The Walton/Delaware Academy wrestling teams will have three representatives this weekend at two state championship tournaments.
Linkin Backus and Aiden Branigan (Walton) will compete in the boys championship on Friday and Saturday and Cadence Guy (Delhi) will take part in the girls tournament Thursday. All three are taking part in their first state championship. Both tournaments are being held at the MVP Arena in Albany.
Backus and Branigan are seeking to be Walton’s first state champion since Chandler Merwin won in 2019. Guy is seeking Delhi’s first wrestling state championship in school history.
BOYS TOURNAMENT
Linkin Backus (101 pounds)
Backus, a freshman, is seeded 19th and is 30-6 this season. He placed third at the Section Four Division II championship. He opens Friday against 14th-seeded Gabe Mcdonald (27-8), a seventh-grader from Northern Adirondack. Should Backus win, he’d advance to face third-seeded Adrian Torres (35-5), a junior from Southwestern.
Aiden Branigan (116 pounds)
Branigan (28-6), a junior, is seeded 10th and received a first-round bye. A third-place finisher at the Section Four Division II tournament, he opens in the second round against seventh-seeded Colin Logalbo (28-4), a freshman from Little Falls. AA victory in this match could set up a possible matchup with second-seeded Jaron Barrientos, a senior from Lewiston Porter.
GIRLS TOURNAMENT
Cadence Guy (100 pounds)
Guy (5-1), a freshman, won the Section Four championship two weeks ago, the first for a girl in school history. Seeded 11th, Guy will open with sixth-seeded Shea Ellsworth (23-6) of Cicero-North Syracuse. The winner of that match will advance to face the winner of third-seeded Gabriella Gelnett (36-1) of Lockport, and 14th-seeded Mileyda Palaez-Colon (10-8) of Middletown.
Good luck to all three this weekend!
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