Wrestling: Complete preview of the 2024 Westchester County championships

It's time to crown champions in Westchester County.

Yonkers High School will host this year's Westchester County championships, which is set to begin on Saturday at 9 a.m.

There are six returning county title-winners from last season: Fox Lane's Alex Berisha, Byram Hills/Briarcliff/Valhalla/Westlake's Nick Fortugno, New Rochelle's Jonas Torres, and the Iona Prep trio of Paolo Ciatto, Eric Grant and Justin Shay. Here's a class-by-class preview of the one-day tournament.

Who will get the championship belt?

101 pounds

With Byram Hills/Briarcliff/Valhalla/Westlake's seventh-grade wonder Vincenzo Mannello not competing in Saturday's tournament, that opens the door for a compelling race to the top at 101 pounds.

Top two seeds Yorktown's Gio Tornambe and Yonkers' Will Miller took third and fourth, respectively, in last year's tournament, before going on to finish with all-section honors. They both have title aspirations and should be leading contenders in a bracket filled with budding stars and eighth-grade standouts.

Sleepy Hollow's Dorian Hidalgo and Lakeland/Panas' Dan Horowitz are both enjoying 20-win seasons. Meanwhile, New Rochelle's Fotis Koufalis recently picked up a marquee win over Scarsdale's Luke Iasiello, breaking Iasiello's 21-match unbeaten streak.

Yorktown's Cooper Constantine and Sleepy Hollow's Kelvin Jimenez have also been fixtures in lohud's weekly weight-class rankings since the beginning of the season. Also keep an eye on Harrison sophomore Sienna Cozzali, who is coming off an Eastern States girls' title and an epic finals win over a FloWrestling nationally-ranked girl and enters with an 18-6 record wrestling primarily against boys.

108 pounds

Returning section and county champ Nick Fortugno of Byram Hills/Briarcliff/Valhalla/Westlake enters as the favorite, but the potential rematch between Iona Prep's Rocco LaMotta and Somers/North Salem's Ethan Steuber could be one of the better non-finals matches of the entire tournament.

The two grapplers are slated to meet in the semifinals, with the winner getting their shot against Fortugno. LaMotta edged out Steuber in a tightly-contested 2-1 battle in last week's Hen Hud Sailor Classic, as LaMotta went on to win the tournament. Expect Steuber to be fired up for another chance to face LaMotta, while the Iona Prep sophomore aims to continue his breakout year.

Also watch out for Yonkers' Carlos Deoleo and Horace Greeley's Quinn Carpenter. They can serve as potential bracket busters and already have some wins against wrestlers seeded higher than them in Saturday's tournament.

116 pounds

Somers/North Salem sophomore and returning section champ Ryan Ball may be the top wrestler to watch in his bracket, despite being the No. 2 seed in this year's tournament. Ball hasn't lost to a Section 1 opponent since his eighth-grade season, and expect him to be fired up after falling just short of the podium at Eastern States. He took third in last year's Westchester County championships and will be determined to emerge on top.

A potential finals meeting with No. 1 seed Jonas Torres of New Rochelle may be the setting he needs to reaffirm his status as the top 116-pounder in the county and in the section. Torres is a credentialed wrestler in his own right. The New Rochelle senior is a two-time all-section wrestler and a returning Westchester County champion. He enters with an 11-1 record, with his lone loss coming from a 5-0 result against Brewster's Thomas Looby Jr.

Don't sleep on the rest of the bracket. Port Chester's Eduar Polanco, the No. 3 seed, enters at 22-4 and is well on pace for a career-best season. He aims to be in the podium conversation at the end of the year. Ossining's Colin Liebertz and New Rochelle's Matteo Crino are other returning all-section finishers. Meanwhile, Hackley's Justin D'Alessio and Pleasantville's Jesse Straus have showed no signs of a sophomore slump after enjoying solid freshman seasons.

D'Alessio took second in last year's NYSAIS tournament and finished with 24 wins, and he's entering with a 13-2 record. As for Straus, he's already surpassed his 21-9 freshman mark, and he enters with a 24-2 record.

124 pounds

With a couple former Section 1 champions, several all-section finishers, promising up-and-comers and grizzled veterans, there's plenty of parity in the 124-pound bracket.

