Syracuse, N.Y. — Some of the most vital hockey players and wrestlers in Section III have helped lift their teams in near-anonymity this season.
Their contributions are easy to overlook outside the team. They do the little things that set an example or motivate teammates through the day-to-day grind.
Syracuse.com polled Section III coaches for nominations of the most unsung/inspiring members of their teams. Here are the responses we got.
Boys hockey
Marco Benedetto, Whitesboro
“Marco has quietly produced offense above expectations. He has done this while playing second-line minutes and getting only limited power play opportunities. As important, he has used his speed and quickness to become one of the team’s best penalty-killers.” — Patrick Gaffney
Tyler Calkins, Skaneateles
“Tyler is a senior forward. He has logged more time at the ice rink working on his craft than anybody that I can remember in recent history. He will do everything for the benefit of the team. So proud of his efforts throughout the years. Tyler is the perfect example of the culture that we try to create here in Skaneateles.” — Mitch Major
Tucker Ives, Cazenovia
“Tucker has played goalie for three years up until this year. Tucker switched to forward this year and has done a great job. He is a leader on and off the ice and helps steady us, which helps us tremendously. Tucker is a great teammate and captain.” — Seth Howard
Dom Derito, Baldwinsville
“Dom is not among our leading scorers so he doesn’t get the recognition that he deserves, but he is probably the one player we could least afford to do without. With high school players, oftentimes the priority is on personal statistics; goals, assists and points. Dom could not care any less about that. He is all about doing what it takes for team success. He is defensively very conscientious and never cheats his defensive zone responsibilities. His positioning and the details of his game are close to perfect and, as a result, he leads our team in the unseen factors that are the difference between success and failure: blocked shots, winning board battles, taking defensive zone face-offs, matching up against an opponent’s top line, etc. Dom may not get the recognition he deserves but he is very much appreciated by each and every one of his teammates and coaches.” — Mark Lloyd
Cameron Medeiros, Cortland-Homer
“He is a junior who is reliable in every possible way. He’s a great student, goes the extra mile to help teammates in any way he can, and is always looking for ways to improve. We can count on Cameron to give his absolute best on and off the ice, and though he doesn’t show up on the stat sheet too often, he makes us a much stronger team.” — Alex Rosato
Liam Wride, Auburn
“He serves as one of our assistant captains but flies under the radar a bit. His game is not flashy and he doesn’t pile up points. However, he is a steady influence on our team as a stay-at-home defenseman. Liam is one of a few players on our team that loves to block shots and play physically. He eats a ton of minutes and is a positive example for our younger players. He shows up and plays a blue-collar game every night and does his job. Those things don’t always show up in the stat column but he has been a huge part of our team this year.” — Heath Ferris
Landon Sulley, Rome Free Academy
“Although Landon isn’t a regular on the scoresheet, he is as valuable a player as we have on our roster. He is on the ice against opposing teams’ top lines every chance we get and does a great job keeping the play in front of him. He controls his gap very well and holds up against the speed of some of the top forwards in the section. We wouldn’t be where we are today without Landon Sulley.” — Jason Nowicki
Evan Zoanetti, West Genesee
“Evan is an underrated shutdown defender who plays in our top pair. He’s an excellent skater, plays with a good stick and is key to the team’s low goals-against numbers. Evan plays a heavy game, he’s a tenacious penalty killer and has the ability to make the simple first pass in transition. As an assistant captain he is a respected leader on and off the ice.” — Frank Colabufo
Girls hockey
Alyssa Britt, Oswego
“Alyssa started playing goalie last season when she was 13-years-old. Before that, she played hockey all the way up through starting as a learn-to-skate player and eventually was a contributing defenseman on her girls 12U team in Oswego. When it came time for her to move up to 14U girls hockey, there was not a goalie registered for this age group in Oswego. Alyssa decided she would be her team’s goalie, and picked up the position at 13 years old. If she hadn’t taken on this role, all her friends and teammates would not have had a girls team to play on at the 14U level due to no goalie. As the fall season of her 14U team moved along, she aspired to try out for the Oswego High School varsity team as she entered her freshman year of high school. She tried out for the team and made it.
