New York USA Wrestling

Showing why he is regarded as the odds on favorite to win the State crown in Albany this coming February; NY-USAW's top-ranked DI 103-pounder and/or the #1 man on the 2030 Big Board [Mannello] became the first champ of the afternoon when he knocked off Hills East's DI #2 ranked Santino Pascarella (2025 Section XI 5th), 4-2, in a potential preview of the 2026 NYS finals!

The bout scoreless after the opening 2:00, the returning State 5th placer did all of the scoring he'd need in the 2nd period when he earned an escape and TD within the first half-minute of the middle stanza...

Pascarella the only opponent that was able to seriously challenge the Section I resident; Mannello boasted a 61-13 (no offensive points surrendered) margin from start to finish, as he racked up three falls and two techs in his earlier trips to the mat...

Especially prominent among these earlier wins would be the 20-4 tech (six takedown) he registered in the R16 against 2025 NHSCA All-American, Di #12 Ayden Delgado (Levittown-Division), and the six-TD showing he displayed in the semifinals in recording a 19-4 TF versus Valley Central up-and-coming stud, DI #10 Dominic Giannoni!

Mannello's other wins came in the form of a 1:29 pin of DII #14 Andrew Grupe (2x Sectional Placer for Galway), 1:15 stick of Pal-Mac's Mason Miller, and 1:11 fall in the quarterfinals against Chaminade freshman, Sebastian Cantarero!

8th at this event as a 7th grader in 2025; the question is, did we just witness the berth of a future 5xer at the ESC!

Full Placement Results:
1st:  Marcarlo Mannello (Briarcliff-byram Hills) DEC Santino Pascarella (Hills East), 4-2
3rd: Chrystian Velez (Hilton) pinned Sam Winship (Central Catholic), 2:33
5th: Hunter Phillips (Ward Melville) MD Dominic Giannoni (Valley Central), 8-0
7th: Ayden Delgado (Levitttown Division) pinned Sebastian Cantarero (Chaminade), 2:16

The last man standing in what may have been the most loaded bracket of the weekend in Clifton Park; the 3x returning State placer out of Nassau knocked off both a defending DI State Champion and the reigning Eastern States Classic titlist in consecutive appearances en route to claiming the hardware!!

Squaring off against 2025 NYS titlist/DI #3 ranked Jon Tutku (Massapequa) in an all-Section VIII showdown in the semis; the Marine sophomore blew open a 3-2 lead when while under attack, he was able to hit a counter for the TD + a full set of swipes to expand his lead to 10-2 en route to picking up a 10-4 decision!!

The championship contest a considerably much more methodical and low-scoring affair, Andreula's points came courtesy his strength on bottom, as trailing 1-0 heading into the third period, he'd be able to elicit multiple stall calls (three in total) to go up 2-1 before then adding the traditional escape to claim the rather unorthodox 3-1 decision against '25 ESC King, DI #2 ranked Xavier Seabury (2025 DI State Bronze! for North Babylon)!

The aforementioned victories certainly the highlights of the weekend for our current #4 2028 Big Boarder; not going overlooked would be another banner dub posted on day #2, as Andreula tallied three takedowns and two sets of NF on his way to a decisive 17-1 quarterfinal win over DII #4 ranked/2025 State runner-up, Adrian Torres (Southwestern), during the quarterfinals!!!

The owner of a 5-0 record between Friday and Saturday; on the first day of action, Andreula had little trouble in out-scoring his two opponents by a combined 21-1 margin on his way to a 21-1 TF versus Brooklyn Tech's Gideon Kaye and DI #10 ranked/Returning Section 2 champ/NYSPHSAA Qualifier, Brendan Stoutenburg (Saratoga Springs)!

Now a two-time Eastern States Classic medalist (took 3rd in 2024); Andreula stepped on the mat last weekend ranked 3rd at 118 pounds; but by dropping down and winning the hardware; he certainly made a play to ascend to top-billing status in his new weight class!

