CHEEKTOWAGA — The Fredonia Hillbillies wrestling team finished tied for second out of 17 teams at the Section VI Class B tournament at Cheektowaga High School on Saturday. The Hillbillies have 12 athletes moving on to the State Qualifiers after the team’s 227 point second place tie with Pioneer, while Iroquois took first place with 248 points.

“We competed hard… let a couple get away,” stated Fredonia head coach Joe Santilli. “All in all, the team performed very well and saw a lot of great progress.”

Top five placements were the goal for wrestlers planning on making the State Qualifiers tournament at Southwestern on Saturday. The Hillbillies had three tournament champions in Cole Golembieski at 152lbs, Ceric Kristan at 182lbs and Jake Skinner at 285lbs. Fredonia also saw two wrestlers get second place in Hunter Larson at 145lbs and Alex Christy at 220lbs, while four took third place in Michael Ball at 99lbs, Lucas Hoffman at 113lbs, Jack Storm at 170lbs and Matt Lotter at 195lbs.

Both Bryson LeGrano at 152lbs and Yanni Acevedo at 285lbs qualified as they placed fifth, while David Ball received a medical wild card at 113lbs.

“The guys have been working real hard,” added Santilli. “Trying to finish as strongly as they can, I’m real happy with the effort. I’m looking forward to this weekend.”

The 12 Hillbillies will participate in the State Qualifiers at Southwestern High School, Saturday, Feb. 15.

“It’s just hard to believe we’re at the end,” added Santilli. “The guys don’t want to waste any opportunities. I’m looking forward to see if they can finish the job.”