SECTION IV WRESTLING: TIOGA CRUISES TO THIRD STRAIGHT DIVISION 2 DUALS TITLE (24 PHOTOS) (2022-01-19)
By TIM BIRNEYValley Sports ReportTIOGA CENTER — Top-seeded Tioga raced out to insurmountable leads, and cruised to wins over fourth-seeded Oxford-Greene and second-seeded Walton-Delhi to win its third consecutive Section IV, Division 2 Duals title here Wednesday evening.
“I think we’re getting where we need to be, at the right time,” said Tioga coach Kris Harrington. “This is nice. I’m happy for the boys.”
The Tigers built a 48-0 lead on their way to a 60-9 win over Oxford-Greene in the semifinals, then led Walton-Delhi 59-0 en route to a 65-12 win the championship match.
Semifinals
Tioga 60, Oxford-Greene 9The Tigers won the first nine bouts of the match, including seven by fall, on its way to its second win of the season over the Trojans.
Eighth-grader Logan Bellis started the Tigers off on the right foot at 102 pounds with a pin of Troy Braman in 3:02.
At 110 pounds, 8th-grader Jayden Duncanson pinned O-G’s Owen Marcin, who is ranked 10th in the state, in 1:40 to give Tioga a 12-0 lead.
Sophomore Levi Bellis decked Chris Callahan in 36 seconds at 118 pounds, and sophomore Tyler Roe forged an 11-4 decision over Aiden Marcin, who is ranked fifth in the state at 126 pounds, to make it 21-0.
Harrington referenced the wins by Jayden Duncanson and Roe over state-ranked opponents after the match.
“Those are nice wins building toward the postseason, especially with those up-for-grabs weight classes,” said Harrington. “We need those head-to-heads.
“Now, we have a lock with both of our guys against those guys; that’s a good thing,” he noted.
“And, Tyler (Roe) has become a weapon now that he’s come down to the 26-32 spot,” added Harrington.
Senior Mason Welch (132 pounds), sophomore Caden Bellis (138), junior Donovan Smith (145), and sophomore Ousmane Duncanson (152) added first-period pins for the Tigers to extend the lead to 45-0.
Senior Emmett Wood capped Tioga’s match-opening run with a 7-2 decision over Lyric Libbey.
Hunter Page put O-G on the board with a pin at 172 pounds, and Tyler Brown edged junior Thomas Hurd, 4-2, in overtime at 189 pounds for the Trojans’ only points of the match.
Senior Josh Snell received a forfeit at 215 pounds, and freshman Tate Macauley finished off the match with a pin of Jared Milk in 1:48 at 285 pounds.
Championship match
Tioga 65, Walton-Delhi 12The Tigers won the first 10 weight classes, including seven by fall and two by forfeit, on its way to a 65-12 win over Walton-Delhi.
Jayden Duncanson and Levi Bellis gave Tioga a quick 12-0 lead with first-period pins, and sophomore Gianni Silvestri, the state’s top-ranked 118-pounder, forged an 18-1 technical fall at 5:05 in their 126-pound match-up to up the lead to 17-0.
At 132 pounds, Welch scored a 45-second fall of Noah Sovocool, then Caden Bellis pinned Nate Merwin in 2:48 at 138 pounds to make it 29-0.
Bellis entered the match ranked third in the state at 132, while Merwin is ranked 11th at 138.
“Merwin is the No. 1 guy in the section at 138, and top 10 in the state, that’s a real nice win for Caden (Bellis),” said Harrington.
Smith followed Bellis’ win with a fall at 145, then Duncanson (152) and Wood (160) received forfeits to extend the lead to 47-0.
Sophomore Trent Browne and junior Thomas Hurd closed out Tioga’s run with first-period pins to make it 59-0.
After Will Pettit (215) and Landon Taylor (285) put Walton-Delhi in the scoring column with second-period falls, Logan Bellis closed out the match with a pin of Hayden Robinson at 102 pounds in 1:20.
Tioga’s first two Section IV Duals title wins — 37-25 over Windsor in 2019, and 40-34 over Windsor in 2020 — were much closer.
“This is a nice team we have,” said Harrington.
“This is one of the goals we set at the beginning of the year,” he noted. “We knew we needed to win this one to get to the state championships.
“Now we’re back in it,” added Harrington. We need to make some adjustments, but we’re excited for next Saturday.”
The title marks Tioga’s fourth straight trip to the New York State Duals. In 2018, Tioga earned a wildcard berth after losing to Norwich, 38-30, in the finals.
Tioga, now 12-0, returns to action Saturday at the IAC Championships at Waverly High School.
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IN PHOTO 1: Tioga’s Donovan Smith. … PHOTOS BY TIM BIRNEY.
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Semifinals
TIOGA 60, OXFORD-GREENE 9102: Logan Bellis (T) by fall over Troy Braman (O-G), 3:02;
110: Jayden Duncanson (T) by fall over Owen Marcin (O-G), 1:40;
118: Levi Bellis (T) by fall over Christopher Callahan (O-G), 0:36;
126: Tyler Roe (T) dec. Aiden Marcin (O-G), 11-4;
132: Mason Welch (T) by fall over Corey Swift (O-G), 1:56;
138: Caden Bellis (T) by fall over Sebastian Quarella (O-G), 0:23;
145: Donavan Smith (T) by fall over Christian Paden (O-G), 0:29;
152: Ousmane Duncanson (T) by fall over Mike Wright (O-G), 1:38;
160: Emmett Wood (T) dec. Lyric Libbey (O-G), 7-2;
172: Hunter Page (O-G) by fall over Trent Browne (T), 2:48;
189: Tyler Brown (O-G) dec. Thomas Hurd (T), 4-2, SV-1;
215: Josh Snell (T) by forfeit;
285: Tate McCauley (T) by fall over Jared Milk (O-G), 1:48.
Championship Match
TIOGA 65, WALTON-DELHI 12110: Jayden Duncanson (T) by fall over Xander Davies (W-D), 1:25;
118: Levi Bellis (T) by fall over Garrett Copeland (W-D), 1:53;
126: Gianni Silvestri (T) tech. fall Holden Church (W-D), 18-1 @ 5:05;
132: Mason Welch (T) by fall over Noah Sovocool (W-D), 0:45;
138: Caden Bellis (T) by fall over Nate Merwin (W-D), 2:48;
145: Donavan Smith (T) by fall over Peyton Tweedie (W-D), 2:00;
152: Ousmane Duncanson (T) by forfeit;
160: Emmett Wood (T) by forfeit;
172: Trent Browne (T) by fall over Nick Lane (W-D), 0:51;
189: Thomas Hurd (T) by fall over Hazzie Halstead (W-D), 1:19;
215: Will Pettit (W-D) by fall over Josh Snell (T), 4:44;
285: Landon Taylor (W-D) by fall over Austin Babcock (T), 4:33;
102: Logan Bellis (T) by fall over Hayden Robinson (W-D), 1:20.