There's a chance 2022 Section 1 champions Ciaran Egan and Byram Hills/Briarcliff/Valhalla/Westlake's Neil Paulercio meet in the semifinals. Paulercio defeated Egan a month ago, 6-3, so it could be another tightly-contested battle.

On the other side of the bracket, Somers/North Salem's Liam Dwyer enters as the No. 2 seed. He recently captured a 124-pound title and Most Outstanding Wrestler honors at the D'Agnese Memorial Tournament and avenged an earlier loss to Paulercio at Eastern States, defeating the Valhalla junior 5-1 in last week's tournament. Dwyer will be entering with confidence, much like Horace Greeley's third-seeded Kai Luckerath, who picked up a win over returning all-section wrestler Ryan Fitzpatrick of John Jay-East Fishkill at RCK Mat Wars.

Also keep an eye on Sleepy Hollow's Tiernan Fahy, who is in the hunt for his third-straight 20-win season, teammate Silas Corveddu, a Section 1 Division II contender, Ossining's battle-tested senior Matt Keneally, as well as Somers/North Salem's Cal Ehrmann and White Plains' Michael Bellantoni, two wrestlers that have taken a big step forward from last season.

131 pounds

All eyes are on Iona Prep's Vincent Tripaldi, who is coming off of a runner-up finish at the Eastern States Classic. Tripaldi also took second in last year's Connecticut state tournament, before transferring and finding a new home at Iona Prep.

Tripaldi will be an overwhelming favorite in a field loaded with plenty of wrestlers who are enjoying much improved seasons from last year.

John Jay-Cross River's Joe Gabriele, a 2022 all-section finisher, will be favored to meet Tripaldi in the finals as the No. 2 seed.

After Tripaldi and Gabriele, there may not be any other returning place-finishers, but there are a handful of wrestlers with potential. Rye's Gabriel Chared-Sandstorm enters 21-5 in his first season of varsity wrestling, while Mount Vernon's Mehki Pinkey, Somers/North Salem Derek Kuchinsky, Pleasantville's Ben Balazs, White Plains' Ryan Chung and Rye's Dylan Schneider have already surpassed their win totals from last season and will look to continue building on their turnaround campaigns.

138 pounds

The potential finals meeting between top two seeds Justin Shay of Iona Prep and Joe Tornambe or Yorktown will be worth triple the price of admission.

They're both ranked in the top five in the state and this is the type of matchup that could be seen somewhere deep in the NYSPHSAA tournament in Albany.

Tornambe didn't compete in last year's county championships, but he is a two-time Section 1 champion and a 2022 all-state finisher. Shay is a returning Westchester and CHSAA state champ. He took third in last year's NYSPHSAA tournament, and he recently finished as a runner-up at the Eastern States Classic.

They didn't cross paths at this year's Eastern States Classic, but they shared a couple of common opponents. They both lost, 5-0, to eventual Eastern States winner Brayden Fahrbach of Mount Sinai. Tornambe was eliminated in the blood round by James Madison's Amir Avazov, while Shay defeated Avazov, 6-3, on his way to the finals.

It's hard to see someone crashing the finals, but potential candidates include Horace Greeley's Corey Fitzsimmons, Iona Prep's Jude Bellantoni, Hen Hud's Giovanni Gioio, Eastchester/Tuckahoe's Khai Sheffield, Rye's Eamon Bagley, and Fox Lane's Marvin Alarcon. This is a competitive top half of the bracket, with the top eight seeds having no more than six losses apiece.

145 pounds

Another weight class with plenty of parity, this bracket is headlined by the top four seeds: Sleepy Hollow's Rafael Rodriguez, Yorktown's Nick Bucello, Byram Hills/Briarcliff/Valhalla/Westlake's Thomas Tsoi and Hen Hud's Shawn O'Mara Jr. All four wrestlers are returning all-section finishers.

Rodriguez, the No. 1 seed, will be making his season debut at 145, after primarily wrestling at 152 pounds. Bucello has mostly been at 138, but he does have a marquee win against Tsoi, when he bumped up to 145 and got a pin in the Section 1 Division I Dual Meet semifinals.

Fifth-seeded Grant Kelly of Pleasantville is projected to meet with Hen Hud's O'Mara in the quarterfinals. It could be a tight battle that could serve as a preview between two Section 1 Division II contenders. O'Mara enjoyed a 4-2 sudden victory over Kelly earlier in the season, so expect Kelly to be eager for a chance at a rematch.

