by Ryan Mosher
In the Class C wrestling Sectionals at Granville on Saturday, Hoosick Falls finished ninth out of thirteen teams in the tournament. While that may not appear to be a great achievement, it should be noted that the Panthers are sending five individual wrestlers on to compete in the Section II Championships this Friday and Saturday, February 12 ad 13, at the Glens Falls Civic Center.
Jacob Pearson led the way for the Panthers. After a first round 10-8 decision over the eventual third place finisher, Pearson pinned his semifinal opponent 1:20 into the match to advance to the finals. In the finals he lost a decision to top seed Tyler Nicholson of Corinth.
Jordan Robichaud was 2-2 on the day, including a :20 second pin in the consolation semifinal. Robichaud’s fourth place finish earned him a spot in Glens Falls. Freshman Brad Burns was the number two seed going into the day and fought his way into the finals with a pin and a 12-6 decision in the semi finals. He faced off against top seeded Josh Harrison in the finals. When they met earlier in the season, Harrison pinned Burns in the second period. Burns was able to hold off the pin this time, but Harrison defeated him 7-0.
Senior Matt Fogarty will also be headed to Glens Falls after he finished second in the 160 pound weight class. Fogarty had no trouble in the quarter finals and semi finals with a 19-4 tech fall and a 14-6 major decision win. He fell in the finals to the top seed from Mechanicville.
David Couch finished fourth in the 215 weight class. Following a first round loss to Justin Benjamin from Corinth, Couch bounced back to win his way into the consolation semifinals. There he met Benjamin for the second time of the day, with the same result.