with a time of 15:37 for Cobleskill. Morgan Waitosik was third in 16:05 to pace Albany Academy.

Girls Swimming
Guilderland 88, Bethlehem 98: Jenna Bickel paced the Lady Dutch with first place victories in the 50 freestyle in a time of 24.81 and the 100 backstroke in 57.38. Bethany Powhida was the Lady Eagles top swimmer, winning the 200 individual medley in 2:13.29 and the 100 butterfly in 1:01.08.
Burnt Hills 90, Saratoga Springs 72: Kelly Ludeke was tops in the 200 freestyle with a time of 2:07.57 and the 500 freestyle in 5:50.75 to pace the Lady Spartans. Mary Katherine Rice won the 100 backstroke in 1:08.31 while Sabrina Daoui captured the 100 breastroke in 1:23.84 to lead Saratoga.
Shenendehowa 112, Niskayuna 74: Olivia Samson finished first in the 200 freestyle with a time of 1:55.17 and the 100 freestyle in 53.26 for the Lady Plainsmen. Kina Zhou paced Niskayuna with first place finishes in the 200 individual medley in 2:08.32 and the 100 butterfly in 59.19.
Gloversville-Mayfield 110, Scotia-Glenville 66: Justine Woodend completed the 100 freestyle in 55.83 and the 50 freestyle in 26.00 for first place for Gloversville-Mayfield. Gabriana Beckford took the top spot in the 200 individual medley in a time of 2:18.07 and was second in the 100 freestyle with a time of 55.88 to lead the Lady Tartans.

Cael Sanderson addresses a group of young wrestlers at a clinic Monday afternoon at Shenendehowa High School.

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I've posted the Section II wrestling BEDS numbers in a Scribd document below. It will tell you which class each school has been assigned to for the 2010-11 season.

Here are some important dates for the upcoming season:

Nov. 8th - season start date

Nov. 20th -certifications

Feb. 5th - Class sectionals

Feb. 11-12th - Section II tournament at Glens Falls Civic Center

Feb. 25-26th - New York State Public High School Athletic Association Tournament (Albany)

Section II wrestling BEDS 2010-2011

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Thanks to the efforts of Frank Popolizio, Journeymen Wrestling club founder and director, Section II wrestling coaches will have two outstanding guests at their upcoming preseason meeting.

Cael Sanderson, who finished an undefeated collegiate career at Iowa State with a victory in the NCAA championships at the Pepsi Arena in Albany, and also won an Olympic gold medal in 2004, will join Casey Cunningham at the Section II coaches meeting in October. Sanderson is now the head wrestling coach at Penn State. Cunningham, a former standout wrestler himself at Central Michigan, assisted Sanderson last season at Penn State.

The starting date for wrestling this fall is November 8.

CAEL SANDERSON

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Section II wrestling chairman George Chickanis sent out a few emails this morning detailing a number of national rule changes that will kick in at the beginning of the 2010-11 season. I suppose the NYSPHSAA can make its own rules and decide not to adopt these.

• Regarding the "suitable undergarment" rule for weigh-ins, the standards have been relaxed to better protect the privacy of wrestlers.

• The committee also addressed the process for an offensive wrestler assuming a legal starting position. The following statement has been added to Rule 5-20-9: “Once the offensive wrestler has assumed a legal starting position and is stationary, the referee shall verbally say ‘set’ and then pause momentarily before starting wrestling.”
• 1. “This rule change will eliminate either wrestler gaining an advantage by using a rolling start,” Bob Colgate, the assistant director of the National Federation of High School Athletic Associations, said. “It also eliminates the need for the offensive wrestler using a specific sequence when assuming a legal starting position, including the optional offensive starting position.”

• Effective with the 2010-11 high school wrestling season, any contestant who shows signs, symptoms or behaviors consistent with a concussion shall be removed immediately from the match and shall not return to competition until cleared by an appropriate health-care professional. The previous rule directed officials to remove an athlete from competition if “apparently unconscious.” The previous rule also allowed for return to competition based on written authorization by a medical doctor.

• The Wrestling Rules Committee also added the “rear-standing, double-knee kickback” to the list of illegal maneuvers. Colgate said this maneuver, which is being used more frequently at the high school level, clearly puts the opposing wrestler in a dangerous situation and at a high risk for injury.

• One notable non-change will be in the breakdown of the 14 weight classes. Those will remain the same.

• Here is a fun fact for good measure. Wrestling is the sixth-most popular sport for boys at the high school level with 267,378 participants in 10,254 schools during the 2008-09 season, according to the NFHS Athletics Participation Survey. In addition, 6,025 girls were involved in wrestling in 1,034 high schools.

• Here was a note from the NYSPHSAA meeting minutes: Concerns about multi-bout dual meet tournaments that “rich are getting richer” as not everyone can attend these tournaments. After discussion in attempt to be pro-active, motion by Eric Romanino-1 to cap the number of 2-day dual meet tournaments to a maximum of two. In Favor: Sections: 1,2,3,4,5,6,8,11 Against: Sections: 9,10 No Vote: 7.
  

Watervliet/Loudonville Christian School's Brian Walsh, seen here with his face to the mat in the New York State Championships this February in Albany, was named a first team Colonial Council All-Star. (Photo by Tom Killips).

