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1. The LaPlante Brothers:

The Laplante Brothers have been on a roll this season and they introduced themselves to the rest of the section in style. Both brothers put up 90 points for the Raiders in dual competition this weekend helping clinch the dual against Iona Prep in the final.

2. Kostantinos Koufalis:

Kostantinos has been having himself a year and this weekend was no different. Kostantinos nabbed himself his 100th career victory this past weekend and even had an overtime thriller against Monsignor Farrell Lion Kyle Jacobs who was also a fellow Eastern States place finisher. Koufalis bumped up to 160lbs to challenge the Lion and it was a fantastic scrap.

3. Kyle Jacobs:

The aforementioned Lion had himself a weekend nabbing himself his 100th career victory in his dual against Kellenberg with a 10-0 major decision over Luke Chernaski. The Lion also put up crucial points for the Lions in their bout with St. John the Baptist with a quick pin in just a minute and a half over Alok Pal.

4. Rory White:

The Raider also nabbed his 100th career victory this weekend. And it was a bittersweet victory for White too. After losing to Chaminade’s Nick DeNatale 3-1 in the previous dual on Day 1 of competition, White took it the Flyer grinding out a 1-0 win with a rideout in the 3rd period.

5. Louisa Martin:

The St. Mary’s Lancer is the only female wrestler in our section. The Lancaster native nabbed a couple of wins this weekend and in the back and forth dual against Xavier she stepped up big time with a pin for the Lancers over Andrew Tolfree.

Congratulations to these special Student-Athletes on having fantastic weekends and for those who accomplished the feat of 100 Career Varsity Wins!

The CHSAA State Dual Championships is the calm before the storm. All qualifying teams must compete against each other for Sectional Dual Supremacy. This event features matches that we will most likely see again in the CHSAA Sectional Finals. Since its revival in 2017 it has had many memorable and infamous moments and 2024 is going to be no different. Between barnburner duals to upset wins this event has it all. Let’s see how this event may shape out!

Keep an Eye Out for These Teams:

This year the Dual Championships are going to have some incredibly competitive duals that you should want to watch. St. John the Baptist has been a huge challenge to teams its faced thus far with a narrow loss to St. Anthony’s and Chaminade in a competitive dual. So, expect for them to challenge this weekend and even emerge victorious in some of these bouts. Long Island Powerhouses St. Anthony’s, Chaminade, and Kellenberg are ones to keep your eyes out for, especially when dueling NYC teams such as Iona Prep and Monsignor Farrell. The Monsignor Martin League enters the fray creating some very exciting matchups. I for one am very excited to watch Iona Prep vs St. Francis. Both teams have been having great seasons thus far and Iona Prep coming from a stellar last season are looking to end their season high than the last. St. Francis has been having a great season on an individual and team level. Both teams have top ten team placement at the Prestigious Eastern States Classic (SF-2nd, IP-7th) with multiple placers and returning state medalists. This dual matchup is going to be intense! As mentioned above there are a lot of teams in the running for this years dual championship. The Long Island Trio of St. Anthony’s, Chaminade, and Kellenberg are looking to come in with a vengeance and they can very well deliver it. The FireBirds has come off impressive dual victories against League Rivals St. Anthony’s and Chaminade and are looking to reclaim Dual Championship Gold.

Athletes To Watch:

With such an exciting upcoming weekend of great wrestling let’s look at some of these athletes making up these star-studded teams. Starting off with last year’s CHSAA Sectional Team Champs and New York State Team Runner Up Iona Prep. The Gaels have been proving so far this season that they’re just as hungry as last season and maybe even more dangerous. Led by Eric Grant, Justin Shay, Vincent Tripaldi, Paolo Ciatto, and Kostantinos Koufalis. St. Francis has been on a tear finishing in second as a team at the Eastern States Classic. Led by the Laplant brothers Griffin and Gage, both of whom placed at the ESC (1st and 4th respectfully). Cullen Edward (5th ESC), and Zachary Caldwell (7th ESC). The Firebirds are led by Elijah Clarington, Luke Chernaski, and Jonathan Hoffman (3rd ESC) who already has a win over Gage LaPlant at this year’s ESC. The Flyers have been putting in work this season with a dominant win over St. Anthony’s. Matty Martin came off an impressive win in the STA dual picking up a pin against 2021 CHSAA Sectional Champ Jacob Kennedy in 1:30. Lucas Griffin and Nicky Pugliese have been proving to be a solid 1-2 punch for their lightweights as well. The Farrell Lions are rolling with a tough squad with an ESC placer in Kyle Jacobs (8th), and a tough lightweight squad in Steve Ruggerio stepping up big time for the Lions, and returning CHSAA Sectional Finalist Jack Boroweic, with some middle-upper weights like Jovanni Torres, Mike Gebbia, and Mike Illuzi with potential to shock this weekend.

Duals You Need to Watch:

Iona Prep vs St. Francis

St. John the Baptist vs Monsignor Farrell

Iona Prep vs Chaminade

Kellenberg vs Monsignor Farrell

St. Joe’s Collegiate vs St Anthony’s

Wrestling will take place at Monsignor Farrell on Saturday and Sunday and will feature amazing bouts. I’m personally very excited for the duals and the potential CHSAA Sectional Finals matchups that’ll be on display. The battle for Sectional Dual Team Supremacy begins January 27th at 9AM. May the best team win!

RB Spotlight: Athletes of the Week

2024 CHSAA State Duals Preview

Team Rankings (1/25/24)