D-II Grapplers Crowned; Hoops Happenings at Yorktown, Greeley

By Ray Gallagher, Examiner Sports Editor @Directrays

D-II Grappling Sectionals

While it was Nanuet that snagged its third straight Section I Division II wrestling championship behind five individual champions, several Examiner-area teams and grapplers found their way to the podium Saturday at the Westchester County Center, including HEN HUD’s 285-pounder Mason Dietz, who avenged a 2024 pin by defeating former Section 1 champ Jaden Tesher of PUTNAM VALLEY to reach the state tourney. The two tangoed in 2023 as well, with Dietz taking top honors via pin.

PLEASANTVILLE had four grapplers reach the finals with 131-pounder Ciaran Egan working a 13-2 major decision over PUTNAM VALLEY’s Nick Paonessa. The two determined juniors could meet again next season if they stay the course. 124-pounder Jesse Straus, 108-pounder Alex Wish and 101-pounder Kobe Rodriguez were other Panthers to reach the finals and push Pleasantville to a fourth place overall finish.

CROTON-HARMON had two champions – 152-pounder Henry Martin, who repeated, and 116-pounder Jonathan Suarez, who crushed a cradle – plus six other wrestlers who medaled. Martin, the winningest wrestler in Croton history, cemented his legacy as an all-time Tiger in a tradition-rich lineage under former Coach Sam Occhipinti, who spent four decades molding Croton grapplers. Current Coach Joe Bucello has picked up right where he left off.

The big dogs will come to County Center when Section 1 holds its large school championship (Div. I) Tuesday and Wednesday, as well as its initial girls championships Wednesday.

All Section 1 champions advance to the New York State Tournament Feb. 28 and March 1 at MVP Arena in Albany.

HOOP HAPPENINGS

In the hoops game of the week, the fabled Husker @THE_CROP turned out in force on Friday, Feb. 7 when YORKTOWN hosted its fourth annual “Charlie Strong” game against rival MAHOPAC, a night that was dedicated to 2023 Husker grad Charlie DeGennaro, the son of Yorktown Principal Joe DeGennaro, who successfully battled transverse myelitis as a high school freshman. The event raised thousands for Blythedale Children’s Hospital.

Charlie’s story is one of strong-minded determination, one that came out of nowhere, and the will to defeat the odds.

“I was playing basketball with my friends one day and my heart started racing, little did I know I was becoming paralyzed from the neck down,” he said. “I didn’t realize how different my life would become. I’m forever grateful to Blythedal for the entirety and care they gave to me. I made great strides and the doctors there seriously gave me a second chance at life. I’m forever grateful. I now see children that are in far worse condition than me at Blythedale, so I’m grateful this cause can contribute to them and give back whatever we can.”

Coming home with another W against rival the @MahopacManics, 54-42, made the night all the more enjoyable. The Wolf Pac led 14-12 and 16-14 early in the second before Yorktown began to take advantage of its size and length along the boards, leading to second- and third-chance opportunities while taking a 39-19 halftime lead. As hard as Mahopac junior Matt Reilly (16 points) crashed the boards, the Huskers were swarming the glass, leading to a balanced stat sheet, including Kaden Gonzalez (11 points, 7 rebounds), Aidan Flynn (10 points, 9 rebounds), Ryan Duffy (8 points, 9 rebounds), Colin Worden (7 points, 7 rebounds, 6 assists) and Brian Hansen (11 points).

Reilly trimmed the deficit to 10 points, 44-35, at 7:25 of the fourth, but Huskers Sander Stone and Worden answered before Stone followed with a back-breaking trey at 4:50 for a 52-37 edge #GameOver. Mahopac (8-10), the current No.15 seed, has some work to do if the Wold Pac are to advance in the playoffs, which currently call for a rematch with No.2 Yorktown.

The Huskers also put a 68-56 hurt on RCK behind similar balance: Worden (15 points, 12 rebounds, 4 assists), Gonzalez (12 points, 4 assists), Flynn (11 points, 10 rebounds) and the Duff Man (10 points, 9 rebounds, 5 assists), leaving the state-ranked (No.19) Huskers (13-3 overall, 12-4 Section 1) as the current No.2 seed in Class AA.

With four straight wins, including a sweep of Class AAA WHITE PLAINS and a split with AAA OSSINING, Coach Matt Simone’s HORACE GREELEY Quakers (13-5) have climbed to No.5 in the AA seed machine, which also saw FOX LANE (11-6, 10-5) churn its way to No.7 with PEEKSKILL (12-6) checking in at No.9.

With, potentially, the league title on the line, Fox Lane was set to visit Greeley on Valentine’s Day (Feb.14) despite no love being lost between the bordering rivals. All four AA teams from the Ex-area need to finish strong to secure a first-round home game in the upcoming playoffs.