Iona Prep's George Johnson feels a bit under-seeded. Keep an eye on him to potentially make some noise as a No. 6 seed. Johnson was formerly a state-qualifier as an eighth-grader at Mahopac. He didn't get a chance to compete in this tournament last year, due to a rib injury that derailed the second half of the 2022-23 season.

After that, Ossining's Matt Cascione, Somers/North Salem's Robert Vrabel and Hen Hud's Ben Kushnir are some battle-tested wrestlers that won't go down easily.

152 pounds

With Ossining's Anthony Lofaro set to make his season debut at 152 pounds, the weight class where he was a state-qualifier last season, this bracket got much more interesting.

Lofaro is coming off of a solid run at the Eastern States Classic, where he reached the second day of competition as a 160-pounder. He has a 34-3 record, and he currently has the most wins in Section 1 this season.

Despite this, he is the No. 3 seed in this year's tournament, which is a testament to how stacked the 152-pound division is, especially at the top.

Between all 16 seeded wrestlers, they have a combined winning percentage of 75.7%, which is the second-highest among all weight classes. Only the 190-pound tournament field (76.7%) has a higher win percentage.

Iona Prep's Kosta Koufalis enters as the No. 1 seed, and he's riding in with confidence and determination after taking seventh in last week's Eastern States Classic. Last year, he had to take the backseat to teammate Max Watson, as Koufalis finished as runner-up to Watson at the county and CHSAA state tournament. Now, a senior, Koufalis is relishing in his turn to shine and a county title would be another checkmark in his list of goals this season.

Also keep an eye on Croton-Harmon junior Henry Martin. He's quickly ascended in this sport and enters with a 25-0 record in only his third year of wrestling. He will put his unbeaten record to the test, and he already has a marquee major decision victory over returning Section 1 champion Thomas Iasiello of Scarsdale. He's on course to meet with Ossining's Lofaro in what could be one of the better semifinal bouts of the entire tournament.

Horace Greeley's Chris Nocca, John Jay-Cross River's Austin Omin, Rye's Jason Gaylord, and Byram Hills/Briarcliff/Valhalla/Westlake's Peter Hinze can also potentially shake things up, as they continue to take big strides on the mat from last year.

160 pounds

Iona Prep senior Eric Grant will have an opportunity to three-peat as Westchester County champ. He pinned each of his opponents in the 2022 and 2023 county tournaments, and he enters as the favorite once again.

Second-seeded Remy Becker of Hackley is hoping for a title breakthrough this season. Last year, he had to take second to eventual NYSPHSAA runner-up, Collegiate's Sean Tansey, in the Ivy League and NYSAIS tournaments. The Westchester County championships could provide a valuable test for him.

Also watch out for third-seeded Martin Palomeque of Peekskill and fourth-seeded C.J. Luth of Rye. Both Palomeque and Luth are enjoying 25-win seasons. Palomeque didn't compete in last year's tournament and his lone loss this season came against Nyack standout Sam Szerlip.

As for Luth, he's in the middle of a breakout sophomore season and has a loss to Iona Prep's Paolo Ciatto. He recently won the 160-pound title at the Scarsdale Wrestling Invitational, where he was also named Sophomore Most Outstanding Wrestler.

170 pounds

Iona Prep's Paolo Ciatto enters as the top seed and the favorite in the 170-pound bracket. The Gaels' junior is in the hunt for his second county title, after winning the 138-pound belt last season.

Seniors Fred Smithwick of Croton-Harmon, Asa Nunberg of Pleasantville and John Stamatelos of Iona Prep will try to thwart the returning all-state grappler. These three reached the podium in last year's county tournament, but this will be their final chance at a title, and while the odds may be stacked against them, they don't plan on going down quietly.

Keep an eye on eighth-seeded Sal DiSenso of Ossining, he's enjoying a 20-win season in his first full year of wrestling. Three of his losses came from bumping up to 190, and he's been a scrappy wrestler in the Pride's lineup. The Ossining junior should not be taken lightly.

