Section 9 Division I wrestling seeds set at Monroe-Woodbury; top three advance

“The Section 9 boys wrestling committee has released its seeds for the Division I tournament set for this weekend at Monroe-Woodbury High School.” The tournament opens Friday, Feb. 13, and the top three finishers at each weight class automatically advance to the New York State tournament at MVP Arena in Albany on Feb. 27-28.

“The tourney holds opening rounds on Friday, February 13, from 4:15-9:15 p.m. The final rounds will start at 11 a.m.. Saturday, February 14, with semifinals and consolation finals at the start, and finals expected at 4:45 p.m.” Monroe-Woodbury High School will host the Division I bracket; the smaller-schools Division II event will be held at Mount Saint Mary College in the Town of Newburgh on Sunday, Feb. 15, starting at 10:30 a.m., with finals set for 4:15 p.m. “Only the weight class winners from Div. II advance to states.”

Section 9’s format - allowing the top three in Division I to move on - shapes both competitive strategy and community expectations. Local families, coaches and athletic staff will be watching weigh-ins, medical coverage and travel logistics closely as student-athletes aim to qualify for Albany. Past Section 9 success at the state level shows local depth: Will Soto of Newburgh was a 108-pound state champion, Luke Satriano of Valley Central won at 131, Mason Ketcham of Washingtonville at 145, and P.J. Duke of Minisink Valley at 170; Cooper Merli of Newburgh was a 116-pound runner-up at the 2025 state meet.

Recordonline’s seed release highlighted several returning runner-ups who are back in the field: Valley Central’s Evan Gomez (runner-up last year at 101 pounds; now top seed at 103), Valley Central’s E.J. Vass (runner-up at 116; now top seed at 126), Monroe-Woodbury’s Kelly Sullivan (runner-up at 108; now No. 2 seed at 126), Minisink Valley’s Joseph Uhrig (runner-up at 145; now top seed at 150), Valley Central’s Maximus Smith (runner-up at 138; now No. 2 seed at 150), Middletown’s D.J. Aviles (runner-up at 160; now top seed at 157) and Pine Bush’s Patrick Curran (runner-up at 285; now top seed at 285).

Teams listed in the seed release include Beacon (Bea), Cornwall (Cor), F.D. Roosevelt (FDR), Goshen (Gosh), Kingston (King), Middletown (Mid), Minisink Valley (MV), Monroe-Woodbury (MW), Monticello (Mont), Newburgh Free Academy (NFA), Pine Bush (PB), Valley Central (VC), Wallkill (Wall), Warwick (War) and Washingtonville (Wash).

For regional context, other sections use different advancement rules: in Section III the top two in Division I (and top three in Division II) will represent that section in Albany, and Section IV posts a separate calendar for the 2025-26 season with its own dates for finals and the state individual championships. National seed news landed in the same window: Flowrestling published Ironman 2025 seeds, noting more than 100 nationally ranked wrestlers at that tournament.

The immediate local impact is practical and social. Qualifying athletes and families face transportation and expense to Albany; coaches and school athletic departments must ensure proper medical coverage and safe weight management during a high-stakes stretch of the season. Community support, equitable access to trainers and resources, and clear communication from schools will shape whether promising wrestlers can compete and travel safely.

For the full top-8 seed listings and bracket details, contact Ken McMillan at kmcmillan@th-record.com or on X/Twitter @KenMcMillanTHR. Winners who advance from Monroe-Woodbury this weekend will turn their focus to MVP Arena in Albany on Feb. 27-28 as Section 9 aims to add more state qualifiers to its recent list of champions.