First team

(96 pounds) John Delaney, Sr., Watervliet
(103) Fred Pechette, 7th grader, Ravena
(112) Will Richards, Sr., Lansingburgh
(119) Donny Radliff, Jr., Cobleskill
(125) Taylor Treadgold, Sr., Voorheesville
(130) Andy Lyman, Jr., Ravena
(135) Kyle DiCaprio, Sr., Albany Academy
(140) Brian Walsh, Jr., Watervliet/Loudonville Christian
(145) Jean Gomez, Soph., Schalmont
(152) Josh Harrison, Sr., Mechanicville
(160) Dave Kohls, Sr., Mechanicville
(171) Chad Obzud, Sr., Lansingburgh
(189) Vince Gallo, Sr., Schalmont
(215) Tim Fensterer, Sr., Mechanicville
(285) Don Case, Soph., Voorheesville

Second team

(96) Connor Franzese, Fresh., Cohoes
(103) Cameron Milliken, 8th grader, Albany Academy
(112) Nick Gallo, 7th grader, Schalmont
(119) Nick DiCaprio, Jr., Albany Academy
(125) Drew Oligney, Soph., Lansingburgh
(130) Paul Billings, Sr., Cohoes
(135) Chris Disonell, Jr., Cohoes
(140) Jesse Maher, Jr., Ravena
(145) Barry Freitas, Sr., Ravena
(152) Josh Veshia, Soph., Watervliet
(160) Joel Murray, Sr., Cobleskill
(171) Dustin Hallock, Jr., Cohoes
(189) Renel Potter, Sr., Albany Academy
(215) John Cipriani, Sr., Schalmont
(285) Mike Castle, Sr., Watervliet

--As submitted by Schalmont's John Vishneowski

Front row, L to R: Steven Cohan, Nathaniel Palmer, Brendan Miller and Adam Mimms.

Back Row, L to R: Karl Palmer, Brad Burns, Matt Fogarty and Walter Foster.
(Photo submitted by Stephen Palmer)

Granville topped the Wasaren League with a total of six wrestlers named to the 2009-10 All-Stars. Headlining for The Golden Horde and the League was Karl Palmer at 140 lbs. Palmer went 44-5 last season, winning the Section II Division 2 title. He also won a Section II Class C crown and the League Invitational Title including Lightweight MOW.

In addition to Palmer, Granville’s Steven Cohan (96), Nathaniel Palmer (103), Brendan Miller (125), Eric Hastings (215) and Walter Foster (285) earned All-Star honors. Eric Hastings won Class C title and fourth in Section II Division 2. Cohan, N. Palmer, B. Miller and Foster all were first runners up in the Class C tournament.

Dual Meet Team Champion, Tamarac, had three All-Stars, as Jake Oswald (145), Nick Knauer (171) and Joe Hulsebosch (189) made the cut. Oswald was Class C Champion and Section II Division 2 runner-up as well League Invy Champion with MOW for heavyweights, who went to the State Finals as a wild card.

Schuylerville had two lightweights Jake Anderson (119) and Sarah Anderson (112) who finished undefeated 32-0 as a Class C Champion but was unable to finish the season due to a shoulder injury in her title match.

Finishing the rest of the weight classes were Cambridge’s Adam Mimms (130), Josh Peabody (135)and Hoosick Falls’ Brad Burns (152) and Matt Fogarty (160).

Five wrestlers joined the 'Century Club' earning over 100 career wins: Sarah Anderson (132), Josh Peabody (124), Karl Palmer (139), Jake Oswald (122) and Walter Foster (103).

--
Click below to see the full spreadsheet of stats sent to us by Granville head coach Stephen Palmer.
Wasaren League wrestling All-Stars 2009-10

Troy's Kevin Phillips hangs in midair as Christian Brothers Academy's Kameron Ritter (left) and Troy's Javion Ogunyemmi (right) look on during Saturday's Section II Class AA quarterfinal at Hudson Valley Community College. (All photos by Tom Killips - The Record).

Troy High played pretty inspired defense Saturday night, holding CBA to 36 points at the midway point of the fourth quarter. The problem was, Troy had only scored 26 points with four minutes to go and the offense never got on track against the Brothers.

The Flying Horses shot themselves in the foot a number of times on offense, missing layups and failing to catch passes on the baseline, giving the ball back to CBA. Troy also shot a dismal 8-of-21 from the free throw line, as they lost to CBA, 45-29.

"We were where we wanted to be and we executed our gameplan defensively," said Troy High head coach Jeff Sitterly. "We actually executed offensively pretty well, too. We didn’t make free throws and we missed a couple of easy shots, but that’s basketball. When you play against good teams in this environment, as a young team, that stuff happens."

Troy High's Kareem Brown drives into CBA's Galal Cancer during a Section II Class AA quarterfinal game at Hudson Valley Community College in Troy.

Troy's trio of big men - Javion Ogunyemmi, Kareem Brown and Greg Williams - certainly did the trick defensively, preventing the Brothers from slashing them to pieces inside and scoring easy points at the rim.

"I think that was probably our toughest game," said CBA senior Kam Ritter, who finished with a game-high 18 points. "I think we made one three and I think we made one jumpshot the whole game. We really had to step up our defense to win this one."

The Brothers will have to make some quick adjustments for Tuesday's Class AA semifinal against Albany High. The Falcons scored 82 points against Queensbury Saturday afternoon, doing most of that without point guard Jeremic Bennett, who ran into foul trouble early in the first half.
Amari Gaddy exploded for 29 points, banking three-pointers from the wings and slashing his way to the basket for three-point plays.

"I think we match up a little better against Albany size-wise," Ritter said. "But what Albany lacks in size, they make up in running the floor, so we’re going to have to work on that in practice tomorrow."

"Albany is all about the quickness and transition game," said CBA head coach Dave Doemel. "They present you problems with athleticism. That’s another challenge and you have to redirect your thought process."

CBA senior Kameron Ritter, who scored a game-high 18 points, slashes his way to the rim past Troy freshman Javion Ogunyemmi during Sautrday's Section II playoff game at HVCC.

Unlike many teams to exit the locker rooms Saturday at Hudson Valley Community College, the Flying Horses were neither ebullient nor bawling their eyes out. This is a young group that knows the pressure will mount on them to perform in the future. Everything they were able to accomplish this season was gravy - as long as they were learning and making progress each step of the way.

As long as everyone returns next season (and with no seniors, that's possible) the Flying Horses could be expected to slide into the No. 3 spot in the Big 10 and do something along the lines of what Albany High did this season.

But, as head coach Jeff Sitterly said, the sky is the limit, only if the players realize they put in the work to get there.

"We’re excited. I know they’re going to work hard in the offseason," Sitterly said. "I know they’re going to do the things we’re asking them to do and that we’re going to get better. I expect to be a very good team next year. I don’t expect anything less. That’s what we’ve worked really hard for and now is the time to do it. No more excuses. No more using ‘we’re a young team’ as an excuse."

