Thursday Roundup: Wellsville flies past A/H/P with 60-15 home-opening victory in tune-up for Charlotte trip

Wellsville’s Damian Moultrup secures the pinfall victory at 152 pounds during Thursday’s home opener against Avoca/Hammondsport/Prattsburgh. [Chris Brooks/WellsvilleSports.com]

Wellsville’s John Layfield, right, grapples with his opponent during his bout at 195 pounds in Thursday’s home opener against Avoca/Hammondsport/Prattsburgh. [Chris Brooks/WellsvilleSports.com]

Wellsville’s Blake Pratt escapes the clutches of his opponent during his bout at 145 pounds in Thursday’s home opener against Avoca/Hammondsport/Prattsburgh. [Chris Brooks/WellsvileSports.com]

Wellsville’s Eli Torruella works against his opponent during his bout at 120 pounds in Thursday’s home opener against Avoca/Hammondsport/Prattsburgh. [Chris Brooks/WellsvilleSports.com]

WELLSVILLE — Although last week’s first annual holiday tournament kicked off the home slate for the Wellsville varsity grapplers, the lights were off and the foglamps were on. The entrance to the gymnasium from the Lions locker room was shrouded, and “Last Breath” by Future — the team’s entrance song from the movie ‘Creed’ was heard over the loud speakers as each wrestler made their way out to circle the mats in front of their home crowd.

That could only mean one thing — it was go time, as Wellsville’s season on their own mat officially opened up on Thursday, as they welcomed in visiting Avoca/Hammondsport/Prattsburgh.

Just a week away from the team’s historic trip down south for the holiday, the Lions made sure momentum was built, securing three match victories to go with a bountiful of forfeit wins to take the 60-15 edge over the Tigers.

“It’s a nice tune-up before we head to Charlotte next week,” said Lions coach Tyler Carman. “I appreciate these guys for coming down, it’s a long bus ride for them. We’re thankful for that, and more than that, I’m excited about the kids outside of wrestling. We’ve had some real dedication to our studies the past few weeks. Our hard work that we’ve had at practices is starting to pay off. There’s guys that won matches tonight that have projects to do on the side. It’s a testament to our team.”

Out of the six total matches that occurred on the mat, four of those matches extended through or past the second period on the mat. Wellsville was victors in one of them coming toward the tail end of the match from John Layfield at 195 pounds, as he outlasted Avoca’s Zach Hammond with just 13 seconds left in regulation to stave off extra time, and a 2-2 decision on the board with a huge pin-fall victory.

The losses by the Lions may have been defeats in the scorebook, but in this case, they were victories. In the other three matches, Wellsville pushed their opponents to their limits deep within the second period, and in one match, it went until the very end where Blake Pratt fell to Nevin Davis by a 4-2 decision at 145 pounds.

“Things went well for our first meet at home,” Carman said. “Tonight was one of those nights that we wrestle for. I’d rather see guys go all six minutes rather than try for a pin-fall. We’re out there wrestling, and competing, and that’s what these guys came here to do, day in and day out. It’s everything that we train for.”

The Lions earned two additional pin-fall victories, with Damian Moultrup (152 pounds) picking up a win in just 1:03, and later on from Evin Rought (220 pounds), earning the night’s fastest pin at 35 seconds. Brayden Riley (126 pounds), Dale Ableidinger (132 pounds), Cole Hadfield (138 pounds), Finn Stevens (170 pounds), Hunter Brandes (182 pounds), and Eagan Enke (285 pounds) all scored forfeit wins for the Lions.

The Lions are now off until after Christmas when all members of the JV and Varsity wrestling teams board a bus back at school next Friday morning at 4 a.m, taking off for the state that was First In Flight — North Carolina, and the Bojangles Coliseum in Charlotte, where they take part in the Holy Angels Invitational alongside 80 different teams.

This past Monday, the Wellsville school’s Board of Education officially approved of the wrestling team’s trip to North Carolina. Carman says he’s very grateful to have the opportunity to branch out the Wellsville name 10 hours away from home.

“It’s huge not only for our program, but for our district,” he said. “For our guys to have approval from our school board, and the people that make decisions is everything to us. My staff, our wrestlers, we want to have a program that can wrestle in all different places. We’re always much bigger than Allegany County, and this is something we want to share with the kids. It will be a great trip, and it’s a massive tournament to be a part of.”

The idea behind the team’s trip down south stemmed back during the summer, The search began around the local area before extending their radius outside the county, and then ultimately, New York state itself. But the big deal-breaker for Carman and the Lions, was to take part in a tournament where each and every one of his grapplers has an opportunity to step on the mat.

That’s when they decided the trip to Charlotte was the move to make.

