A rematch of the Section 1 Dual-Meet championship final, won by John Jay. I expect this match to be much closer than the first meeting.

After looking over the lineups here is how I see it:

96 – Peter Grippi (FL) over Gabe Stauber.

103 – Steven Rodrigues (FL) over Henry Stauber.

112 – Justin Delamothe (JJ) over Pat Fay.

119 – Billy Watterson (JJ) over Zach Ettlinger.

125 – Joey Grippi (FL) over Mark Swertfager.

130 – Matt Barbo (JJ) over Jose Rueda.

135 – Andrew Schede (JJ) over Brandon Fallon.

140 – Luke Speno (FL, should he wrestle) over C.J. Upham.

145 – Brian Kelly (JJ) over Alex Flietas.

152 – Harrison Cook (FL) over Scott Genovesi.

160 – Jake Holman (JJ) over Matt Manjunck.

171 – Bob Dennett (FL) over Donny Gecaj.

189 – John Swertfager (JJ) over Hunter Rainford.

215 – Jake Genovesi (JJ) over John McCann.

285 – Larry Pico (JJ) over Ian Reilly.

This is all contingent on if Fox Lane wrestles its usual lineup. Based on this, I am predicting John Jay in 9 of the 15 matches.

Nanuet travels to Pearl River for a 4:30 matchup of the archrivals. Both teams are young which should make this a very close, competitive match.

Here is my view (based on looking over each team’s lineups from their respective matches this season):

96 – Anthony Calvano (Nanuet) over Brian McGarvey – A seventh-grader, Calvano has had a nice season for coach Brenden Rogers.

103 – Joe Lieberman (Pearl River) over Jesse Rahimzadeh – Lieberman is currently third on the team with 29 wins. Rahimzadeh’s length could pose a problem.

112 – Anthony Battiatto (Pearl River) over Steven Martinez – Battiatto is a good wrestler who gets overlooked.

119 – Kevin Chee (Nanuet) over Tyler Petrone – The experienced Chee will be looking to rebound from a 5th-place finish at the Counties.

125 – Either Greg Caneparo or John Morato (Nanuet) over Mike Massey – Both Caneparo and Morato are strong. Caneparo is better technically.

130 – Either Caneparo or Morato over Mike Gonzalez – See above.

135 – Matt Kelly (Pearl River) over Lance Madry.

140 – James Morrissey (Nanuet) over Mauricio Ruballos.

145 – John Coffey (Pearl River) over Joe Schragenheim – Coffey is undefeated and the top contender to win the Section 1 Division I 145-pound title.

152 – Anthony Raimone (Pearl River) over Nick Galluzzo – A two-time Rockland County champ, Raimone has been having an exellent year.

160 – Nick Mertens (Nanuet) over Mike McWilliams – Mertens’ experience gives him the edge.

171 – Salvatore Arena (Nanuet) over Nick Mazzella – The senior has had a grueling individual schedule, making him battle-tested.

189 – Dan Cohen (Nanuet) over Bob Whiting – Two strong wrestlers, Cohen gets the edge based on his County showing.

215 – Bill Smith (Nanuet) over Jimmy Emsworth – Smith’s immense strength and experience are the difference.

285 – Max Nau (Nanuet) by forfeit.

Despite missing senior starters Teddy Eccleston and Cristian Garcia to injury and illness, North Rockland rallied to beat Clarkstown North, 40-37.

North Rockland won six of the final eight matches, including three of the last four. Mike Caputo (96) pinned and Mike DeRosa (103) posted a 14-6 major decision. After Andrew Greenberg (112) pinned to give Clarkstown North a 37-34 lead, Joe Slane (119) posted a first-period pin to pull out the victory.

Slane is the closer here and deserves credit, however, his heroics would have gone for naught had it not been for Caputo and DeRosa. DeRosa found himself into danger in the first period against Gerard Damiani, who had an arm bar in, but DeRosa was determined to work himself out of it. Not only did he separate himself from the bar, he switched on Damiani and took a 4-2 lead late in the first period. Damiani had a late second-period surge with a reversal and two back points, but would get no closer.

While North Rockland was down two seniors, Clarkstown North missed senior 145-pounder Nick Alexander, who was injured in the Rockland County Championship consi final Saturday.

Clarkstown North received wins from its veteran wrestlers – Steven Ramos, Joe Paolini, Shiwoo Lee and Greenberg – as well as a big win from Matt Roeder. C. North coach Tony Mellno bumped up Roeder from 189 to 215 and he responded with a third-period pin.

He opened the second period with a takedown and tilt, extending his lead to 9-2.