Also watch out for Harrison's Lorenzo Gunzer and Somers/North Salem's T.J. Mauro as both grapplers are enjoying much improved seasons. Gunzer is entering with a 16-8 record, after going 4-14 as an eighth-grader last season. Mauro is also going through a similar transformation, entering at 15-8 after going 5-17 as a freshman. They'll look to compete for a spot on the podium.

190 pounds

With all 16 wrestlers entering Saturday's tournament with eight or fewer losses, this is one of the deepest weight classes of the entire tournament. The combined win percentage between all 16 participants is 76.6%, which is the highest out of all 13 weight classes.

Top seed Kyle Peske is a returning Section 1 Division II champion and will look to make the most out of his final opportunity to earn a county title. Last season, he lost in the finals in a close one-point bout to Rye's Cian Keegan. He enters with a 27-3 record that includes a couple of tough losses against competing wrestlers Naseer Johnson of Peekskill and Fox Lane's Oscar O'Donnell-Powell, who could serve as a potential quarterfinal opponent.

He'll look to shake off those recent losses, but this field is filled with scrappers at all corners of the bracket. Iona Prep's Milad Nukho (No. 2 seed) and Logan Donato (No. 9 seed), and Fox Lane's Barron Ransom (No. 4 seed) are enjoying much improved, breakout seasons.

Meanwhile, Peekskill's Johnson (No. 7 seed), Somers/North Salem's Justin Daniyan (No. 10 seed), and Lakeland/Panas' Alex Ryzy (No. 5 seed) are on pace for career-best seasons and have built off of their breakout junior years. Johnson is a returning all-section grappler, while Daniyan and Ryzy are looking for their first postseason podium finishes. Daniyan reached the second day of the Eastern States Classic last weekend.

Horace Greeley's Ben Weinstein (No. 12 seed) and Yorktown's Ronan Forde (No. 13 seed) could be other bracket-busters to watch out for. Weinstein has flipped things around as a sophomore, boasting an 18-8 record after going 4-11 as a freshman last season.

As for Forde, he was enjoying a promising start to his junior season last year and was a lohud-ranked 172-pounder before suffering a season-ending arm injury. This year, he's back and his 8-3 record might not show a full glimpse of what he brings to the mat.

This bracket could potentially bring epic matches from start to finish.

215 pounds

Fox Lane's Alex Berisha and Sleepy Hollow's Thomas Kellas are fresh off of their podium finishes at the Eastern States Classic. They are both front-runners for the Section 1 title in their respective divisions, and the top two seeds are on course to meet for a third time this season.

Berisha has bested Kellas twice, and the Sleepy Hollow eighth-grader will hope that the third time is the charm. Berisha, who's defeated every Section 1 wrestler by major decision or pin, has his sights set on taking his second straight Westchester County championship belt.

Will anyone prevent a Berisha-Kellas final? It will be a steep climb, but potential party crashers include Eastchester/Tuckahoe tandem of Joe Roche and Thiago DeCarvalho, Iona Prep's Frank Serrano, Yorktown's Rocco Lore, John Jay-Cross River's Craig Holm-Joergensen, White Plains' Justin Lopez, and Port Chester's Jaden Barbour.

285 pounds

This is another stacked weight class, with multiple returning all-section wrestlers and rising contenders.

While some wrestlers have separated themselves from the pack, there is no wrestler seeded in the top 14 that has more than seven losses this season.

Ossining's Marlon Wheatley and Yorktown's George Gjergji have split both meetings this season, and appear to be among the top contenders for a Section 1 Division I title later this season. They might get a chance at a trilogy meeting, unless Hen Hud's Mason Dietz is able to go all the way. Dietz, the returning Section 1 Division II champ, is the No. 2 seed in this year's tournament, and he has his eyes set on gold after finishing as a runner-up last season.

Lakeland/Panas' Dan Hurley, Peekskill's Ruben Gray, Rye's Thomas Anderson, and Sleepy Hollow's Carlton Evans aren't that far behind, though, and could be in the running.

Once the field narrows down to the quarterfinals, every bout should be compelling to watch. A lot of the matches between some of the top eight seeds have been close this season. Don't be surprised if there are upsets.

Follow Eugene Rapay on Twitter at @erapay5 and on Instagram at @byeugenerapay

This article originally appeared on Rockland/Westchester Journal News: NY wrestling: 2024 Westchester County championships tournament preview