SARATOGA SPRINGS — Five local wrestlers earned Section 2 Division 1 Championships over the weekend, with eight wrestlers in total clinching their spots at the NYSPHSAA State Championships.
Ralph Keeney, Connor Gregory, and Darrien Insogna all captured Section 2 Division 1 Championships in their respective weight classes for Ballston Spa. Saratoga’s Taylor Beaury won the Section 2 Division 1 Championship at 126 pounds, while teammate Lorenzo Palleschi won the Section 2 Division 1 title at 189 pounds.
Saratoga’s Vito Spadafora and Patrick McKinley each finished as runner-ups in their weight classes, clinching a spot at the NYSPHSAA State Championships. Cameron Hinchcliff also finished as a runner-up for the Scotties and earned a spot at states.
Both Saratoga and Ballston Spa will send four wrestlers each to the NYSPHSAA State Championships, held Feb. 24 at MVP Arena.
Saratoga head coach Jake Zanetti had praise for his champions, saying Palleschi and Beaury both lead by example for the Blue Streak squad.
“It means a lot. These two have done everything right as far as setting themselves up to be successful on the mat,” said Zanetti. “This is not an easy sport, and those who’ve done it know that best, and for a young wrestler to be able to reap the benefits of their hard work, it’s a beautiful thing.”
Zanetti said he was “really proud” of Palleschi, a senior. He added that Beaury, a sophomore who also appeared at the state championships last season, has his sights set high this year.
“(Lorenzo is) an awesome young man, and he deserves all the recognition and respect his peers, teachers, and coaches give him,” Zanetti said. “Taylor getting to day two of states last year as a freshman was great, but he was not satisfied. He’s a sectional champ as a 10th grader, but again, he has much bigger goals in another week.”
Ballston Spa head coach Harvey Staulters said while it was great to see his wrestlers win section titles, all three have “much higher” goals this year. The trio of Keeney, Gregory, and Insogna also competed at the state championships last season.
“It’s a stepping stone now, for the next step,” said Staulters. “It was great to see that, but you could tell they have a little more to prove when they get to the next level.”
Beaury beat Shaker’s Alex Polsinello by technical fall in the quarterfinals, pinning Shen’s Brandon Deuel in the semifinals. Beaury earned a 6-4 decision over Ballston Spa’s Cameron Hinchcliff in the championship match.
Palleschi earned pins in each of his first two matches, defeating Schenectady’s Anthony Paradine and Burnt Hills’ Santino Mareno before earning a 3-2 decision over Quincy Bonville (Bethlehem) in the championship.
Spadafora beat Averill Park’s Elias Goosmann in the quarterfinals and Shaker’s Malachi Moore in a tiebreaker in the semifinals, falling to Shen’s Arman Hashimee in the championship match at 172 pounds.
At 215 pounds, McKinley defeated Shen’s Caleb Janikas in the quarterfinals and earned a sudden victory decision over Colonie’s Jaydon Aquirre-Hamlin in the semifinals. McKinley fell to Insogna in the championship match.
On the Scotties’ side, Keeney earned wins by fall in all three rounds, pinning Queensbury’s A.J. Spero, Schenectady’s Xavier Vargas, and Niskayuna’s Drew Schiavo to win the Section 2 Div. 1 title at 110 pounds. Gregory pinned Alwalid Bourkia (Scotia-Glenville/Galway) and Matthew Hoxie (Columbia) in his first two matches, winning the sectional title at 160 pounds after earning an 11-3 major decision over Queensbury’s Lucas Schell.
Wrestling at 215 pounds, Insogna pinned his first two opponents in a combined 1:02, defeating Shaker’s Nicholas Whyte and Guilderland’s Antonio Cipollo. Insogna pinned McKinley in the championship match.
Hinchcliff earned his spot at states after advancing to the championship at 126 pounds with wins over Shen’s Arcangelo Losee and Averill Park’s Jacob Hanlon. Hinchcliff fell to Beaury in the championship match.
The head coaches of both teams also received honors, as Zanetti was named Section 2 Class A Coach of the Year, and Staulters was awarded Section 2 Class B Coach of the Year.
“It is an honor, but I keep telling people it should be ‘Coaching Staff of the Year,’” Zanetti said of his award. “No programs get to the top-tier of the section or state with one solid coach. … We’ve still got a long way to go on where we want to be, but it has been a lot of fun to put in the work on our end as a coaching staff.”
Staulters said it was “a wonderful honor,” noting it was made even more special by the fact that Scotties’ JV coach Gene Staulters, Harvey’s brother, was awarded Class B JV Coach of the Year.
“That’s special,” said Staulters. “We’ve worked together for a long time. Just a great working relationship, and of course, being brothers, a friendship too. For him to get the award with me is fantastic.”
The Ballston Spa team was also awarded the Section 2 Division 1 Team Sportsmanship award, the second straight year the Scotties have received the honor. Staulters said this speaks to the character of his athletes, saying the team has “wonderful young men and women.”
Keeney, Gregory, Insogna, and Hinchcliff will be the Scotties’ representatives at states on Feb. 24. Staulters said that the team will “take advantage of every opportunity we have,” in the days leading up to state competition.
“We are going to spend the time wisely when we’re together,” Staulters said. “The three that we had last year, they understand the situation they’re in. So they know that there’s a little more expectation, but also, they have higher expectations for themselves.”
Beaury, Palleschi, Spadafora, and McKinley will head to state competition for Saratoga. Zanetti said he is emphasizing to his athletes “that they cannot be happy with just qualifying and being there.”
“The seed number next to their name is no longer relevant, and all that matters is the next match, and doing what it takes to survive and advance,” said Zanetti. “The work is never done for these high-level guys, and they’ve got to know that they belong amongst the best in the state.”
