Sports
VUHS wrestlers take top local honors at Commodore Invitational

VERGENNES — With three wrestlers ruling their weight classes, the host Vergennes Union High School wrestling team earned the best finish among local schools competing at Saturday’s Commodore Invitational Tournament.
Steven Kittredge at 126 pounds, Payton Lavoie at 190 and Isaac Preston at 215 earned titles on Saturday, as did Mount Abraham’s Isayah Isham at 138 pounds and Otter Valley’s Blake Allen at 157.
Twenty-four teams scored points, with Essex (137.5) edging two teams who tied for second at 136 points apiece: Peru, N.Y., and Springfield, Vt. The Commodores were fourth with 122.5 points. Mount Abe (82.5) was sixth. Otter Valley (69.5) and Middlebury (18), which did not send full teams, were seventh and 18th, respectively.
Also reaching the podium for VUHS were Joey Maneen, second at 106; Addie Smith, fourth at 113; and Izaak Wolniewicz, third at 285.
For Mount Abe, Baxter Montgomery was fourth at 129, Mason Atkins third at 150, and Lincoln Painter fourth at 165.
Max Potter took fourth at 175 for the small OV contingent. Most of the Tiger wrestlers were at a tournament in Connecticut; see story in this section. The four who came to VUHS did not place.

VUHS HEAVYWEIGHT IZAAK Wolniewicz gets the upper hand on ConVal, N.H.,’s Caden Park during Saturday’s wrestling tournament in Vergennes.
Independent photo/Steve James
By weight class:
At 106:
Brayden Buchanan of Essex defeated Commodore Joey Maneen in the final by technical fall.
OV’s Mason Markowski also competed in this weight class.
At 113:
Commodore Addie Smith took fourth, losing to Conval Regional’s Oliver Smith-Aucoin in the third-place match, 19-8.
Logan Knipes of Fair Haven won the weight class.
At 120:
Eagle Baxter Montgomery finished fourth, losing to Kayden Grout of Randolph in the third-place match, 9-0.
Eoin Comes of North Country pinned Fair Haven’s Cole Belden in the final.
Tiger Keagan Stone also competed at 120.

EAGLE MASON ATKINS tries to maintain control of Myles Cummings of Peru, N.Y., in their match during Saturday’s wrestling tournament in Vergennes.
Independent photo/Steve James
At 126:
Commodore Steven Kittredge defeated Tennyson Miller of Essex in the final by technical fall (18-1).
Eagle Bradley Levangie and Otter Alex Vose also competed in this weight class.
At 132:
Karter Morey of Lyndon won the weight class and was voted the tournament’s outstanding wrestler. He pinned Fair Haven’s Anthony Szabo in the final.
Tiger Jordan Couture (two wins) and Eagle Hailey Isham (one victory) competed at 132.
At 138:
Eagle Isayah Isham won the weight class, defeating Peru’s Mason Starke in the final by technical fall, 15-0.
OV’s Colby Benoit (two victories) and Commodore Jackson Scribner (one win) also dueled at 138.
At 144:
Jackson Ladd of St. Johnsbury pinned North Country’s Jeremy Glodget in the final.
Tigers Colton Murray (one win) and Sawyer Malzac and Eagle Clayton Markwell competed at 144.

VUHS FRESHMAN JOEY Maneen looks for the pin call in his victory at 106 pounds over OV’s Mason Markowski during Saturday’s tournament in Vergennes.
Independent photo/Steve James
At 150:
Dillan Lacasse of Springfield pinned Mill River’s Toby Pytlik in the final.
Tiger JJ Bougor also competed at 150.
At 157:
OV’s Blake Allen pinned Fair Haven’s Liam Robinson in the final.
Eagle Mason Atkins pinned Massena’s Rawennakai Silver in the third-place match.
At 165:
Dmitri Jasinski of Springfield decisioned Fair Haven’s Gabe Bache in the final, 9-5.
Mill River’s Kingston Cotter decisioned Eagle Lincoln Painter in the third-place match, 6-2.

EAGLE HAILEY ISHAM takes charge in her 132-pound match against St. Johnsbury’s Layla McGarvin during Saturday’s wrestling tournament in Vergennes.
Independent photo/Steve James
At 175:
Jaiden Anderson (Essex) 19-5, edged Brody Blaise-Smith (Peru) in the final, 7-4.
In the third-place match Ethan Patch (Mill River) pinned Otter Max Potter.
At 190:
Commodore Payton Lavoie rolled past Otter Keegan Reid in the final, 17-5.
At 215:
Commodore Isaac Preston improved his season record to 27-1 by pinning Springfield’s Johnathon Lake in the final.

EAGLE BENJAMIN HARVEY with Tyler Scott of MMU.
Independent photo/Steve James
At 285:
Springfield’s Hunter Ferland pinned Joe Gershon of Essex in the final.
In the third-place match, Commodore Izaak Wolniewicz pinned Springfield’s Brockton Lovell.
Eagle Benjamin Haven (two wins) and Otter Eli Larocque (one win) also dueled in what was a crowded heavyweight field.
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