The Newburgh Free Academy wrestling team temporarily found itself without a tournament last Saturday when the Beacon Tournament was canceled.

They solved that problem quickly and got a spot in the King Bison Tournament at Shaker High School in Latham, where they finished first after crowning two champions, and placing five wrestlers in the finals.
Cooper Merli took first place at 102 pounds with an ultimate tiebreaker victory over Vincent Graulau of Mohonasen. He was also named the tournament’s Most Outstanding Lightweight.

Anthony Manzi also took first place at 160 pounds with a 3-2 win over Saratoga Springs’ Sachiel Chuckrow.

Kevin Segali (132), Jackson Merli (145), and Joseph Ponesse (189) also made it to the finals but placed second.

Aiden Harrison (215) placed third for the Goldbacks and Matthew Mercado (126) and Christopher Leggett (172) each placed fourth.

Jordan Busby (110) was sixth, Ivan Duran (132) was 10th, Alec Grogan (152) was eighth, Hunter Hecht (160) was seventh.

The Monroe-Woodbury Crusaders won five of 10 contested matches and accepted two forfeits on Wednesday in a 44-26 win over the Goldbacks.

Manzi (160), Ponesse (189) and Harrison (215) scored pinfall victories for the Goldbacks. Cooper Merli (102) won by technical fall.

The Goldbacks will host their duals tournament on Saturday.

King Bison Tournament Results (Saturday)
Local results
Team Results: 1. Newburgh.
Individual Results

Championship
102: Cooper Merli (NFA) def. Vincent Graulau (Mohonasen), UTB, 5-4.
132: Taylor Beaury (Saratoga) def. Kevin Segali (NFA), 4-2.
145: Renso Montalvo (Amsterdam) pinned Jackson Merli (NFA), 5:00.
160: Anthony Manzi (NFA) def. Sachiel Chuckrow (Saratoga), 3-2.
189: Ahmad Farzad (Shaker) def. Joseph Ponesse (NFA), 5-1.

Third Place
126: Dom Doyle (Hudson Falls) def. Matthew Mercado (NFA), 4-2.
172: Landon Payton (Mohonasen) def. Christopher Leggett, 9-4.
215: Aiden Harrison (NFA) pinned Brandon Fitzgerald (Watervliet-Cohoes), 2:57.

Fifth Place
110: Aonghus Paige (Hudson Falls) def. Jordan Busby (NFA), 8-4.

Seventh Place
152: Jose Andreades Pabon (Albany) inj. def. Alec Grogan (NFA), 4:32.
160: Hunter Hecht (NFA) pinned Tyler Senecal (Watervliet-Cohoes), 1:23.

Semifinals
126: Carlos Montalvo (Amsterdam) def. Matthew Mercado, 7-1.
132: Kevin Segali def. Matt Verri (Little Falls), 8-6
145: Jackson Merli pinned Kevin Regan (Colonie), 0:36.
189: Joseph Ponesse pinned Ryan Regan (Amsterdam), 0:39.

215: Logan Marissal (Hadley-Luzerne-Lake George) pinned Aiden Harrison, 1:42.

Quarterfinals
126: Matthew Mercado won by forfeit over Joe Sagarese (Amsterdam)
132: Kevin Segali pinned Thad Miller (Colonie), 2:46.

Round 6

132: Ivan Duran (NFA) pinned Alex Collier (Hudson Falls), 1:40

Round 5
102: Cooper Merli tech. fall Danny Dacey (Saratoga), 16-0
110: Ilan Kligerman (Albany) def. Jordan Busby, 6-2
132: Ivan Duran pinned Gary Vertucci (Canajoharie-Fort Plain), 0:35

160: Anthony Manzi pinned Victor Santabar (Saratoga), 5:00.
172: Reed Douglass (Canajoharie-Fort Plain) pinned Christopher Leggett, 3:12.

