Pine Bush wrestling takes 2nd at Hoosick Falls
The Pine Bush wrestling team secured an impressive second-place finish at the Hoosick Falls Duals on Saturday, finishing the tournament with a 4-1 record.
Four wrestlers led the charge for Pine Bush, each going undefeated at 5-0: Griffyn Alfalla (116 pounds), Logan Pennell (170), Justin Stewart (215), and Patrick Curran (285). Their dominant performances helped Pine Bush notch victories against several strong opponents.
Pine Bush opened the tournament with a commanding 48-24 win over host Hoosick Falls and followed up with a 50-18 rout of Ravena. In a hard-fought matchup, Pine Bush prevailed 38-24 against Schuylerville. The team also edged out Monument Mountain (Mass.) in a close 42-36 battle.
The lone loss for Pine Bush came against Unatego, ranked No. 4 in New York State’s Division 2 rankings. Despite their efforts, Pine Bush fell 36-24 in the final round.
The strong showing solidifies Pine Bush’s status as a team to watch this season, powered by standout individual performances and depth across weight classes.
Valley Central splits in back-to-back swim meets
The Valley Central Vikings swimming team split their recent dual meets, defeating Rhinebeck on Jan. 14 but falling to Red Hook on Jan. 16, bringing their season record to 4-4.
In a dominant home victory over Rhinebeck, Valley Central cruised to a 94-48 win behind strong performances from top scorers Erik Frankl, Daniel Osekavage, and Thomas Lazatin, who each contributed 12 points. The Vikings claimed first-place finishes in nine events, including a sweep of all three relays.
Lazatin delivered standout performances, winning the 200 individual medley (2:23.34), 100 butterfly (58.47), and 100 breaststroke (1:15.23). Frankl anchored the distance events, taking the 200 freestyle (2:05.94) and 500 freestyle (5:29.79). Osekavage added a victory in the 100 backstroke (1:08.81), while the 100 freestyle saw a 1-2 finish by Lucas Daubel (53.96) and Nathanael Gourdet (1:03.48).
Two days later, the Vikings faced a tougher test on the road, falling 95-60 to Red Hook. Despite the loss, Valley Central saw standout efforts from Frankl and Osekavage, who scored 12 and 10 points, respectively.
Frankl continued to excel in the distance events, claiming the 500 freestyle with a season-best 5:25.12. Osekavage delivered the team’s other win, edging out teammate Liam Russell in a thrilling 100 freestyle race, clocking in at 53.77 to Russell’s 54.00.
Valley Central will look to regain momentum as they head into the final stretch of their season.
Wallkill boys top Johnson City
Alex Marshall scored 19 points to lead the Wallkill boys basketball team to a 59-53 victory over Johnson City on Saturday.
Des Lynch added 11 points, and Moses Hunter chipped in with 8 for Wallkill (5-8), which held off a strong performance by Johnson City’s Felix Morales. Morales led all scorers with 24 points, while Fenesse Morales added 13 for the Section IV, Class A team.
Wallkill returns to action on Jan. 24 with a road game at Saugerties.