By TIM BIRNEYValley Sports Report
ELMIRA — Junior Amelia Toomey beat the top two seed in her bracket Saturday to win a title, and junior Kyah Nelson placed second to lead Tioga's efforts here at the Southern Tier Memorial girls wrestling tournament.
Senior Rae Anne Feeko was the only other Tiger to reach the podium, placing sixth in her weight class.
"This was a huge tournament," said Tioga coach Jim Walsh. "It showed the growth of girls' wrestling - a competitive tournament, a lot of state-ranked girls in each bracket.
"We got a lot of good looks at different opponents and we got a better gauge of where some of our girls are at and need to be, with the post season not far down the road," noted Walsh.
"We had typical tournament surprises, disappointments, and accomplishments.
"Two girls had breakout performances. Most of the girls had at least two wins, which hopefully boosted some confidence although we had some matches where we were in control and ahead, but ended up losing," added Walsh. "Overall however, we were very proud of the girls for their effort and performances."
Tioga was 11th in the 47-team field with 92 points, well off the pace of team champ Niagara-Wheatfield, which amassed 182 points. Lockport was second with 155.5 points, while Windsor was third with 146.5, Fulton was fourth with 142.5 points and Homer was sixth with 130.
U-E was the second-best Section IV finisher, placing sixth with 116.5 points, while Waverly was eighth 114.5 points and Oneonta (tied with Tioga) was 11th with 92 points, Horseheads was 13th with 87.5 points, and Groton was 14th with 85.5 points.
Toomey was 2-0 Saturday to finish the weekend at 5-0 on her way to the 138-pound title.
In the semifinals, Toomey fell behind top-seeded Alexa Doxey of Niagara-Wheatfield, 4-0, in the opening 30 seconds, but rallied to lead 12-5 midway through the second period in a 12-8 win.
In the finals, Toomey topped Owego Free Academy standout RaeAnne Craft, 10-2. She led 4-2 after the first period, then opened it up in the second period.
"We did not stick around to see who was awarded Most Outstanding Wrestler, but we thought clearly Amelia Toomey was the girls MOW," said Walsh. "She had a breakout tournament.
"She has lost some very close matches against top opponents in the past, but in this tournament, she handily beat No. 2 ranked in New York State Alexa Doxey od Niagara Wheatfield in the semis, then finished off No. 10 state-ranked RaeAnn Craft of Owego in the finals.
"In those matches, she showed the importance of relentless effort and proper hand fighting technique," added Walsh.
Nelson, who was 2-0, Friday, was 1-1 on Saturday to place second in the 185-pound bracket.
In the semifinals, Nelson scored a 13-1 technical fall of Lockport's Khamya'J Maxwell in 1:13.
In the finals, Nelson fell victim to U-E ace Teagan McGuinness via a 12-0 technical fall in 1:24.
"It was great to have Kyah Nelson back in full force," said Walsh. "She has missed a lot of the early season due to illness and injury.
"In typical Kyah style, she plowed her way to the finals," noted Walsh. "She then fell to her longtime nemesis No. 2 state-ranked Teagan McGuinness of Union-Endicott. I think she is 1-3 overall versus Teagen.
"Kyah just needs some more mat time and conditioning," added Walsh.
Feeko, who 2-1 Friday, was 2-2 Saturday to finish sixth in the 120-pound bracket.
Feeko won her first two matches of the day, pinning Teigan Space of Deposit-Hancock in 2:03, and then scoring a 16-5 technical ical fall of Bellefonte's Carly Bair in 5:46.
Feeko lost to SVEC standout Tayah Beach in the consolation semifinals, then lost to Niagara-Wheatfield's Mackenzie Sweeney in the fifth-place match.
"RaeAnne Feeko, who is only in her second year of wrestling and who last year only wrestled just half the season due to injury, was the workhorse and competitor of the team — seven matches for 6th place," said Walsh.
"She was a pleasant surprise," added Walsh. "She has the potential to do very well post season."
Tioga returns to action Jan. 19 at the Windsor Lady Black Knight Invitational.
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PHOTOS BY BRIAN FEES, TIM BIRNEY, CRISTINA ROSSI, and MIRANDA SZYMANSKI.
