NEW YORK STATE WRESTLING: TIOGA'S McKEE, DUNCANSON BOTH BACK IN THE STATE FINALS (17 PHOTOS) (February 28, 2026)
By TIM BIRNEYValley Sports ReportALBANY — Tioga junior Declan McKee is one win away from his second consecutive state title, and senior Jayden Duncanson is back in the state finals after wins in the semifinals of the New York State Division 2 Wrestling Championships here Saturday morning at the MVP Arena.
McKee, now a three-time place-winner, punched his ticket to the 110-pound finals with a 4-2 win over fourth-seed Wyatt Sartori of Danville-Wayland-Cohocton.
"I thought Declan dictated pace, the whole match," said Tioga coach Kris Harrington. "Wyatt Santori is tough, an excellent wrestler
"I'm real proud of him, not once was he flapped in any of those kind of crazy scrambled positions," noted Harrington.
McKee scored a takedown 21 seconds into the match, and led 3-1 after the first two minutes.
The duo exchange escapes — Sartori in the second and McKee in the third — and McKee was able to fend off several takedown attempts.
McKee will now face Southwestern's third-seeded Adrian Torres, who knocked off second-seeded Mason DellaPenta of Eden in sudden-victory, 6-3.
"Now, he's got another match with Torres, and you know how those go," added Harrington.
McKee beat Torres, 5-1, in the 101-pound state final last year to avenge a 3-2 tiebreaker loss earlier in the year.
This year, McKee beat Torres, 6-1, in the finals of the Windsor Christmas Tournament. McKee is 3-1 in his career against Torres.
Third-seeded Duncanson, Tioga's only five-time place-winner in program history, topped Letchworth's second-seeded Joe Scott, 4-2, in the 138-pound semifinals.
"Jay was calm, cool, and collected," said Harrington. "The game plan there ... we didn't need to push the pace underneath a real long guy.
After a scoreless first period, Duncanson scored an escape 12 seconds into the second period, then recorded a takedown 61 seconds later to take a 4-0 lead into the final two minutes.
Scott collected an escape 30 seconds into the match, and Duncanson was banged for stalling with 30 seconds remaining to provide the final margin.
Duncanson will now face Deposit-Hancock's top-seeded Landyn Shaffer (42-1), who is a two-time state place-winner.
"I'm really proud of Jay," said Harrington. "He needs to get ready, he's got another match with Shaffer."
Shaffer scored a 19-2 technical fall over Duncanson in the finals of the Section IV Championships.
"If you watch the match over, Jayden lost two exchanges that were for 14 points," said Harrington. "You can't have a lapse when you get taken down, you have to wrestle through those positions.
"Hopefully, we can have a different outcome," added Harrington.
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IN PHOTO 1: Tioga senior Jayden Duncanson after his semi-final win. IN TOP PHOTO: Tioga junior Declan McKee scores the takedown. ... PHOTOS BY TIM BIRNEY.
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