SEASON FINALE
Mar 1 -
The 2009 season came to an
end on Saturday night, as the two remaining Dutchmen wrestlers
wrapped up record-setting careers. Seniors Matt Cubillos and
Devan Van Auken took center stage for Guilderland Wrestling as
representatives in the New York State Championships held at the
Times Union Center in Albany.
Cubillos established several new school records this season en route
to a 5th place finish at the State Championships. His third
trip to the event is the most of any wrestler that preceded him.
The 130 pounder finished the season at 40-3, and became only the 5th
wrestler in school history to win back-to-back Section II Titles.
Also, Matt became the first ever 3-time Class A champion, and
surpassed the all-time win mark set by Roger Sawyer in 2005.
The record now stands at 168.
Cubillos' 5th place finish left him feeling somewhat disappointed,
as his goal was to be Guilderland's first state champion since 1979.
However, wrestling is a sport concerned not only with how good you
might be, but also how good the competition around you is on any
given day. Cubillos lost a 1-0 double overtime match in the
quarter-final round to eventual State Champion Vinnie Digravi of
Section V's Wayne High. His only other loss came in the
consolation semi-finals, where he lost 3-1 to nationally ranked Cody
Rugirello of Section IX's Valley Central. Matt picked up four
wins in the tournament, and ended his high school career with a
dominating 7-0 win over Connor Hannafee of Monsignor Farrell to
finish 5th in a stacked 130 lb weight class. Matt is currently
narrowing his list of Division I colleges, where he will compete in
the NCAA.
Devan Van Auken was entered into the State Tournament as a wildcard
competitor, based on his performance throughout the 2008 and 2009
seasons. Small errors kept Van Auken from placing on this
particular day, but it does not overshadow the accomplishments set
during his senior year. Van Auken finished with 30+ wins on
his way to a second Class A championship and a 2nd place finish in
the Section II tournament. Despite a long tradition of
dominant Guilderland Heavyweights, no other wrestler has won a Class
A title at both 215 and 285 lbs. Devan racked up many bonus
points for the team throughout the season by pinning opponents at
each of these weights, and is considering wrestling at the
collegiate level in the fall.
SECTION II TOURNAMENT
feb 21 -
The Fightin' Dutchmen surprised many at
the Section II tournament on February 21st at the Glens Falls Civic
Center. Not so shocked, however, were the 11 wrestlers who
contributed to the 3rd place team finish, Guilderland's highest
standing in years. Seven wrestlers placed and all added points
to the total as the Dutchmen edged Queensbury, LaSalle and Colonie,
trailing only New York State powerhouses Shenendehowa and Amsterdam.
It was truly a team effort that all should be proud of.
Freshman Zach Wacksman did not place at 103 lbs, but added to the
team total and completed a successful freshman season. Zach
showed tremendous improvement throughout the year and should be an
impact player for the team next year.
Kevin Bates was the first place winner for Guilderland, when he
finished 3rd at 112 lbs by defeating Bethlehem's Matt Greene 5-2.
Bates adds his name to The Wall and finished the season as a member
of the 30 win club.
At 119 lbs, Travis Wolanski "broke the curse" and finished higher
than 5th for the first time. Travis defeated Colonie's Steve
Anson 7-0 in their 3rd place match and also finished in the 30 win
club. Travis looks to contend for a Section II title next
season.
Ben Moon, at 125 lbs, was just seconds away from a place finish, but
narrowly lost his final match of the season. Moon has proven
himself a team leader by example and looks to place at next year's
tournament.
Senior Matt Hart continued his winning ways at 135 lbs, and
concluded the season with 39 wins and a 3rd place finish in the
Section. Matt's only loss of the day was to eventual Champion
Nick Lashway of Glens Falls in the semi-final round. Matt adds
his name to the wall and concluded his high school career with
a nail-biting 6-5 win over Schenectady's Josh Vics.
At 140 lbs, Greg Reinhart finished 4th and wrestled tough through
the entire tournament. Reinhart battled back from a
quarter-final loss to reach the consolation finals, losing 6-4 to
Class A Champion Kyle Warmt of Balston Spa. The two clashed in
one of the more exciting matches of the tournament, and Reinhart
gave it his all in the last match of his high school career.
Christian Kernozek added crucial team points at 145 lbs, but fell
short of placing. Kernozek showed great improvement during the
season and looks to be added to the list of placewinners in 2010.
At 160 lbs, Eugene Sellie made a difficult decision to injury
default in the semi-final round. Despite forfeiting the
remainder of his matches, Sellie placed 6th before leaving the
tournament with a knee injury. The junior captain finished
with over 30 wins and looks to compete for a Section II title next
year.
At 189 lbs, Brendan Ruddy added necessary team points to the total
but did not place in the top 6 of a highly competitive weight class.
Ruddy, who defeated numerous Sectional placewinners this season, was
a tremendous asset to the varsity lineup, and is considering
wrestling at the collegiate level next fall.
All wrestlers should be proud of both their individual and team
accomplishments this season. It is often said by the coaching
staff that if you wrestle hard and give it your all, win or lose, we
will never be disappointed. The Section II tournament was a
great example of athletes giving their best when it mattered most.
Congratulations to all, and a special "thanks" to all of our
seniors. Your contributions to this program have not gone
unnoticed, and we commend you for the sacrifice and commitment to
yourselves and your teammates. Best of luck to all of you.
KM
