By Bond Brungard
Tommy Askey, a Pine Bush 145-pound junior, was 34-4 coming into the Section 9 D-1 wrestling tournament over the weekend at Monroe-Woodbury.
He left the tournament in 2018 with a loss the final, and he got ready for this season with his sights on a sectional title.
“I worked hard. Over the summer,” he said, “I worked hard in the gym.”
And the work paid off with a sectional title earned with a 3-1 decision as Askey overcame his 2018 loss. Now Askey heads to Albany’s Time-Union Center for the state tournament Feb. 22-23.
Nick Florin, Askey’s teammate, lost 6-0 in the 152-pound final. Kevin Urena, Pine Bush’s 126-pounder, was third, and Matt Romano, Valley Central’s 132-pounder finished third. And Bryce Moore, Valley Central’s 285-pounder, was third.
Pine Bush finished the tournament with 101 points in sixth place, and Valley Central was seventh with 97 points.