Full Placement Results:
1st: Ethan Andreula (Long Beach) DEC Xavier Seabury (North Babylon), 3-1
3rd: William Soto (Newburgh Free Academy) DEC Jonny Tutku (Massapequa), 7-2
5th: Mason Dellapenta (Eden) DEC Connor Guffey (Webster Thomas), 5-0
7th: Chase Phillips (Ward Melville) F Adrian Torres (Southwestern), 0:36

Hailed as the greatest ongoing rivalry on the NYS scholastic scene, did we just witness the last chapter of this epic series?  And if so, it certainly went out in fitting fashion!!

Meeting for the third consecutive year in the ESC finals; it was finally Cooper Merli's (3x State finalist/2x champion; 2025 NHSCA Bronze Medalist) turn to get his arm raised on this stage, as an escape with just :06 remaining in regulation was the difference-maker in a 5-4 decision over Long Beach's DI #1 ranked (126) Dunia Sibomana-Rodriguez (4x State medalist/3x finalist/2x champ; Multiple-time Fargo All-American/2024 Junior FS National Champion; 2x Super 32 placer, etc.) in a war of the MatScouts' #17 and #10 ranked gentlemen in the land!

The only takedown of the match earned by the Newburgh standout turned New York Military Academy Knight in the last :15 of the 1st period; it looked as if the West Point commit [Merli] might ride out the future UNC Tar Heel [Sibomana-Rodriguez] for a 4-2 victory before the latter earned a reversal with :14 on the clock to even the bout at 4-4...

Rather than panic or accept going to sudden victory, Merli kept his composure and bumped his Long Island foe off top in the waning moments for the E1 that propelled him to his second career ESC gold (previously won it all in 2023)...

He is now 2-3 all-time in major finals versus Sibomana-Rodriguez, having also defeated him in 2024 on South Pearl Street for the 2024 State hardware!!! 

The win against his nemesis in the 118-pound money match being the second of two #1s that Merli toppled as part of a 6-0 weekend; one round earlier, he allowed the first TD of the match, but then closed on an 8-0 run (TDs in the 1st and 3rd periods; E1s in the 1st and 3rd) to pick up an 8-3 decision over DI #1 (118)/top NY-USAW 2029 prospect, Vincenzo Mannello (2x returning State placer; 2025 USAW Triple-Crown Recipient for BBHVW)!!

Throughout the weekend, Merli also notched key victories in the R16 and quarterfinals over 3x Nassau placer, Michael Perez (Farmingdale) and DI 5 ranked/2024 State Qualifier, Will Russell (Manhasset-8)!

Verus Perez, he accrued four takedowns and three sets of swipes to cruise to a 19-2 TF...

His day #2 collision with 2025 Windsor Champion, Russell, was marked by four TDs and two separate sets of NF as the crux of 21-4 tech!

In celebration of his triumph; Merli was named as the outstanding wrestler among lightweights!


Full Placement Results
1st: Cooper Merli (Nyma) DEC Dunia Sibomana (Long Beach), 5-4
3rd: Vincenzo Mannello (Briarcliff-byram Hills) pinned Will Russell (Manhasset), 4:59
5th: Lucas Copper (Central Catholic) MD Kymah Gummow (Indian River), 14-4
7th: Vincent Orandello (MacArthur) DEC Dorian Hidalgo (Iona Prep), 7-1 

A man who makes things happen in the blink of an eye; LaGala-Ryan turned an initial 3-0 deficit into an instant 0:47 stick when he hit a roll for a reversal and then immediately transitioned to a standing cradle en route to picking up the fall in the 126-pound finale over Colonie's Vincent Mastrianni (returning 2x State placer) in a clash of the present-day DI #2 and #4 ranked wrestlers at the weight class!

LaGala-Ryan is sitting in the #11 spot (@120) in the MatScouts' national polls!

The stick of his S2 opponent in the title bout closing out a 5-0 vitae for the NC State bound Long Islander;  the 3x State placer/2025 Super 32 6th on behalf of the Lions collected bonus points in four of his five cumulative victories...

Defending the Empire in both the R16 and quarterfinal rounds; he banked respective 19-3 (five takedowns, one set of NF) and 2:35 fall (up 9-1) conquests of 2025 Massachusetts State 4th Iziah Santiago (Central Catholic) and 2x Connecticut State placer, Dylan Meyers (Ridgefield)!!!

