2024 CHSAA Sectional Championships Preview

The 2024 CHSAA Sectional Championships are winding down by the second. And I think I speak for everyone when I say that this year’s championships are one of the most anticipated championships in a long time. This year the CHSAA has been on another level solidifying themselves as one of the toughest sections in NYS Wrestling. Multiple returning state medalists from last year’s tournament, multiple ESC Champs, finalists, and placers from this year’s event all competing in the same brackets, across multiple weights. Let’s go weight by weight and see how this year’s event is shaping up.

The #1’s:

Here are all top seeded wrestlers at the 2024 CHSAA Sectional Championships!

101lbs: Lucas Griffin (Chaminade)

108lbs: Cullen Edwards (St. Francis)

116lbs: Austin Zimmerman (St. Joe’s Collegiate)

124lbs: Justin Castillo (St. Anthony’s)

131lbs: Vincent Tripaldi (Iona Prep)

138lbs: Justin Shay (Iona Prep)

145lbs: George Johnson (Iona Prep)

152lbs: Griffin LaPlante (St. Francis)

160lbs: Konstantinos Koufalis (Iona Prep)

170lbs: Jonathan Hoffman (Kellenberg)

190lbs: Zach Caldwell (St. Francis)

215lbs: Connor Miller (St. Francis)

285lbs: Hopeton James (Holy Trinity)

The Landscape for the Team Race:

The 2024 CHSAA Sectional Championships team race is closer than some people think. Let’s break down the landscape for the team race really quick. St. Francis was the 2024 CHSAA State Dual Champions. They beat Iona Prep in a back and forth dual but before the finals the Kellenberg Firebirds challenged the Gaels with just a narrow loss in the semis as the top seeded team. St. Francis and Iona Prep are tied for the most top seeded wrestlers as well with 4 apiece. The Long Island Trio of Kellenberg, Chaminade, and St. Anthony’s pose a challenging threat. And we can’t forget that Monsignor Farrell has a strong string of guys that can score big for the Lions. Here are some wrestlers who can make some noise this weekend.

From Kellenberg Elijah Carrington can run the gauntlet as the #3 seed at 131lbs. His loss to #1 Tripaldi in overtime at the CHSAA State Duals was a great match and we can see the rematch happen this weekend. Thomas Pasqua can come up big at 145lbs as well as Luke Chernaski at 170lbs. From Chaminade Brendon Katimbang is looking to make it back into the finals after finishing runner up at last year’s championships. Matty Martin can surprise this weekend at 131lbs as well as Nick Denatale at 145lbs. St. John the Baptist has a strong lineup that can put them in contention. Niason DaCosta is a returning finalist at 108lbs and can punch his ticket as a repeat finalist, Mateo Del Duca has been clutch for the Cougars at 124lbs, and Roan Anderson can score big at 170lbs. The Friars have some solid firepower in returning champ Brett Crawford at 116lbs, Eric Polanco can make his run on his side of the bracket at 124lbs and make it an all Friar Final, Jacob Kennedy is looking to make it back in the finals since his championship win in 2021 and he can very well put himself back in the finals, and Joshua Jorge at 160lbs can put up some points for the Friars. The Farrell Lions have some good firepower in Albert Lula at 101lbs who’s been having a great season thus far, returning sectional finalist from last year Jack Boroweic at 108lbs, Jovanni Torres is peaking at the right time of the year and can very well punch his ticket to the semifinals at 152lbs, ESC placer Kyle Jacobs can make his revenge tour this weekend and his first finals appearance at 160lbs, Mike and Mike are looking promising for the Lions this weekend and can help put them in team contention. Gebbia has some momentum rolling in from Leagues as well as Illuzi whose gas doesn’t seem to run out.

RB Picks:

Here are The Red and Black’s picks for this year’s CHSAA Sectional Championships:

101lbs: Lucas Griffin (Chaminade)

108lbs: Jack Boroweic (Monsignor Farrell)

116lbs: Austin Zimmerman (St. Joe’s Collegiate)

124lbs: Justin Castillo (St. Anthony’s)

131lbs: Vincent Tripaldi (Iona Prep)

138lbs: Justin Shay (Iona Prep)

145lbs: George Johnson (Iona Prep)

152lbs: Griffin LaPlante (St. Francis)

160lbs: Kyle Jacobs (Monsignor Farrell)

170lbs: Jonathan Hoffman (Kellenberg)

190lbs: Mike Illuzi (Monsignor Farrell)

215lbs: Frankie Serrano (Iona Prep)

285lbs: Thomas Tyndorf (St. Joseph by the Sea)

2024 CHSAA NYC League Championships:

The 2024 NYC League Championships was an exciting event. There were a lot of exciting matchups, highs, and lows. The League Championships are divided into 3 Leagues. NYC, Nassau, and Monsignor Martin League. The top 6 wrestlers at each weight qualify for the CHSAA Sectional Championships in Huntington at St. Anthony’s for a shot at NYS Gold and etching their name in NYS wrestling history. So, let’s get right into it!