Round 4
102: Cooper Merli pinned Jordan Leonswank (Canajoharie-Fort Plain), 1:28
110: Xavier Vargas (Schenectady) pinned Jordan Busby, 5:39

132: Jeremy Mayville (Watervliet-Cohoes) pinned Ivan Duran, 3:25.
152: Christian Burke (Canajoharie-Fort Plain) pinned Alec Grogan, 4:32.
160: Anthony Manzi pinned Tyler Senecal, 1:40; Hunter Hecht pinned Will Douglass (Canajoharie-Fort Plain), 3:51

Round 3
126: Matthew Mercado pinned Kevin Brammer (Watervliet-Cohoes), 3:27

132: Sameer Abbaszadeh (Shaker) def. Kevin Segali, 9-8.
145: Jackson Merli pinned Logan Staunton (Hudson Falls), 3:29.
152: Alec Grogan pinned Caleb Westin (Albany), 1:18
160: Yohan Garcia (Shaker) pinned Hunter Hecht, 2:45.
172: Christopher Leggett won by forfeit over Zach Yorke (Cobleskill-Richmondville).
189: Joseph Ponesse pinned Jason Lapelle (Queensbury), 1:05.
215: Ryan Stein (Shaker) pinned Aiden Harrison, 2:21.

Round 2
102: Cooper Merli pinned Brayden Shattuck (Queensbury), 2:25.
110: Jordan Busby pinned A.J. Spero (Queensbury), 2:57

132: Taylor Beaury (Saratoga) pinned Ivan Duran, 1:03.
145: Jackson Merli pinned Matt Lofstrom (Mohonasen), 0:39.
152: Gordon Murrary (Saratoga) pinned Alec Grogan, 2:33.
160: Anthony Manzi def. Hunter Parker (BKW), 7-2; John Truesdell (Colonie) pinned Hunter Hecht, 1:44.
172: Christopher Leggett won by inj. def. over Hudson Rariden, 2:58.
Joseph Ponesse pinned Alek Elkins (Hadley-Luzerne-Lake George), 1:47.
215: Aiden Harrison pinned Kesler Nichols (Canajoharie-Fort Plain), 0:58.

Round 1
102: Cooper Merli pinned Azim Badghisi, 0:31.
110: Jordan Busby tech. fall Ariel Casella (Schalmont), 20-3.

132: Noah Smith (Queensbury) pinned Ivan Duran, 1:40; Kevin Segali pinned Gary Vertucci, 0:39.
145: Jackson Merli pinned Don Cesare, 3:51.
152: Vito Spatafora (Saratoga) pinned Alec Grogan, 3:31.
160: Sachiel Chuckrow pinned Hunter Hecht, 1:06.
172: Christopher Leggett pinned Brody Fallas (Amsterdam), 3:27.
189: Aiden Harrison def. Mike Sullivan (Hudson Falls), 5-2.

OCIAA Division I Dual Meet (Wednesday)
Monroe-Woodbury 44, Newburgh 26
285: Daniel Jabbour (MW) won by forfeit.
102: Cooper Merli (NFA) tech. fall Devin Charles, 19-0, 2:34

110: Liam Hayes (MW) tech. fall Jordan Busby, 16-1, 4:22
118: Maxim Javorsky (MW) won by forfeit
126: Matthew Mercado (NFA) def. Marco Piazza, 6-5
132: Grant Barczak (MW) def. Kevin Segali, 5-3
138: Jonathan Subocz (MW) pinned Ivan Duran, 1:30
145: Brandon Carcaterra (MW) won by forfeit.
152: Jordan Brown (MW) pinned Alec Grogan, 1:31
160: Anthony Manzi (NFA) pinned Robert Liggio, 5:14
172: Michael Zrelak (MW) pinned Hunter Hecht, 0:30
189: Joseph Ponesse (NFA) pinned Craig Ladka, 2:43
215: Aiden Harrison (NFA) pinned Aidan Wanamaker, 5:32