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Wrestling: Petretti takes fourth in state tourney

Two Shoreham-Wading River wrestlers, senior John Carl Petretti and freshman Connor Pearce, didn’t get what they went to Albany for.

The two Wildcats, both competing in their first state tournament, suffered Division II quarterfinal losses Friday in the 56th annual NYSPHSAA Championships at the Times Union Center in Albany.

Petretti (40-5), the No. 4 seed at 152 pounds, was stopped in the quarterfinals by Copenhagen junior Dempsey Carroll and finished fourth. Carroll (45-4), seeded fifth, took a 6-4 decision and went on to win the state championship. In Petretti’s first match, he won on a fall at 2:51 against Attica-Batavia junior Mason Compton.

Petretti went to work in the wrestlebacks, first pinning No. 3 Zach Brown of Newfane in 50 seconds and then pinning Eagle Academy Bronx’s Shane Hoover in 3:00. An 11-5 defeat of Hannibal’s Zach Williams put Petretti in the match for third place. It was at that stage when he was pinned at 2:14 by Duanesburg’s Zack Lawrence, the No. 1 seed.

The unseeded Pearce (33-8) started off well enough, pinning Wayne senior Drew Schafer, the No. 7 seed at 113 pounds, at 5:29 to advance to the semifinals. It was there, though, where Pearce ran into the No. 2 seed, Walton Delhi junior Chandler Merwin. Merwin pinned Pearce in 54 seconds.

Pearce then lost his first bout in the wrestlebacks by fall at 1:41 to Watervliet-Heatly senior Connor Lyons.

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Photo caption: Shoreham-Wading River senior John Carl Petretti finished fourth at 152 pounds at the state tournament in Albany. (Credit: Ray Nelson)