Section V Super Sectionals

Interscholastic Varsity Wrestling Tournament
@ Fairport High School (Fairport, NY)
Friday & Saturday, February 17-18, 2006

Final Results

Brockport's Nwaehujor earns return trip to states
Senior qualifies for second straight year after overtime win at 215 pounds
By James Johnson, Staff writer
Sunday, February 19, 2006

Full Text: Copyright © 2006 Rochester Democrat and Chronicle.
Reproduced with the permission of Gannett Company Inc.

FAIRPORT — Just look at Alex Nwaehujor now.

Three years ago, the Brockport senior had little if any inclination to wrestle. On Saturday night, Nwaehujor earned his second trip to the state high school wrestling tournament in 2½ varsity seasons.

"I got cut from the basketball team my 10th-grade year," Nwaehujor said. "I didn't want to wrestle, but (coach James Cannon) got me into it. I said, 'All right, I've got nothing to lose.'

"I didn't know what I was doing. I was frustrated because I wanted to be nothing but the best."

Nwaehujor (pronounced Na-HOO-joe), who finished fourth at last year's Division I 215-pound state tournament, qualified for this year's event in Long Island's Nassau Coliseum after a 2-1 overtime win over Brighton junior Joey DiSalvo.

Brockport teammates Erik Schuth at 160, John-Martin Cannon at 135 and 2005 SuperSectionals winner Trevor Irwin at 96 also qualified.

"When I was out there I said to myself that 'There's already three guys from Brockport going,'" Nwaehujor said after he improved his record to 34-1. "'I have to go, too, regardless of what position I put myself in.'

"Brockport is a tough wrestling program. I hated it at first, I said, 'I don't like to run.' But I wouldn't be where I am today if it wasn't for the coaches. I wish I wrestled sooner."

Nwaehujor was one of 12 2005 state tournament qualifiers in the two divisions to win SuperSectionals again.

That group included 160-pounder Paul Paddock and Ian Paddock at 103, the state champions from Warsaw, 130-pound Pittsford Sutherland senior Kyle Borshoff (41-0), a two-time place winner at states and Wayne 189-pounder Ryan Lamagra, a three-time qualifier.

Nationally ranked Josh Patterson (44-0), a 171-pound senior from Wayne who placed third at last season's state tournament, was named Division I's most outstanding wrestler.

Patterson pinned his way through his weight division, including a 55-second fall over Spencerport's Justin Linville during the final.

"The two kids who finished ahead of me graduated," Patterson said. "Hopefully, I can go and win the state title.

"Once you get on the mat, everything falls into place."

Irwin hopes the same thing happens to him when he returns to states. He finished sixth in Albany last year.

"I'm pretty excited," Irwin said after his 10-6 victory over Wayne eighth-grader Vinnie DiGravio in the Division I 96-pound final.

"I wasn't going to be too happy if I made it as a junior and not this year."

Irwin has an advantage that's hard to obtain because of nature. He is able to compete in the lightest weight division, which puts him against younger wrestlers.

"I've grown a little bit but it wasn't too tough to maintain this weight," Irwin said. "I can bury bad decisions I make and keep my focus, where some kids get worked up and stopped thinking about what they're doing."