SYRACUSE –– Homer’s Hunter Lines leaped into his coaches’ arms as the final whistle blew in the third round of the Section III Division II boys’ 138-pound sectional final on Saturday afternoon at the SRC Arena at Onondaga Community College. Lines defeated Dolgeville’s Grayson Eggleston by a 5-4 decision to clinch the title.
“I’ve been dreaming of this since my freshman year,” Lines said. “I’ve been one win away from states every year and this year it’s amazing to achieve what I always wanted.”
Lines earned a bye to the quarterfinals as the second seed in the weight class. He earned a win over Damon Bush from Beaver River by a 21-7 major decision and took down Sherburne-Earlville’s Trenton Anderson via a 15-0 tech fall in the semifinal.
“I saw a lot of composure from Hunter,” Homer head coach Jason Reynolds said. “Down 7-0 in the first period of his first match against a tough kid and he chose to take control of the match.”
“It was my tilts on top,” Lines said. “Just tilting them and getting the quick back points, they really helped me out.”
Homer also had Jack Brown qualify for states, finishing second in the 285-pound bracket. Brown fell to Sherburne-Earlville’s Landon Andrade in the final by an 8-3 decision, but won his three matches before to earn his first trip to states.
“It feels great,” Jack Brown said. “It’s the first time for me, there’s a long road ahead”
Brown defeated Herkimer’s Ross Richard by pin and Beaver River’s Cole Meyer by a 9-3 major decision to get to the semifinals. He then took on South Jefferson’s Jim Biccum in a matchup between the second and third seeds in the weight division. Brown had a massive takedown in the second period and won by pin to punch his ticket.
“Jack is Jack,” Reynolds said. “He’s a powerhouse and he’s got such a high motor for a big guy. I love it.”
“My coaches helped me out so much,” Jack Brown added. “And my teammates, Christopher Slade, Owen Burhans and everyone else.”
Slade and Burhans each competed in their weight classes’ tournaments. Slade finished fourth in the 190-pound tournament, falling in the semifinals to Holland Patent’s Trent True via pin. Burhans finished in sixth place of the 215-pound class, losing in the quarterfinals to Mount Markham’s Kaydyn Derby due to a pin in the first tiebreaker.
Homer was well-represented at the championships, also having Lucas Barbieri in the 101-pound class, Patrick Maslin in the 108-pound class, Anthony Cicioni in the 131-pound class, Garrett Carr joining Lines in the 138-pound class and Colin Murphy in the 170-pound class. All five lost prior to the quarterfinals of their respective tournaments.
“It’s a testament to the work the kids are putting in,” Reynolds said. “They trust, they believe, they work and they follow through. When you do those things and you trust not only the people around you but yourself, I think good things happen. I think we’re exceeding expectations because we’re such a strong family first.”
Southern Hills will send three wrestlers to the state championships, with Logan Sheriff, Jerod Olrich and David Frazee all finishing second in their respective classes.
Sheriff fell to Central Valley’s Cooper Reed in the Division II 152-pound title match via 4-1 decision in overtime. The bout was deadlocked at a 1-1 tie for all three rounds before Reed secured a takedown to earn the title. Sheriff, the class’ second seed, beat South Lewis’ Landon Sage via pin and Little Falls’ Colton Wheet via 12-1 major decision to reach the semifinals. He then dominated for a tech fall win in just one period against Adirondack’s Braden White to secure his place.
“I’ve been doing a lot of double practices lately,” Sheriff said. “It’s gotten me into really good shape and got my technique into top shape which has helped me out a lot.”
Olrich fell in the semifinals to Andrade via pin, but finished third in the 285-pound class to reach states. He secured victories over Cato-Meridian’s Max Scharf via 4-1 decision and Little Falls’ Clark Rodger via 6-0 decision in the quarter and semifinals, respectively.
Frazee did fight in the 215 pound class final, falling to Marcellus’ Christopher Doshna via fall. As the class’s second seed, Frazee earned a bye to the quarterfinals, where he defeated Marcellus’ Caleb Posecznick via 11-3 major decision. He then took down Cato-Meridian’s Matt Perrino by a 6-4 decision in the semifinals.
Jacob Meyer and Louis Bennett also competed for Southern Hills on Saturday. Meyer lost in the 101-pound tournament to Sherburne Earlville’s Drew Telesky via pin. Bennett was defeated by Marcellus’ Trevor Rankin via 13-1 major decision in the 160-pound tournament.
Southern Hills will be well represented at states with their big guys headed to Albany along with Sheriff, who will be appearing as a sophomore.
“I’m really happy to be there as a sophomore,” Sheriff said. “I fell just short last year, so it feels really good to get there this year.”
Lines, Jack Brown, Sheriff, Olrich and Frazee will head to MVP Arena in Albany for the state tournaments, taking place Friday and Saturday.
