By Cody Marshall-Sultan of Sports

GALWAY–With the wrestling  State Qualifiers taking place this past weekend in Glens Falls, I decided to feature the successes of the wrestling team this year. Questionnaires were handed out, and I received three responses from the wrestlers.  Nico Riccio, Jay Oakes, and Ryan Pappalau all gave us an idea about this year’s wrestling season and what to expect in years to come.

With nine wrestlers particpating in the State Qualifiers, I asked how confident the athletes were prior to heading up to Glens Falls.  Jay Oakes (ranked 4th at the 138 weight class) said he was pretty confident and looking to “avenge a loss in the finals of Class C’s.” Ryan Pappalau responded almost identically, saying that he was also pretty confident because anyone can be beat, and he had been having a good year this year. Riccio’s response was a little more humble. He felt skeptical because Glens Falls seems to be a common setting for upsets to occur. Riccio was seeded 5th out of 12 wrestlers in the 106 weight class. He was hoping to be the one pulling off the upsets and not be the one falling victim to one.

My second question involved accomplishments as a team. When asked what they biggest accomplishment was this year, Nico Riccio responded that it was finishing 2nd in the Class C Tournament. Galway finished with 174 points, with only Hoosick Falls scoring more with 197.5. This marked the first time in 16 years that Galway had finished that high in the Class C Tournament. Ryan Pappalau said that the Class C Tournament was the highlight of the season as well. Jay said that there were multiple accomplishments worth noting. Not only did they finish 2nd in Class C’s, but the Golden Eagles also won the Sacandaga Cup (given to the winner of the wrestling match between Scotia-Glenville and Galway). Also, Oakes felt that sending nine guys to the State Qualifiers in Glens Falls was an huge accomplishment in itself.

Due to the fact that Galway finished 2nd in Class C, which was higher than any other Class C finish in 16 years, I decided to ask these guys how that made them feel. Nico said it felt pretty good because they are a solid team and the only direction for them to go was up. Oakes said it was exciting because it made them that much closer as a team knowing that this could not have been done without everyone that wrestled. Pappalau also agreed, stating that it was a good feeling to know that all the hard work had paid off.

As with all sports, you often find yourself wondering if a team is a one-year wonder or on their way to being a perennial powerhouse. I decided to ask them how they felt the wrestling team would fare in the years to come. Pappalau said that he was unsure about the team’s future. Jay Oakes stated that he feels that the success will continue because they have a relatively young team that should be able to continue the success, despite losing a key wrestler in Brandan Aschmutat to graduation. Riccio once again said that the only way to go is up, which the Golden Eagles don’t have far to go. Finishing 2nd in Class C puts them one spot behind the top, which could be theirs next year.

Coach Mike Sartin also responded to a few questions. I asked him what he felt was the biggest accomplishment this year and he said that it was how working together as a team helped them to finish in the top 5 in every tournament. He also menti0ned how much of an accomplishment finishing 2nd in Class C Sectionals was, seeing as how the team hadn’t done that since Sartin was a wrestler on the 1995-1996 team. I then asked Coach Sartin what made the biggest difference for Galway this year, seeing as how they struggled in the WAC the last few years. Coach responded by saying that the number of guys made a big difference. Having more guys in the room allowed for more practice partners who pushed each other to work harder. I decided to ask about the State Qualifiers and how he felt his wrestlers matched up with the ones they would see in Glens Falls. He said that the matchups will be tough, but the nine guys participating never give up and he felt that they would fair well. Finally, with Galway losing just 2 seniors, I asked if he felt that Galway has a good shot at becoming a perennial powerhouse in the WAC over the next two years. He responded by saying that he feels Galway will be the team to beat and that he also feels that they can win the WAC and make another run for the Class C title.

The nine wrestlers that participated in the State Qualifiers were:  Jay Oakes, Nico Riccio, Ryan Pappalau, Austin Izzo, Brandan Aschmutat, Allan Kissinger, Steven Culbert, Dean Poulin, and Colyn Ainsworth. Jay Oakes and Nico Riccio both managed to make it to the semifinals, while Steven Culbert lost in the quarterfinals, but fought back to finish 3rd. Jay Oakes finished 5th and Nico Riccio finished 4th in their respective weight classes. Along with these finishes, Coach Mike Sartin was named the 2011-12 Section II Class C Coach of the Year, while Coach Culbert was named the 2011-12 Section II Class C JV Coach of the Year as well. Congratulations to all of the wrestlers and coaches for your extraordinary performance this year.