The Quakers looked the part in their 58-55 win over Ossining, doing so behind point guard Zach Boyriven, who rocked the Pride with 19 points, seven boards and three steals. G Alex Howoritz (13 points, 4 assists), rugged Jake Sheehy (11 points, 10 boards) and versatile Levi Sack (10 points, 3 steals) did their thing for the Quakers while Ossining was led by Kris Singh’s 18 points.

Sheehy (24 points, 10 boards) went off in Greeley’s 56-44 win White Plains. Boyriven added 15 points, six assists and three steals while Sack added seven points. The Quakers, seemingly, have re-found their mission.

Fox Lane had that monster win, 60-58 in OT, over Ossining, behind the slayer, Arthur Shevick, who scored 26 points and dished five assists. Foxes Logan Mammola (4 points, 2 assists, 7 rebounds), Evan Mayers (10 points, 1 assist, 5 rebounds), Sebastian Getz (3 points, 1 assist, 3 rebounds), Eli Daglio (10 points, 10 assists, 3 rebounds) and Ethan Mayers (3 points, 1 rebound) were vital contributors in a win that was part of a current six-game Fox Lane win streak, which, if continued, could result in a league title with a win over Greeley on the aforementioned Valentine’s Day clash.

PEEKSKILL used an explosive fourth quarter to dispatch HEN HUD, 69-47, behind 15 points apiece from the youngster, JoJo Brickhouse, and the All-NYS senior Jaden Chavis. Isaiah Crawford added a dozen to offset Sailors Jack Hiltsley (16) and Hunter Kennedy-Brown (12).

BREWSTER lost a heartbreaker to CARMEL, 55-52, after controlling the Rams for three quarters. Brewster led for the majority of the game and took an eight-point lead into the fourth quarter.

“To Carmel’s credit they never gave up and kept fighting till the end,” Brewster Assistant coach Jay Weltman said. “We did a great job for three quarters on King Mercer and in the fourth we did not. He had a great fourth quarter and it cost us the game.  Obviously, you have to play four quarters of great basketball, but we hope that we can play like we did in the first three quarters for the rest of the season.”

Mercer (18 points) and Aiden White (16) paced the Rams (7-10), the current No.16 seed.

Brewster was led by Harrison Schmitt’s 14 points. Sophomore shooter Max Rivera hit four threes and finished with 12 points for the Bears (5-12), the No.20 seed.

CLASS A

BYRAM HILLS, ranked No.5 in NYS, is sitting pretty at 16-2 after the Bobcats whacked Harrison, 66-49, thus holding the No.1 seed in class and needing wins over Eastchester and Pelham to wrap up the league title. Against Harrison, Chris Amenedo (21 points), Brody Ceisler (12) and Ari Dreilinger (10) all reached double digits while Max Miller (7 points, 6 boards, 6 assists) and Zach Efobi (6 points, 11 rebounds, 3 blocks) did a little bit of a lot to propel one of the most balanced units in Section 1.

Lurking in the weeds, though, is a WESTLAKE club that could cause County Center fits. The Wildcats (15-3, 7-1), while not as deep or seasoned as Byram, are on the brink of a league title should they win out. Last week’s win over PLEASANTVILLE put them in position after a 62-49 win at Pleasantville. Westlake hotshot Marcus Jackette led all scorers with 35 points while adding 15 boards. Anthony Nigrelli (13 points) and Brayden Lingeza (6 points) did their usual thing for the current second-seeded Wildcats.

P’ville traveled to Sleepy Hollow earlier in the week for a 65-35 win behind a career-high 26 points from Nathan Barreto. Mason Rizzi (11) and Declan Bruder (10) added a pair of double-digit scorers for the Panthers (5-12), the current No.14 seed.

PUTNAM VALLEY defeated Pawling, 61-56, behind 21 points from senior G James Apostolico and 17 from sophomore G Logan  Moriarty, setting up Wednesday’s battle with rival HALDANE (10-6, 5-0) for the League III-E title. Should the Tigers (10-8, 5-1), the current No.10 seed, beat North Salem and defeat Haldane, they would earn a share. If the Class B Blue Devils prevail, they win outright and should hold onto a top four seed.

CLASS B

BRIARCLIFF defeated Pleasantville, 57-46, as Matty Suarez played the grinder while Jason Lawler (19 points, 3 assists, 2 steals) and Luke Lawler (15 points, 7 rebounds) put up points for the surging Bears (11-7, 5-3), winners of five in a row as the current No.3 seed.