--

I took a bit of video Saturday afternoon and posted the results on YouTube.

I know, I know, I know...I should have had the full video for Phil Neumann's game-winning shot, but this whole video thing is new to me and it slipped my mind while it was being set up. You have to understand the game was 27-25 SGF at this point with four seconds to go and no one had hit a shot all game and I think almost everyone in the gym was just waiting for it finally to be over.

The BH-BL kids piled up right in front of me and my first instinct was to reach for the camera I had been neglecting all game.

A big congratulations to the Spartans and their head coach George Dudas - my former P.E. teacher - in an ugly, ugly win over the Bulldogs. Hopefully they can clean up their offensive effort by the time they reach the Civic Center.

I also grabbed some images of Troy High's starting lineup and the opening tip against CBA.

Our corporate chain is supposedly outfitting all reporters with videocameras, but I haven't got mine yet. I'm just doing this with a basic point-and-shoot digital, so hopefully you like the videos and they will be coming more frequently - and with better production - in the future.

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For more on Saturday's Class AA games, click the replay button on the chat window in the post below this.

Shen defeated Schenectady 70-46 in the final game of the evening.

In other boys hoops news:
Cobleskill and Catskill advanced to Sunday's quad of Class B quarterfinals at Hudson Valley.

Sunday, February 28
BOYS BASKETBALL
Class B quarterfinals at Hudson Valley Community College
4 Catskill vs. 5 Johnstown, 1 p.m.
3 Schuylerville vs. 6 Schenectady Christian, 2:30 p.m.
2 Watervliet vs. 7 Broadalbin-Perth, 4 p.m.
9 Cobleskill vs. 1 Fonda, 5:30 p.m.
Class C Opening Round
Berne-Knox at Maple Hill, 6:30 p.m.
Class D Opening Round
Whitehall at Sharon Springs, 4 p.m.

I'll be blogging live when Watervliet takes on the defending Section II Class B champion, Broadalbin-Perth.

In Class C, Hoosick Falls and Voorheesville advanced, setting up a semifinal showdown on Wednesday in Glens Falls. Voorheesville's Ethan Mackey scored his 1,000th career point in the victory over Canajoharie.

Maple Hill will try to play Berne Sunday afternoon, and the Wildcats and the Bulldogs are holding up the other side of the bracket, stuck in the opening round. Will a rush of games in a short span harm Maple Hill's chances of repeating a Section II champions?

In Class D, No. 1 seed Argyle handed No. 8 Heatly a 73-52 loss in the quarters.

In girls action, Shaker toppled Albany 63-60 in overtime, setting up a Class AA semifinal rematch with South Colonie.

The Catholic Central girls beat Bethlehem, meaning they'll meet Shenendehowa in the other semi.

The Averill Park and Holy Names teams continued their march to a meeting in the Class A final.

Greenwich and Lake George moved on in Class C.

Brian Walsh, a junior at the Loudonville Christian School who wrestles for the Watervliet High team, is pinned to the mat during Saturday's New York State semifinal against Tioga's Derak Hyeman in a Division II 140-pound semifinal at Times Union Center. Walsh placed fifth overall.

Our Chris Fitz Gerald was at the state wrestling finals and here is an excerpt from his story:

A pair of Watervliet/Loudonville Christian seniors - Brian Walsh and John Delaney - both wrestled back to place fifth and sixth, respectively, in Division II - marking the first time in the program's history that two wrestlers placed at states in the same meet.

Walsh endured a disappointing start to his day, after falling in the Division semifinal round at 140 pounds. Seeded fifth and coming off an emotional 4-3 quarterfinal victory over Karl Palmer of Granville, Walsh was soundly beaten in his semifinal, 11-0, by eventual finalist Derak Heyman (Tioga-IV).

"I’m happy with how I wrestled that match than the other two today," Walsh said. "In my first match, I was against a stud; he’s a real tough kid. But in the second match, I was just in a funk. I wasn’t wrestling like myself and didn’t feel like I was doing my best - so I was real frustrated."

After dropping a 3-1 decision to Devin Kramer (Depew-VI) in a consolation match, Walsh bounced back to record a 9-3 victory over Kris Shirley (Sandy Creek-III) to claim fifth place.

"I focused on my next match and got it done," said Walsh, who equaled the school record for wins in a season with 45, a mark he achieved last season. "It’s nice to finish on a winning note."
Delaney, the top-seed at 96 pounds, recovered from a first-round loss on Friday to finalist Drew Longo (Ardsley-I) to finish sixth.

After receiving a bye, Delaney went on a tear in the consolation bracket, recording a pair of major decisions - 12-2 over Eddie Hutschenreuter (Alden-VI) and an 11-3 triumph over Taylor Jones of (Palmyra-Macedon-V).

Delaney then was beaten by Dillon Stowell (Gouverneur-X), 10-4 was edged out 9-7 in the fifth-place match by John Aslanian (Edgemont-I).

"I’m happy with this," Delaney said of both his and Walsh’s finishes. "Even though we would have liked to do better, this means a lot for the program."

"I had some tough matches, but I’m happy to finish strong like this," Delaney said. "That first loss was a tough one and I then just tried to make the best of it."

Shenendehowa's John Belanger, a contender at 135 pounds in the Division I bracket, finished third overall.

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Check out Sunday's edition of The Record for stories on Troy High boys basketball, Averill Park boys basketball and the state wrestling finals.

Our Chris Fitz Gerald is covering the action from the NYSPHSAA Wrestling Championships today in Albany, but here is a list of how our local grapplers fared so far on Day One.

For updates, click here to see a PDF of the Division I brackets from www.armdrag.com

Division I
103 pounds - Shaker's Blake Retel lost by technical fall early in the morning.

112 - La Salle's Brendan Goldup advanced to the quarterfinals, but dropped a 9-1 decision.

125 - La Salle's Connor Sutton was pinned in his quarterfinal match.

135 - La Salle's Jon Clemente lost a first round decision to Mexico's James Loomis, 6-3.

