Thursday Roundup: After tough defeat to C-G, Wellsville grapplers bounce back with strong Senior Night sendoff in 57-15 win over A-A; C-R, Fillmore, B-R boys highlight boys hoops victories

WELLSVILLE — After what was a tough battle against the Canisteo-Greenwood Chargers back on Tuesday, the Lions of Wellsville arrived back home two days later and looked for as big of a response as ever with Sectionals looming ever so apparent over the horizon. Two days later, the night was Senior Night.

A perfect night to get back on track. With Alfred-Almond in for a visit, they would do just that. And then some.

The Lions brought it to the table out of the gate, scoring victories in each of the first seven matchups to set the tone early against the Eagles. In all, 10 wins were gathered by the hosts on the black and white mat to propel their way towards victory and a strong sendoff for seniors Noah Black and Adam Iantorno in a 57-15 decision.

“Everyone is working hard and things are now where they are becoming individualized,” Lions coach Tyler Carman said. “Guys are finding extra work outs, extra reps in the room. Canisteo is really tough, and it's a privilege to drive 30 minutes to wrestle one of the best programs in the State. We look forward to it every year and we work hard to close the gap. I'm happy with our progress, but we have a ways to go. These guys are up for the challenge, and tonight was a good starting point to put us back on schedule where we should be.”

Wellsville came out of gate red hot to open Senior Night, rattling off seven straight wins led by a Xander Outman forfeit at 170 pounds in the first scheduled match of the night. Soon after, the Lions took the mat for competition in the next three matches where Noah Black, Gabe Black and Brayden Taggert all came out victorious in their respective matches, with Noah Black leading the way with a 90-second pin of Johnathan Yezarski at 190 pounds.

At 215 pounds, Gabe Black and Alfred-Almond’s Garrett Freeland went toe-to-toe in a match where points were hard to come by. After a scoreless first period of action, Black was the first to strike with a late two-point takedown on Freeland before he was able to immediately fire back an escape to cut the deficit in half after the second. With the action still separating the combatants by a single point, Black was able to navigate through a tough fight controlled by Freeland through much of the third period to record a massive escape to cement his 3-1 victory in the end.

To keep the momentum rolling, Taggert would round off the heavyweight battles with a strong performance at 285 pounds, building an 8-3 lead through multiple takedowns against Cohen Cumberbatch before getting the pin with one minute left in the final period to claim victory.

Entering the lightweight division of the match, Easton Joyce (101 pounds), Paul Giovanniello (108 pounds) and Jensen Spicer (116 pounds) each added six more points on the scoreboard to extend their lead against Alfred-Almond, all coming via forfeit. At 124 pounds, David Clark continued the hot start for the Lions with a 22-second pinfall win over Tanner Ledbetter, marking the seventh straight win.

The Eagles were able to navigate their way onto the board for the first time at 131 pounds where the fiercest match of the night ensued between Peyton Barnes and Wellsville’s Adam Iantorno. With a 4-2 lead in favor of Barnes going into the third period, the pressure was on for Iantorno to complete his rally, scoring an enormous escape with 25 seconds remaining before getting one last opportunity to strike right next to the buzzer, nearly getting the two-point swing off a potential takedown along the way.

Each team would split two pinfall victories to close out the match, with Wellsville nabbing the first two from Landon Stratton (138 pounds) and Mason Edwards (145 pounds) before the Eagles countered with wins from Riley McMichael (152 pounds) and Kanye Cumberbatch (160 pounds) — who exchanged multiple points with Matt Ritter in seconds to score an early 6-3 lead and turn it into a pinfall win halfway through the second period.

Prior to the match, the Lions honored both of their seniors by recognizing their contributions to the program that have amassed 12 years combined between them. For Carman, he says they’ve been a joy to coach.

“Those guys are awesome,” he said. “For Noah, it's a family sport. He's got three brothers that are in this program, and his parents are not shy about this at all. They've been taking him to the ends of the earth to go and wrestle. He's a great kid, he shows a lot of heart and we love having him. Adam's the same thing, he comes from a jiu-jitsu background and it's so cool to see what his transition to wrestling has been like. I’m looking forward to following them in whatever is next for them in the years to come.”

