Section V Class A:
Pagano pulls unlikely repeat
Rochester Democrat and Chronicle
Monday, February 21, 2000
Attica Dual:
Spencerport handles Attica in non-league wrestling
Rochester Democrat and Chronicle
Thursday, February 10, 2000
Monroe County Tournament :
Injury can't keep 112 title from Webster's Sortino
Rochester Democrat and Chronicle
Sunday, January 30, 2000
Teike- Bernabi Tournament:
Wojtowicz triumphs in tiebreaker as Spencerport wins team title
Rochester Democrat and Chronicle
Thursday, December 30, 1999
Shawn Hibbs:
Hibbs upholds wrestling tradition
Rochester Democrat and Chronicle
Friday, December 10, 1999
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Pagano
pulls unlikely repeat
The Athena senior recovers from a broken leg to
defend his Section V Class A wrestling title
By James Johnson, Democrat
and Chronicle
(Feb.
21, 2000) -- There was some doubt whether Mike Pagano would be able
to repeat as a Section V wrestling champion this season.
The
Greece Athena senior broke his leg playing football for the school's
team, raising the possibility that he would be doing rehabilitation
exercises instead of wrestling this winter.
But
Pagano not only made it back to wrestling mats around Monroe County
-- he also remained Section V's Class A 140-pound champion.
A
5-2 decision over Spencerport's Jordan Raines in the sectional final
at Fairport made Pagano's repeat bid a successful one and completed
his rehabilitation.
"To
tell you the truth I didn't feel 'back' until this tournament,"
said Pagano, who reached the finals of the Monroe County League Tournament
earlier this month. "I wasn't worried about anything but winning."
Spencerport
won its 12th consecutive sectional team title by accumulating 194
points. Canandaigua came in second with 159 points.
Pagano
and the rest of the wrestlers were looking for top-four finishes in
their divisions to guarantee themselves berths in this weekend's SuperSectionals,
the state tournament qualifier.
Sixteen
wrestlers in each of the 12 weight classes will wrestle for spots
in the state wrestling tournament in Syracuse Friday and Saturday
at the ESL Centre in Brighton.
Pagano,
who reached the state tournament last season, did exercises for two
hours a day, three or four times a week to regain strength and flexibility
in his left leg.
His
femur bone was broken when he was tackled in a football game, tearing
cartilage off the leg.
"It
was torture," said Pagano. "I couldn't stand watching my
teammates. I was getting nervous.
"I
wasn't getting the OK from the doctor and the season was winding down.
You don't want to watch your senior year."
Fans
in attendance watched Spencerport's Jared Moreland hold off Greece
Olympia's Joe Veltre in the 112 final to win 17-15 in overtime.
Moreland
led 10-1 at one point but began losing the lead when Veltre made a
simple adjustment.
"He
started shooting to my left leg," said Moreland. "That's
what really confused me because he didn't do that before."
Veltre
got back into the match by methodically taking Moreland down and then
letting him escape. With time running out in regulation, Veltre hit
one more takedown to tie the score at 15-15.
"I
thought I had him at the end of regulation with some near fall points,"
Veltre said.
Veltre
was tired in overtime and he said that led to him taking a "poor"
shot attempt for a takedown. Moreland was alert and strong enough
to capitalize on the mistake, snapping Veltre to the mat and maneuvering
behind him for the winning two points.
"We're
trained to win the overtime matches," said Moreland. "(Bill
Jacoutot and John Leone) train us to tough to come up big."
Brighton's
Zach Lehmann hit a single-leg takedown in the final 20 seconds to
beat Mike Lynn 4-3 in the 171-pound final. Gates Chili's Jason Macartney
was knocked out of championship contention in the division by a 6-2
loss to Lehmann in the semifinals. <
Macartney
won his first wrestleback, clinching a spot in the SuperSectionals,
but was pinned in the third-place match by Spencerport's Scott Baxter.
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