The final tournament weekend features four tournaments: Nanuet, Yonkers, Somers and Ardsley.

Nanuet tournament: Babylon (LI), Copiague (LI), Roslyn (LI), Monticello (Section 9), Warwick (Section 9), Eastchester, East Ramapo, Nyack, Pearl River, Port Chester, Putnam Valley, R.C. Ketcham and Nanuet.

Yonkers tournament: Ossining, Mount Vernon, Edgemont, Hastings, North Rockland, Peekskill, John Glenn (LI), Kellenberg (CHSAA), Long Island Lutheran (Private schools), St. John the Baptist (CHSAA), Notre Dame (Pa.), Cornwall (Section 9) and Yonkers.

Somers tournament: Carmel, New Rochelle, Yorktown, John Jay-East Fishkill, Middletown (Section 9), Riverhead (LI), Rondout Valley (Section 9) and Somers.

Ardsley tournament: Horace Greeley, Sleepy Hollow, Lakeland/Panas, Dobbs Ferry, Tappan Zee, Haldane, Pawling, Beacon, Shoreham-Wading River (LI), Washingtonville (Section 9), Salesian (CHSAA), Walkill (Section 9) and Ardsley.

I think Section 1 wrestlers will be tested at each tournament. I think Yonkers and Nanuet have deep fields. Somers is smaller in numbers, but Riverhead, Carmel and New Rochelle are the top three teams.

Guys, my apologies to those of you wrestling at 96 and 125 for sectionals. These, along with 135, are deep, stacked weight classes as far as placing top six go.

It is going to be a great two days of wrestling, especially in these weight classes, at sectionals. I am looking forward to it.

Let me quote what poster, “Nice” said in regards to “Wrestle’s” post – dont bash kids on this blog!

In the past two days I deleted two comments ripping two of Section 1’s finest wrestlers. And I will continue to delete any such comments regarding Section 1 wrestlers.

Like I have said before and “Nice” said, DO NOT come on this blog and bash any wrestlers. The wrestlers bust their tails, working harder than any other athlete I’ve ever seen. Nobody should criticize these young men.

If you feel it necessary to speak negatively of a wrestler, go do it on another blog. And, while you’re at it, be a stand-up person and put your real name to it.

I was talking to a parent yesterday and we were discussing the possible logjam of fine wrestlers going 135 for sectionals.

Everyone is well aware that Mahopac’s Dominick Oddo, Section 1’s finest wrestler, will win the 130-pound weight class. Now, who is going to jump to 135 and take a shot at the favorite there, Rye’s Charlie Trumm.

Along with Trumm, we have Ossining’s Jeff Alomodovar, Yonkers’ Chris Hernandez (if he bumps up), Nyack’s Udit Thakur, John Jay’s Brian DiBetta (if he returns from an injury), Brewster’s Mike Lopez, New Rochelle’s Marcos Carrsaco, North Rockland’s Jerry Zurla, Beacon’s Ryan Tompkins (should he jump from 130) and Lakeland/Panas’ Joe Hauser (should he decide to bump up after winning Super 16). This would make 135 the deepest weight class and most difficult to place top six. These guys would constitute half of the 16-man field.

It will be very interesting to see what happens at the divisional seeding meeting Thursday, Feb. 7 at Fox Lane.

Something else to think about here, would anyone bump to 140 and take a chance with Fox Lane’s Luke Speno and Clarkstown North’s Steven Ramos? Just thinking out loud.

I immediately looked at the results when my colleague Jeff Gold returned from covering Super 16 and here is my take:

96 – Brian Realbuto (Somers) dec. Peter Grippi (Fox Lane): I will catch a lot of grief on this one, but Realbuto will win the 96-pound Division I sectionals.

103 – Steven Rodrigues (Fox Lane) dec. Penn Gottfried (Ardsley): Expected another chapter of Rodrigues-Henry Stauber (John Jay) but Gottfried did a nice job and bested Stauber in the semis. Could be a Rodrigues-Stauber rematch in sectionals, however, watch out for Suffern’s Justin Artrip, who could be a spoiler and maybe face Rodrigues in the sectional finals.

112 – Justis Flamio (Mahopac) dec. Justin Delamothe (John Jay), OT: Sounded like a great match. These two wrestlers could very well see each other again in the semis. For the third time in as many weeks, Delamothe decisioned teammate and North Salem student Ryan Osleeb in the semis. Osleeb will be the Section 1 Division II champio.

119 – Mark Arcara (Harrison) pin. Mike Rose (Carmel): When I saw this first-period result I was somewhat surprised. I figured Rose would go six minutes with Arcara. This goes to show you what I know.

