Ballston Spa Wrestlers Advance to Section 2 Division 1 Championships

BURNT HILLS — Three

Ballston Spa wrestlers earned firstplace finishes in their respective weight classes, helping the Scotties capture the team championship at the 2023 Section 2 Division 1 Class 2 Tournament on Feb. 4.

Ballston Spa’s Ralph Keeney, Connor Gregory, and Darrien Insogna placed first in their respective weight classes, while Tristan Hinchcliff, Cameron Hinchcliff, William O’Connor, and Jacob Perkins finished as runner-ups in their weight classes.

Tyler Perkins placed third at 132 pounds, while Cole Donnelly placed third at 285 pounds. Quinton Warlikowski earned a fourth-place finish at 102 pounds, and James Capasso earned a fourth-place finish at 145 pounds. Gavin Whipple and Anthony Prastio each placed fifth in their weight classes.

All 13 wrestlers will head to the Section 2 Division 1 Championships this weekend at Cool Insuring Arena.

At 110 pounds, Keeney pinned all three of his opponents, defeating Amsterdam’s Breyana Montalvo in the quarterfinals, Queensbury’s A.J. Spero in the semifinals, and South Glens Falls’ Dylan Keech in the championship match.

Gregory, wrestling at 160 pounds, pinned Burnt Hills’ Andrew Martin in the quarterfinals and pinned Scotia-Glenville/ Galway’s Alwalid Bourkia in the semifinals. Gregory earned a 3-0 decision over Queensbury’s Lucas Schell in the championship.

Insogna won at 215 pounds by pinning Burnt Hills’ Julian Goss in the semifinals, and pinning Averill Park’s Connor Byers in the championship match.

Tristan Hinchcliff advanced to the championship at 118 pounds by earning a 12-5 decision over Mohonasen’s Nico Rivera in the semifinals, falling to Burnt Hills’ Tyler Whiteley by a 5-2 decision. Cameron Hinchcliff pinned Ben Taylor (Burnt Hills) in the semifinals at 126 pounds, losing an 8-6 decision to Averill Park’s Jacob Hanlon in the championship.

O’Connor, wrestling at 138 pounds, won a 9-4 decision over Queensbury’s Timothy Paculavich in the semifinals, and was pinned by Burnt Hills’ Gabriel Goss in the championship. Jacob Perkins beat Thomas Pawlinga (Burnt Hills) by 5-3 decision in the semifinals at 172 pounds, losing a 3-2 tiebreaker decision to Averill Park’s Elias Goosmann in the championship.

The Scotties finished with the top overall team score at the tournament, with 248.5 points. Burnt Hills-Ballston Lake, the host school, was second with 243 points.

The Saratoga Central Catholic varsity boys basketball team got back in the win column on Senior Night, honoring the Saints’ four seniors with a 41-35 victory over Waterford-Halfmoon on Tuesday.

“We’ve come a long way,” said head coach Shea Bromirski, who credited the seniors for their leadership. “It’s a classy group. We have really good kids here.”

Senior Justin Duscher, who led the Saints with 15 points, said it was meaningful to have the senior ceremony and noted the closeness of the Saratoga Catholic squad.

“I came here last year, and these guys welcomed me with open arms,” said Duscher. “This team’s a really tight-knit group of guys. It’s a special moment.”

Saratoga Catholic has four seniors: Kam Cox, Aidan Dunne, Justin Duscher, and Matt Murphy.

Dunne said it was an exciting night, saying his teammates “mean the world” to him.

“They’re like the closest group of friends you could have,” Dunne said. “You’re with them every day.”

The Saints led 9-5 after a low-scoring first quarter, and the defensive affair carried into the second, with Saratoga Catholic taking a 17-12 lead into halftime.

Dunne had nine points in the first half to pace the Saints, who limited the Fordians to just five made field goals in the half. Bromirski said that defense has been a main point of emphasis for the Saratoga Catholic team this season.

“That’s what we hang our hat on, is the defensive end of the floor,” said Bromirski. “That’s something we talk about every day in practice. … They bought in to playing that end of the floor.”

But Waterford-Halfmoon opened the second half on a 12-0 run, jumping to a 24-17 lead with 3:27 left in the third. Duscher, the Saints’ leading scorer, stepped up at the end of the quarter, hitting back-to-back three-pointers to cut Waterford’s lead to one entering the fourth.

Bromirski said that Duscher making big shots is “what he’s done for us all year.”

“Every time that we’ve won a close game or done something, he’s been our guy who makes big shots for us,” Bromirski said. “He’s one of the best kids I’ve ever coached, one of the best people I’ve ever coached.”

The teams traded baskets early in the fourth, with the Saints taking the lead for good on a basket by Aidan Crowther with 3:24 remaining. Duscher then scored to give Saratoga Catholic a 36-33 lead, and a steal and fastbreak for Hunter Fales made it 38-33 with 2:08 left.

The Saints held strong defensively in the final minutes, sealing a 41-35 win with free throws from Duscher. Bromirski said the team came alive late after “doing the little things.”

“I talk to these guys religiously about (how) the ball goes in the hoop when you do the right things,” said Bromirski. “When you’re playing as hard as you can, and you’re getting every loose ball, somehow the ball starts to find the basket.”

Duscher’s 15 points led all scorers, while Dunne added nine in the win for the Saints. Ronan Rowe had six points, Fales and Crowther each had five points, and Ryan Gillis added one point for Saratoga Catholic.

Derrick Ponture and Anthony Scunziano each had 13 points for Waterford-Halfmoon. Matt Soden added five points, while Nate Griner had four points. Saratoga Catholic (11-8) will play Waterford-Halfmoon again on Friday in a Wasaren League crossover game, with the Section 2 Class C Tournament to follow.

“Our resume’s pretty good. I would think that we would be somewhere in the top half of the Class C bracket,” Bromirski said. “... Then we’ll see who we play on Tuesday, and we’ll go from there.”

“Just to lock in,” said Dunne of the team’s mindset. “I don’t think we’re playing our best basketball right now, but we were a couple weeks ago, and we can get back to that.”