By TIM TAYLORValley Sports Report
BINGHAMTON — Four Waverly standouts climbed to the top of the podium at the STAC Wrestling Championships held at Binghamton High School on Saturday, leading the Wolverines to a third place showing in the 17-team challenge.
Rhylee Stotler was the first of the team’s champs, winning at 126, and was joined by Dalton Davis at 138. Waverly would close out the tournament with Matthias Welles and Troy Beeman winning at 215 and 285, respectively.
“I think I performed the way I wanted to,” said Stotler, “but there is more competition I would like to see and I would like to pick up my offense.”
The two-time STAC champion’s offense was actually pretty good, scoring-wise, as he racked up 50 points against his three opponents. Stotler started with a 19-2 tech. fall in 2:11 over Chenango Valley’s Armando DiFulvio. He followed up with a 15-6 major decision against teammate Avery Bowman and a 16-4 major decision against Windsor’s Dylan Newman in the championship round.
Davis posted a pair of 19-3 tech. falls to start his day. He defeated Union-Endicott’s Kayne Hunt in 2:42 and Horseheads’ Kole Zufall in 5:16. In the finals he bested Elmira’s Scott Fairbanks, 4-0.
“I thought I wrestled pretty well,” Davis said. “First match, you know, always not the greatest, usually cold, so I just went out there, worked on all my shots, made sure I was good, and the second match, the same thing. I just kept firing, lined them up, just kept going and teched him.
“In the finals the kid was a little bit bigger, so I kind of waited and when my time came, he took that shot and I just snapped and went behind and got it.
“I felt like I wrestled pretty well throughout the weekend.”
Welles was in control in his three victories, starting with a fall over Chenango Forks’ Evan Trusdale in 1:40. He dropped Maine-Endwell’s Landon Armstrong, 7-1, in the semifinals, then posted an 8-0 major decision over Chenango Valley’s Brennen Riquier in the title bout.
Beeman became a three-time STAC champion. He built a 6-0 lead over teammate Ely Newman in the quarterfinals before scoring a fall in 3:18. In the semis it took him just 54 seconds to dispatch Oneonta’s Eli Daggy. The championship clash with M-E’s Ryan Evans was a hard-fought battle with each wrestler scoring an escape, until Beeman came up big late in the match to record a 7-2 decision.
“Finals, coming into it I knew it was going to be a harder match,” said Beeman. “I've trained with this kid before. First period scoreless, good hand fighting. He got the escape (in the) second. I got a few good shots, couldn't get a finish on him. Third period I escaped, about towards the end, I get a nice shot in and finish.”
Cooper Robinson (157)advanced to the championship round as well, He was leading Johnson City’s William Ackley, 3-1, and was working to tilt the Wildcat standout when Ackley was able to grab and lift Robinson’s foot, and push back into him for a fall with 10 seconds remaining in the first period.
Robinson won his first two bouts of the day by tech. fall, 16-1 in 1:38 against Vestal’s Connor Brubaker and 19-2 in 2:20 against teammate Joey Mack.
Avery Bowman (126) and Parker Larson (144) placed fourth for the Wolverines.
Bowman won his opener by fall in 5:08 over Binghamton/Seton Catholic’s Dom DiLuzio then lost to Stotler. He came back with a three-minute pin of Horseheads’ Nate Miller. He dropped a 6-3 decision to M-E’s Evan Merrell in the third-place match.
Larson chalked up a 16-1 tech. fall in 4:59 over Corning’s Blake Teeter then dropped a 5-4 heartbreaker to Windsor’s Anthony Cardinale. He bounced back with a 26-second pin over U-E’s Marty Foley, but dropped a 7-1 decision to Norwich’s Bryce Wellington in the consolation finals.
Mack added a fifth-place finish to the Waverly effort. He decked Horsheads’ Aziz Gafsi in 26 seconds, then recorded an 18-3 tech. fall over Ithaca’s Kenzie Burke. After his loss to Robinson, Mack lost by fall to Windsor’s Mason Colgan in 2:07. He ended his day with a pin over Chenango Valley’s Nicholas Aftuck in 2:42 in the fifth-place match.
Tritan Floyd went 2-2 at 110, his wins being an 8-2 decision over Sus Valley’s Alex Farley and pinning Horseheads’ Nolan Miller in 31 seconds.
Nico Rae (144) and Newman both went 1-2. Rae’s victory was a fall in 1:27 over Chenango Forks’ Chase Tuttle while Newman pinned Binghamton/Seton Catholic’s Aidan Rader in 1:12.
Also competing were Hudson Sink (132), who had to injury default his first match, and Mason Phillips (110), who was 0-2.
M-E took the team title with 195 points, followed by Horseheads with 181.5 and the Wolverines with 178.5. Windsor was fourth, 60 points behind Waverly.
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IN PHOTO 1: Dalton Davis. IN TOP PHOTO: Matthias Welles. … PHOTOS BY TIM TAYLOR.