Koufalis vs Jacobs 2:

The sequel to this fun match was very exciting to watch. They first met on the mat a week ago at the CHSAA State Dual Championships where Konstantinos Koufalis bumped up to take on Kyle Jacobs in the dual against Monsignor Farrell. The match was filled with close takedowns and scrambles that could go either way at any time. There were some unfortunate ref calls on both ends that surrounded the bout in some controversy, so both wrestlers came into match with a chip on their shoulder and a statement to make. As the match progressed and got closer the calls started to become a bit reminiscent of their previous bout. Jacobs took a shot on Koufalis who sprawled out laces to the mat and when Jacobs tried to finish the shot, he ran his opponent out of bounds in the flurry earning a stall against Koufalis. Then, in overtime Koufalis shot going into a scramble with Jacobs and while trying to cover for the takedown Jacobs ended in a sprawl which awarded the takedown to Koufalis. It was a very exciting match, and I can’t wait to see the eventual trilogy at the CHSAA Sectional Championships.

Lions win League Gold:

Congratulations to the Monsignor Farrell Lions who won the NYC League Championships. The Lions led with over 100 points over the runner up with a total of 526pts, Iona Prep secured second with 431.5pts, and finishing in third was St. Joseph by the Sea with 305pts. The Lions walked away with 4 champs and 6 runner ups. Taking home Gold for the Lions were Brennan Sprague (101lbs), Jack Boroweic (108lbs), Michael Gebbia (170lbs), and Mike Illuzi (190lbs). Both Mikes had very exciting finals matches. Mike Gebbia after a back-and-forth bout puts it on the gas to outlast John Stamelatos of Iona Prep 9-6 in awesome fashion. Mike Illuzi is no stranger to going to the deep end in matches and this weekend was no different. After beating Malad Nuhko 1-0 in overtime in his semifinal’s bout, he gutted out a crazy win against Logan Donato of Iona Prep in double overtime to get an escape and a takedown after a rideout in the first half of double overtime.  The Lions will be sending 26 wrestlers to the CHSAA Sectional Championships which can be the most of any team in our section.

Gaels Crown 6 Champs:

Iona Prep is no stranger to Gold either as this weekend they put 11 in the finals and walked away with 6 champs. Winning Gold for the Gaels was Vincent Tripaldi (131lbs), Justin Shay (138lbs), George Johnson (145lbs), Isaiah Camacho (152lbs), Konstantinos Koufalis (160lbs), and Frankie Serrano (215lbs). Camacho also earned the Champion of Champions Award for his electric finals match against Jovanni Torres of Monsignor Farrell. The match was back and forth and literally came down to the final seconds where Camacho iced the match with a last second takedown. Justin Shay earned the Most Outstanding Wrestler Award for his dominant run with pins en route to his finals match where he won via techfall against teammate Jude Bellantoni. And congratulations to Paolo Ciatto who also accomplished the feat of 100 Career Varsity Wins. The Gaels qualified 19 wrestlers for the CHSAA Sectional Championships this weekend.

Sea Rolls the Tide into 3rd:

Congratulations to St. Joseph by the Sea on finishing 3rd place in the team race in the NYC League. The Vikings sent 4 to the finals and 3 emerged victorious in their bouts. Earning Gold for the Vikings were Justin Stassi (116lbs), Michael Smith (124lbs), and Thomas Tyndorf (285lbs). The Vikings qualified 9 wrestlers for the CHSAA Sectional Championships in Huntington. Thomas Tyndorf had a very exciting finals match against Carlos Malespin of Iona Prep. It was back and forth until the closing minute of the match where Tyndorf was able to secure a takedown to ice the match late.

The NYC League Championships were super exciting and featured fun bouts across the board. Iona Prep is a super dominant team not only in the section but in the state, Monsignor Farrell has some firepower and depth that challenges some of the best wrestlers and teams, and St. Joseph by the Sea has a don’t quit attitude you can’t count them out of. This concludes the 2024 NYC League Recap. See y’all at the CHSAA Sectional Championships at St. Anthony’s!

Finals Matches:

101lbs: Brennan Sprague (Monsignor Farrell) over Albert Lula (Monsignor Farrell) via fall 1:01

108lbs: Jack Boroweic (Monsignor Farrell) over Rocco LaMotta (Iona Prep) via MFFL

116lbs: Justin Stassi (St. Joseph by the Sea) over Flynn McDonald (Xavier) via fall

124lbs: Michael Smith (St. Joseph by the Sea) over Naseer Abdel Hack (Monsignor Farrell)

Via fall

131lbs: Vincent Tripaldi (Iona Prep) over Quinn Hunt (Monsignor Farrell) via fall

138lbs: Justin Shay (Iona Prep) over Jude Bellantoni (Iona Prep) via techfall 19-4

145lbs: George Johnson (Iona Prep) over Brian McDowell (Monsignor Farrell) via fall 1:16

