HAWLEY — Drew Leonori forged a strong career at Scranton, and his accomplishments include rising to the occasion against the league’s best.
The Scranton senior secured the 133-pound title at the Lackawanna League Championships, his third league crown, on Saturday at Wallenpaupack.
“I thought I wrestled well,” Leonori said. “I did like my weight cut. I thought I did it really good. I felt really good in all my matches, felt strong, I felt confident.”
He also captured the 107 title as a freshman and the 127 crown as a junior. On Saturday, he secured first-period pins in the preliminaries and quarterfinals and a second-period pin to advance to the final. There he faced Wallenpaupack’s Gio Lomonaco, a wrestler Leonori lost to twice last season including in the District 2 Class 3A semifinals.
After a scoreless first period, Leonori picked up four back points and then secured the pin with 18 seconds left in the second period for the title.
“We stayed on our feet for the whole first period. Nothing really happened, and then I deferred and he chose bottom and then from there I was just able to sink the bar in and then run that,” Leonori said.
Next up for Leonori is the 100-win milestone. He is 99-31 in his career with Scranton’s next match slated for Jan. 2 when it hosts West Scranton.
He’ll also look to build off last season’s strong postseason, where he earned district bronze and regional sixth, one place away from qualifying for states.
Abington Heights’ Mason Whitney, right, wrestles Delaware Valley’s Drew Churchill during the Lackawanna League Championships on Saturday at Wallenpaupack. (JASON ARDAN / STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER)
Abington Heights’ Dakota Sandy, top, wrestles Blue Ridge’s Aidan Tanzini during the Lackawanna League Championships on Saturday at Wallenpaupack. (JASON ARDAN / STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER)
Familiar and new faces
Mason Whitney is one of the best wrestlers in the state, as he is ranked sixth in Pennsylvania at 139 pounds according to PA Power Wrestling and a two-time state placer (seventh and eighth). It was no surprise the Abington Heights junior captured his third Lackawanna League title. It wasn’t a surprise his teammate, Dakota Sandy, secured his first league title either, but it was the freshman’s first opportunity to showcase his talent to the league.
Sandy secured three technical falls and pinned West Scranton’s Santino Aniska, a district champion last season, in the semifinals to storm to the 121 crown.
“I was really happy,” Sandy said. “It’s one of my first high school tournaments, so I’m very excited for what the future holds.”
Ranked 21st in the state, he is 13-3 this season, with his three losses forfeits because of an illness he battled at the Darren Klingerman Invitational. In contested bouts, Sandy has eight pins and four tech. falls.
Whitney had two tech. fall and a pin Saturday for his third league crown, and improved his record to 14-0.
“I feel good,” Whitney said. “At the weight I’m at right now, we’re heading down on a descent plan for hopefully Powerade next weekend.”
The young Abington Heights team will also count on him as a leader.
“So, we just picked captains the other day actually, so me and two of my buddies are captains of the team now,” Whitney said. “There’s a bunch of upcoming freshmen who are going to be studs in the future, so it’s good to get this start of the leadership role here and figuring out how to lead.”
West Scranton’s Tommy Schechterly, top, wrestles Wallenpaupack’s Gabe Caufield during the Lackawanna League Championships on Saturday at Wallenpaupack. (JASON ARDAN / STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER)
Déjà vu
Tommy Schechterly came out on top in a battle of state-ranked wrestlers twice this week.
Ranked 18th in the state, the West Scranton sophomore topped Wallenpaupack’s Gabe Caufield by 14-1 major decision in a dual meet Wednesday and an 11-2 major decision in the 172 final Saturday. After a scoreless first period, Schechterly chose down, escaped and secured a takedown and four back points to build an eight-point lead in the second period. He added a takedown in the third for the 11-2 win.
“He’s a good opponent to wrestle,” Schechterly said of Caufield, who is ranked 25th in the state. “He’s strong and he gave me a good match.”
He rolled to the final with three first-period pins, and is 14-1 on the season.
“I thought it was pretty good,” Schechterly said of his performance Saturday. “There’s some stuff I can improve on, but other than that it was a good tournament.”
