Diekels, Aubin wear Class D crowns

Whitehall crowned three champions at the Section II Class D wrestling tournament held last Saturday at Berne-Knox-Westerlo high school.

Zach Diekel (195 pounds), John Diekel (138), and Al Aubin (120) all won their respective championship bouts and Chad Amerio (113) finished second.

The title was the fifth for Zach Diekel.

All four qualified for this week’s Section II Championships at the Glens Falls Civic Center and will compete for a berth in the New York State Championships at the Times Union Center in Albany at the end of the month.

As a team, Whitehall finished fifth with 132 points. Host team Berne-Knox won the team title with 199 points, Salem finished second with 182 points and Duanesburg finished third with 176 points.

The matches played out as expected for Whitehall. The Diekels and Aubin were all top seeds going into the tournament and justified those rankings with their performances. Amerio, who was ranked second, lost to number-one seeded Win Myint of Rensselaer in the championship bout. Amerio was pinned in 3:27.

Zach Diekel pinned his opponent, Santino Sierra of Rensselaer, in 58 seconds while John Diekel won his match on points, defeating Cam Milliken of Albany Academy 6-0.

Aubin wrestled a very competitive match against Dan VanDyk of Salem, winning by a single point, 4-3.

For the Diekels and Aubin, the victories mark the second consecutive year they have won individual titles at the tournament. Aubin and John Diekel won at 112 and 119 pounds, respectively, and Zach Diekel won at 189 pounds last season. This year’s title is his fifth in as many years.

The Section II Championships will be held at 10 a.m. on Friday and Saturday, Feb. 10 and 11, at the Glens Falls Civic Center.

The overall winner in each weight class will automatically qualify for the state championships on Feb. 24 and 25. Athletes who perform well but do not win can still make the final tournament as an at-large competitor.