152lbs: Isaiah Camacho (Iona Prep) over Jovanni Torres (Monsignor Farrell) via decision 6-4

160lbs: Konstantinos Koufalis (Iona Prep) over Brenden Palmeri (St. Joseph by the Sea) via fall 2:21

170lbs: Michael Gebbia (Monsignor Farrell) over John Stamatelos (Iona Prep) via decision 9-6

190lbs: Michael Illuzi (Monsignor Farrell) over Logan Donato (Iona Prep) via decision 4-1 TB

215lbs: Frankie Serrano (Iona Prep) over Dalton Danza (Fordham Prep) via decision 7-1

285lbs: Thomas Tyndorf (St. Joseph by the Sea) over Carlos Malespin (Iona Prep) via decision 6-2

2024 CHSAA State Dual Championships Recap:

The 2024 CHSAA State Dual Championships was definitely an unforgettable one. Held in the Lion’s Den at Monsignor Farrell the Dual Championships had featured incredible dual bouts across the board. I for one couldn’t wait for this weekend and the hype was worth the wait. So, let’s stop wasting time and get right into it.

St. Francis Wins Dual Championship:

St. Francis has been on an absolute tear this season and they made it clear they weren’t looking to slow down any momentum heading into this post season. The Raiders were undefeated in dual competition this weekend and took home the 1st place Team Title back to Hamburg. They defeated Iona Prep 42-27 in the finals. Their weekend record en route to their finals appearance are:

St. Francis 69- Fordham prep 6

St. Francis 59- St. Anthony’s 18

St. Francis 59- St. Joseph by the Sea 18

St. Francis 42- Chaminade 29

St. Francis 50- St. John the Baptist 16

St. Francis 54- St. Joseph Collegiate 20

St. Francis 44- Chaminade 27

St. Francis 42- Iona Prep 27

The finals dual between Iona Prep and St. Francis was the most anticipated dual of the weekend. So much so it drew a crowd around the mat and gym full of spectators. Some even came from local schools to watch some of the highest level of wrestling in our state, and it lives in our section. The coaches were into it, the teams were into it, and the crowd was into it. It was a spectacular moment. The dual opened up with 285lbs where Connor Miller put up six for the Raiders with a pin against Frankie Serrano in 5:07. Rohan Ramdhani got it back for the Gaels the next bout at 101lbs with a pin over Brayden Pyzikiewicz in 3:04. The Raiders then put up 18 consecutive points between a forfeit for Cullen Edwards at 108lbs, Owen Braunscheidel’s pin over Christian Chilelli in 1:10, and Kole Haseley pin over Johnny Callanan in just 40 seconds! But this dual was back and forth and the Gaels rallied back with 4 straight wins! Vincent Tripaldi took a forfeit at 131lbs, Jude Bellantoni got another six for the Gaels with a pin over Owen Miller in 3:00, Justin Shay got a forfeit at 145lbs, capped by George Johnson’s nail-biting 4-3 decision win against Rory White. The Raiders sealed the dual winning every match in the last 4 remaining weight classes. One half of the LaPlante brothers Griffin LaPlante nabbed a 9-4 decision win over Konstantinos Koufalis, Brandon Drummond beat returning CHSAA Sectional Champ and State Medalist Paolo Ciatto 2-0 in overtime in arguably the match of the whole dual,  Gage LaPlante pinned Logan Donato in just 45 seconds clinching the dual victory, where Zachary Caldwell capped it off with a statement pin over Malad Nukho in just 1:43.  

Top 5 Team Finishes:

1.     St. Francis

2.     Iona Prep

3.     Kellenberg

4.     Chaminade

T5. Monsignor Farrell/St. John the Baptist

Top Dual Matches:

Vincent Tripaldi (Iona Prep) vs Elijah Clarington (Kellenberg)

Rory White (St. Francis) vs Nick DeNatale (Chaminade)

Brandon Drummond (St. Francis) vs Paolo Ciatto (Iona Prep)

Kosta Koufalis (Iona Prep) vs Kyle Jacobs (Monsignor Farrell)

Michael Illuzi (Monsignor Farrell) vs Patrick Donovan (St. Anthony’s)

The CHSAA State Duals this year is one that won’t be forgotten. It truly showcased some great wrestling that exists in our section and how far CHSAA Wrestling has come. Every dual was competitive for the most part with back-and-forth matches swaying the dual in each team’s favor. But first wrestlers must get through their League Tournaments, the NYC, Nassau, and Monsignor Martin League. Leagues are one week out from the duals and will decide who will compete at our sectional tournament. Top 6 from NYC, Top 6 from Nassau, and Top 3 from Monsignor Martin will punch their tickets to the CHSAA Sectional Tournament on February 10. We got a glimpse of potential finals matches for the CHSAA Sectional Championships that will be held in Huntington at the Friars home gym at St. Anthony’s. And you know what they say, the money is in the rematch!