By Melanie Lekocevic
Capital Region Independent Media
RAVENA-COEYMANS-SELKIRK — More than two dozen teams and their fans crowded into the two gymnasiums at RCS High School last weekend for the annual Jamie Mormile Tournament.
Teams traveled from as far away as Massachusetts for the competition.
The top spot went to West Springfield, Massachusetts, with a score of 236; second place went to John Jay Cross River with 154, followed closely by third-place Arlington, with 152.5.
RCS came in 14th place out of 27 teams, with 83 points.
The daylong tournament saw multiple matches on the mat at the same time, with hundreds of athletes competing throughout the day.
Jayden Acomb had the best finish on the day for RCS, taking second place in the 131-pound weight class. Acomb defeated four competitors — from Albany, Bethlehem, Maple Hill and Red Hook — but lost in the finals in a close decision 12-10 to Neil Murphy of Coxsackie-Athens.
Aiden Forster took third place in the 138-pound class, defeating competitors from Tamarac, Shaker, West Springfield and Hoosick Falls, but lost to Schenectady’s Ajani Jacksonbergin in the consolation finals by an 8-2 decision.
Carter Castagna took fifth place in the 108-pound weight class, defeating wrestlers from Beacon, Schalmont and John Jay Cross River, and losing by major decision 15-5 to Guilderland’s Ian Eisenhandler.
Other RCS athletes competing in the annual tournament were Aryn Cinque, Aiden Daley, Owen Greene, Kellen Houghtaling, Brock Larsen, Sean McCormack, Aiden Miner, Elijah Percival, Donovin Taber, Edward Voronko and Finnigan Wickware.
The Jamie Mormile Invitational Tournament was named in honor of Jamie Mormile, a longtime supporter of the school’s wrestling team and the wife of a former coach, Henry Mormile. Jamie Mormile had cystic fibrosis and died in 2010.
The school went on to name the tournament in her honor and it is held every winter at RCS.