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5 Section V wrestlers hoping to win SuperSectionals and a trip to state tournament

James Johnson, Rochester Democrat and Chronicle
·3 min read

Whether a high school wrestler has advanced to the state meet before or becomes a first-time qualifier, the triumph always is a well-earned type of badge.

Wrestlers in Section V are a handful of wins away this season from this accomplishment.

The top two finishers in every weight class Saturday during the SuperSectionals at SUNY Brockport earn a spot in either the Division I or Division II - large or small schools - championships in downtown Albany, Feb. 23-24.

Section V wrestling: Results for the 2023-24 season

Here are five wrestlers who hope to top off their successful seasons in Section V:

Drew Aparo

Victor wrestler Drew Aparo after the Section V Class A1 Championships.
Victor wrestler Drew Aparo after the Section V Class A1 Championships.

A lightweight in his junior year at Victor, who seeks his first trip to states. His father, Brian Aparo, is an assistant coach with the Blue Devils wrestling team and the first Victor wrestler to reach a state final.

Aparo, who won three tournaments during the regular season before his move to 108 pounds from 116 pounds, won a Section V class title for the first time last weekend. He defeated Hilton's Jon Testa, a state qualifier in 2023, 7-6 in the Class A1 final.

"He wrestled as the best version of himself, he was outstanding," Victor coach Craig Kaper said. "You can kind of see an athlete's mindset.

"I had a state champion (at Victor) by the name of Alex Sampson. When we got to the state tournament, really he required very little coaching. We kind of let him do his thing. I kind of felt like that with Drew."

Dino Battisti

Brockport's Dino Battisti gets the leg and takes down Remy O'Keffe of Eastridge in their 145 pound finals match.
Brockport's Dino Battisti gets the leg and takes down Remy O'Keffe of Eastridge in their 145 pound finals match.

This is the final season at Brockport for this middleweight, who has advanced to states twice.

"The goal is to get him on the podium," Brockport coach Tom Rispoli said about a top-eight finish. "Over these last two years, he's really stepped up and become a great leader in the room (where the Brockport Blue Devils practice)."

Like Aparo, Battisti fell short of the finals at the Monroe County Championships but has won more than 30 matches and can take an even better prize this weekend.

Waylan Winseman

Briarcliff-Byram Hills' Peter Hinze, left, wrestles Honeoye Falls-Lima's Waylan Winseman during Eastern States Classic wrestling at SUNY Sullivan in Loch Sheldrake, NY on Friday, January 12, 2024.
Briarcliff-Byram Hills' Peter Hinze, left, wrestles Honeoye Falls-Lima's Waylan Winseman during Eastern States Classic wrestling at SUNY Sullivan in Loch Sheldrake, NY on Friday, January 12, 2024.

Last week's title at 152 pounds was the second Section V Class B1 title for Winseman, a junior at Honeoye Falls-Lima. What a time to win a tournament for the first time this season.

But Winseman, an eighth-place finisher at the 2023 Eastern States Classic, has been here before. He also won his weight class at last season's SuperSectionals.

Gavin Kemp

Letchworth senior is the No. 8 seed in the Division II 160 weight class at SuperSectionals. A pin last week by Canisteo-Greenwood's Beau Zeh, the No. 1 Division II seed this Saturday, left Kemp short of winning a tournament for the first time as a varsity wrestler.

Unlike last season, Kemp needs to make it to the SuperSectional finals to guarantee a spot at the state championships. Section V could send top three finishers at the 2023 SuperSectionals, based on past performances at states by wrestlers in the section.

Noah Leitten

Noah Leitten, a junior at Perry, with Section V wrestling committee member Dan Conley after the Section V Class B3 Championships. Leitten won the 160-pound title after he pinned all of his opponents.
Noah Leitten, a junior at Perry, with Section V wrestling committee member Dan Conley after the Section V Class B3 Championships. Leitten won the 160-pound title after he pinned all of his opponents.

A junior at Perry who went to states for the first time last season, after he placed third at SuperSectionals. It can be said that with 41 wins in 42 matches, he is having a stronger season this time around, his fifth at the varsity level.

Leitten is the No. 2 seed in the Division II weight class at SuperSectionals, below Zeh and above Palmyra-Macedon's Cody Quick. The Perry middleweight lost to Zeh and defeated Quick during the Letchworth Duals.

"I have a good feeling about it," Leitten said. "I can compete and possibly win the tournament this weekend.

"It's pretty competitive (at SuperSectionals). Most of the brackets you have the top four (as the serious contenders), and others where anybody can win. I'm pumped, I'm ready to go and make that state run."

Section V wrestling: This season's standouts and breakouts as championships approach

This article originally appeared on Rochester Democrat and Chronicle: 5 Section V wrestlers hoping to win SuperSectionals tournament