125 – Joey Grippi (Fox Lane) maj. dec. Kevin Davidson (Carmel): One week after Davidson had Grippin on his back twice in the Beacon tournament final, Grippi made the adjustment and controlled the bout in an 11-point win.

130 – Dominick Oddo (Mahopac) dec. Danny Manley (Ardsley): Give credito Manley, who decisioned Yonkers’ Chris Hernandez in the semis. Write it in pen that Oddo will win his 4th sectional championship in a few weeks.

135 – Joe Hauser (Lakeland/Panas) dec. Jeff Almodovar (Ossining): Jumped up two weight classes, from 125, and beat a very good Almodovar.

140 – Al Volpe (Harrison) dec. Tim Brophy (Hen Hud); The senior and Mark Arcara’s practice partner, wrestled well to beat the top seed, 12-6.

145 – Cory Scott (Mt. Vernon) dec. John Galea (Lakeland/Panas): Scott lost to Galea in the Shoreline semis, but returned the favor with a 7-2 win.

152 – Harrison Cook (Fox Lane) maj. dec. Scott Genovesi (John Jay): Cook will win the Section 1 Division I 152 title.

160 – Taylor Smith (Ossining) dec. Ryan Tompkins (Sleepy Hollow): With teammate and one of Section 1’s elite in James Brundage not in the lineup, Smith steps up and wins his first tournament.

171 – Sam Weiner (White Plains) dec. Ryan Lyke (Carmel): Lyke kept it close, dropping a 4-1 decision. Weiner is on a collision course to face Nyack’s Zeke Stambovsky in the Section 1 Division I title match.

189 – John Swertfager (John Jay) dec. Louis DiFazio (Harrison): For the second time in three weeks, Swertfager scores a 1-0 win over DiFazio. He did the same in the Shoreline final.

215 – Jake Genovesi (John Jay) dec. Connor Tompkins (Sleepy Hollow): If anyone in this weight class wants a trip to Rochester for the state championships, they will have to take Genovesi in the sectional fina.

285 – Larry Pico (John Jay) dec. Mike Protano (Harrison): Pico continues to wrestle well, beating the No. 1-ranked 285-pounder in the Wrestling Coaches Division I rankings.

I was at the Rockland County Championships and here is a quick recap of the finals:

96 – Nick Oliveto (Suffern) dec. Asher Kramer (C. South), 7-1: The score was not indicatoive of Oliveto’s dominance. Connected on three low singles through two periods. Allowed a second-period escape then rode out Kramer in the third for this second Rockland title.

103 – Justin Artrip (Suffern) pin. Joe Lieberman (P. River): After securing a first-period takedown, executed a tight bar, but Lieberman refused to be turned. Artrip was in the process of turning Lieberman when time expired. Artrip opened the second period on top (his choice), immediately sank the bar and began the pinning process.

112 – Andrew Greenburg (C. North) pin. Dom Campitiello (C. South): Took Campitiello down and to his back twice in the first period (double leg each time) for a 9-1 lead after one. Led 15-3 when he pinned in the third.

119 – Djimitry Georges (East Ramapo) pin. Adam DeStefano (Suffern): Georges led 4-0 after one. Locked a cradle in the second period to win and take his third straight Rockland County title and earn MOW honors.

125 – Dylan Sanzo (C. South) dec. Joe Slane (N. Rockland), 10-6: Tied at 2-2 after one, Sanzo hit a takedown and three near-fall points in the second period for a 7-2 lead.

130 – Jerry Zurla (N. Rockland) pin. Greg Caneparo (Nanuet): Zurla recorded his 100th career win to start the day. Fell behind 4-1 to the freshman (you will hear Caneparo’s name a lot for the rest of his career. He is Nanuet’s future star.) before hitting a switch and cradling Caneparo. Zurla now has two things in commom with brother Marc, 100 career wins and a Rockland County championship.

135 – Udit Thakur (Nyack) pin. Chris Greeley (C.North): I was interviewing Jerry Zurla so I missed this match, but Thakur was in control throughout.

140 – Steven Ramos (C. North) pin. Matt Mancuso (N. Rockland): A quick first-period pin.

145 – John Coffey (P. River) tech. fall Ethan Gomes (Suffern), 21-4: Gomes actually had the first takedown before Coffey repsonded and led 9-3 after one. It was Coffey’s second Rockland championship.

152 – Anthony Raimone (P. River) pin. Joe Paolini (C. North): Raimone finishes a high single early and attempts a power half. Decides to chuck that and locks up a cradle.