171 - Lansingburgh's Chad Obzud moved on with a victory by technical fall. Obzud then lost a 5-2 decision to Wantagh's Joe Kavanaugh in the quarterfinals. Obzud can still finish as the No. 3 wrestler in the state with a strong performance in the loser's bracket.


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For updates to the Division II brackets, click here to see a PDF maintained by www.armdrag.com

Division II

96 pounds - Watervliet's John Delaney, the No. 1 seed, advanced to the quarterfinals, but lost a 14-5 decision to Ardsley's Drew Longo.

140 - Watervliet/Loudonville Christian's Brian Walsh scored a 4-3 rematch victory over Granville's Karl Palmer in the quarterfinals. Palmer had topped Walsh in the Section II finals a few weeks ago. A season ago, Walsh defeated Palmer in the 135-pound Section II title match to advance to the states.

Walsh will face Tioga's Derak Heyman in a semifinal match Saturday morning.

145 - Tamarac's Jake Oswald was pinned 1:41 into his first match against the No. 2 seed.

152 - Mechanicville's Josh Harrison was knocked out in the quarterfinals.

171 - Cohoes' Dustin Hallock was pinned in his first match.

189 - Schalmont's Vince Gallo is still going strong into the semifinals.

285 - Mechanicville's Sam Chase was bumped out in the quarterfinals.

Update, 6:40 p.m.:
Only three local wrestlers will still be alive in their pursuit of a state title Saturday morning.
In Division I, Shenendehowa's John Belanger is still going at 135 pounds.
In Division II, Watervliet/Loudonville Christian's John Delaney will be going strong at 140.

Other Section II reps wrestling tomorrow in semis include Giuseppe Lanzi (Amsterdam, 152), Zeal McGrew (285, Burnt Hills), Andy Lyman (130, Ravena), Vince Gallo (Schalmont, 189) and Nick Gwiazdowski (Duanesburg, 215).

Watervliet High School senior John Delaney (pictured above) will be the No. 1 seed in the 96 pound bracket at the 2009-10 New York State Public High School Athletic Association Division II championships this upcoming Friday and Saturday in Albany. (Photo by J.S. Carras - The Record).

The New York State Public High School Athletic Association released the pairings Saturday afternoon for the NYS wrestling tournament to be held in Albany this upcoming Friday and Saturday.

Click here to see a PDF of the complete Division I brackets.

Local Division I seeds:

103 pounds - Blake Retel, Shaker - No. 13
112 - Brendon Goldup, La Salle - No. 6
125 - Connor Sutton, La Salle - No. 4
135 - Jonathan Clemente, La Salle - No. 8
171 - Chad Obzud, Lansingburgh - No. 10

Click here to see a PDF of the complete Division II brackets.

Local Division II seeds:

96 pounds - John Delaney, Watervliet - No. 1
140 - Brian Walsh, Loudonville Christian/Watervliet - No. 5
145 - Jake Oswald, Tamarac - No. 15
152 - Josh Harrison, Mechanicville - No. 8
171 - Dustin Hallock, Cohoes - No. 11
285 - Sam Chase, Mechanicville - No. 3

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La Salle Institute freshman Brendan Goldup gets limber during a pre-practice drill Thursday afternoon at Shenendehowa High School. He will be the No. 6 seed in the 2009-10 New York State Division I 112-pound bracket. (Photos by J.S. Carras - The Record).

La Sallle is sending a trio of wrestlers to the 2010 New York State Public High School Athletic Association Championships this weekend in Albany.

Freshman Brendan Goldup was the Section II Division II champion at 96 pounds a season ago at Schuylerville, transferring to La Salle this fall.

Sophomore Connor Sutton, the fourth son La Salle head coach Jim Sutton has seen come through the La Salle program, will be the No. 4 seed at 125 pounds.

Junior Jon Clemente, who has had brothers and cousins see great success before at the state meet, will be the No. 8 seed at 135 pounds.

"I don’t look as it being, ‘What a great thing we did winning Section II," Jim Sutton said. "I want more than that and they know that the other kids here have had a tradition of giving more than that.
"For a lot of kids, their true goal might just be going to the states. My kids know that’s not good enough."

For the full story, make sure to check out Sunday's edition of The Record.

Also be sure to check the paper and the blog for upcoming stories on Watervliet's John Delaney, a No. 1 seed, and a story on the duo of Cohoes' Dustin Hallock and Lansingburgh's Chad Obzud, former teammates reunited in preparation for the state meet.

La Salle's Jon Clemente works on a carry drill Thursday afternoon at Shenendehowa.

I will open the high school sports chat at 4 p.m. this afternoon and keep it open until 11 p.m. or so. Click on the play button below to join the action.

I'm open to any topics, especially the upcoming New York State wrestling championships and the first round of the Section II boys and girls basketball playoffs.

Shaker Junior High School's Blake Retel takes a breather during the Section II wrestling practice Thursday afternoon at Shenendehowa High School. An eighth grader, Retel won the Section II Division I championship last week in Glens Falls, becoming the first wrestler from Shaker to qualify for the state meet since the 1996-97 season. (Photos by J.S. Carras - The Record).

Blake Retel isn't waiting his turn, which is just fine with Shaker wrestling head coach Dan Gibson.

The No. 3 seed in the 2009-10 Section II Division I tournament at 103 pounds, Retell had a long road if he wanted to reach the finals.
First, he pinned South Glens Falls' Josh Schiedecker in 0:33 seconds.
Second, he pinned Columbia's Usman Hafeez in 4:51.
In the semifinals, he scored a 9-7 overtime decision over Queensbury's Josh St. John to advance to the finals against No. 1 seeded Cody Mosley of Averill Park.
In the finals, Retel rallied from an early 2-0 deficit to post a 6-4 decision, becoming the first wrestler from Shaker to advance to the state meet since the 1996-97 season.

"If there has been a wrestling program in the area, he’s gone to it," Gibson said. "He started off wrestling at Colonie in their youth program. He’s gone to East Greenbush and their youth program. North Colonie. Mini Men. Wherever they let him in, he’ll wrestle."

