BINGHAMTON - Walton/Delaware Academy, Unatego/Unadilla Valley, Sidney and Deposit-Hancock were among the 26 teams competing in the Feb. 16 2024-25 Section IV, Division II Wrestling Championship.
2nd place - Unatego/Unadilla Valley
Yanni Drapaniotis (190) dominated his bracket, pinning all three of his opponents, including a lightning-fast 18-second victory over Tioga’s James Howey, to claim first place. Wyatt Meade (160) also finished at the top of his weight class, securing a hard-fought 2-1 decision over Owego Free Academy’s Bobby Struble in the final.
Nolan Boyles (215) put together an impressive run, winning four straight matches before falling twice to Maine-Endwell’s Logan McGuire to take fourth place. At 131 pounds, Gavin Nordberg picked up four wins, including a sudden victory thriller (10-7) against SVEC’s Rodney Vaow, ultimately finishing fourth. Abdul-Jamil Zaggout (131) battled to a runner-up finish, highlighted by a 58-second pin over Lansing’s Evan Sheils.
Abdeen Zaggout (152) also claimed second place, securing a 42-second pin over Deposit-Hancock’s Jackson Velez and a 10-6 decision over Oneonta’s Alan Little before dropping a close final.
Brogan LeFever (116) showed resilience with two technical fall victories, while Zack Sousa (170) edged out Deposit-Hancock’s Tyler Reis 10-7. Ahmet Zaggout (138) picked up a pair of wins, including a 15-0 tech fall over Moravia’s Thomas Harriger, before finishing sixth.
5th place - Deposit-Hancock
Landyn Shaffer (131) dominated his bracket, securing first place with a trio of technical fall victories. He defeated Unatego/Unadilla Valley’s Abdul-Jamil Zaggout (19-3), Whitney Point’s Kyle Kitson (19-4), and Owego Free Academy’s Collin Monell (18-3), showcasing his technical prowess.
Asaac Mead (145) put together a strong performance to earn second place, picking up a 16-2 major decision over Newark Valley’s Marcos Escalante and a medical forfeit win before falling in the final. Ryan Stoss (285) claimed fifth place, earning a key 10-3 decision over Windsor’s Luke Beattie and a victory via disqualification against Tioga’s Mark McCane.
Jason Canedo (124) finished fourth, securing wins over Oxford-Greene’s Kade Mustin (8-4), Oneonta’s Amari Champen (15-3 major decision), and Tioga’s Logan Bellis (6-4) before dropping close matches in the later rounds. Lucas Barnes (160) also placed sixth, with a 16-11 decision over Newark Valley’s Cadin Creeley and a first-period pin against SVEC’s Cooper Zufall.
Evan Johnson (124) battled through a tough bracket, earning a narrow 8-7 decision over Susquehanna Valley’s Tristan Farley and pinning Sidney’s Owen Mott (3:38). Tyler Reis (170) picked up a 50-second pin over Newark Valley’s Gabe Merrill, while Gavin Canedo (138) secured a 9-5 decision against Maine-Endwell’s Liam McQuade.
Jackson Velez (152) bounced back from an early loss with two consecutive pins, including a 1:08 fall over Moravia’s Levi McDonald.
6th place - Walton/Delaware Academy
Jaxon Backus (170) had an eventful day, earning a win by pin against Oneonta’s Reilly Waltz at 4:06 but faced back-to-back losses to Maine-Endwell’s Kazio Jellick and Mark Winchell, both by pin. He bounced back with another pin victory over Moravia’s Nicholas Plue in 6:23, before ultimately losing to Winchell again.
Linkin Backus (101) displayed determination, securing a 4-0 decision over Chenango Valley’s Alexander Valls and a 5-3 decision against Sidney’s Dylan Webb, finishing 3rd. However, he was bested by Oneonta’s Clayton Ritter in a major decision (12-2) and fell to Owego Free Academy’s Vitaly Sirotkin by pin in 1:22.
Aiden Branigan (116) showed dominance, winning three matches by major decision, including a 9-0 win over Windsor’s Cooper Axtell, and a 16-7 victory against Chenango Valley’s Travis White, securing 3rd place. His only loss came in a 13-3 major decision to Waverly’s Rhylee Stotler.
At 145 pounds, Trystan Haywood fought hard but faced mixed results. After a pin victory over Moravia’s Trever Wells in 51 seconds, he followed with another pin over Groton’s Max Bishop in 1:06. He did, however, lose to Susquehanna Valley’s Colin Trotter (pin) and Windsor’s Anthony Cardinale (major decision).
Heavyweight Gus Miller (285) struggled with a major decision loss to Susquehanna Valley’s Trey Parker (10-1) and a pin loss to Oneonta’s Eli Daggy (1:33).
Kohl Muller (124) had a solid showing with a pin victory over Sidney’s Owen Mott and Susquehanna Valley’s Tristan Farley. However, he suffered losses to Oxford-Greene’s Kade Mustin and Norwich’s Maverick Beckwith, the latter by technical fall.
Hayden Robinson (116) faced a tough day, losing by forfeit and pin in his first two matches but bouncing back with a dominant 13-0 major decision win over Unatego-Unadilla Valley’s Brogan Lefever.
Justin Somers (138) had a productive tournament with a 11-0 major decision win over Unatego-Unadilla Valley’s Ahmet Zaggout, a pin over Moravia’s Thomas Harriger, and a 7-2 decision victory over Owego Free Academy’s Dylan Brace. However, he fell to Tioga’s Jayden Duncanson by technical fall.
13th place - Sidney
Caden Higley (108) had an outstanding tournament, securing first place. He dominated his matches with a 16-1 technical fall over Windsor’s Dylan Newman, followed by a 15-0 technical fall win against BGAH’s Colton Ryan. Higley wrapped up his performance with a pin at 1:59 over Maine-Endwell’s Larry Tull.
At 124 pounds, Owen Mott faced a challenging day. He suffered a pinfall loss to Walton-Delaware Academy’s Kohl Muller in 4:04 and another pinfall defeat to Deposit-Hancock’s Evan Johnson in 3:38, showing resilience but unable to secure a win.
Dylan Webb (101) had a mixed performance. He impressed with a quick 46-second pin over Owego Free Academy’s Vitaly Sirotkin and a 53-second pin over Chenango Valley’s Alexander Valls. Webb, however, fell to Walton-Delaware Academy’s Linkin Backus in a 5-3 decision and suffered a technical fall loss to Tioga’s Declan McKee (17-2), finishing in 4th place.