The Lions will return to action in what will be their final home match of the 2023-24 campaign, as they prepare for a 6 p.m. reschedulement against Avoca-Prattsburgh/Hammondsport before leaving next weekend for tournament action in Kenmore. Now entering the final stretch before Sectionals, the Lions coach says it’s time to enter Championship mode.

“We're in good shape and we're wrestling hard, but now it's time to get into Championship shape. It's right back to the lab, and we cannot miss a beat from here on out.” said Carman.

Results (* indicates starting weight)

101 – Easton Joyce (WLSV) by for.

108 – Paul Giovanniello (WLSV) by for.

116 – Jensen Spicer (WLSV) by for.

124 – David Clark (WLSV) def. Tanner Ledbetter (A-A) by pin, :22.

131 – Peyton Barnes (A-A) def. Adam Iantorno (WLSV) by dec, 4-3.

138 – Landon Stratton (WLSV) def. Cole Briggs (A-A) by pin, 5:08.

145 – Mason Edwards (WLSV) def. Zach Bloxsom (A-A) by pin, 1:06.

152 – Riley McMichael (A-A) def. Andrew Cox (WLSV) by pin, :43.

160 – Kanye Cumberbatch (A-A) def. Matt Ritter (WLSV) by pin, 2:35.

*170 – Xander Outman (WLSV) by for.

190 – Noah Black (WLSV) def. Johnathan Yezarski (A-A) by pin, 1:31.

215 – Gabe Black (WLSV) def. Garrett Freeland (A-A) by dec, 3-1.

285 – Brayden Taggert (WLSV) def. Cohen Cumberbatch (A-A) by pin, 4:56.

Bolivar-Richburg 34, Letchworth 29

GAINESVILLE — All the Wolverines of Bolivar-Richburg needed were the first five matches of the night to set the tone. In their latest trip over the road that saw them visit Letchworth on Thursday, the Wolverines exploded with a 25-0 lead on the hosts to lay their foundation down on their eventual 34-29 win to begin their regular season-ending three-match road trip.

Out of the first five wins for the Wolverines, their first two in competition sandwiched in between a Zach Mitchell forfeit win at 190 pounds were the quickest pins of the entire match, with Tavyn MacDonell scoring a 56-second win at 170 pounds against Braiden Schroeder to kick off the festivities. Caden Allen would hold the team’s fastest victory with a 39-second pinfall at 215 pounds over Carter Pricer.

The next two wins collected by Bolivar-Richburg were settled in decisions, with Cam Wilber fighting hard to the end to pick up the 9-6 win over Ryan Gordon at 285 pounds, and then a dominant 11-2 win for Presley McDowell in the first lightweight match at 101 pounds against Dylan Smith. Letchworth would then proceed to net wins in three of the next four matches to trim their deficit, with Joe Scott’s 18-3 technical fall win over Teegan Sibble leading the way at 108 pounds.

After forfeits at 116 and 124 pounds for the hosts, the Wolverines resumed their winning ways with an enormous win from Gary McDowell at 131 pounds, as he outlasted and answered a strong challenge from Derek Smith to take a 6-3 win via decision. Letchworth would score two more wins in the last four matches to keep the pressure on, but a final win for Bolivar-Richburg from Trey Buchholz at 152 pounds solidified their win on the road with his pinfall win in just 50 seconds over Gunner Kemp.

Bolivar-Richburg’s road swing ventures forward after the weekend with a visit to Alfred-Almond, Tuesday night at 6 p.m.

Results (* indicates starting weight)

101 – Presley McDowell (B-R) def. Dylan Smith (LET) by dec, 11-2.

108 – Joe Scott (LET) def. Teegan Sibble (B-R) by tech fall, 18-3.

116 – Justin Mann (LET) by for.

124 – Nolan Kelley (LET) by for.

131 – Gary McDowell (B-R) def. Derek Smith (LET) by dec, 6-3.

138 – Aiden Nugent (LET) def. Cayden Gaines (B-R) by pin, 3:35.