His only trip to the mats that proved competitive transpiring in the semifinals; it would be a 2nd period TD that paved the way for a 4-2 decision at the expense of DI #8 (@132) ranked EJ Vass (2x State placer/2024 runner-up at Valley Central)!!!

LaGala-Ryan commenced his journey to Titletown via a 16-6 major decision on Friday versus Syosset's Louis Kennedy (2024 Nassau 6th; 2025 CHSAA State 3rd while at Chaminade)!

Full Placement Results
1st: Anthony Lagala ryan (Longwood) pinned Vincent Mastrianni (Colonie), 0:47
3rd: Ej Vass (Valley Central) pinned Kelly Sullivan (Monroe Woodbury), 2:37
5th: Carlos Salazar (Hewlett) DEC Austin bronco Campsey (East Hampton), 10-3
7th: Brock Frederick (South Jefferson) DEC Luca Popolizio (CBA-Albany), 5-3
 

One of, if not the most dominant wrestler regardless of weight class toeing the line this weekend in Clifton Park; the 4x DII State placer/2x finalist/2025 Champion was able to cross off yet another milestone from his scholastic bucket list!!!

A runner-up at this event in 2025; the Cougar senior cut through the 132-pound bracket last weekend like a knife through hot butter!!

Averaging 17.5 points per bout (105 total) in his outings between Friday and Saturday; the NY-USAW #4 2026 Big Boarder headed to Lock Haven teched his way into the 'ship behind respective 22-5 and 18-2 dubs in the quarters and semifinals over DI #5 Rocco DeStefano (2024 State Qualifier for East Islip) and DI #3 (138) Trey LeChase (2025 State 4th on behalf of Fairport)...

In both instances, Noto demonstrated his skill set in all positions, as he tallied four takedowns apiece while also tacking on multiple NF in each match!!

Finally forced to go the full 6:00 in his title match; the current #20 ranked competitor in the nation per MatScouts jumped out to a 7-0 cushion at the end of the 1st against DI #1 (@138) Anthony Severino (2x State medalist/2024 runner-up for Lindenhurst] when he converted a takedown and then ran a tight bar for the full allotment of swipes...He later added another TD and a stall point in the 2nd to account for the damage done in an 11-3 major decision!!

Completing his final ESC journey with a 6-0 resume; on day #1, Noto notched 18-1 and 19-4 verdicts against DII ranked---#19 (138) Max Koffer (returning S3 5th on behalf of Cooperstown-Milford) & #17 Jason Canedo (4th at the 2025 S4 Championships for Deposit-Hancock)...

His tournament commenced with a 17-2 tech of former S9 5th, Anthony Noboa, of Middletown!

Noto caps off this chapter of his high school career as a three-time Eastern States placer as in addition to his back-to-back finale showings, he was 5th in 2023!

The youngest of an amazing sibling trio; Christopher is actually the first member of the clan to win ESC, as older brothers---Anthony (4x DII State Champion; future 2x NCAA All-American) and Nick (4x State placer/2023 runner-up) combined for three runner-up honors, but never earned the top step of the podium!

Full Placement Results
1st: Chris Noto (Honeoye Falls-lima) MD Anthony Severino (Lindenhurst), 11-3
3rd: Marco Futia (Wallkill) DEC Jon Testa (Hilton), 4-1 SV
5th: Trey Lechase (Fairport) DEC Rocco Destefano (East Islip), 6-2
7th: Brody Franklin (Long Beach) DEC Landon Herdic (Nyma), 4-3 

Speaking of dynamic family trees....

For the second year in a row, a member of the Nieto brotherhood took home the prize at the Eastern States Classic!!!

Following in the footsteps of elder sibling, Luke (3x State placer/2x finalist/2025 DII State Champion), who won the ESC gold at 152 pounds in 2025; it was Massapequa junior 138-pounder, Jake, seizing the brass ring as the #4 seed among the field!!

Making the leap from 5th as a sophomore to king this past weekend; the 2024 NYS DI State Qualifier amassed four takedowns (two in the 1st period) on his way to a 12-2 major decision in the finale over 3x DII State placer/current #3 ranked, Joe Scott (Letchworth)!

