Valley Sports Report
TIOGA CENTER - Tioga is a program clicking on all cylinders, while Waverly is on the build after hitting rock bottom the last few years, so the result here Wednesday night was predictable - a 69-9 Tioga win in IAC wrestling action.
"I'm happy with our performance," said Tioga coach Kris Harrington. "I think we're starting to come together as a team.
"Top-to-bottom, we're pretty solid right now," he added. "We just need to keep working hard."
"I'm not surprised by it, but our kids fought hard," said Waverly coach Devan Witman. "Two years ago, this was a 45-minute dual meet. Tonight, we went an hour-and-a-half.
"We got blown out, there's no doubt about that, but our kids showed heart," noted Witman. "It's a tremendous improvement from last year and two years ago.
"Tioga is a state-caliber team, and they're eyeing a state championship right now," added Witman. "This will only make us better."
The Tigers, now 4-0, won the first seven weight classes of the night to build a 34-0 lead.
Junior David MacWhinnie started the ball rolling for Tioga at 126 pounds, building a 12-2 lead in the first period, and scoring a reversal in the early moments of the second period before scoring a fall at 3:15.
At 132 pounds, Tioga junior Brady Worthing scored a five-point move on Waverly senior Colby Sindoni early in the first period, and led 7-0 after two periods. Brady Worthing scored another five-point move late in the third period for a 12-0 major decision win.
At 138 pounds, Tioga senior John Worthing scored three quick takedowns in the first period before finishing off Waverly senior Cody Chandler via fall in 1:18 to give the Tigers a 16-0 lead.
In the marquee match-up of the night, Tioga senior Austin Lamb forged a 10-3 decision over Waverly junior Ethan Stotler at 145 pounds.
Lamb scored an early takedown for a 2-0 lead, but Stotler was able to reverse to tie the score. Lamb worked an escape, and scored another takedown in the waning moments of the first period for a 5-2 lead
Lamb, a two-time state place-winner, also scored takedowns in the second and third periods to sew up the win, extending Tioga's lead to 19-0.
"I thought Lamb wrestled pretty well tonight," said Harrington. "He's been pretty sick, so for him to wrestle (Ethan) Stotler at the level he did, battling some illness, I thought that was pretty impressive.
"These are the matches we want," said Wiman. "Ethan (Stotler) wants to take his wrestling to the next level, so these are the guys he has to wrestle."
Tioga freshman Emmett Wood was taken down and nearly put on his back by Waverly sophomore Austin Kimble in the first 30 seconds their 152-pound match-up.
Kimble led 2-0 after the first period, but Wood scored an escape, a takedown, and two sets of back points for a 9-2 lead after the second period en route to a 12-4 major decision win.
At 160 pounds, Tioga senior Zac Warner scored an early takedown and finished off Waverly sophomore Trevor Meyers at 1:21 to give the Tigers a 29-0 lead.
At 170 pounds, Tioga senior Vinny Sullivan forged a dominating 20-5 technical fall win over Waverly freshman Andrew Kimble. Sullivan scored a pair of takedowns and a set of back points in building an 8-3 lead after the first period.
Sullivan escaped off the second-period whistle, scored a takedown and three back points for a 14-3 lead. After a reversal by Andrew Kimble, Sullivan scored a quick reversal of his own, and two sets of back points to finish the bout at 3:40.
Waverly 8th-grader Gage Tedesco, who played modified basketball to start the winter season, put Waverly on the board with an 11-6 over Tioga junior Dom Wood at 182 pounds to trim the deficit to 34-3.
"Gage is a wrestler at heart," said Witman. "He's not afraid of anyone who is put in front of him, whether it's a first-year wrestler or a state champion.
"I love the fight this kid has, and I look forward to having him for the next 4 1/2 years," added Witman.
After Tioga senior Joe Lloyd received a forfeit at 195 pounds, Tioga senior Matt Babcock scored a fall over Waverly junior Trent Skeens in 3:30 of their 220-pound match-up to give the Tigers a 46-3 lead.
Babcock scored a pair of takedowns in the first period and led 4-1 after two minutes. After an escape to start the second period, Babcock registered another takedown before finishing off the bout.
"Matt Babcock looked great for us tonight, and picked up a good win," said Harrington.
At 285 pounds, Tioga senior Stephen Taylor scored a quick takedown and powered Waverly sophomore Hunter Rando to his back for a 30-second fall - the quickest of the match - to put the Tigers up 52-3.
At 99 pounds, Tioga 7th-grader Gianni Silvestri scored a takedown about 30 seconds into his bout with Waverly 8th-grader Connor Stotler, and ended up registering the fall at 1:30 to extend the lead to 58-3.
Caden Bellis, also a 7th-grader, started fast with a takedown and three sets of back points in the first period for an 11-0 lead over Waverly junior Zack Reeves. Bellis finished off the 16-0 technical fall at 3:15 to give Tioga a 63-3 lead.
Harrington praised Silvestri and Bellis after their wins.
"They are both coming along quickly, and we count on them - we need them," said Harrington.
"You look at Gianni and Caden and their growth arches - it's really impressive," he noted. "They've grown by leaps-and-bounds, and they're not phased by much.
"It's really nice to have two 12-year-old come in and contribute the way they have," added Harrington.
Freshman Mason Welch registered Tioga's final win of the night, pinning Waverly freshman Dalton Manuel in 1:05 at 113 pounds.
Waverly freshman Garrett Skeens, who opened the season at 138 pounds, earned Waverly's second win of the night with a pin of Tioga freshman Justin Hopkins in 3:35 at 120 pounds.
"(138 pounds) is definitely a better fit for him," said Witman. "Since we got him down in weight, Garrett has turned the corner. He's a little bit hungrier, and he's worked a little bit hard in practice, putting in the extra time. He looks a lot better at 120."
Tioga returns to action Friday in the two-day Bradshaw Tournament at Canandaigua High School, while Waverly travels to Danville, Pa. Saturday for the Iron Hammer Duals.
------
IN PHOTOS 1-4: Tioga's Austin Lamb and Waverly's Ethan Stotler. ... PHOTOS BY TIM BIRNEY.
------
TIOGA 69, WAVERLY 9
126: David MacWhinnie (T) by fall over Rylan LaForest (W), 3:15;
132: Brady Worthing (T) major dec. Colby Sindoni (W), 12-0;
138: John Worthing (T) by fall over Cody Chandler (W), 1:18;
145: Austin Lamb (T) dec. Ethan Stotler (W), 10-3;
152: Emmett Wood (T) major dec. Austin Kimble (W), 12-4;
160: Zach Warner (T) by fall over Trevor Meyers (W), 1:21;
170: Vincent Sullivan (T) tech. fall Austin Kimble (W), 20-5 @ 3:40;
182: Gage Tedesco (W) dec. Dom Wood (T), 11-6;
195: Joe Lloyd (T) won by forfeit;
220: Matt Babcock (T) by fall over Trent Skeens (W), 3:30;
285: Stephen Taylor (T) by fall over Hunter Rando (W), 0:30;
99: Gianni Silvestri (T) by fall over Connor Stotler (W), 1:30;
106: Caden Bellis (T) tech. fall Zack Reeves (W), 16-0 @ 3:15;
113: Mason Welch (T) by fall over Dalton Manual (W), 1:05;
120: Garrett Skeens (W) by fall over Justin Hopkins (T), 3:35.