160 – Sal Marchese (Nyack) dec. Shiwoo Lee (C.North), 11-5: Lethal doubles by Marchese led him to the victory. Lee’s points were all escapes.

171 – Zeke Stambovsky (Nyack) tech. fall Salvatore Arena (Nanuet), 16-1: Stambovsky runs a tilt clinic in the first period to win his second straight county title.

189 – Jon Didio (N. Rockland) dec. Dan Cohen (Nanuet), 10-4: Great job here by Didio, who bumped up from 171. Giving away at least 15 pounds, Didio did not allow himself to get drawn into Cohen’s match. Wrestled smart and capitalized on situations.

215 – Bill Smith (Nanuet) dec. Patrice Castor (East Ramapo), 3-1 OT: Neither strong man was able to get in on the other. Smith finally broke through in overtime, securing a shot and spinning continuously until he gained control and was awarded the 2 points with 23 seconds remaining.

285 – Max Nau (Nanuet) dec. Cristian Garcia (N. Rockland), 6-1: Nau had been pinned by Garcia in the 2007 Jerry McGuire tournament final, but learned from it. Nau did not allow himself to tie up with the strong Garcia and if he did, made sure he controlled the ties. Initiated a shot and finished a first-period takedown and rode out Garcia. Garcia chose neutral to start the second period and attempted to throw Nau. However, Nau prepared himself, kept his hips back and brought Garcia to the mat for two points.

Team standings and key – 1. John Jay (JJ) 165; 2. Fox Lane (FL) 114; 3. Ossining (O) 95; 4. Harrison (H) 88.5; 5. Carmel© 69; 6. Mahopac (M) 64; 7. Westlake (Ws) 60; 8. Ardsley (A) 52.5; 9. Mount Vernon (MV) 47; 10. Somers (S) 42.5; 11. Sleepy Hollow (SH) 41.5; 12. Lakeland/Panas (Lk/Pn) 40; 13. White Plains (WP) 31; 14. Hen Hud (HH) 18; 15. Yonkers (Y) 17; 16. North Salem (NS) 14.5; 17. Croton-Harmon (CH) 10.

Championship

96 — Brian Realbuto (S) dec. Peter Grippi (FL), 14-7; 103 — Steven Rodrigues (FL) dec. Penn Gottfried (A), 6-3; 112 — Justis Flamio (M) dec. Justin Delamothe (JJ), 6-4 OT; 119 — Mark Arcara (H) pin. Mike Rose©, 1:43; 125 — Joey Grippi (FL) maj. dec. Kevin Davidson©, 17-6; 130 — Domin ick Oddo (M) dec. Danny Manley (A), 19-12; 135 — Joe Hauser (Lk/Pn) dec. Jeff Almodovar (O), 3-2; 140 — Al Volpe (H) dec. Tim Brophy (HH), 12-6; 145 — Cory Scott (MV) dec. John Galea (Lk/Pn), 7-2; 152 — Harrison Cookk (FL) maj. dec. Scott Genovesi (JJ), 15-1; 160 — Taylor Smith (O) pin. Will Carter (Ws), 2:29; 171 — Sam Weiner (WP) dec. Ryan Lyke©, 4-1; 189 — John Swertfager (JJ) dec. Louis DiFazio (H), 1-0; 215 — Jake Genovesi (JJ) dec. Connor Tompkins (SH), 11-7; 285 — Larry Pico (JJ) dec. Mike Protano (H), 13-6.

Third place

96 — Planamento (H) dec. Occhipinti (CH), 8-7; 103 — H. Stauber (JJ) dec. Srednicki (M), 6-2; 112 — Osleeb (NS) tech. fa.. Fay (FL), 19-2; 119 — Watterson (JJ) dec. Martin (A), 7-3; 125 — M. Swertfager (JJ) dec. Caruso (M), 4-2; 130 — Hernandez (Y) pin. Rueda, 3:30; 135 — Longo (A) dec. Schede (JJ), 10-8; 140 — Rogener (Ws) dec. Upham, 4-2; 145 — Gissen (O) pin. Boyd (S), 4:46; 152 — De La Cruz (O) dec. K. Anderson (MV), 3-0; 160 — Graham (MV) pin. R. Tompkins (SH); 171 — Neivert (O) pin. Bauer-Moshi (SH), 5:06; 189 — Rainford (FL) pin. J. Miller (Ws), 1:08; 215 — Othmer© pin. Bello (Ws), 2:15; 285 — Santiago (O) pin. Maio (Ws), 3:50.