The Salamanca Boys Wrestling team delivered an impressive performance at the 2026 NYSPHSAA Section 6 State Qualifiers this past weekend, highlighted by a championship victory and a major leap forward in the team standings.
Senior heavyweight Kasen Hardy dominated the 285-pound bracket with a perfect 4-0 record, capturing first place and punching his ticket to the New York State Championships in Albany beginning Friday, February 27 at 10:00 a.m. Hardy sealed his title run with a third-period pin over RJ Townsend of Roy-Hart/Barker at 5:19. His achievement marks a historic milestone for the program — he is the first Salamanca wrestler to qualify for states since Brad Cunningham in the 2013-14 season and the first sectional champion since two-time state champion Ben Haas in 2011-12. Seedings for the state tournament will be announced next weekend.
Salamanca’s success didn’t stop there. Heavyweight Warrick John finished 5th with a 4-2 record, while junior Conner Seeley battled through six matches at 165 pounds to earn his first career placing finish, also taking 5th. Seeley’s only losses were tightly contested matches.
Two sophomores narrowly missed the podium after strong showings. Noah Longley (132 lbs., 3-2) and Jack Merrill (175 lbs., 2-2) both fell in the “blood round,” just one win shy of placing. Additional competitors included Kyle Oakes (103 lbs.), Zayivious Hope (110 lbs., 1-2), Chris Miller (126 lbs., 0-2), and Rodney Bryan (138 lbs., 1-2).
As a team, Salamanca made one of the biggest jumps in the tournament, finishing 8th out of 32 teams — a remarkable improvement from last season’s 25th-place finish out of 30 squads.
On the girls side, Salamanca competed Thursday at Sweet Home High School and advanced three wrestlers to Sunday’s final rounds. Sophomore Emma Domres led the group with a 5th-place finish at 3-2. Sophomore Arianna Acosta (0-2) and senior Kendra Bova-Redeye (2-2) each came up just short of placing after tough losses in the blood round. The girls team finished 19th out of 25 schools.
Sportsmanship honors were also awarded Sunday, with both Kasen Hardy and Kendra Bova-Redeye receiving the prestigious Heart of a Champion Sportsmanship Award for their respective divisions.
With momentum building and a sectional champion headed to Albany, Salamanca wrestling continues to show it is a program on the rise.