His encore triumph over Scott incredibly impressive and not to be taken for granted; in truth, it would be Nieto victory one round earlier that especially stood out; as he relied on a 1st period TD to vault himself to a 4-2 decision in the semifinals against Deposit-Hancock's 2x State placer/2025 NHSCA All-American/2025 Fargo 16U FS National runner-up, Landyn Shaffer, in a melee of DI #1 (144) over DII #1 (138)!!!

Adding to his carnage on day #2, Nieto also emerged with an 18-3 [four TDs, two sets of swipes] TF in the quarterfinals against fellow top-15 2027 Big Boarder, DI #3 (144) Greg Green (2025 State 8th for Shenendehowa)!

All in all a perfect 5-0 last weekend; on Friday, Nieto established a 4-0 lead before pinning DI #10 (144) Justin Reiss (3x S1 placer/2x bronze medalist for Tappan Zee), in the Round of 16!


Full Placement Results
1st: Jake Nieto (Massapequa) MD Joe Scott (Letchworth), 12-2
3rd: Landyn Shaffer (Deposit-hancock) MD Greg Green (Shenendehowa), 10-2
5th: Louden Elliott (Carthage) pinned Wyatt Rock (Duanesburg-schoharie), 2:19
7th: Justin D'arce (Center Moriches) DEC Shane Degl (Iona Prep), 4-0

UNBEATABLE...UNTOUCHABLE!!!!!  

Raising his career record to an astonishing 22-0 at the Eastern States Classic; it was Wildcat extraordinaire, Mangano, putting the finishing touches on a four-peat when he assembled five takedowns and a reversal en route to a 17-3 major decision victory over Pittsford's Samson McKissick-Staley (#14 in the nation; 3x State placer/2x runner-up) in both a rematch of the 2025 ESC finals (won 6-3 by Mangano), as well as a clash of previous ESC champs (SMS did the deed in '24) and current NY-USAW ranked---Mangano DII #1; McKissick-Staley DI #1 (150)!!!

Not allowing a single offensive point to be scored against him (61-6 margin); the 3x DII State finalist/2x defending champ out of Section XI reaffirmed why MatScouts' regards him as the #4 man in the nation at this weight class...

Reaching the main event by way of a 3-fall, 2-tech path; on day #2, the Penn State commit would be lethal from top, as he racked up four sets of NF to post an 18-1 quarterfinal outcome against 2025 Section 1 5th, Rowan Larsen (Yorktown); and then complemented it by pinning 2x State placer/DI #3 ranked Ryan Munn (Carthage), :30 into their semifinal bout via a cross-wrist tilt!!

So good that he did not even see the 2nd period until his encore effort against McKissick-Staley; Mangano also registered notable day #1 wins versus 2x S1 5th, Chris Mollicone (John Jay-EFK) and defending PSAL titlist, Cian Gaughan (RFK), in stick times of :29 and :39 seconds!!

A worthy recipient of the Middleweight O.W. award; to fully appreciate Mangano's ESC legacy; consider that in past years; he has earned head-to-head wins over the likes of: Finnegan O'Brien (2x State 3rd; 2025 Fargo 16U FS National runner-up), Chris Noto [See above], Evin Gursoy (4x DI State medalist/3x finalist/2x Champion), Anthony Clem (4x State placer/2024 DI runner-up, Matt Marlow (3x DI State finalist/2x Champion), Ashten Haley (3x DII State placer/2025 runner-up), and of course McKissick-Staley in consecutive finales!


Full Placement Results
1st: Gavin Mangano (Shoreham-wading River) MD Samson Mckissick staley (Pittsford), 17-3
3rd: Ryan Munn (Carthage) DEC Matthew Mcdermott (Smithtown East), 4-2
5th: Elijah Brown (Monroe Woodbury) DEC Trevor Dellapenta (Eden), 7-6
7th: Chace Morris (Oceanside) MD Rowan Larsen (Yorktown), 15-1

On a quest for a third straight NYSPHSAA DII title; Beckwith continued to reign supreme against all of his fellow Empire State foes, as he added ESC gold [runner-up in '25) to the Windsor repeat he recorded just prior to the New Year!!

His only blemishes thus far this season happening as part of a 7th-place effort at the Big of the East; the future Army Black Knight/#4 2027 Big Boarder tallied a TD in the 1st period and then secured a reversal in the 3rd to pitch the 5-0 shutout in the 150-pound title bout against DI #10 and/or 2025 State 8th, Michael McGuiness (Walt Whitman)!!!

