GUILDERLAND — The Dutchmen are steering into the stretch run of the season as the big tournaments loom on the horizon.

The Guilderland wrestling team is preparing for the Section II Class A and State Qualifier tournaments that are less then a month away.
"We have four weeks left until Class A’s," said Guilderland Coach Regan Johnson. "And the kids know that and have picked it up a bit. At the end, we try to increase the intensity and decrease practice time. Whether we go an hour-and-a-half or an hour, we’re not stopping."

The Class A meet is on Feb. 9 and 10 and the State Qualifier Tournament will Feb. 16 and 17 at the Glens Falls Civic Center.

But, until then, the Dutchmen will have some tough matches coming their way.
"We’ve got Burnt Hills tomorrow night," Johnson said on Tuesday. "They are the Suburban Council Gold [division] leaders. We have Ballston Spa next week and the following week we have Shen, which is leading the Blue Division. There aren’t any nights off in the Suburban Council. But that just gets us ready for the end."

The Grappling Dutchmen returned from a weekend in Long Island where they faced some tough competition in a traditional stronghold for the sport.
"We had nine guys place," Johnson said. "They didn’t keep team scores. It was a long trip, and this year there was a new rule that you had to weigh-in two days. We had a weigh-in Saturday morning and a weigh-in on Sunday morning. With the second-day weigh-in, the kids had to watch what they eat.
"The first time they did that was this year," Johnson added. "You combine that with a five-hour bus ride and it’s mentally challenging."

"Good kids"

The Dutchmen had good results against teams and wrestlers that they don’t face at any other time of the year.
"There are good kids and we don’t see any of those teams," Johnson said. "Besides one other team, it’s all Long Island schools. It’s good to see that kind of competition that you don’t normally see."

Devan Van Auken was Guilderland’s best finisher at the tournament. The sophomore won the 275-pound weight class. It was a good feat considering that he replaced senior Kyle Hussey who is one of the best wrestlers in Section II in that weight class.
"He’s done excellent," Johnson said of Van Auken. "Hussey is out with mono and Devan has done more than just filled in. He’s done awesome.
"Right now, if he was wrestling at any other Suburban Council school, he’d be a starter," Johnson added. Kyle is the Class A champ and was third in Section II. It’s good for both. When Kyle comes back, he’ll have some competition."

Josh Sawyer finished second at the Long Island competition in the 160-pound weight class. Matt Cubillos was also second in the 119-pound class.

Travis Wolanski was fifth in the 96-pound weight class.
"He’s done very well," Johnson said. "He was at 103 up until the end of December. Now, he’s at 96 and has done great."

Robert Romeo finished fifth at 125 pounds. Bobby Dygert and Ian DeSol each also finished in the 130- and 140-pound weight classes respectively.

Tyler Qulia finished sixth in the 215-pound weight class.

"Turn up the intensity"

Johnson sees a lot of potential for a number of his wrestlers as the season heads into the final stretch.
"Josh Sawyer has been wrestling great," Johnson said. "He won at Queensbury, just after Christmas. And two weeks ago, he had a third-place finish. He lost 5-2 in a pretty good match. He’s looking good.
"Matt Cubillos has lost just two matches," Johnson added. "And both of those have been outside the section. Romeo and Dygert have had solid seasons. They’re near 20 wins."

Johnson said that Hussey will be ready to go for the big tournaments at the end of the season.
"He had a rough go of it this season," Johnson said. "He found out he had mono on a Friday and that Sunday his father passed away. He’s had bad luck during the wrestling season, the past two years. He sees the doctor this week and we’ll get him in as soon as we can. It’s been going on six weeks.
"He’s anxious and starting to feel better physically and mentally," Johnson added. "He’s looking forward to getting back on the mat."

Last year, Hussey missed the regular season with an injured knee, but came back to win the Class A meet.

The Dutch are looking forward to tougher times on the mat — in practice and during meets.
"We are starting to turn up the intensity," Johnson said. "And the kids have really responded. We lost to Saratoga last week, 41-30, but the match came down to two matches and we lost two close matches. The kids are excited for the end of the season."