Class A's
feb 14 - The
Fightin' Dutchmen had a tremendous showing at the 2009 Class A
Sectional Tournament, held at Columbia High School Saturday night.
Despite having no entrants at two weight classes, Guilderland placed
2nd in the team standings by placing 11 out of 13. Those 11
wrestlers will compete next weekend in Glens Falls for individual
Section II titles and an opportunity to wrestle at the State Finals,
being held at the Times Union Center.
Seniors Matt Cubillos and Devan Van Auken capped the impressive
performance by defending their Class A titles from last year.
Van Auken, after moving down a weight class to 215, defeated
Colonie's Andy Monin for his second straight Class A title.
Cubillos claimed his third Class A championship at 130 lbs by
defeating AJ Rue of Saratoga in the finals. He is the first
Guilderland wrestler in history to capture three titles in a career.
Cubillos also broke the school record for varsity wins, when in the
semifinals he pinned his opponent in :22 seconds for his 159th
career win. The former record of 158 was held by the 2005
Section II champion Roger Sawyer. Congratulations Matt and
Devan!
Cubillos and Van Auken were joined in the finals by Sophomore Kevin
Bates at 112, Senior Matt Hart at 135, Senior Greg Reinhart at 140,
and Junior Eugene Sellie at 160. They all took home Maroon
Patches for their 2nd place victories.
The finalists were supported by five Dutchmen who placed in the top
six of their respective weight classes, advancing to next
weekend's State Qualifier tournament. Senior Brendan Ruddy
will be making his second trip to Glens Falls after his 4th place
finish at 189 lbs. Junior Travis Wolanski will look to improve
on his back-to-back 5th place finishes at the qualifier, after
placing 3rd at a very competitive 119 lb weight class.
Freshman Zach Wacksman (103) and Sophomore Christian Kernozek (145)
will be making their first trip to Glens Falls after finishing 5th
and 4th place, respectively. And Junior Ben Moon, after a
grueling tournament, and much hard work this season, will look to
put his name on the wall after a 5th place finish at 125.
Congratulations to the team on a great day of wrestling. Their
individual efforts boosted Guilderland to their highest team finish
since 2005. We look forward to another exciting tournament
next weekend at the State Qualifier. Go Dutchmen!
KM