145 – Double for.

152 – Trey Buchholz (B-R) def. Gunner Kemp (LET) by pin, :50.

160 – Gavin Kemp (LET) by for.

*170 – Tavyn MacDonell (B-R) def. Braiden Schroeder (LET) by pin, :56.

190 – Zach Mitchell (B-R) by for.

215 – Caden Allen (B-R) def. Carter Pricer (LET) by pin, :39.

285 – Cam Wilber (B-R) def. Ryan Gordon (LET) by dec, 9-6.

Avoca-Prattsburgh/Hammondsport 39, Fillmore/Keshequa 18

HAMMONDSPORT — Out of the five matches in competition on the mat, host Avoca-Prattsburgh/Hammondsport made the most of the opportunity presented in front of them Thursday night to make some noise, scoring four big wins against visiting Fillmore/Keshequa to go with an amassment of forfeit wins along the way to secure a 39-18 home win in Hammondsport.

Despite the defeat, Fillmore/Keshequa delivered three victories — two by forfeit from both Connor McCumiskey (101 pounds) and from Caleb Green (215 pounds). Their lone win on the mat came from Ryan Vedder at 131 pounds, who found his way to victory with a pinfall of Hudson Cole with 44 seconds left in the second period.

Their last opportunity to garner a win in competition came in the match immediately after, at 138 pounds, as Graham Howe and Chase Mummey went the entire distance to force a sudden victory session. One where Mummey was able to garner two massive points to secure a 10-8 win through an outstanding performance from both competitors.

Fillmore/Keshequa returns to the mat back home on Tuesday, as they host the Addison Knights in a 6 p.m. match in Fillmore.

Results (* indicates starting weight)

101 – Connor McCumiskey (F/K) by for.

108 – Orion Davis (APH) def. Jules Cotton (F/K) by pin, 3:05.

116 – Double for.

124 – Justin Wise (APH) def. Alivia Cartwright (F/K) by pin, 5:17.

131 – Ryan Vedder (F/K) def. Hudson Cole (APH) by pin, 3:16.

138 – Chase Mummey (APH) def. Graham Howe (F/K) by sudden victory, 10-8.

*145 – Tristan Davis (APH) def. Kalen Beardsley (F/K) by pin, 5:01.

152 – Double for.

160 – Liam McLoud (APH) by for.

170 – Dallas Brady (APH) by for.

190 – Double for.

215 – Caleb Green (F/K) by for.

285 – Tyson Comfort (APH) by for.

BOYS BASKETBALL

Cuba-Rushford 62, Andover/Whitesville 44

CUBA — As of late, Andover/Whitesville has begun putting the pieces of their puzzle together by playing some of their best basketball, formulating five wins across the last seven games because of it. Thursday night’s visit to Gary Wight Court at Cuba-Rushford brought about another opportunity to extend it.

The Rebels on the other hand were looking to ignite something on their own.

Across the entire first half, both teams unleashed their fury at one another in a back-and-forth exchange of pleasantries, where no lead held by either side was bigger than four points. At the end of it, Andover/Whitesville was able to come away with the advantageous edge to carry into the halftime break.

But when the second half arrived, Cuba-Rushford broke it wide open.

Trailing by three, the Rebels survived an early duel with Andover/Whitesville in the third quarter before striking all chords and finding their rhythm to break a deadlock and transform it into a lead as large as 13 points across their humongous jaunt that changed the complexity of the game, rolling their way towards victory behind a strong fourth quarter finish in addition to take the 62-44 win in the Wighthouse.

“It was a very good, physical game and I’m glad we came out on top. Hats off to Jimmy (Joyce) and his staff. He had those guys ready to go, and they made it one heck of a game,” Rebels coach Pat Wight said. “They made shots and competed their butts off. We struggled finding any rhythm the first half and thankfully, we found some in the second. Eli (Sleggs) came off the bench and delivered a relentless performance off the glass. Braeden (Wight) made some big shots to stretch the lead in the third and fourth , and we got to the foul line tonight and shot well from there.”