The win against McGuiness capping off a 3-0 record (from an overall 5-0 vitae) versus DI top-10 ranked foes; in the R16, Beckwith enjoyed a 9-2 advantage before pinning #9 (157) Jonathan Abzun (returning S1 4th for Ossining] :33 into the 2nd period...

The semis saw him pull away in the 3rd period against #4 ranked (157) Joseph Brooks (2025 S8 4th; Massapequa), as he converted his second takedown of the match and then used a power-half for a 2NF to turn a 4-0 lead into the eventual 9-0 major decision!!

Along the way towards the brass ring, the Gorilla Grappler protege put up 1:27 fall of Ben Field (Comsewogue) in his opening match of day #1; and then tossed up a 15-0 TF goose-egging of Garden City's Anthony Pica to kick off day #2!!


Full Placement Results
1st: Maverick Beckwith (Norwich) DEC Michael Mcguiness (Walt Whitman), 5-0
3rd: Gene Edwards (Central Valley Academy) DEC Nick Debellis (Horace Greeley), 14-8
5th: Kai Tiringer (Massapequa) M FOR Jospeh Brooks (Massapequa)
7th: Nicholas Raptis (Poly Prep) M FOR Chase Richards (Niagara Wheatfield)

With ongoing speculation as to where Defending State Champion, Griff LaPlante (St. Francis), may land in the postseason; it is possible that the Gael senior [Johnson] may not even be at 157 come February...

But if he is; he is going to be dangerous as evident by the manner in which he tore through the bracket this weekend at ESC...

Moving two spots higher on the ladder after taking bronze at this tournament in 2025; the returning NYSPHSAA DI 5th-place finisher was putting the "OH" (as in Oh, Wow) in "Offense" from start to finish as he collected bonus point victories in all five of his matches!!

His final act being a three-TD, one-reversal effort that yielded a 12-3 major decision against 2x Connecticut State runner-up/4x FS Pan-American age-group medalist/2025 U17 FS Silver, Antonio Arguello (Newton); Johnson would also pick up marquee wins over several prominent New Yorkers between Friday and Saturday's festivities...

His most significant win over an Empire peer occurring in the semifinals; the 2x defending Catholic State champ put on a clinic from his feet, converting on seven takedown attempts to post a 21-6 TF over DI #4 (165)/2025 State 4th,  Chris Nocca (Horace Greeley)... 

In the quarterfinals, it was a blend of top notch work from neutral (3 takedowns) and top (two sets of NF) that enabled him to come away with a 16-1 tech against DI #3 ranked/returning State 7th), Devon Weber (Greece Schools)...

A third top-10 victory came at the conclusion of day #1, as the Maroon & Gold clad 12th grader collected five TDs + one set of NF in the R16 during a 20-3 teching of DI #6, Nick Flaherty (returning Suffolk 3rd on behalf of Comsewogue)!


Full Placement Results
1st: George Johnson (Iona Prep) MD Antonio Arguello (Newtown), 12-3
3rd: Devon Weber (Greece Schools) DEC Chris Nocca (Horace Greeley), 3-1
5th: Shea Morris (Nyma) MD Brady Ouellette (Noble), 15-7
7th: Ziko Majidov (Poly Prep) pinned Sebastian Mejia (Clarke), 1:38

Upholding both his #1 seed and his #1 ranking; the Binghamton bound Warrior Junior [Boice] became a first-time ESC champ after previous trips generated placements of 6th and 4th!!!

Maintaining his immaculate 2025-2026 campaign (now 22-0), the 2025 NYS DI Bronze Medalist collected three takedowns in the 1st period and then never looked back, as he added three additional TDs to breeze to a 19-6 major decision in a clash of Section 9's bests versus Lourdes' DI #11 ranked Connor Wilson (3x Sectional medalist/2x finalist/Defending titist) in the 175-pound finals contest!!

The nature of his finale conquest reminiscent of how the weekend as a whole played out; our #10 in-state class recruit accrued four takedowns (two in the opening 2:00) and induced multiple stall calls to prevail, 15-5, in the semifinals against DI #4 ranked/3x State Qualifier, Quentin Getzin (Ithaca)!