“The biggest concern for me was finding somewhere where all of our kids can have a chance to wrestle,” said Carman. “After having conversations with our planning staff, we talked about some options in North Carolina, and that’s when we heard about Brian Gray Jr. being down there, and coaching there. We decided on Charlotte. It all fell right into place, and it sparked our interest. I have to give 100% of the credit to our local Boosters club, and my assistant coaches. They were all the driving force behind us taking this trip.”

The Holy Angels Invitational will stretch across a two-day period with 10 mats being stretched across the arena floor. The action will begin next Friday afternoon.

Results:

99 – Jayden Acker (WLSV) by for.

106 – Double for.

113 – Double for.

120 – Nick Klem (A/H/P) def. Eli Torruella (WLSV) by pin, 4:39.

126 – Brayden Riley (WLSV) by for.

132 – Dale Ableidinger (WLSV) by for.

138 – Cole Hadfield (WLSV) by for.

145 – Nevin Davis (A/H/P) def. Blake Pratt (WLSV) by dec, 4-2.

152 – Damian Moultrup (WLSV) def. Adam Cansdale (A/H/P) by pin, 1:03.

160 – Caleb Polmateer (A/H/P) def. Braiden Black (WLSV) by pin, 4:51.

170 – Finn Stevens (WLSV) by for.

182 – Hunter Brandes (WLSV) by for.

195 – John Layfield (WLSV) def. Zach Hammond (A/H/P) by pin, 5:47.

220 – Evin Rought (WLSV) def. James Stephens (A/H/P) by pin, :35.

285 – Eagan Enke (WLSV) by for.

BOYS BASKETBALL

Fillmore 53, Belfast 41

FILLMORE — There were lessons to be learned after their last meeting against Franklinville this past Monday over the road, but Fillmore managed to pull out the decisive victory in said game to keep their hot start moving along.

Fast forward to Thursday and again, the pressure was on, this time from a young Belfast Bulldogs crew paying a visit to The Rock in Fillmore. With a two-point lead entering the half that grew to four after the third quarter, it was Valentine’s Day in the final eight minutes. Will and Dylan Valentine combined for 13 of the team’s final 16 points to assist in pulling away from the Bulldogs with a 53-41 victory for their fifth in their first six.

“Belfast has two big guys, and we don’t have the size to counter that,” Eagles coach Randy Crouch said. “We needed to have Will play bigger than he is, and he’s done that for us in the past two games. For the second straight game, we struggled to shoot. We were 19-of-57 from the field, and with a recipe like that, you’re not going to win very many games. I reminded the guys, even though they were a bit disappointed after, that we’re 5-1 and every one of us would take that. We know what we have to work on, and get better.”

Through the first half, the Bulldogs (1-4) behind their duo of Stephen Struckmann, and Carter Guilford took advantage of everything inside the arc, scoring 18 of the team’s 20 first half points to keep themselves within range of Fillmore, trailing only by a single basket entering the locker room.

“Give credit to Joe (Hennessy), he had his guys ready to play, and they took advantage of it,” Crouch said of Belfast. “We really struggled in the first half on the glass, and they had most of their points off that.”

But things started to change when both teams came back out onto the floor for the second half. Fillmore’s (5-1) response was a big one despite a near deadlock in the third quarter, as both Dylan and Will Valentine each rose to the occasion in the team’s 16-8 run of Belfast in the last eight minutes of play, allowing them to keep their distance for good.

“In the second half, we did a better job but they had a run and they ended up taking the lead by five at one point,” said Crouch. “I’m proud of how the guys responded, Will in particular. He really took over the second half when we really needed it. Dylan had his turn in the fourth with some big steals, and he stretched the lead out with a few points of his own.”

In all, Will Valentine led all scorers on the floor with a game-high 21 points to go with his five rebounds. Luke Cole added 11 points to go with nine boards. Levi Webb chipped in with eight points.

The Bulldogs were led by Guilford, who recorded a team-leading 16 points all inside the paint. Struckmann followed with 10 of his own.

Both teams are now off until after the holiday, with Fillmore returning to The Rock in the new year, taking on the Holland Dutchmen for a 7:30 p.m. contest on January 7. As for Belfast, they will now prepare for Scio’s annual Christmas Tournament next Friday night, as they take on Alfred-Almond in first round action at 6 p.m.

Belfast           8 12 13  8 – 41

Fillmore        15  7 15 16 – 53

BELFAST: Matt Weaver 1 0-0 3, Devin Harriger 3 0-0 7, Hunter Enders 2 0-0 5, Stephen Struckmann 4 2-2 10, Carter Guilford 8 0-2 16. Totals: 18 2-4 41.
FILLMORE: Dylan Valentine 4 0-0 8, Luke Cole 3 3-6 11, Levi Webb 2 4-4 9, Tobias Webb 1 0-0 2, Mason Cool 1 0-0 2, Will Valentine 8 3-6 21. Totals: 19 10-16 53.