Before the Rebels (7-7) were able to kickstart the tires on a third quarter volcanic eruption, they had to survive a battle of wits with Andover/Whitesville right from the start and onward across the second half. One that saw the visitors in black take the lead each time behind the guidance of Colton Calladine down low, Brody Vance at the charity stripe and a long Vincent Joyce triple to capture a 10-9 lead.

Another back-and-forth battle ensued across the second, a quarter that would benefit the hosts in white and maroon when Braeden Wight served up an eight-point frame behind a pair of foul shots and two long triples from downtown. But despite it, Andover/Whitesville (7-5) was still able to find enough of an opening to maintain a 24-21 lead at the break.

Wight’s big second quarter did allow Cuba-Rushford to build a burst of momentum to carry into the half, and in the third quarter, it came to full fruition when the entire offense came to life to produce a massive 24-12 run of Andover/Whitesville to turn the tide completely in their favor. Holding a 45-36 lead, they would proceed to construct the strongest of finishes on top of it in the last eight minutes, as they held Andover/Whitesville to eight points while punctuating a game-sealing 17-8 run.

Wight would lead all scorers for Cuba-Rushford with a game-high 21 points. Luke Brooks chipped in with 11 points of his own, while Eli Sleggs helped build the team’s second quarter burst of momentum with some big rebounds off the glass, finishing with a 10-point, 12-board double-double off the bench.

For Andover/Whitesville, Brody Vance paved the way for the offense with his 16 points. Colton Calladine was not far behind, recording 15 points. Vincent Joyce had six points off a pair of triples from beyond the arc. The team will look to turn it back around when they return home Tuesday night for a gigantic 7:30 p.m. contest against Arkport-Canaseraga in Andover.

As for the Rebels, they will look to climb back above .500 on the season on Wednesday when they return to Gary Wight Court to welcome in Genesee Valley/Belfast at 7:30 p.m.

Andover/Whitesville 10 14 12 8 – 44

Cuba-Rushford 9 12 24 17 – 62

ANDOVER/WHITESVILLE: Jake Mattison 2 0-0 5, Ethan Warriner 1 0-0 2, Vincent Joyce 2 0-0 6, Brody Vance 5 3-4 16, Colton Calladine 7 0-0 15. Totals: 17 3-4 44.

CUBA-RUSHFORD: Braeden Wight 6 5-5 21, Kaden Bell 2 0-0 4, Luke Brooks 5 1-2 11, Eli Sleggs 2 6-8 10, Finn Ricketts 3 2-2 9, Adam Roe 1 0-0 2, Peyton Joy 2 0-0 5. Totals: 21 14-17 62.

3-point goals: A/W 7 (Vance 3, Joyce 2, Mattison, Calladine), C-R 6 (Wight 4, Ricketts, Joy).
Total Fouls: A/W 16, C-R 11. Fouled out: None.

Fillmore 79, Houghton Academy 34

FILLMORE — The inside game captained by Cam Mucher and yet another strong performance from downtown from Zach Sisson were the two ingredients to Fillmore’s latest success story on Thursday, using an additional wealth of assistance off the bench to put together a complete performance against visiting Houghton Academy by a 79-34 count to keep their hot streak alive at nine straight games.

“We did a great job of being focused and ready to play from the tip tonight,” said Eagles coach Randy Crouch. “Cam had a great game on both ends. For a freshman, he understands the game and makes a lot of plays. Every game, he seems to add a new wrinkle. We got a lot of great contributions off the bench as well. Isaiah (Sisson), Mark (Wolfer) and Brayden (Hennard) played really well and Brandon Buck hit a couple of threes. It’s always great to win, but now we have to get focused on a big rematch on Wednesday.”

The Eagles (11-2) started the crosstown battle on fire in the opening eight minutes, as they connected across all fronts with Mucher and Sisson leading the charge, combining for 17 of the team’s 24 points in the midst of their 24-6 run of Houghton Academy to set the tone immediately. The momentum carried onward into the break with another strong outing in the second quarter, as the hot hands for Fillmore came together once again to propel their 19-9 jaunt to cement their advantage for good.

