Norwich’s Tyler Rice and Dante Geislinger earned championships in their respective weight classes at the Wrangle in the Plains, a tournament that hosted 375 wrestlers at the Schenedty Armory Saturday. Geislinger and Rice both went undefeated for the tournament to earn titles in the 120 pound and 285 pound brackets (Submitted Photo)

All Norwich wrestlers place in top five

SCHENECTADY – In what is considered a smaller Eastern States Classic – the largest in-season tournament New York State hosts every year in the first weeks of January – Norwich attended the Wrangle in the Plains, hosted by Shenendehowa. Two of the Purple Tornado team members returned home as champions of the tournament while others placed in the top five of their brackets.

Wrestlers from three states, New York, Vermont and Virginia, made up the 375 participants for the tournament and fans who stayed for the entire tournament saw over 1,000 bouts take place.

Dante Geislinger and Tyler Rice won their weight classes after earning the number one seed in the opening matches. Geislinger took the 120 pound championship while Rice earned his title at 285 pounds.

The Norwich 120 pounder received a first match bye then took two major decision wins, 8-0 and 10-2, to earn the top seed in the championship round. With a pinfall win at the 4:31 mark of the match, Geislinger was crowned the champion.