Thursday afternoon, he practiced with the best of the best from Section II at Shenendehowa as they prepared for the state meet together. Retel may be much younger than most of his counterparts, but Gibson thinks he's already matured in the mental aspect of the sport.

"I’ll tell you one thing: he’ll have no regrets," Gibson said. "Whatever he does, he’ll go after everybody. He won’t take a backseat to anybody. Eighth grade or not, he goes after people."

La Salle's Brendan Goldup (left), the Section II representative at 96 pounds a season ago, grapples with Shaker's Blake Retel during Thursday's practice at Shenendehowa.

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This is the first in a series of posts featuring the local high school wrestlers who have qualified for the NYSPHSAA meet in Albany on Feb. 26 and 27. We will try to have a story in the paper (and some notes here on the blog) every day from now until Friday the 26th, day of the opening ceremonies.

The at-large bids for the New York State wrestling tournament were announced this afternoon.

Five locals, runners-up in the Section II meet, will be heading to states as at-large grapplers. Here are the Section II winners are the local at-large bids.

Division I winners
(96) Brandon Lapi (Amsterdam); (103) Blake Retel (Shaker); (112) Brandon Goldup (La Salle); (119) Nick Kelley (Shenendehowa); (125) Connor Sutton (La Salle); (130) Jason Chudzinski (Colonie); (135) John Belanger (Shenendehowa); (140) Seth Hazelton (Shenendehowa); (145) Alex Espina (Niskayuna); (152) Giuseppi Lanzi (Amsterdam); (160) Zach Zovistoski (Colonie); (171) Chad Obzud (Lansingburgh); (189) Tony Fusco (Queensbury); (215) John Acors (Burnt Hills-Ballston Lake); (285) Zeal McGrew (BH-BL).

Division II winners
(96) John Delaney (Watervliet); (103) Zach Marcel (Corinth); (112) Noah Valastro (Hudson Falls); (119) Donny Radliff (Cobleskill-Richmondville); (125) Curt Thompson (Whitehall); (130)
Andy Lyman (Ravena-Coeymans-Selkirk); (135) Tyler Nicholson (Corinth); (140) Karl Palmer (Granville); (145) Aaron Dudley (Hudson Falls); (152) Josh Harrison (Mechanicville); (160) Travis Beayon (Whitehall); (171) Zach Diekel (Whitehall); (189) Vinny Gallo (Schalmont); (215)
Nick Gwiazdowski (Duanesburg); (285) Sam Chase (Mechanicville).

Local at-large bids
(103) Cody Mosley (Averill Park)
(171) Dustin Hallock (Cohoes)
(135) Jon Clemente (La Salle)
(145) Jake Oswald (Tamarac)
(140) Brian Walsh (Watervliet)

Lansingburgh High School senior Chad Obzud make wrestling history again for the Knights Saturday night, becoming the first grappler in school history to win a Section II individual title. (Photo by J.S. Carras - The Record).

Chad Obzud, the No. 2 seed, faced upset special Joe Shell, the No. 5 seed from South Colonie, in Saturday's Division I 171-pound final.
Shell defeated No. 1 seed, Saratoga Springs' Ford Plowman, in the semifinals.

Obzud's only loss in the weight class this season was to Plowman and he was looking forward to a rematch ever since winning the Section II Class B title a week ago. But his eyes widened when he learned Shell was marching in the final match.

"I was looking forward to wrestling Plowman again, but I knew this kid was better than Ford Plowman," Obzud said. "I knew he was. When I saw him get it, I wasn’t surprised. I was looking forward to a tougher match."

Shell, who carried a 46-5 record into the match against Obzud's 42-3 mark, battled Lansingburgh's finest every step of the way. Obzud led 3-2 after one period, scoring one point late in the period. Obzud was millimeters away from a pin on two occasions in the second period, but the official did not grant him the opportunity, so the 3-2 score carried over into the third.
Obzud went up 5-2 thirty seconds in, but a Shell reversal made it 5-4 with 1:24 remaining. Obzud scored a quick two points at the 1:05 mark, but Shell scored one at 0:50, making it 7-6. Shell scored again with 14 seconds left, making it a 7-6 match. Off the ensuing setup, Obzud scored two points, making it 9-6 and he just rode it out for the victory.

"Every weight in the world is lifted off these shoulders," he said. "I’m way up in the clouds and I’m not coming down."

Not only were his Lansingburgh coaches thrilled, but so were the Shaker High coaches, who saved Obzud as a seventh grader at Cohoes. Cut from the basketball team, the wrestling team picked him up....and now you know the rest of the story.

"They used to be my coaches at Cohoes and they still coach me," he said. "They’re just as close to me as my Lansingburgh coaches. They’re like my second coaching staff. It’s like I have 15 coaches. It’s awesome to have that support. Everyone is wishing me good luck and it’s impossible to miss it."

In addition to Obzud, Lansingburgh's Will Richards made the finals at 112 pounds. He lost for the second straight week to La Salle's Brandon Goldup, but the Knights aren't ruling out an at-large bid for Richards. Austin Schnapp, the third member of Lansingburgh's 100-win senior trio, placed fourth in the 160-pound bracket.

"We actually had most of our guys here today," said Lansingburgh head coach Dan Bechand. "Most of the parents brought their kids up for most of the day and they’re great. The three guys that made the finals are all seniors. Will faced a tough guy in the finals, one he faced last week, and Austin finished fourth and he did a nice job for his senior year. The cherry on top of the ice cream right now is that Chad is going to states."

The New York State Public High School Athletic Association meet will be held in downtown Albany on Jan. 26 and 27.

At-large bids will be announced Tuesday or Wednesday.

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I wasn't able to take notes on every single match, and there are some out-of-the-way schools relative to Rensselaer County I didn't see, but here is a blow-by-blow of the final round.

SECTION II 2009-10 WRESTLING CHAMPIONSHIPS – FINALS
Division I

(96) Lapi (Amst) dec 4-0 Berman (Alb)
Lapi was up 2-0 most of the match and gained two more points late in the third period.

(103) Retel (Shaker) dec 6-4 Mosley (AP)
Mosley took an early 2-0 lead, but it was 4-3 Retel after two periods. Retel gained a 6-3 advantage at one point and held on for the victory.

