“The Village” has brought home a state championship.
In a sport long viewed as an individual sport, Starpoint wrestling coach Steve Hart has built his program around the team. The program has grown into among the elite in the state, and on Saturday in Syracuse, the Spartans won the New York State Public High School Athletic Association dual meet championship in Division I.
It is the first team state championship in school history in any sport.
“It’s the first-ever state title for Starpoint, and we’re glad wrestling was able to bring it home,” senior Landon Grainy said.
Starpoint, ranked No. 2 in the state among large schools, beat defending champion Minisink Valley 35-27, in the highly anticipated final.
“It’s a complete team effort that wins a team championship,” Hart said. “No specific individual effort.
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“It’s special not only to me but all those young student athletes who put the time in and the assistant coaches who put in an absurd amount of hours – Kyle McGregor, Kellen Devlin, Joe Buscaglia, Brian LaPlante, and Wayne Leblanc. These guys are the difference makers. Additionally, our family buy-in is enormous and the support has propelled us. Lastly, my athletic director (Vincent Dell’Osso) has given us the resources we needed to succeed.”
The state duals were held for the fifth time since being added to the NYSPHSAA championship schedule.
“This means everything for the team concept. You build off one another. Iron sharpens iron,” Hart said. “You bring in the team championship and it allows those kids who might not have individual success that are a huge part of the team and the program, it brings them that success as well, which is so important to this program.”
The Spartans had waited a year to get another chance at Minisink Valley, which beat Starpoint in this event last year. That Spartans team was an unseeded wild card entry; this team was a dominant Section VI champion.
"After them knocking us out last year, it really made us want it even more to knock them out this season,” Starpoint’s Landon Grainy said. “Now we’re champions, and it’s amazing.”
Winners in the final for Starpoint: Jaron Barrientos (102 pounds), Kole Haseley (110), JR Leuer (118), Caden Barrientos (126), Gage LaPlante (138), C.J. Uptegrove (152), Zach Caldwell (160) and Matt Caldwell at 285. Caldwell was among a number of wrestlers who competed at higher weights for the benefit of the team.
“Heart, dedication,” LaPlante said. “There wasn’t a day in the summer when we weren’t in The Barn practicing, grinding, getting better.”
“The Barn” has become a noted training destination for the area’s top wrestlers and is owned by the LaPlante family.
Starpoint advanced to the state final with a 36-26 victory against third-ranked Wantagh of Section VIII in the semifinals.
The Spartans opened the day with a 54-18 victory against Section III’s Cicero North-Syracuse and then jumped to a 24-0 lead against Fairport, a wild-card entry from Section V, and finished with a 36-35 victory.
Niagara-Wheatfield also was in the tournament in Division I and opened with a dominant 60-5 victory against Fox Lane, of Section I. The Falcons lost to Minisink Valley, 42-13, in the next match.
Among small schools, Chautauqua Lake opened with a 49-18 victory against Section II’s Cobleskill-Richmondville before falling to 33-24 to defending small school state champion Tioga, from Section VI. Tioga would go on to repeat as state champions.
Barone captures title
Niagara-Wheatfield seventh-grader Gabby Barone scored four pinfalls on the way to winning the 100-pound weight class at the first New York State Public High School Athletic Association girls wrestling tournament Friday in Syracuse.
Barone capped her day with a second-period pin of Jasmine Brucato, of Honeoye Falls-Lima, from Section V.
The tournament included more than 200 wrestlers from across the state in 13 weight classes. Girls wrestling has “emerging sports” status in the state, but does not yet have enough participation for an overall state championship. The intersectional championships are scheduled for Feb. 18 at Chautauqua Lake.
Barone was among three Section VI wrestlers to reach the final in their respective weight classes.
Newfane eighth-grader Alexa Doxey was the runner-up at 126 pounds after a loss to Rocky Point junior Alexandra Viera in the final.
Christina Evans from West Seneca was the runner-up at 145 pounds with a pinfall loss to Waterloo sophomore Madison Westerberg in 1:34 in the final. Westerberg was among the most dominant wrestlers at the event.
The three finalists were among 10 medalists from Section VI, including three third-place finishers: Michaela Thomas from Iroquois at 152, Lockport’s Ava Bragg at 165, North Tonawanda’s Ava Bragg at 165. North Tonawanda’s Hannah McCarley was fourth at 107 pounds. Section VI had two fifth-place finishers: Lewiston-Porter’s Meghan Edwards at 145 and Lockport’s Khamya J’Maxwell at 185. Chautauqua Lake’s Gabi Freeburg was sixth at 235.
Here are the winners of each weight class:
94: Zoey Jewett (Fr., General Brown). 100: Gabby Barone (7th, Niagara-Wheatfield). 107: Sara Pauls (8th, Minisink Valley). 114: Yianna Foufas (Jr., Mepham). 120: Ashley Diaz (Jr., Seaford). 126: Alexandra Viera (Jr., Rocky Point). 132: Emily Sindoni (Sr., Tioga). 138: Zoey Lints (Sr., Duanesburg-Schoharie). 145: Madison Westerberg (So., Waterloo). 152: Isabella Gretzinger (Jr., Shenendehowa). 165: Renne Kinikin (Sr., Mexico). 180: Sophie Pollack (Sr., Canandaigua Academy). 235: McKenzie Laforest (Jr. Waverly).