3-point goals: Belfast 3 (Weaver, Harriger, Enders), Fillmore 5 (Cole 2, W. Valentine 2, L. Webb).
Total Fouls: Belfast 11, Fillmore 6. Fouled out: None.

Cuba-Rushford 74, Canisteo-Greenwood 46

CUBA — In the first half, both Canisteo-Greenwood and Cuba-Rushford each got off to good starts in their game, with the Rebels seeing a 32-25 lead come to fruition in their favor. In the second half, an eruption out of the Rebels offensive volcano, as they roared to a 30-point third quarter that saw them stay in the driver’s seat for good by using the big frame to put toward a 74-46 win over the Redskins on Thursday.

Both teams were neck and neck through the first two quarters of play, with the hosts taking the advantage in both frames for a seven point lead at the half. In the third quarter however, the floodgates opened with the Rebels (2-3) reaching big heights with a massive 30-13 run to pull away from Canisteo-Greenwood’s grasp for good.

“We started really well in the first four minutes. We had some defensive issues late in the first, and into the second quarter. But we adjusted and played a bit more sound in the second half,” Rebels coach Bryce Ryan said. “(Trent) Chamberlain shot well from three, and we had a pretty good balance across the board tonight. We harp on not giving teams more than one shot attempt in a possession, and we managed to do that very well.”

Trent Chamberlain was one of four Cuba-Rushford scorers that cracked the double-digit plateau, leading the three-point department with four of the team’s six in all, en route to 14 points. Grady McCumiskey led all scorers on the hardwood with a tough game inside, tallying a game-high 22 points. Dan Emerson pitched in with 15 points of his own, while Andrew Clement added a pair of treys, on his way to 12 points total.

Canisteo-Greenwood (2-4) was led by Roque Santiago’s 11 points.

The Rebels are now off until the new decade, as they ring in the new year with a road matchup at Holland on Saturday, January 4 at 1:30 p.m.

Canisteo-Greenwood   14 11 13    8 – 46

Cuba-Rushford              19 13 30 12 – 74

CANISTEO-GREENWOOD: Cole Ferris 3 0-0 9, Mike Knight 2 0-2 4, Roque Santiago 3 3-3 11, Hunter McCaffery 4 0-0 9, Corey Barker 1 0-0 3, Nick Button 1 0-0 2, Blake Updyke 4 0-0 8, Owen Chaffee 0 0-2 0. Totals: 18 3-7 46.
CUBA-RUSHFORD: Ethan Brooks 4 0-0 9, Trent Chamberlain 5 0-0 14, Andrew Clement 5 0-0 12, Brayden Lavery 1 0-0 2, Grady McCumiskey 11 0-0 22, Dan Emerson 6 2-3 15. Totals: 30 2-3 74.

3-point goals: C-G 7 (Ferris 3, Santiago 2, McCaffery, Barker), C-R 6 (Chamberlain 4, Clement 2).
Total Fouls: C-G 9, C-R 7. Fouled out: None.

Bolivar-Richburg 62, Oswayo Valley 57

SHINGLEHOUSE, Pa. — The brothers Danaher ruled the evening for the Bolivar-Richburg Wolverines on Thursday. Over the road in Pennsylvania for a fourth consecutive game, the Wolverines broke an early 15-15 first quarter tie in the next quarter to go on a 16-9 run of host Oswayo Valley that, proving to be the difference maker, as they split their four-game Pennsylvania road trip with a 62-57 win over the Green Wave.

“The (Riley and Landon) Danaher boys were on tonight,” said Wolverines coach Jeff Margeson. “When they’re both clicking, they can be quite tough to stop. Brayden (Ellis) came off the bench, and hit 10 big ones to help us out big time. Their coach has his kids playing some good basketball. They fought tooth and nail along side us tonight, and they’ve been working hard all through the summer. It was definitely a fun game to be a part of.”

Riley and Landon Danaher combined to tack 43 of Bolivar-Richburg’s (4-3) 62 total points onto the scoreboard, with Riley paving the offense with a game-high 23 points. Landon followed behind with 20 points of his own, while Brayden Ellis was fuming on the outside with a trio of three-pointers, en route to a 10-point night.

The Wolverines are now off until the new year, hitting the floor again on January 3 with their very first home game of the season against the Jasper-Troupsburg Wildcats in a 7 p.m. contest.

