Hard work pays off at SuperSectionals
Mendon senior worried about injured Pincus
James Johnson . Staff writer . February 12, 2012
www.rochesterdandc.com

Spencerport's Angelo DeAngelis, left, defeated Pittsford's Jacob Pincus at 138 pounds. CARLOS ORTIZ/staff photographer

HENRIETTA - If the weekend that SuperSectionals takes place is not the most emotional in Section V wrestling, it is close, just like a match between wrestlers with similar ability.

Pittsford Mendon senior Brady Baron felt proud after he earned his second berth into the state championships Saturday night at the Rochester Institute of Technology. Minutes after Baron's 4-3 win over Hilton's Anthony DePrez, he was concerned.

"It felt pretty great right after," the Division I 120-pound champion said. "(Then) my teammate (138-pounder) Jacob Pincus hurt his shoulder.

"I'm hoping he's still can go to states (on a wild card). I want to go with them. He's pretty tough."

Pincus and Baron are drill partners. They pushed each other almost daily to this point of the season, which more wrestlers than not say they have worked all season toward, if not the off-season, too. Longer than that in some cases.

"I think we beat him up worse than any of his matches," Rush-Henrietta coach Mickey Marlowe said after team members swarmed senior John Northrup.

Teammates came down to the floor of RIT's Gordon Field House to slap Northrup on the back and shoulders after the middleweight's 3-2 win over Spencerport's Mike Roman in the Division I 145-pound final. Northrup was eliminated from championship contention at the 2011 SuperSectionals, Section V's qualifier for the state tournament, by teammate Ryan Reed.

"I'm really happy for him," Marlowe said. "He's one of those guys who's been around for years.

"He's made it here every year, been on the doorstep, but there was always someone else around."

First-place finishers in the Division I and II weight classes earned automatic berths into the championships, Feb. 24-25 in Albany.

Runner-ups still have a chance to go, if awarded one of four wild card berths per weight class in the state based on criteria. The wild card qualifiers are announced Wednesday.

Even an accomplished wrestler such as Holley senior Quinton Murphy found a sixth berth to states something to get excited about.

"I love this place," the Division II 138 champion said as he looked around the field house. "I bleed purple (Section V's uniform color at states), and this is the home of Section V."

The three-time state champion hopes to join Palmyra-Macedon graduate Alex Ekstrom as the only four-time winners from Section V. Murphy, an Indiana University recruit, is 55-0 this season and 298-12 overall. Murphy's 298 wins is believed to rank No. 1 in the history of the state.

Hilton senior Vincent DePrez, a fourth-place finisher at the 2011 state championships, is 46-0 after he won the Division I 113 final.

Wilson senior 182-pounder DeAnthony Terrell caused some excitement when he placed third. Terrell is the first wrestler from the City School District to finish inside the top-six at SuperSectionals in 11 years.

JAMESJ@DemocratandChronicle.com