Quick starts being the theme for Boice; his quarterfinal match against returning S1 runner-up, Tyler Caricati, lasted just 2:59, as he struck for four takedowns (three in the 1st period) and tacked on two sets of NF (total of 5pts) to overwhelm 2025 S1 runner-up, Tyler Caricati (Yorktown), by an 18-3 score!

The 175-pound bracket being a little shallower than other fields; in his lone appearance on Friday; Wyatt delivered a punishing 3-TD, 2-sets of swipes performance in expeditiously claiming a 17-2 TF the R16 over returning Nassau 4th, Jovens Theodate (Farmingdale)!

The first of two finalists on Saturday for eventual team champs, MV; Boice delivered their only individual crown while in the process of not surrendering a single offensive point (69-16; all escapes)!

It need not be said that with the way he is rolling at the moment; Boice is looking the part of a "HEAVY FAVORITE" to being standing atop the podium on February 28th in Albany!


Full Placement Results
1st: Wyatt Boice (Minisink Valley) MD Connor Wilson (Our Lady Of Lourdes), 19-6
3rd: Quentin Getzin (Ithaca) DEC Harrison Muller (Danbury), 7-0
5th: James Capasso (Ballston Spa) pinned Will Roden (Clarkstown North), 3:49
7th: Trevor Mueller (Clarence) M FOR John Bonura (Monsignor Farrell)

If we had to pick our favorite champion of the weekend; the distinction would undoubtedly belong to the Spartan senior 190-pounder [Drapaniotis]....

The lowest seeded (#6) wrestler among all the eventual titlists; his body of work in Clifton Park conjured up memories of his days as a youth phenom where it looked like he might be destined a multiple-time NYSPHSAA State king!

3rd under the roof of MVP Arena in 2025; as the pieces are beginning to click one-by-one; Drapaniotis has come to the forefront and taken on the role of the "hunted" instead of the "hunter"....

Ranked #3 in the Small School polls entering the ESC; he is without question about to move up to the top line of the NY-USAW rankings after notching head-to-head victories over both #1 Liam English (4x State placer/2x Bronze; Berne-Knox-Westerlo-Middleburgh) and #2 Trent True (2x State placer/2025 runner-up for Holland Patent)...

Trailing 4-0 with approximately 1:00 remaining in the 2nd period; the S4 representative struck for one TD apiece in each of the 2nd and 3rd periods to pull off a 7-5 comeback in the quarterfinals against English...

His effort against True in the semis was even more impressive, as he'd build up a 7-1 lead at the end of the 1st period behind a TD and cross-wrist tilt; make it a 9-2 match at the end of the 2nd after scoring again with a tilt; and then then further created separation on the scoreboard with a reversal at the onset of the 3rd and two counter TDs (defending a lat drop and a headlock attempt) in the last :35 of regulation to bank the 17-4 major decision!!

His finals match feeling somewhat anticlimactic; Drapaniotis tallied three takedowns to establish a 10-1 lead before running a bar that generated a fall at the 3:43 mark over 2025 Nassau Champ/DI #8 ranked Josh Kama (Farmingdale)!

On Friday, he exploded for a 14pt opening period (two TDs, two sets of NF) in the R16 on his way to a 17-2 TF over returning S1 5th, TJ Mauro (John Jay-EFK)!


Full Placement Results
1st: Yanni Drapaniotis (Unatego-UV-Franklin) pinned Josh Kama (Farmingdale), 3:43
3rd: Trent True (Holand Patent) DEC Jayden Pressley (Minisink Valley), 4-1
5th: Luca Turano (North Babylon) pinned William Coughlin (Newburgh Free Academy), 1:58
7th: Devin Bierfeldt (Nyack) DEC Javier Mina-lewis (Sunset Park), 4-0

Taking a rare weekend off from testing himself on the national circuit (7th at the Ironman; 4th at the Beast of the East); the 2x Defending State Champion for the Red Devils [Downes] "scratched the itch" from last season when he dropped his ESC finals bout in the UTB (to current #2 in the country, Max Konopka)....