When it was all said and done, Mucher led all scorers with a game-high 24 points, while Sisson followed with 23 of his own — 15 of those points off another fiery night from the parking lot, landing five triples. Following up the scoring for the Eagles was Brandon Buck, who had eight points.

Houghton Academy was led by James Adenuga, who sank four of the team’s six triples en route to a team-high 15 points. Jack Prentice chipped in with 11 points, while Josh Davidson had eight. The Panthers will look to turn the ship around and climb back above .500 on the season with a Tuesday night visit to Friendship to battle Friendship/Scio at 7:30 p.m.

Fillmore will now turn their attention to the second and final colossal clash of the titans against the Wolverines of Bolivar-Richburg on Wednesday, going over the road for a 7:30 p.m. tip-off.

Houghton Academy 6 9 9 10 – 34

Fillmore 24 19 25 11 – 79

HOUGHTON ACADEMY: Jack Prentice 4 2-4 11, Josh Davidson 3 1-3 8, James Adenuga 5 1-2 15. Totals: 12 4-9 34.

FILLMORE: Cam Mucher 9 6-9 24, Marcus Wolfer 2 0-0 5, Isaiah Sisson 2 0-0 5, Layton Sanasith 2 0-0 5, Brandon Buck 3 0-0 8, Zach Sisson 8 0-0 23, Jonah Bialek 1 0-0 3, Brayden Hennard 2 0-0 4, JD Bialek 1 0-0 2. Totals: 30 6-9 79.
3-point goals: HA 6 (Adenuga 4, Prentice, Davidson), Fillmore 11 (Z. Sisson 5, Buck 2, Wolfer, I. Sisson, Sanasith, Jo. Bialek).
Total Fouls: HA 8, Fillmore 12. Fouled out: Buck (FIL).

Bolivar-Richburg 91, Friendship/Scio 20

BOLIVAR — Every single Wolverine in the lineup on Thursday were all able to find the basket in some way, with four different scorers eclipsing the 10-point mark to aid the offense in a strong rebound from their defeat to the hands of Fillmore earlier this week, as they came right back and delivered a 91-20 win over visiting Friendship/Scio.

Amongst the scorers, Aydin Sisson and Landon Barkley saw themselves at the forefront of Bolivar-Richburg’s (9-3) aerial attack, with Sisson paving the way towards a strong 22 game-high point performance. Barkley followed suit with 19 points of his own, while Reiss Gaines and Kingston Loucks scored 12 and 10 points, respectively. Caden Giardini had eight points.

For the hosts in white and red, they came out firing on all cylinders with a powerful first quarter run that allowed them to shape their advantage and never lose possession of it.

Deacon Brown led all scorers for Friendship/Scio (3-10) with a team-high 12 points. The team will return to action Tuesday night with a 7:30 p.m. visit from Houghton Academy in Friendship.

Bolivar-Richburg will look to avenge their 76-56 loss to Fillmore earlier this week by welcoming the Eagles in for a visit Wednesday night for their final battle of the season, beginning at 7:30 p.m.

Friendship/Scio 0 4 9 7 – 20

Bolivar-Richburg 22 25 28 16 – 91

FRIENDSHIP/SCIO: Aiden Golden 1 0-0 3, Charlie Taylor 0 1-2 1, Cooper Greenman 2 0-0 4, Deacon Brown 5 2-6 12. Totals: 8 3-8 20.

BOLIVAR-RICHBURG: Aydin Sisson 9 1-3 22, Landon Barkley 8 2-2 19, Brayden Zilker 1 2-2 4, David Abdo 2 0-0 4, Caleb Miller 1 0-0 2, Waide Karnuth 1 0-0 2, Trevor Pforter 3 0-0 6, Caden Giardini 3 0-0 8, Reiss Gaines 5 2-2 12, James Margeson 1 0-1 2, Kingston Loucks 4 0-0 10. Totals: 38 7-10 91.

3-point goals: F/S 1 (Golden), B-R 8 (Sisson 3, Giardini 2, Loucks 2, Barkley).
Total Fouls: F/S 9, B-R 6. Fouled out: None.