Stella overcomes flu to win another tournament
by PATRICK J. NAGY Reporter

Nic Stella, top, takes down Wayne's Justin Sharpstein during first round 140-pound action at the Joe Shifflet Sweet Home Invitational Tournament on Friday at Sweet Home. Stella won the match by pinfall and went 4-0 to win his fifth wrestling tournament this season. He is 28-0. Photo by Joe Eberle Purchase photos at www.BeeNews.com

Not even the flu could stop Nic Stella from dominating a wrestling tournament.

The Sweet Home junior won his fifth wrestling tournament this season with a first place showing at the Joe Shifflet Sweet Home Invitational held last Friday and Saturday at Sweet Home.

Stella, ranked No. 1 in Western New York at 140 pounds, beat Cheektowaga's Clay Reeb, 3-0, in the finals, to improve to 28-0.

In earlier matches, Stella pinned Wayne's Justin Sharpstein in 1:23, beat Tonawanda's Josh Choate by technical fall, 19-3 and defeated Iroquois' Vinny Marino, 12-2.

"He wasn't himself by any means but he battled through it," said Sweet Home coach Chris Nadeau. "He could have very easily not even wrestled this weekend but he trains so hard his mind set is he doesn't want to miss a match. Once he got into it, he couldn't turn back."

Gage Bateman, seeded fifth, took fourth place at 112. Unseeded wrestler Paul Fazekas was a match away from placing at 171.

Bateman defeated Ripley's Emery Rowe, 15-0, by technical fall and fourth-seeded Niagara-Wheatfield's Antonio Ventry, 7-2. Bateman lost 7-2 to Ventry at the Niagara Falls Wrestling Officials Association Tournament. In the semifinals, Bateman fell 2-0 to Lancaster's Clint Schaefer. In wrestlebacks, Bateman won 7-0 over Leroy's Don Pangrazio before losing to Pal-Mac's Sean Walton, 7-0.

Fazekas pinned Leroy's Josh Casper in 1:09 then was pinned by Niagara-Wheatfield's Jake Koshinski in the second period. In wrestlebacks, Fazekas beat East Aurora's Clark Doll, 5-0 and Cheektowaga's Adam Tiscitello, 3-2 but fell 2-0 in overtime to Lancaster's Adam Bertucci. At ECICs, Tiscitello placed sixth; Doll won three matches.

Sweet Home hosts West Seneca West at 6 p.m. on Wednesday and travels to Hamburg at 6 p.m. on Friday before wrestling in the Salamanca Tournament on Saturday.

e-mail: pnagy@beenews.com