The Section 1 Wrestling Championships found a new home this past weekend, as the historic Westchester County Center played host to the most prestigious local tournament of the year. But even if no champions emerged from the ranks of The Review’s coverage area, a number of familiar grapplers fared quite well at the two-day event.
Rye’s C.J Luth finished second at 160-pounds, securing the distinction of being the top finisher for Review teams on Sunday. Luth scrapped his way to the championship bout where he was pinned by Nyack’s Sam Szerlip. Szerlip—who placed third at States last year—came into the 2023-2024 season with high expectations and has met them thus far, being named the tournament’s Most Outstanding Heavyweight Wrestler on the day.
There were two local All-Section wrestlers at 101 pounds, as New Rochelle’s Fotis Koufalis placed third and Harrison’s Sienna Cozzali finished sixth. Cozzali, a sophomore, had a remarkable run this year, winning at the prestigious Eastern States event and is looking ahead to bigger things next year.
“I knew I wanted to get far, so I kept on practicing and practicing,” said Cozzali. “Because hard work will usually get you there.”
The 108 pound bracket saw a number of familiar faces place in the top six, as Mamaroneck’s Tatsu Homma and Joe Sullivan placed third and fifth, respectively while Josue Aguilar took sixth.
Huguenot 116-pounder Mateo Crino placed fourth to round out the finishers among local lightweight wrestlers.
Luth’s teammate Thomas Anderson secured a fourth-place finish in the 215-pound bracket, while Eastchester’s Joe Roche closed out his varsity career with a win, topping Tappan Zee’s Cameron Keeperman to take fifth in the division.
For senior wrestlers, the trip to the County Center was a fitting end to their time as high school wrestlers, but for younger wrestlers, like Cozzali, getting the chance to take the mat at Westchester’s most famous arena will likely serve as extra motivation for next year’s campaign.
“This gives me a lot of drive for next year,” said Cozzali. “I’m hoping to get first in this tournament and go even farther than I did today.”