Wallenpaupack’s Tristan Braxton, top, holds down Abington Heights’ Lucas Drake during the Lackawanna League Championships on Saturday at Wallenpaupack. (JASON ARDAN / STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER)
Honesdale’s Brody Walsh, left, and Wallenpaupack’s Ayden Blaut wrestle Saturday during the Lackawanna League Championships at Wallenpaupack. (JASON ARDAN / STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER)
Two-Pack
Ayden Blaut (127) and Tristan Braxton (160) secured titles to lead Wallenpaupack to second place in the team standings.
Blaut was the No. 4 seed and had one of the biggest wins of the tournament, upsetting two-time state qualifier and district champion Connor Lagier of West Scranton by 6-5 decision in the semifinals. Entering the final period trailing, 4-2, the Wallenpaupack senior secured a reversal and two back points for a 6-4 lead. Lagier, who is ranked 13th in the state at 133, escaped, but couldn’t get the winning takedown. He added two first-period pins and a tech. fall for the 127 crown.
“I was just staying out of my head,” said Blaut, who is ranked 23rd in the state at 127. “I usually get in my head a lot, but it was important to me to stay motivated and not let anything distract me and stay locked in.”
Braxton went 35-12 and placed second at districts last season to qualify for regionals. He aims to build off that in his junior season.
“I put in a lot of work in the offseason to be able to come here and display my talents,” Braxton said. “I know last year I came up short, a lot of injuries. I know this year I’m just coming back, same weight, same everything, like a redemption year for me.”
That work showed Saturday, as he had a first-period pin, a second-period pin and a 13-1 major in the final for the 160 title to push his record to 10-1.
“I worked on my confidence. I’m working on my shots, being more resilient, just practicing with the best kids in the country, best kids in the state to help me get better,” Braxton said. “It’s just hard work every day.”
The Buckhorns also look to repeat as Lackawanna League Division I and District 2 Class 3A duals champions.
“I think our team is going to do extremely well,” Braxton said. “From top to bottom, we have stacked dudes. Everybody in our lineup is great. We could compete with any team, day in and day out. We practice like a college room, so I just think our team is just going to end up doing what we need to do to win.”
Mid Valley’s Matthew Almedina, top, holds down Honesdale’s Justin Scanlon during the Lackawanna League Championships on Saturday at Wallenpaupack. (JASON ARDAN / STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER)
Mid Valley’s Matthew Almedina, left, and Honesdale’s Justin Scanlon wrestle during the Lackawanna League Championships on Saturday at Wallenpaupack. (JASON ARDAN / STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER)
Almedina repeats
Matthew Almedina captured his second straight Lackawanna League title in dominant fashion, securing four first-period tech. falls for the 145 crown.
“It feels really good,” said Almedina, who is ranked seventh in the state at 139. “I came in here just wanting to score points, make my matches quick. Not overconfident, but confident enough that I know that I’m the best.”
The three-time district champion, three-time state qualifier and three-time All-Region selection will look to cap his career with a state medal in March.
“I feel really confident this year,” Almedina said. “I fell short one match the past three years, so to break through this year would mean the world to me, and I know I could do it.”
For Almedina, it’s not just about him. It’s about the team he helped create and grow at Mid Valley. In their fourth season as a program, the Spartans are 4-4, won the Battle of the Valley belt Friday with a 36-28 victory over rival Valley View and placed ninth of 16 teams at the Lackawanna League Championships.
“We’re top four for double-A in District 2, so we’re right there for the team race, and I’m really proud of these guys,” Almedina said.
Valley View’s Tywone Giles, top, wrestles Abington Heights’ Chace Berry during the Lackawanna League Championships on Saturday at Wallenpaupack. (JASON ARDAN / STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER)
Valley View’s Tywone Giles, left, and Abington Heights’ Chace Berry wrestle Saturday during the Lackawanna League Championships at Wallenpaupack. (JASON ARDAN / STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER)
Staying perfect
Tywone Giles stayed unbeaten Saturday, rolling to the 152 title with a pin and three straight tech. falls. The Valley View sophomore is 16-0 this season with eight pins, five tech. falls, one major decision and two forfeit wins.