(112) Goldup (LSI) dec 8-2 Richards (‘Burgh)
Goldup scored two points in the final second of the first period and had Richards trapped for the entire final 60 seconds of the second period, but couldn't finish the pin. He led 5-0 heading into the third and played it safe, winding up with the 8-2 decision.

(119) Kelley (Shen) dec 12-3 Bates (Guild)

(125) Sutton (LSI) dec 4-2 S.Anson (Colonie)
It was a 0-0 tie after one period. Sutton took a 4-0 lead, Anson scored two points in the third, but Sutton had done enough as time expired, hanging on by the skin of his teeth.

(130) Chudzinski (Colonie) dec 13-9 Miller (Shen)

(135) Belanger (Shen) dec 4-1 Clemente (LSI)
I wish I had the real-time stat for this match, because it was stopped early and often for blood time as Belanger was bleeding from his forehead. Belanger led 2-0 after two periods and ground out a 4-1 win through blood time delays in the third to move on.

(140) Hazelton (Shen) dec 8-1 Palmerino (Amst)

(145) Espina (Nisky) pin 0:25 Paturso (Mohon)
This was the quickest pin of the night - drawing shocked gasps from the Civic Center crowd.

(152) Lanzi (Amst) pin 1:23 Lashway (Q’by)
Another quick pin here.

(160) Zovistoski (Colonie) dec 5-0 Paneiccia (B.Spa)

(171) Obzud (‘Burgh) dec 9-6 Shell (Colonie)
See above.

(189) Fusco (Q’by) de c3-2 Ohnsman (B.Spa)

(215) Acors (BH-BL) dec 3-1 Almaviva (Shen)
Acors, a two-time first team All-Area football selection by The Record, scored two points with 18 seconds remaining in the third period to cap a thrilling last-second victory.

(285) McGrew (BH-BL) dec 14-5 Boudreau (AP)
The other Burnt Hills big man shined in front of former Olympian Jeff Blatnick, a BH-BL coach, grinding out a win over Averill Park's Alex Boudreau as workers ripped up the Division II mat behind them and fans streamed for the exits.

Division II

(96) Delaney (‘Vliet) pin 1:43 Ballard (C-D)
See more on Delaney in the Watervliet roundup below the Division II results.

(103) Marcel (Corinth) dec 7-0 Pechette (RCS)

(112) Valastro (Hud.Falls) dec 6-1 J.Diekel (Whitehall)

(119) Radliff (C-R) pin 0:57 Rowley (Duanes)

(125) Thompson (White) dec 3-1 OT Borst (Duanes)
Some folks were calling this the match of the day and it certainly drew the biggest cheers - and jeers. I was watching Connor Sutton over on the Division I mats and missed the action, but someone made a move with one second left to force overtime, I believe.

(130) Lyman (RCS) dec 7-2 Clark (Duanes)

(135) Nicholson (Corinth) dec 16-6 White (Duanes)

(140) Palmer (Gran) dec 3-2 Walsh (‘Vliet)
See the 'Vliet brief below.

(145) Dudley (Hud.Falls) dec 5-0 Oswald (Tam)
Oswald just never mustered any offense in this one, although he was on the attack all through the second period, only to see Dudley score a reversal with five seconds left in the second. Dudley just wore out the defending 140-pound champion and played it safe.

(152) Harrison (Mech) dec 7-0 Ainsworth (B-P)

(160) Beayon (White) pin 3:28 Kohls (Mech)

(171) Z.Diekel (White) pin 2:59 Hallock (Cohoes)
Hallock fell behind 4-1 almost instantly, trailed by 5-1 and was pinned midway through the second period. Even if he wasn't pinned, he had a long way to go to catch Diekel with three minutes left.

(189) Gallo (Schal) dec 9-3 Fensterer (Meceh)
A Super Bowl title and now a Section II individual title for Schalmont's Vinny Gallo.

(215) Gwiazdowski (Duanes) pin 3:34 Gebo (White)

(285) Chase (Mech) dec 2-1 Albrecht (Hud.Falls)

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Here are your Coaches of the Year:
Class A - Dan Gibson, Shaker
Class B - Rory Johnson, Queensbury
Class CC - Dennis Lane, Watervliet
Class C - Erick Roadcap, Tamarac
Class D - Joe Bena, Duanesburg

Sportsmanship awards:
Division I - Queensbury
Division II - Watervliet

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It was a great day for the Watervliet wrestling team, as Dennis Lane was named Coach of the Year, the entire team was reward as sportsmanship winners and senior John Delaney punched his third ticket to the state meet, this his first as a Section II champion.

Delaney pinned Cairo-Durham freshman Casey Ballard in 1:43, barely breaking a sweat.

Brian Walsh, the defending Section II Division II 135-pound champion, lost a rematch against Granville's Karl Palmer, who lost in last year's final. Walsh was hobbled with a caught ankle Friday morning and it clearly bothered him Saturday evening, but he rallied from a 3-0 deficit to score two points with 30 seconds left in the match. It wasn't enough, however, as Palmer scored the revenge victory, this time at 140 pounds.

Lane thinks Walsh is a great candidate for an at-large bid. Those bids will be announced Tuesday night or Wednesday morning.

UPDATE:
We're supposed to be getting video cameras from The Record soon, so I thought I would experiment with setting up a YouTube channel yesterday at the wrestling championships.

This is just the beginning - I wanted to see if I could figure it out. I'm looking forward to posting videos from the upcoming Section II basketball playoff games, so please leave me ideas on how to make these better in the future.

In the meantime, you can sign up to subscribe to my videos by clicking here:
http://www.youtube.com/user/TroyRecordSports

Click on the play button below to read the recap of Saturday's conversation from the Glens Falls Civic Center.

Cohoes High School wrestling head coach Rick Poplaski poses with junior wrestler Chris Disonell, who is having an excellent season in the 135-pound weight class. Thanks to Poplaski's influence, Disonell has changed his ways off the mats and become an honor student in the classroom, too. (Photo by Mike McMahon - The Record).