P’ville’s Matt O’Neill scored 15 points)

Leading Scorers: Anthony Ficarrotta of Dobbs Ferry is averaging nearly 35 PPG to lead Section 1. Here’s the Ex-are players behind him among the top 40 scorers in Section 1: Marcus Jackette, Westlake, 25.6; James Apostolico, Putnam Valley, 24.8; Jaden Chavis, Peekskill, 22.9; Arthur Shevick, Fox Lane, 22.3; Kaden Gonzalez,Yorktown, 20.8; Zach Boyriven, Greeley, 20.1; Isiah Crawford, Peekskill, 18.6; King Mercer, Carmel, 17.0; Phil Santore, Somers, 16.9; Chris Amenedo, Byram Hills, 16.6; Brody Ceisler, 16.5; Luke Bozsik, Haldane, 15.9; Luke Lawler, Briarcliff, 15.4; Anthony Attanasio, Lakeland, 14.9; Joey Loughlin, Carmel, 14.9; Jake Sheehy, Horace Greeley, 14.6

GIRLS HOOPS

CLASS A

PLEASANTVILLE, on the back of another great defensive effort, beat a scrappy BRIARCLIFF team, 46-23, allowing the Panthers (11-7, 6-2) to reach the current No.8 seed in class. Panthers Lexi Tomaselli (12 of 14 points in the third), Meaghan Raefski (12) and Maddie Becerra (8) chipped in during a week that saw freshman Becerra named to the 2024 All-NYS team.

As if that weren’t enough, the Panthers capped the week with a thrilling 65-58 come-from-behind league win over WESTLAKE (12-5, 6-2) to remain in the chase for the league title. After trailing through three quarters, the Panthers saw Tomaselli score 11 of her 15 in the fourth and set the tone defensively along with Raefski, who led the team with 24 points.

State-ranked (No.23) HEN HUD struck a 63-39 win over PEEKSKILL behind Kaitlyn Raguso (13 points) and Carmen Marino (9 points). The Sailors (13-5, 7-0), winners of nine in a row, a one league win away from a perfect season. Hen Hud also took the Gazette Cup honors in a 56-42 win over CROTON (12-6) after crushing Ardsley, 50-32.

CLASS AA

State-ranked (No.2) WALTER PANAS improved to 17-1 and remained perfect in league play (5-0) after crushing JJCR, 76-41, behind Cadence Nicholas (23 points), Katie Hofmann (14 points), Jillian Cinquina (12) and Giuiliana Sewall (7).

Few, if anybody in Class A, can hang with the Panthers’ pressure and intensity, but MAHOPAC (10-7, 6-3), the current No.4 seed, is hoping to challenge after splitting a pair of games last week, including a 52-37 loss to JJEF and a 68-52 win over BREWSTER (6-12).

The Wolf Pac were led by Carly Salon (29 points, 13 rebounds), Maddie Ford (12 points, 4 rebounds, 4 assists, 1 steal) and Giana Puckhaber (7 points, 9 boards, 7 steals, 2 assists) against the Bears.

FOX LANE (12-6, 3-4) is currently clinging to the fifth seed and the Foxes honored seniors Cara Drapala, Ava Shuster, Kayla Santos and Hailey Kraljevic with a 56-32 win over BYRAM HILLS (5-13, 0-6). Drapala dropped a season-high 22 points, showing ferocity and versatility, hitting from long range and taking it to the hole, according to Coach Matts. Riley New played vise-grip defense and scored 16 points.

Fox Dylan New nailed a pair of silky 3s for six points. Cora Moore was everywhere, guarding positions 1-5, blocking shots and deflecting passes on her way to five points. Morgan Clinton and Kam Boniello dominated the boards. Eighth-grader Amelia Amenedo paced the Bobcats with nine points.

The Foxes finished up the week in Saturday’s 61-25 win over Port Chester in the Dapper McDonald Showcase. MVP Morgan Clinton did a little bit of everything (9 points, 9 rebounds, 4 assists, 11 blocks) in an amazing two-way performance.

LAKELAND improved to 9-9 by taking out SOMERS, 47-36, and HALDANE, 52-30.

Against the Tuskers (6-12), Lakeland was led by Lilianna Aquire (23 points) and Riley Waters (7).

Sydney Ingraham (10 points) and Eliana Contreras (9) led the Tuskers.

HORACE GREELEY split a pair of games last week, losing to Scarsdale (51-43) after handling WHITE PLAINS, 55-33, as the Quakers (10-7, 4-2) look to move up from the No.13 seed with a string finish against three solid contenders, including surging OSSINING, Dobbs Ferry and Fox Lane. The Pride (14-4, 6-0) should win the league chip outright this week and have won seven in a row, including wins over Fox Lane (53-35) and Irvington (92-70) behind the incredible play of senior Saniya Bell, who had a day against the Foxes with 25 points, 13 rebounds, 3 blocks). Bell is a diamond in the rough for some college program looking for versatility.

CLASS B

VALHALLA took a 65-53 verdict over BRIARCLIFF behind four double-digit Vikings, including Giulia Rutigliano (25 points), Violet Mattoni (12), Gabrielle Hendrickson (10) and Isabella Mattoni (10). The Vikings (11-7, 5-3) are currently clinging to the No.3 seed.

 

DAVID TABER/CHRIS SMAJLAJ/ROB DIANTONIO PHOTOS