The West Genesee wrestling squad had the opportunity to compete in the program’s first New York State Division I dual meet on Saturday.
The Wildcats’ run at Onondaga Community College’s SRC Arena, however, was short-lived. West Genesee lost 39-15 to Long Beach and fell 45-20 to Webster Schroeder in pool play to bow out of the tournament.
“We were happy to go, but we could have wrestled better,” West Genesee coach Brian McAvan said. “I’m proud of the kids who put the work in to be here, I just think the moment was too big for our guys. It’s their first time at the state duals and they aren’t used to state-level matches. Hopefully, we get another chance in the future.”
Senior Maxx Fesinger picked up a pin and a win by decision between 170 and 190 pounds for West Genesee. At 145, Logan Willis recorded a pin and a technical fall.
Despite a quick exit on Saturday, the Wildcats are still sporting a 26-4 overall record in dual meets and are 7-0 in the SCAC Empire division.
“We’ve been very good in Section III this season,” McAvan said. “We came together as a team early in the season. We’ve stayed relatively healthy and we’ve wrestled well in tournaments. We took it on the chin a bit (Saturday) but overall, we’ve done well.”
The Wildcats now have their sights set on the Class AA individual tournament at Jamesville-DeWitt High School and the state qualifier.
McAvan said that Fesinger, a three-time state qualifier who is undefeated with more than 30 victories this season, has the best chance to grab a state medal.
“He’s mentally dialed in,” McAvan said. “He had a bit of a knee injury during the season, but he’s just super focused on the goal of finishing the season well. We’re excited to see how he does.”
McAvan is confident that Willis, who made the state tournament last season, has a chance to go for a second straight year. Other possible state qualifiers are Austin Fesinger, Max’s brother, and Jack Wade.
“We’ve got some guys who really improved,” McAvan said. “We’re excited to see how it goes the next few weeks.”
Sherburne-Earlville competed in the Division II state duals on Saturday. The Timberwolves went 1-1 in pool play but fell short of moving on to the next round.
The Timberwolves beat Port Jervis, 65-6, but lost 40-22 to Plainedge. Andrew Telesky, competing at 101 pounds, won both of his matches by technical fall. At 285, Landon Andrade recorded a pin and won by forfeit.
Also for Sherburne-Earlville, Jackson Moore (108) won by fall at 38 seconds and grabbed a victory by technical fall. Noah Ackerman (131) notched a pin and won a 14-9 tiebreaker. Trenton Anderson (138) grabbed two wins by decision.
The Timberwolves are set to compete in the Class C tournament at General Brown next weekend.
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