Wrestling

Norwich 40, Chenango Valley 39

NORWICH – The tone of the match was set with Frank Garcia’s exciting 132-pound victory over CV standout Dustin Greene. The Tornado jumped out to a big lead early on, and held off the Warriors for their ninth straight dual meet win Wednesday.

Tristan Rifanburg’s pin at 120 pounds cinched up Norwich’s victory over a Chenango Valley club that is ranked among the top four dual meet teams in Section IV.

“There were a lot of real close matches, and it could have gone either way,” said Norwich coach Joe Downey. “Chenango Valley is a quality team that has good kids at every weight. Frankie’s win was a heck of a way to start the dual.”

Garcia was matching up with Greene, who was a New York State tournament competitor a season ago. In a scoreless match, Garcia recorded a reversal in the third period, and held Greene the rest of the way for a 2-0 win.

Norwich picked up 19 straight points beginning with Anthony Vitello’s impressive 8-0 win over the Warriors’ Joel Grychewicz at 160 pounds. “Anthony is consistently coming through for us,” Downey said. “He not only got us a win, but it was a major decision. That extra team point helped us win the match.”