HIGH SCHOOL BOYS' WRESTLING: HORSEHEADS HAS RECORD DAY WITH 10 STATE QUALIFIERS, WINS TEAM TITLE AT SECTIONALS (24 PHOTOS) (2024-02-10)

Southern Tier Sports Report
BINGHAMTON — It was.a banner day for the Horseheads wrestling team as the boys sent a record 10 wrestlers to states, while also claiming their fourth straight Section IV Tournament team title.

Horseheads won the team score by nearly 100 points, racking up 271 points, to top runner-up Union-Endicott at 175.

The Blue Raiders are sending 10 to states with Josh Knapp (101), Tanner Knapp (108), Cody Dale (131), Lucas Mosher (152), Zachary Schrage (160), Coleton Owen (160), Jaxson Burchard (170), Hunter Lavigne (190), Jake Bennett (190) and Seamus Carroll (285).

“It was a great day for the program,” Horseheads coach Brett Owen said. “The kids wrestled amazingly. To get 10 kids to states is quite the accomplishment. We are very proud of the program.”

Just three of the wrestlers are making a return trip to states — Dale, Owen and Lavigne, with the other seven all making their first trip to the state meet.

‘We are sending a lot of first timers,” Owen said. “Josh and Tanner down low. Seamus, Jake Bennett, Jaxson, Schrage and Lucas Mosher. Most are newcomers out of the 10. Hunter, Coleton and Cody are the three returners.”

For seniors Dale and Bennett this is a chance for them to wrap up their careers at states.

“It is really special him (Dale) and Jake are really close friends,” Owen said. “He actually got Jake into wrestling his freshman year. To end their careers at the state tournament is pretty special.”

At two different weights, 160 and 190, both of the finalists, and state spots, were Horseheads kids. That was part of the plan for the Blue Raiders when they had two kids wrestle at those weights.

“I did, that’s why we put those kids there,” Owen said. “We felt confident we would be able to get both of them into the finals.”

Now it’s onto states where Owen hopes for big things from the 10 qualifiers.

“I’m very excited,” he said. “I think we can make some noise, get a couple guys on the podium and come back with some hardware.”

The day wasn’t just special for Owen as a coach, it’s also special for him as a father as he watched his son Coleton qualify for states for the second straight year.

“It is (special), especially last year was fun to watch Cael and Coleton go, and this year Chloe qualified for the girls and Coleton on the boys side, so that’s special as well.”

Josh Knapp won the 101 pound title. He had a pin in 1:18 to get into the final, then a pin in 2:12 in the final.

Tanner Knapp was runner-up at 108. He won a 12-0 major decision to get into the final and was edged 6-4 by Peyton Hubbard of Chenango Forks in the final.

Dale won the title at 131 with a pin in 50 seconds, a pin in 1:02 and then he won by injury default in 4:21 in the final.

Mosher won by fall in 51 seconds, then in 26 seconds then he won 11-4 in the final to claim the 152 title.

Schrage won the 160 title 9-6 over Owen. Schrage got to the final with pins in 1:29 and 4:52. Owen got to the final with an 11-1 major decision win and a 7-0 decision.

Burchard won by pin in 4:48 to get to the final at 170, where he fell to top seed Dikota Hamilton by fall in 3:32.

Lavigne pinned Jake Bennett in 3:03 at 190. Lavigne got to the final with a pin in 3:04. Bennett reached the final with a pin in 3:26 and then an 8-3 win.

Carroll won by injury default in 3:53 to get into the final at 285 where he fell to top seed Qymani Viera-Powell by fall in 1:12.

Joel Scibek took third at 116. He won 8-5 to get into the semifinals and fell to top-seed Ryder DePadua-Reese 15-9. He then won by fall in 2:26 to get into the third-place match and won 4-1 in the third-place machine.

Zack Bennett took ffith at 124. He dropped his first match and then won by fall in 1:19 to get into the fifth-place match, where he won by fall in 2:27.

Martin Huang took sixth at 215. He had a pin in 38 seconds in the consolation round to get into the fifthplace match.

Jack Clate went 2-2 on the day for Horseheads at 138. He had a pin in 1:49 and a pin in 4:35.

Seth Loucks was 0-2 at 145.
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PHOTOS BY KRISTINE DALE.


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