Week's sports ledger full of must sees
Commentary
MATT KRUEGER Sports Reporter
As winter weather continues to sock Western New York with nerve-numbing temperatures, snow and ice, things will heat up this week with the approaching end to the winter sports season.

The high school basketball and hockey playoffs will take shape as the regular season comes to an end, and the athletes in individual sports will test themselves in the largest meets of the year.

Here's a look at what's on tap:

• When the Section VI wrestling class meets take to the mats this weekend, keep an eye on those 119-pound grapplers. That's where you'll find the best competition in Western New York.

From the Northtowns to the Southern Tier, it seems like nearly every school has a superstar at 119, making it probably the hottest-contested weight class in the area. Heading into the class meets, Fredonia senior Chris Conti is the king of the hill, ranked first in Western New York, but he'll be in the Class AA meet. Niagara Wheatfield senior Jehad Ali is ranked second and won't have to look far for a strong opponent in the Class AAAA meet. He'll have St. Joe's senior Taylor Golba, ranked third, and Lancaster senior David Miller in the mix, trying to take the title.

In the Class AAA meet, Maryvale senior Alex Bagne and West Seneca East senior Nick Vitale should battle it out for the title along with Cheektowaga senior Keann Loman, Depew junior Ryan Baer, Medina sophomore Dominic Montesanti and Williamsville East senior Ryan Cravatta.

• Erie Community College's Bert Flickinger Center will host the Section VI Boys Swimming Championships this week, and the team to watch is Orchard Park.

The Quakers have regained the top spot in ECIC Division I and will send a platoon of star athletes such as Mike Danza, Phil Aronica, Dave Janca, Brett Doster and Barrett Erbe. The Quakers have posted the fastest times of the season, including two of the three relay races.

Iroquois and Canisius should also have strong contingents, while North Tonawanda diver Shawn Hoffman should finally win his first Section VI title after finishing third the past two years behind clubmates Ian O'Rourke (Grand Island) and Nathan Geary (Lancaster). Hoffman's high score of 361.5 this year is more than 140 points better than his nearest competition.

• Alden is the favorite to defend its title at the Section VI Rifle Championships Saturday at Alden High School.

The Bulldogs, led by Josh Gorski, went undefeated in ECIC and have the highest team total of the year at 1,331. Gorski has the season high score for prone (99).

• St. Joe's is the odds-on favorite to win the Large School Division in the Western New York Hockey Federation after compiling a 10-1-3 record. The Marauders will face eighth-seed Frontier (0-14-0) in the quarterfinals Thursday.

St. Joe's has the perfect balance of offense and defense, which has made the Marauders so difficult to beat this year. With league-leading scorers Cole Schneider (26 goals, 17 assists, 43 points) and Jeff

Amico (18 points, 19 assists, 37 points) and league-leading goalie Mark Goulding (.958 save percentage, 1.07 goals against average), the Marauders will give challengers such as Lancaster, Williamsville North and Canisius several problems.