ALBANY - What began as a weekend full of excitement and achievement at the NYSPHSAA Wrestling Championships ended in heartbreak and disappointment for area wrestlers, as three local grapplers reached their respective semifinal only to fall short of the top of the podium.
Before a packed Times Union Center on Saturday, Warsaw's Sam Wolf (170 pounds) and Nate DeGroff (195 pounds), along with Letchworth's Chase Runfola (145 pounds) each wrestled in the final four of their respective weight class, and while Wolf, and Runfola each punched their ticket to their first NYS finals, neither was able to finish the job with a state championship. Wolf, and Runfola each placed second, while DeGroff lost his semifinal match, but rebounded to win his next two consolation matches for third place.