Hicksville’s Haley Gonzales wins 120-pound title at inaugural state girls wrestling championships

ALBANY — Haley Gonzales was one point away from falling short of her promise.

The Hicksville junior was down by nine points with two minutes left in the final period of the 120-pound championship against Westhampton’s Lily Blenk, but Gonzales seized the opportunity to do something big.

Top-seeded Gonzales earned a takedown with one minute left before throwing the second-seeded Blenk into a headlock to earn another takedown and pin in 5:45 to earn the first-ever title at the inaugural girls wrestling championship at MVP Arena in Albany Thursday night.

“Usually I don’t throw, but I knew that was my only choice,” Gonzales said. “Once I got the takedown and was about to pin her, I knew I couldn’t let the chance get away. It took so much effort to get here. Last night, I made a promise to myself that I wouldn’t get second.”

Gonzales (18-1) had defeated Blenk (28-4) twice earlier this season by technical fall and decision in local tournaments. This time, the Westhampton sophomore earned a four-point takedown with 18 seconds left in the first period for a 7-0 lead. She then added a two-point takedown at the start of the second period for the 9-0 advantage.

“It’s definitely rewarding knowing I was able to outwork her in the beginning,” Blenk said. “I’m just glad I got to come up here and represent Long Island and Westhampton. It’s been extremely exciting knowing that all of us will forever go down in history.”

Blenk pinned Savannah Tittleback (Saugerties) in 1:43 to advance to the finals and picked up a technical fall and another pin earlier in the tournament.

Gonzales advanced to the finals via her third technical fall of the day over Maia DeLaCruz (Shaker), 12-1. She adds another title to her name this season after winning the 16U Fargo National Championship at 118 pounds, Journeymen Championship at 126 pounds, and the inaugural 120-pound county championship.

“This one feels great because it’s history,” Gonzales said. “I struggled cutting weight all season and it means everything to be here and have this opportunity.”

Third-seeded Glenn senior Taylor Aiello finished as the 132-pound runner-up. The Lock Haven commit lost an 8-0 decision to top-seeded Mia Collins of Burnt Hills-Scotia-Ballston Spa.

Aiello (12-2) edged out a 16-15 decision over No. 2 Noli Paddock (Chautauqua Lake) in the semifinals. Aiello held a 16-8 lead with 45 seconds left, but Paddock earned a reversal and rolled Aiello on her back three times for a total of seven points with nine seconds remaining, but Aiello held tough to finish the win.

No. 3 Bellport junior Aaliyah Morrow was pinned by top-seeded Victoria Alvarado (Warwick Valley) in 2:04 in the 152-pound final. Morrow (27-4) picked up three technical falls on her way to the final, including a 10-0 win in 2:20 over Kiara Richard (Shaker) in the semifinals.

But Thursday meant more than an accolade.

“It’s been such a cool experience. I want other people to see how fun and exciting [wrestling] can be,” Gonzales said. “I want everyone to be able to come here and try it.”

For Nassau girls wrestling coordinator Sean Severin, the championship was crucial to the sport’s longevity.

“I think the sectional tournament had opened a lot of eyes in Nassau County,” Severin said. “The amount of athletic directors and coaches that reached out to me after the fact and said, ‘I think we’re doing this for real next year.’ That’s what we need, the growth of the teams.”