Veterans say first match is key to state meet wrestling success

A good start can make all the difference at the state high school wrestling championships.

Obviously, to win a title, a wrestler must win all four matches over the two-day event. But getting into a rhythm in the opening round can set the tone for the remainder of the tournament.

“Every match is important, but you can’t get look past your first match or your first opponent,” said Ballston Spa senior Alex Steciuk, one of 14 wrestlers on Section II’s Division I team with previous experience at the states, which begin Saturday morning at the Blue Cross Arena in Rochester. “You want to get rolling, get into a rhythm where you feel good and get some confidence.”

Steciuk, who did not place at the states as a freshman, took fifth at 160 pounds last season, when the tournament was held in Albany.

“It helps, going back, that I had a good tournament last year,” said the Scotties’ all-time win leader with 190, who takes a 40-1 record into this weekend’s tourney, again competing at 160. “You want to build on that all year, go back, and do better.”

Amsterdam senior Brian Benton will be wrestling in his third consecutive state tournament, following a fifth-place showing as a sopohomore with a bronze medal last year at 119 pounds.

“I think that the first match is important, especially when you’ve got a really tough kid,” said Benton, the first wrestler in Section II to record consecutive 50-win seasons. “It sets you up mentally for the rest of the tournament.

“You’ve been sitting around waiting, and you want to get your body warmed up and get into it as soon as the match starts.”

Benton, who has committed to wrestle at George Mason University, sees Section IX champion Kyle Piaquadio of Newburgh in his first match.

Niskayuna senior Jake Newcomb placed fourth in the state at 171 last year, losing in the semis to Shenendehowa’s Hunter Meys, who was in the process of pinning his way to the title.

“You’ve got to think about the match right in front of you,” said Newcomb, who has a tough first-round draw at 189 in Section IV champ Josh Peters of Vestal, who placed fifth at the weight last winter. “You can’t think about your quarterfinal match, because all of the matches at the states are

going to be tough. You know it [the first-round match] is going to be a one- or two-point match. A lot of them are.

“I have a pretty good warmup before my first match, so I’m usually ready to.”

Newcomb is competing for the second straight year as a wild-card entrant. Additional wrestlers were added to the 11 sectional champions, the Public Schools Athletic League champion and the Catholic High Schools Athletic Association winner last year to get a 16-man bracket in each of the 15 weight classes.

Newcomb lost to Meys in the Section II finals last year, and was beaten by Queensbury’s Jared Myhrberg in the sectional semis last month.

“I just wanted to be able to go back to the states,” he said. “Finishing fourth last year, and looking at my record, I thought I had a good chance to go back.”

SOLID SHOWINGS

Shenendehowa junior Austin Meys is looking for a fourth straight top-six finish at the states. He was a champ at 103 as an eighth-grader, took fourth two years ago and battled through injury to place fifth at 140 last winter.

“You want to go out there and do well, from the first match on,” said Meys, who will see Section V champ John Velieri of Hilton in his first bout in the 171-pound bracket, the fourth different weight he has competed at in his four state tourneys. “I don’t think I’ve had to adapt that much. I try to wrestle different types of kids in practice, to see different styles.”

Senior T.J. Popolizio, one of five sectional champs from Shenendehowa and six total Plainsmen in the tourney, placed second at 103 pounds last season. Up two weight classes, the Brown University-bound Popolizio finds himself in the deepest weight class in the

Division I field.

“You’ve just got to go out and wrestle like you have all year,” said Popolizio, also a standout on the Shenendehowa soccer team. “You just leave everything you have on the mat, go back and get ready to do it again.”

Duanesburg senior Brian Borst is one of three Section II wrestlers in his fourth appearance at the states, joining Hunter and Austin Meys. The four-time sectional DII champ has not had a lot of success at this state level.

“He’s had a lot of real tough, close losses at the states,” said Eagles coach Joe Bena of Borst, who takes a school-record 189 career wins into his fourth and final state tournament. “And those guys have all gone on to place.”

Bena thinks that this time, Borst will get onto the podium with the top-six finishers.

“Brian’s one of the hardest workers I’ve ever had,” said Bena, who has four wrestlers competing. “He’s beaten some very good kids from around the states. And he’s got 34 pins or technical falls [in 45 wins] this season. He can score points.”

Galway’s Jonn Gochenour was two and out last year as a junior. He’s taking a more relaxed approach in his second trip to the state tourney.

“I don’t think there’s as much pressure this time, because I didn’t win sectionals,” said Gochenour, who wrestles Matt Whitebay of Section IX’s Highland in his first match Saturday at 135. “Maybe people won’t be thinking about me as much as they do when they see they’re wrestling a sectional champion.

“I’m just going to relax, and see if I can sneak up on people.”

The other DI wrestlers making return trips include Shenendehowa junior Luke Popolzio at 103 (second at 96 in 2007), Guilderland junior Matt Cubillos (125), three-timer Dan Riggi of Scotia-Glenville (125), returning state finalist Zach Clemente (140) of LaSalle, three-time qualifier Zach Crain of Columbia (135), Paul Martin (145) of Burnt Hills-Ballston Lake, Queensbury’s Tim Elbert (215) and Ken Altarac (285) of LaSalle.

Of that group, only Crain, Martin and Elbert are seniors.

Joining Borst and Gochenour as repeaters on the DII squad are two-time fourth-place finisher Ryan Black (171) of Warrensburg, who missed the 2006-07 season with an

injury; Schuylerville’s Sarah Anderson (103) and Dan Ladd (275); Kirk Harrington of Hudson Falls (119) and Aaron Barber (152) of Hudson Falls; Robert Merchant (145) of Cobleskill-Richmondville; Cody Legg (152) of Ravena-Coeymans-Selkirk; and Warrensburg’s Logan Rock (215).

Barber took fourth last winter, and Harrington was sixth.

Anderson will be the only female competing at the event. Section VI 96 champion Carlee Sluberski, a junior at Fredonia High, withdrew to compete in a freestyle event in Sweden that serves as a prep for the Junior World team.

Two-time Section II champ Amy Whitbeck of Duanesburg is the only other female to qualify for states. She placed third in the Section II championships last month.