“Alyssa knew that she had just one year of goaltending experience, and was nervous about playing with girls that were older than her. She started the season ready to work hard and make herself a better player. Over the first couple weeks of practice, Alyssa started to realize she could play goalie at this level. Her confidence grew, and her skill set grew over the start of the season. Her improvement was clear as day by the coaching staff and her teammates. In the games where she isn’t playing, she’s a picture-perfect teammate. Her athleticism, work ethic, and positive attitude are what has made her into the player she is in such a short period of time.” — Ben Miller
Boys wrestling
Cody Carbery, Chittenango ( volunteer assistant)
“Cody graduated from Chittenango with an impressive high school wrestling career and then went on to wrestle at the collegiate level at Niagara County Community College. For the last seven years, coach Carbery has been coming to our practices, duals and tournaments as a volunteer. His dedication and leadership are unmatched and he has played a significant role in shaping the character of our athletes.” — Nic Bacon
Tennison Eiss, Indian River
“He never complains and will do what I ask of him. He is a true warrior.” — Jamee Call
Josh Favata, Connor Kingsley, Oswego
“Both individuals are very tough and dedicated wrestlers. However, they are at the same weight class and have been forced to split matches at the 124-weight class throughout the season. We are looking forward to the post-season, where they both can compete at the same weight class and show off their skill.” — Michael Howard
Owen Fuller, West Genesee
“Owen is a seventh grader who came up to the high school team to be a workout partner. Three months later he has a 12-7 varsity record and was a big part of our Section III dual meet championship team. Owen works incredibly hard, we are very proud of his improvement and look forward to watching him advance as a wrestler.” — Brian McAvan
Jayden Thomas, Phoenix
“Currently he is 26-3 with all three losses to guys ranked No. 1 in their sections, all at 152. He pretty much has weighed in at 145 all year and wrestled most of the year at 152 just to get competition. At 145 he is undefeated and has been wrestling awesome. He is not ranked in Section III, but could surprise some people come sectionals.” — Gene Mills
Girls wrestling
Felix Brown, Indian River
“Felix embodies the heart and soul of a true wrestler. As a first-time competitor the odds were stacked against her, but that never stopped her from pushing forward. She is relentless in her pursuit of improvement, always striving to be better, learn more, and outwork expectations. No matter the challenge, she never backs down. After every match, win or lose, her first question is always, ‘How can I get better?’
‘But Felix’s impact goes beyond her matches. She is the glue that holds the team together, always the first to lend a hand, check in on a teammate or offer a shoulder to lean on. She’s the kind of athlete who will sit with you, cry with you, and lift you back up when you need it most. As a coach without an assistant, I rely on her more than she knows—whether it’s keeping score, filming matches, or grabbing water. or cooling down exhausted teammates between periods. Felix always steps up without hesitation.” — Scarlett DeWitt
Adaline DeCapio, West Genesee
“In one of the toughest and largest weight classes in Section III this year (116 pounds), Ada has had to step up and face some of the toughest Section III has to offer on a relatively routine basis. If she does take a loss, she wrestles back twice as hard, demonstrating a level of wrestling maturity you would normally expect out of more senior-level wrestlers. When she’s practicing, whether they want to or not, she makes it a priority to get both her and her practice partner a little bit better by the end of the day. She is also the main curator of the team practice Spotify playlist, which helps practices along.” — Dalton Elias
Alisa Gonzalez, Homer
“Alisa has been on the team since it was established in 2022. Last year she injured her shoulder. She had surgery late in the fall and was unfortunately not able to participate this season in the traditional way. We relied a lot on Alisa this year to help with filming matches, bookkeeping and being a mentor to those just joining. She was at every practice, match and tournament supporting her teammates. She was a big asset to the team and this season would not have been the same without her. The team and coaches are all grateful for everything she has done.” — Anna Cummings
Tileya Penson, Fulton
“Tileya is a second-year wrestler who shows up every day with a smile and puts in the work. In her first year, Tileya worked hard at figuring out the sport of wrestling but came out winless. Most would have given up, but Tileya chose to keep working. She now sports a 78% win record and steps up to every challenge we have thrown at her. Tileya has another year of competition and is expected to be a team leader in her senior year.” — Jeff Waldron
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