Bolivar-Richburg        15 16 13 18 – 62

Oswayo Valley            15   9 17 16 – 57

BOLIVAR-RICHBURG: Riley Danaher 10 1-2 23, Landon Danaher 8 2-8 20, Brayden Ellis 3 1-2 10, Jason Greeson 1 0-0 2, Camden MacDonell 3 1-2 7. Totals: 25 5-14 62.
OSWAYO VALLEY: Noah Wichert 10 2-5 22, Onnor Gross 4 0-0 9, Carter Steadman 3 0-1 8, Gunner Bean 2 1-2 6, Kayden Black 3 4-7 10, Alex Phillips 1 0-0 2. Totals: 23 7-15 57.

3-point goals: B-R (Ellis 3, R. Danaher 2, L. Danaher 2), OV (Steadman 2, Gross, Bean).
Total Fouls: B-R 14, OV 14. Fouled out: Karnuth (B-R), Wichert (OV).

Friendship 70, Lima Christian 58

LIMA — For the first time this season, the Friendship Golden Eagles are on the board. After falling behind to host Lima Christian at the half, the visitors in purple and gold powered their way to victory behind an enormous 31-point third quarter to keep the Saints at bay, rolling to a 70-58 road win on Thursday.

Three different scorers recorded double-digit figures in the Friendship (1-5) scorebook, with Blake Hewitt leading the way with a big 25-point performance. Micah Hosley helped the cause with an inside game of his own, scoring 18 points. Ian Romero lent a helping hand from outside the arc, sinking a pair of treys to build toward a 14-point evening.

The Golden Eagles are now off until next Friday, as they prepare for Scio Christmas Tournament action with a first-round matchup against the host Tigers at 7:30 p.m.

Friendship            14 12 31 13 – 70

Lima Christian     16 12 15 15 – 58

FRIENDSHIP: Dekota Stewart 3 1-5 7, Blake Hewitt 12 1-2 25, Ian Romero 6 0-0 14, Alex Smith 3 0-1 6, Micah Hosley 7 4-8 18. Totals: 31 6-16 70.
LIMA CHRISTIAN: Myle Howard 7 6-6 21, Jon Gretzinger 4 3-4 12, Caleb Walker 0 1-2 1, Zeke Sonoga 1 0-3 2, Evan Herring 5 0-0 13, Gideon Fiegel 4 1-2 9. Totals: 21 11-17 58.
3-point goals: Friendship 2 (Romero), Lima 5 (Herring 3, Howard, Gretzinger).
Total Fouls: Friendship 17, Lima 17. Fouled out: Sonoga (LC).

GIRLS BASKETBALL

Whitesville 48, Genesee Valley 28

BELMONT — For the opening eight minutes of play, the Lady Jays and Lady Jaguars set the pace, battling side-by-side. With Genesee Valley in the lead by a point, the Whitesville offense had different plans, exploding in the second while holding the hosts to a single point in the midst of their table-turning 19-1 run to pull ahead, rolling to a 48-28 road win inside The Jungle on Thursday.

“We played two solid quarters, and two that were far from it,” Lady Jays coach Aaron Rawady said. “That’s going to happen with a young team. We have a long break until our next game, and hopefully some extended practice time will get us to where we need to be heading into the next part of the season.”

Even though she was held for most of the first half, Vanessa Hall and her three-point blossomed inside a 13-8 Lady Jays run in the final eight minutes, sinking all four that she had to offer to add onto her game-high 22-point night to pace the Whitesville (4-2) offense. Kennedy Bledsoe chipped in with 11 points of her own, while Kate Pensyl had five points to contribute.

The Lady Jaguars (1-5) were led by an 11-point effort from Hailey Herring. Emera Aquila was not far behind in the scorebook, sinking both of the team’s three-pointers on her way to nine points.

Both teams now head into the holiday break, with Whitesville returning to their home floor on January 7 by welcoming in the Scio Lady Tigers. For Genesee Valley, they will make preparations for next Friday’s Keshequa holiday tournament.

Whitesville           7 19   9 13 – 48

Genesee Valley     8   1 10   8 – 28

WHITESVILLE: Kennedy Bledsoe 4 3-5 11, Rachel Jackson 1 0-0 2, Vanessa Hall 8 2-2 22, Jessica Erdmann 2 0-0 4, Kate Pensyl 2 0-4 5, Serina Button 2 0-0 4. Totals: 19 5-11 48.
GENESEE VALLEY: Emera Aquila 3 1-2 9, Lizzie Bentley 1 0-0 2, Sierra Burrows 1 1-3 3, Hailey Herring 4 3-5 11, Isabelle Ordway 1 0-0 2. Totals: 10 5-10 28.
3-point goals: Whitesville 5 (Hall 4, Pensyl), GV 2 (Aquila).
Total Fouls: Whitesville 13, GV 12. Fouled out: Bentley (GV).