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These are 17 of the top wrestlers in Section V as the season ramps up

James Johnson, Rochester Democrat and Chronicle
·4 min read
Attica Batavia's Casper Stewart wrestles in the second round matches of the NYSPHSAA Wrestling Championships at MVP Arena in Albany, on Friday, February 24, 2023.
Attica Batavia's Casper Stewart wrestles in the second round matches of the NYSPHSAA Wrestling Championships at MVP Arena in Albany, on Friday, February 24, 2023.

It is true that there are no 2023 state wrestling champions back on the mat in Section V this season.

Yet, there are plenty of wrestlers who have already established themselves as the ones to beat in the area, and in some cases, are challengers to win state titles this time around.

We'll start our watch with members of the 2023 Democrat and Chronicle All-Greater Rochester Teams, and later make room for wrestlers who work their way on to the radar:

Lightweights (101 pounds to 131 pounds)

Honeoye Falls-Lima's Christopher Noto, right at the 2022 state championships, followed his brother Anthony on to the Cougars team.
Honeoye Falls-Lima's Christopher Noto, right at the 2022 state championships, followed his brother Anthony on to the Cougars team.

Ryan Cieslinski (Spencerport): Made it to eighth-place at the 2023 state championships and on to the D&C AGR Division I (Large Schools) Team as a sophomore.

Christopher Noto (Honeoye Falls-Lima): Sophomore already is a two-time SuperSectionals champion. Winner of five tournaments last season before he placed fifth at the Division II state championships.

Joe Scott (Letchworth): An eighth-grader who placed seventh at states and was named the most outstanding lightweight wrestler at the Section V Class B2 Championships last season.

Jonathan Testa (Hilton): Sophomore is sidelined with an injury but could be back in the team's lineup in early January. Advanced to 2023 states at 101 after he won 39 of 43 matches.

Richard Wood (Brockport): Enters his junior year season with a seventh-place at states, a SuperSectionals title and two sectional class titles at the top of his resume. Last season, he also won tournaments at Lockport, Spencerport, Penfield and Webster Schroeder.

Middleweights (138 pounds to 160 pounds)

Pittsford sophomore Samson McKissick-Staley could wrestle at 138 and 131 pounds this winter. He wrestled at 126 during last season's state championships.
Pittsford sophomore Samson McKissick-Staley could wrestle at 138 and 131 pounds this winter. He wrestled at 126 during last season's state championships.

Samson McKissick-Staley (Pittsford): Sophomore placed sixth at the 2023 Division I state championships. His climb included championships at SuperSectionals, class sectionals and the Monroe County league meet, plus a fifth-place at Eastern States.

Cael Raines (Churchville-Chili): Reigning SuperSectionals champion hopes to add his third appearance at the state meet in his senior year. Strong 2022-23 season also included first-place finishes at Class A2 sectionals, - his second - Hornell's tournament and Akron's tournament.

Cade Sands (Addison): Finished sixth at 2023 Division II state championships. Senior could top his total of 31 pins last season. He also won SuperSectionals, sectional class and Avoca tournament titles last season.

Casper Stewart (Attica/Batavia): A senior who won 51 of 52 matches last season, including an Eastern States championship. He finished third in the state at 152 pounds. Also has placed fourth and third at states.

Waylan Winseman (Honeoye Falls-Lima): A reigning SuperSectionals Division II champion headed into his junior year. It appears he will be more of a middleweight, who has come from the 126-pound weight class.

Beau Zeh (Canisteo-Greenwood): Senior could be right in the middle of the continued good times at Canisteo-Greenwood. He was the top player on the school's first-time Section V football champion team. Can he challenge the school record for most pins set at 46 by him last season, when he finished at the Division II 152-pound state championships?

Bookmark this: Section V wrestling results for the 2023-24 season

Heavier weights (170 pounds to 285 pounds)

Elijah Diakomihalis of Hilton holds onto the leg of Mason Depew of Canandaigua in the 189 lb. weight class.
Elijah Diakomihalis of Hilton holds onto the leg of Mason Depew of Canandaigua in the 189 lb. weight class.

Caden Allen (Bolivar-Richburg): Moves into his senior year season after he placed fifth in Division II 215-pound states and pinned 36 opponents in 2022-23. He is a reigning SuperSectionals and Section V class champion.

Elijah Diakomihalis (Hilton): Division I state runner-up last season, his second top-three finish at the NYSPSHAAA championships. This is his junior year after he followed brothers Yianni and Greg at Hilton. Opened the season at 285 in the team's lineup against Fairport, but most of his appearances are expected at 190 and 215.

Jackson Koppers (Rush-Henrietta): A junior who is a two-time SuperSectionals champion, an accomplishment that moved him into the Division I state tournament. He also has won two Section V class titles.

Landon Lazarek (Hilton): Back for his final season after he placed fourth at the 2023 Division I state championships, also as a middleweight. Last season was the first in which he won a varsity tournament. He won three including at the Section V Class A1 championships and Monroe County Championships.

Tavyn MacDonell (Bolivar-Richburg): Junior has the incentive that comes from a runner-up finish at the 2023 Division II states. He was pinned at 4:22 of the 160 final. Also became a two-time sectional class champion and a first-time champion at the Southern Tier Wrestling Officials Association Holiday Classic last season.

Coy Raines (Churchville-Chili): Senior opened the season in the 215-pound bout after his sixth-place finish at 2023 states as a 160-pounder. He won a SuperSectionals championship, a sectional class title and a Hornell tournament title for the first time last season.

This article originally appeared on Rochester Democrat and Chronicle: Section V wrestling 2022-23: 17 wrestlers on the AGR watchlist