Warwick wrestlers open with a bang

Warwick - The Warwick Valley wrestling team started it’s 2005-2006 campaign with a bang by upsetting perennial Section 9 powerhouse Monroe Woodbury in the quarterfinals of the Section 9 Dual meet tournament. The Wildcats opened the tournament by defeating Kingston 51-28. The Kingston match, on paper, appeared to be a toss up, but the Wildcats took control with strong performances by Pat Sweeney, Garrett Flanagan, Mike Santalla, Kevin Connolly, Andrew Greenlaw, Mike Knapp, Dave Martine, Warren Huffman and Joe Stoltzenberg. The Wildcats entered the quarterfinals against M-W as an underdog and as the match progressed it appeared the Crusaders had taken control with 34-24 lead with three matches left. But Warwick captured the next two matches with strong performances by Knapp and Huffman. That brought the score to 34-33 going into the last competition. Warwick’s Dave Martine stepped on the mat two weight classes above his normal competition weight. He trailed 9-2 in the last period when he reversed his Monroe opponent to his back. Although Martine was unable to hold his opponent, he quickly locked up another pinning combination for the fall, propelling Warwick to a historic 39-34 victory. The Wildcats finished tied for third after falling 48-23 to Minisink Valley in the semi finals of the Section 9 Dual meet tournament. Warwick wrestlers followed up their Section 9 Dual meet tournament with a second-place finish in the ten-team Linda Stuart Holiday Tournament at Colonie High School. Senior captains Knapp and Stoltzenberg were crowned champions in their weight classes while Greenlaw, Santalla, and Sweeney finished second. Kevin Connolly, Shaun Barrett and Huffman finished fourth while Dan Kokulak and Geoff Donovan captured fifth place. Warwick is currently 2-1 overall in dual meet competition.