Click here to read Chris' story on www.troyrecord.com

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A big weekend of Section II wrestling is nearly upon us. Section II team-oriented class-based tournaments will be held this Saturday, Feb. 6 at sites around Section II.

Class A, Shenendehowa

Class B, Burnt Hills-Ballston Lake

Class CC, Schalmont

Class C, Granville

Class D, Warrensburg

A week from now, the Glens Falls Civic Center will host the Section II individual tournament on Friday and Saturday Feb. 12-13.

The New York State tournament comes to downtown Albany on Friday and Saturday, Feb. 26 and 27.

Watervliet's Mike Castle grapples with Albany Academy's Mory Gueye in a 285-pound match Thursday night at the Watervliet High School gymnasium. The Cannoneers won, 53-19, capturing their second consecutive Colonial Council regular season title with an 8-0 record. (Photos by J.S. Carras - The Record).

On senior night at Watervliet, the senior class came up big. Four of the five Watervliet senior recorded victories via the pin, as the Cannoneers romped to a 53-19 victory over the previously unbeaten Cadets, who finished the regular season 7-1.

Watervliet, on the other hand, won its second consecutive Colonial Council regular season title, finishing 8-0 for the second year in a row.

Mike Castle (285), John Delaney (103), Cory Thompson (125) and Andrew Etman (130) all seniors, won with pins. James Valentin, the other Watervliet senior, dropped a 9-3 decision to Academy's Kyle DiCaprio.

The Cannoneers will compete in the Section II Class CC tournament at Schalmont on Saturday, Feb. 6th.

It was a great night of wrestling as the early pins - all of the first five bouts were decided that way - made the proceedings exciting.

I was also impressed by the brief ceremony before the wrestling began.

Watervliet head coach Dennis Lane said a few words about each of his seniors before welcoming them to the center of the gym with their parents. He also went out of his way to notice each and every one of the members of the Watervliet modified team, which I'm sure made their day, and also recognized the student managers and the seniors on the Albany Academy team. Lane introduced his parents as well, he called them his biggest fans, and noted that their 50th wedding anniversary is coming up.

The gym was packed, which was great, and it looks like the wrestling program at Watervliet continues to rise, thanks to their coach and the tough gapplers wearing the silver and maroon in the Arsenal City.

For more on this story, check out the full recap in Friday's edition of The Record.

Watervliet senior John Delaney pins Albany Academy's Cameron Milliken in a 103-pound bout Thursday night. It was Delaney's 159th victory, by far the highest total in Watervliet history.

A trio of Lansingburgh High School wrestlers have already cracked the 100-win club or soon will and I had a chance to chat with them Saturday afternoon during a break in the action at the new-and-improved eighth annual Lansingburgh Duals tournament.

For the full story, check out Sunday's edition of The Record, but for a brief glance at each of the wrestlers, keep reading.

Austin Schnapp
Senior
160 pounds
2009-10 record: 23-2*

Schnapp got his start in wrestling after watching his older brother wrestle. A transfer from Cohoes, Schnapp is likely to win No. 100 during Sunday's action in the Lansingburgh Duals.

"It’s something I’ve always wanted to do since I was younger," he said. "Ever since I was on modified, I looked up to people that had 100 wins. I always wondered if I would be there."

He also gave credit to Lansingburgh head coach Dan Bechand for always scheduling the best possible opponents and to Athletic Director Mike Harkin and the LHS administration for helping the sport grow.

"We get a lot of support from people from the school," he said. "A lot of people come to watch our matches and the administration is very supportive of our team."

Chad Obzud
Senior
171 pounds
2009-10 record: 28-1*

A fiery competitor, Obzud was quick with a laugh during our brief interview session. I asked the trio how they got their start in wrestling, starting with Schnapp, moving on to Richards and wrapping up with Obzud. When it was his turn, he just laughed.

"I got cut from the basketball team in seventh grade, so I wrestled instead," Obzud said. "It was addicting. As soon as I stared wrestling I had a lot of fun and loved it."

Like Schnapp, Obzud is a Cohoes transfer. He's hoping to wrestle for SUNY-Oneonta next year. The Red Dragons have the closest collegiate wrestling program to the Capital Region and Obzud also figures his mom can come watch him wrestle more that way.

Obzud craked the 100-win club two weeks ago and he said he hasn't felt the same since.

"I never thought it would feel the way it did, but I went out there and got my 100th win and it just felt great," Obzud said. "Once you start getting every match over 100, it’s like…wow. It’s a cool feeling.
"It’s a combination of all the hard work you put in and everything and just being able to get there," he continued. "I never thought I would be able to do it."

Will Richards
Senior
112 pounds
2009-10 record: 27-2*

Richards was born to be a wrestler - his father Ed, now an assistant with the Knights, was a fine wrestler in his day.

Will Richards has dedicated himself to offseason training, working with the Journeymen Wrestling program run by Frank Popolizio. The Journeymen organization has been a tremendous feeder program for Section II high schools and really explains why Section II wrestlers have been so successful in New York State competition over the past few years.

"In ninth grade, I wasn’t a great wrestler, but I just dedicated myself," he said. "I went to Journeymen and Frank Popolizio helped me out a ton to get me to where I am. Coming into this season, I thought it would be a struggle because I needed 30 wins and last year I only had 29. I’m just having a great season."

Richards won No. 100 Saturday afternoon, leaping into the arms of his father in a joyous embrace immediately after having his arm raised by the referee and shaking the Saratoga Springs coach's hand.

He hopes to wrestle at Wilkes University in Wilkes-Barre, Pa. next year.

* Won-loss records accurate prior to Saturday's action
(Photo credits to J.S. Carras - The Record).

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The Section II Duals were not held this year due to a lack of interest. A 'free' event for any team in Section II, the area-wide duals offered teams an opportunity to congregate for a day of pre-sectionals matches without costing a team points against their total number of matches allowed.

With dual meets going on in Lansingburgh and in Fonda (more on Fonda later) only six teams were interested in participating in the duals, which was eventually declared too small a field to make the event worthwhile.

