By Mike Zummo
The Newburgh Free Academy Goldbacks crowned four champions on their way to a third-place finish at the 58th annual Mid Hudson Tournament at Arlington High School on Saturday.
William Soto (108), Cooper Merli (124), Matthew Mercado (131) and Christopher Leggett (215) all won championships for the Goldbacks.
The Goldbacks finished with 219.5 points. Xavier won the tournament with 250 points.
Soto won the championship with a technical fall over Xavier’s Zack Dixon in 1:35. Merli won the championship, 11-0, over Hewlett’s Carlos Salazar. Matthew Mercado took with a pinfall win over Miller Place’s Charles Clifford in 2:00. Leggett picked up a 7-1 win over John Jay-East Fishkill’s Michael Mauro.
Mateo Morrell (160) reached the podium with a fourth-place finish. He advanced to the quarterfinals before suffering a pinfall loss to Xavier’s Cael Loria. He battled back to win his next two matches before falling in the third-place match, 11-2, to Loria.
William Conklin (190) also took fourth. He advanced to the quarterfinals, where he lost to Ossining’s Salvatore DiSenso in 45 seconds. He won his next two before falling to Fairfield-Wade’s Cole Grenier in the third-place bout.
Liam Ehlers (170) placed sixth and Jahleel Wilson (285) placed eighth.
Cody Washburn (101) and Jordan Busby (116) finished eighth.
Yoniel Brito (145) finished 12th. Alexander Silva (138) finished 16th. Austin Van Dalinda (152) finished 20th.