By TIM TAYLORValley Sports Report
TIOGA CENTER — Jayden Duncanson has made several trips to the state podium in Albany. Now he will take that success to the other side of the state after signing his National Letter of Intent to attend SUNY Niagara here Tuesday.
Duncanson will be joined by Tiger teammate Kadin Cole as the duo hopes to contribute to Niagara’s recent success on the mat.
The Thunderwolves captured the NJCAA Division III national championship in March.
Duncanson feels like Niagara is the right place to be.
“It just felt like a good fit for me and my family, and everything around, honestly,” he said.
What does he have to offer the Thunderwolves?
“Hopefully, another national title,” he said.
Duncanson also believes he can offer the program “strong leadership skills and a hard work ethic.”
“I'm honored to introduce two of our outstanding student athletes from the wrestling program, Kadin Cole and Jayden Duncanson,” coach Kris Harrington said. “During their careers, they played a vital role in leading this historic era of our program to four Section IV dual meet and tournament championships, as well as four New York State tournament championships and three dual meet state championships.
“Jayden finished his career with 201 wins and 100 falls, was a two-time New York State finalist, a four-time Section IV champion, and the first wrestler in our program in history to place in the state tournament five times.”
“While I'm extremely proud of the accomplishments they had, what stands out most to me is their leadership and character that they have demonstrated every single day,” Harrington added. “Their patience, their kindness, and willingness to help others played a tremendous role in the development of our next generation of Tioga wrestlers and setting the standard that is the Tioga way that our program strives for. As they continue their academic and athletic careers at SUNY Niagara, I look forward to watching their continued success.”
Athletic director Jim Wood praised all eight of the athletes who signed.
“It's a culmination of their hard work and their dedication, and the culmination of their high school careers,” he said. “It's also the beginning of another phase in their life, which is something that's going to be more meaningful than Tioga, and I don't say that lightly. Those of you that are up here today, congratulations. All that hard work, the extra hours you put in, the time that mom and dad have taken to travel to get you to where you need to be and get you to this point, it's all been worth it.”
“It is not by coincidence that you hear about leadership, extra effort, all the different dedications across time from all of these up here,” said principal Jim Howey. “It is a statistical fact that only seven percent of high school athletes go on to play in college.” Almost double that number, 13 percent of the Tioga Central Class of 2026, have chosen to compete at the collegiate level.
Howey went on to ask those in attendance to applaud the athletes and for the athletes to return the applause to their parents and other supporters for their contributions. He also reminded the athletes they can always count on the people back home for support.
“When it gets tough, don't be afraid to reach home and say, ‘Hey, I need a little bit of loving.’ But stay where you're at. It's going to get tough. Just like it was tough here, you just don't remember those times. Okay? The final thing I want to tell you here is you're excellent.
“You've already excelled. The roof is yours to decide on. I wish you all the best. You're always welcome to come home, and you better stay where you're at and succeed because that's what we expect of you.”
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PHOTOS BY TIM TAYLOR.