The first day of Lansingburgh's event went off without a hitch. 11 teams made the trek to Troy and each team will get nine quality matches this weekend. The brand-new Lansingburgh gym and athletic wing is a great facility and Cohoes and Mechanicville donated mats to provide three surfaces.

Lansingburgh head coach Dan Bechand defended his event while bemoaning the loss of the Section II Duals, an event the Knights typically attended when it was scheduled for a different weekend.

"I feel unfortunate about it," Bechand said. "But I had these 12 teams committed last year. I feel I didn’t take anything away from their tournament because of our scheduling. We had this scheduled this year.

"Both tournaments used to be different weekends, but this year, they moved it to this weekend, which conflicted with our tournament," he continued. "That is a free tournament for our section, so it doesn’t cost us any points. But these teams that are here committed two points for a tournament to fill their schedule with this tournament. I feel bad that the Section II tournament was canceled because it was a good tournament. I hope they can get it back next year. There was a lot of planning and a lot of effort put into this tournament, with family and friends and parents and all kinds of help from the outside from all over the place. They helped put this thing together."

In his 10th year at Lansingburgh, Bechand has expanded the Lansingburgh duals to a 12-team, two-day event. For the first seven years of its run, the duals were a one-day, six-team affair. The Knights drew teams from around Section II (Shaker, Niskayuna, Saratoga Springs, Mohonasen, Voorheesville, Bethlehem, Cambridge, Hudson Falls and Duanesburg - the No. 7 small school in the state) as well as Newburgh Free Academy.

He's right, it takes a lot of volunteers to make a tournament like that run smoothly, from the timers and scorekeepers to ticket-takers and concession stand workers.

Bechand is also hoping that the success stories of Schnapp, Obzud and Richards inspires more students on the north side of Troy to pick up wrestling, because the school administration is certainly dedicated to the sport.

"For the school to open up for a Saturday and a Sunday event, that’s tough nowadays," Bechand said. "Our athletic director, Mike Harkin, really opened up his arms. He’s been a great supporter of the team this year. He’s let us have our peewee program back, let us have a two-day tournament and he’s been very supportive and doing a lot of stuff for us. I’m very happy with that."

Wrestling continues at Lansingburgh on Sunday from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.

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In the Fonda-Fultonville Duals, Columbia High School swept all five matches, giving head coach Anthony Servidone career win No. 100 in a round two victory over Canajoharie-Fort Plain.

Evan Wallace (140 pounds) recorded five wins (three pins and two technical falls), running his 2009-10 season record to 31-4. The Blue Devils were ranked No. 23 in the latest large school (Division I) New York State poll.

Hoosick Falls senior forward Kevin McMahon (left) is passing the torch this season to sophomore point guard Alex Lilac (right). The Panthers travel to Granville Friday night for a crucial Wasaren League contest. (Photos by J.S. Carras - The Record).

The Hoosick Falls boys basketball team, of course, is leaning on senior forward Kevin McMahon, the reigning Wasaren League MVP. McMahon also owns schools records in blocks. All of them. Game, single season and career, McMahon is a once-in-a-lifetime defender for Hoosick Falls and a 6-foot-6 he's got an unstoppable inside-outside offensive game as well.

Mike Brewster and Hutton Rasmus also add veteran experience for Hoosick Falls, but the Panthers, defending Wasaren League champions, are really relying on a trio of sophomores.

Tanner Williams, John Hayden and Alex Lilac, son of head coach Mike Lilac Jr., have all shone so far on the court, leading the Panthers to a 6-0 record in Wasaren League games. Hoosick Falls travels to Granville Friday night for a big-time matchup with the 6-1 Golden Horde at 7:30 p.m.

Alex Lilac works on his defense during a drill in practice Thursday afternoon at Hoosick Falls High School.

Lilac has handled the bulk of the offensive duties for the Panthers this year - he's a distributor and a three-point threat.

Tanner Williams, who made an impact in the secondary for the Panthers' football team in 2009, is Hoosick Falls' designated defender, drawing the opponent's top guard every game. He'll have his hands full with Granville's Connor Hoagland tonight, who scores over 10 points a game - an exorbitant amount in the Wasaren League.

Senior forward Kevin McMahon catches a pass in practice Thursday afternoon at Hoosick Falls.

For more on the Panthers, check out Friday's edition of The Record.

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Nick Knauer was the hero for the Tamarac High School wrestling team Thursday night, winning a 7-2 decision in the final match of Tamarac's contest against Granville. The Bengals were trailing by two points heading into Knauer's match, but wound up winning, 40-39.

It was the first Wasaren League regular season title in school history for Tamarac.

In other news, senior Jake Oswald reached win No. 106 Thursday night, drawing to within two victories of the Tamarac school record of 108, set by Joe Uccellini in 1998.

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It's a big step forward for the Tamarac High wrestling program, which like the girls volleyball program, will be hanging a new banner in the gym sometime soon. The volleyball team won its first league title this fall.

The Bengals have to give a good portion of the credit to head wrestling coach Erick Roadcap, who modestly called himself "a one-man show" when he phoned in the results Thursday night.

It takes a ton of work to be a wrestling coach, just take last weekend's Joe McCabe Invitational at Maple Hill for example. Coaches showed up Friday night for a seeding meeting and had to return with their teams for weigh-ins at 8 a.m. Saturday morning. Matches continued all day and the finals did not start until after 7 p.m.

And then the bus ride home.

Watervliet girls basketball coach Gordie Johnson told me Monday afternoon how he and wrestling coach Dennis Lane see each other in the summer at the school and joke about the offseason.

Johnson said he cuts Lane some slack and ends practices a few minutes early the day of wrestling matches. Lane needs time to pull out the bleachers and lay down the mats and set up the scorers tables....and on and on it goes.

It's easy to envision the gym rat basketball player spending all their waking hours working on jump shots and foul shots, but plenty of wrestlers - and their coaches - are putting in just as much work, if not more, for far less attention. It's a sport based on dedication and discipline above all and the folks at Tamarac should be proud their wrestlers were the best in the Wasaren League this season - with plenty of things left to accomplish before the season is over.