Sitting atop the 215-pound bracket, the future Maryland Terp enjoyed the thrill of hoisting Eastern States Classic hardware after a takedown trifecta (two in the 2nd period, one in the 3rd) produced a 9-3 decision against Minisink Valley's Zach Filip (2x DI State 7th) in a clash of the current Large School #1 and #4 ranked student-athletes!!

His head-to-head upending of Filip being his second victory over a fellow returning state placer on day #2; one round earlier, Downes had takedowns in each of the three periods, as well as NF in the 1st and 2nd stanzas to accumulate a 16-0 tech fall at the expense of DII #6 ranked/2025 State 6th, Gianni Velazquez (Geneva)!

Having already hoarded six takedowns to carry an 18-5 advantage; the top-5 2026 Big Boarder transitioned from a single-leg attack to a cow-catcher to put 2025 State Qualifier/DI #6 ranked Kaydin Welch (Cicero-North Syracuse) on his back for 3+4 to cap off a 25-5 TF in the quarterfinals!

Factoring in the 19-4 (1:19) TF he registered versus Iona Prep's Elijah Pye, in his only outing of day #1; Downes boasted a 69-12 margin while not allowing a single offensive point to scored against him!


Full Placement Results
1st: Devin Downes (Plainedge) DEC Zach Filip (Minisink Valley), 9-3
3rd: Rocco Lore (Yorktown) DEC Josiah Lors (William Floyd), 7-5
5th: Andrew Frost (Churchville-chili) FOR Gianni Velazquez (Geneva)
7th: Kaydin Welch (Cicero-no.syracuse) pinned Cody Alessi (Ichabod Crane), 0:58

165: Jake Maddox (Newton, CT)---Trailing for the majority of the match, the 2x Connecticut State medalist/2024 Champion recorded a TD in the last :31 of regulation to steal a 4-3 decision in All-Nutmeg finale over 3x CT State placer/Defending Champion, Evan Schibi (Gilbert School)....Prior to the win in the encore; Maddox posted three wins over New Yorkers, beating 2x CHSAA placer, Chris Ferranti (Chaminade) by 1:05 fall in the R16; earning a 14-2 major decision over 2025 S1 Champion/NYS Qualifier, Luke Ryan (Fox Lane) in the quarterfinals; and sticking current DII #1 ranked/returning State 4th, Ryker Cox (Coxsackie-Athens) at the 1:35 mark of their semifinal collision!!
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285: Kaz Morosetti (North Kingstown, RI)----A student-athlete that the NY faithful will get to enjoy for the upcoming four years; the Columbia University commit/2x Defending Rhode Island State gold medalist/3x NHSCA All-American took home the prize in the final match of the weekend when he managed to induce a second stall warning against New Hartford's Christopher Belmonte (DI #1 ranked; 2x State medalist/2025 Runner-up), with :17 remaining in sudden victory to earn the narrow 2-1 decision....The S3 standout [Belmonte] the only opponent that pushed the future Ivy League to and beyond the distance; Morosetti racked up four consecutive pins in the lead-up to the title bout, including pins in times of 3:35, 3:58, and 3:21 in the R16 thru the semifinals versus the likes of Richard Tinyes (2x Nassau placer; 2024 NHSCA All-American; Lynbrook), 2025 Nassau 4th, John Saraldi (Freeport), and fellow New Englander/2025 Massachusetts State 4th, Brian Waller-Reitano!    


Full Placement Results (165)
1st: Jake Maddox (Newtown) DEC Evan Schibi (Gilbert School), 4-3
3rd: Ryker Cox (Coxsackie-athens) DEC Miguel Turcios (Westbury), 4-1
5th: Luke Ryan (Fox Lane) M FOR Quinn Hunt (Monsignor Farrell)
7th: Peter Mikedis (Bellmore-jfk) MD Caden Smith (Central Catholic), 14-1


Full Placement Results (285)
1st: Kaz Morosetti North Kingstown, RI (North Kingstown) DEC Chris Belmonte (New Hartford-sv-up), 2-1 SV
3rd: James Mulhern (Massapequa) DEC Brian Reitano (Central Catholic), 7-2
5th: Richard Tinyes (Lynbrook) DEC Jim Biccum (South Jefferson), 4-1 SV
7th: Ryan Fleischmann (Central Square) DEC Binak Bruncaj (Tappan Zee), 5-2