These six HF-L wrestlers represented the Cougars at the New York State Public High School Athletic Association Championships last weekend (February 24-25). From left are Jacob McVige, Waylan Winseman, Nick Noto, Jazz Spaulding, Chris Noto and Andrew Spaulding. Turn to page 6 for an article on their achievements. Photo provided by HF-L Wrestling
It’s unusual for a school, particularly a Division 2 small school, to send six wrestlers to the New York State Public High School Athletic Association Championships. Yet, that is exactly what the Honeoye Falls-Lima Varsity Wrestling team did this year, one season after sending a program record of five wrestlers to the tournament in the 2021-22 season.
HF-L finished third team-wise in Division 2 (small schools), behind only Tioga and Bolivar-Richburg at the state tournament on February 24-25. Of the six Cougar wrestlers in the tournament, three came home with top five finishes in their respective weight classes.
Chris Noto took fifth in the 110 pound weight division. He received a bye in the first round. He earned a victory by a 15-0 technical fall in the second round over Zachary Samuel of Wheatley. He took a 6-0 decision over Ryan Farley of Avon-Geneseo in the quarterfinal round. He lost by a 5-3 decision to eventual champion Darren Florance of BGAH in the semifinals. He fell by a 3-2 decision to Aidan Shufelt of Groton in the consolation semifinals. He won the fifth/sixth place match with a 7-1 decision over Ashten Haley of Cobleskill-Richmondville.
Jacob McVige did not place in the 118 pound weight bracket. He received a first round bye. McVige captured a 4-3 decision in the second round over Ryan Devins of Saranac. He lost a 13-6 decision to eventual champion Chase Nevills of Copenhagen in the quarterfinals. He lost to Jayden Duncanson of Tioga by a 10-1 major decision in the consolation quarterfinals.
Andrew Spaulding did not place at the 126 pound weight level. He received a first round bye. Spaulding won his second round match over Deakon Bailey of Tioga by a 5-4 decision. He was pinned by Trevor Bishop of Tamarac in the quarterfinals. He lost a 5-4 decision to Esuar Ordonez of Putnam Valley in the consolation quarterfinals.
Waylan Winseman did not place at the 126 pound weight class. He received a first round bye. He pinned Raymond McNulty of Cold Spring Harbor in the second round. He lost by 16-0 technical fall to eventual champion Jordan Joslyn of Chautauqua Lake-Westfield in the quarterfinals. He lost a 3-2 decision to Kolton Kelley of Camden in the consolation quarterfinals.
Seniors Nick Noto (left) and Jazz Spaulding (right) wrapped up excellent careers for the HF-L wrestling team by placing second and fourth respectively at the state championships. Photo by Donna MacKenzie
Jazz Spaulding garnered fourth place in the 132 pound weight division. He received a first round bye. He pinned Gavin Bob of Canisteo-Greenwood in the second round. He registered a quarterfinal victory over Patrick Grimsey of Lowville by a 5-4 decision. He lost an 8-0 major decision to eventual champion Brayden Fahrbach of Mount Sinai in the semifinals. He took a 5-3 decision over Ayden Buttery of Newfane in the consolation semifinals. He lost the third/fourth place match to Culley Bellino of Canastota by a pin.
Nick Noto capped his high school career with second place in the 138 pound weight bracket. He had a first round bye. He took a 16-3 major decision over Sawyer Bell of Beekmantown in the second round. He captured a 7-4 decision over Cameron Mayfield of Eagle Academy in the quarterfinals. He notched an 11-4 decision over Benny Merrill of Alexander in the semifinals. He lost a 6-1 decision to Caden Bellis of Tioga in the championship bout.
“Jacob had a tough draw, facing the eventual champion in the quarterfinals,” coach Scott Winseman said. “Waylan lost to the eventual champion in the quarterfinals as well. The kids all wrestled well. We sent five last year to the state tournament and surpassed that this year. We were hoping for at least three to come home with top five finishes, so we were very happy with the results. Overall, it was a fantastic season and we have some great wrestlers. We are super proud of the team. We will miss our two seniors; they were a huge component of our success and provided great leadership. They are both among the top wrestlers in the state.”
HF-L finished with a 9-5 record for the season, taking second at the Section V Class B1 Tournament and ending the season ranked 13th in the state according to New York Wrestling News. Two seniors graduate.
Nick Noto competed on varsity for six years. A co-captain, Noto wrestled mainly at either 138 or 145 this season and compiled a 36-5 record. For his career, he had a 138-26 record which includes a freshman year that he missed due to a knee injury and a COVID-shortened season in 2020-2021.
Jazz Spaulding was on varsity for five years. A co-captain, Spaulding usually wrestled at either 132 pounds or 138 pounds and he amassed a 36-10 record this winter. He had an overall career record of 119-42 which includes his COVID-shortened sophomore season.
