Dwayne A. Lobdell Photo

WATKINS GLEN – 49 local wrestlers from all around Chenango County entered into the both the Section IV and Section III tournament's this past weekend – only seven will be moving on to Albany as definite locks.

The lower half of the county saw Norwich (13), BGAH (13), Greene (6), Oxford (4), and Unadilla Valley (1), travel to Watkins Glen for a two-day solely Division II small-schools tournament. 2017 marked the first year since 2004 that Section IV has split the DI and DII Sectional tournaments up – a move that saw Chenango County dominate the DII side bringing home seven champions of the potential 15 spots.

The northern half of the county did not fair quite as well – bringing 12 of the 49 total local wrestlers – Sherburne-Earlville (8), and Otselic Valley (4). None were able to lay claim to a first place finish, a mark needed to guarantee a trip to Albany, on Feb. 24, and 25, for the New York State Tournament.

However, Norwich laid claim to a fantastic tournament – topping off a fine season by any means going 12-4 overall as team – and now breaking their school's record for most ever finalists and eventual champions at the Section IV tournament.

Norwich – who brought 13 wrestlers – showed grit throughout the two days, as six wrestlers found their way through the ranks to the finals – with four guaranteed to earn trips to Albany.