Ithaca High wrestling has bright future

Tompkins County has a rich history of strong wrestling programs, particularly in Lansing

and Groton. However, this past season, the Ithaca High Little Red wrestling team made significant gains including lots of optimism for the future of the program.

In the regular season, the Little Red went 4-4 in their dual meets, which was a significant improvement from last season’s 2-5 record. 

Then, at the Section IV Championships Feb. 11 in Binghamton, they finished sixth place in the competitive Division I and sent three wrestlers to the state championships: Daniel Parker, Dikota Hamilton, and Quentin Getzin.

Head coach Eric Parker, who has led the program since 2008, was not only pleased with the success on the mat, he was also encouraged by the team’s increased numbers, now up to 24 wrestlers.

“Our numbers are up,” Parker said. “We had more participation. We had girls come out. That makes for fuller lineups and more competitive dual matches and being able to put kids out there and move lineups around to get wins.”

Nearly half of the roster (11 athletes) participated at sectionals for the Little Red. While three got onto the podium, every wrestler fought hard against the likes of powerhouses such as Horseheads and Elmira.

“I liked the way they prepared the week leading up to the event,” Parker said. “I think that they were focused and they paid attention to some key things that helped them out. We expect our hammers to come out and do their thing, but it was nice to see some of the younger kids avenge some losses from earlier in the year. Overall, they wrestled really well.”

Daniel Parker was the standout wrestler for the Little Red this season. The junior racked up 30 wins, 26 of which were pins, making for a dominant outing every time he went out onto the mat. 

Parker won both the STAC and Section IV Division I titles in the 145 weight class. As his father, Eric knows first-hand how Daniel has become one of the top wrestlers in the area.

“He’s mastered his craft,” Parker said. “When he was younger, he was super aggressive and super physical, but he relied on only a handful of moves that were really successful for him, and he was able to beat a lot of kids with a couple of weapons in his belt. But as the years have gone on, and we traveled through the U.S. in the summertime to these bigger tournaments working with the different coaches that we have, he picks up more and more stuff every year, and he’s able to showcase that.”

Dikota Hamilton was the other Ithaca High wrestler to win gold at sectionals, taking home the 172 weight class title. This is actually the sophomore’s first season with the varsity team, and it’s his first year wrestling since suffering an ACL injury two years ago. Despite the long layoff, Hamilton is back to his very best.

“He showed everybody that he can still wrestle,” Parker said. “I think the last time he was on a mat anywhere was when he was in seventh grade, and in a man’s weight class at 172 pounds, a lot of time we’re bumping them up to 189. He actually pinned the sectional champion at 189 pounds (Hunter Lavigne) in a dual match that we had with Horseheads earlier in the year. He’s super talented. He just needs mat time. He’s a 10th grader, but he just turned 15, so he’s got room to grow.”

Rounding out the wrestlers who made states is Quentin Getzin. The freshman has already impressed in his debut varsity campaign, finishing second in the 118 weight class at sectionals. Getzin is yet another exciting prospect for both the present and future of Little Red wrestling.

“What makes him special is that he’s a hard worker,” Parker said. “He’s always at practice, always goes into the extra stuff. He’s wrestling in basements and working with other coaches. He’s made a huge improvement from last year. I just think that work ethic is where he’s going to be successful.”

The Little Red also had two girls on the wrestling team who really impressed. Joselyn Leonard took fourth place in sectionals while Mira Cohen placed sixth. For Parker, one of his long-term goals is to have an all-girls team at Ithaca High, continuing the trend of women’s wrestling’s exponential growth in the area.

“Last year, with the initiative from some coaches in the section, we’ve seen a huge, huge inflation in numbers,” Parker said. “Up until these last two years, most of the girls that did wrestle didn’t have a choice. There wasn’t really an option for them to wrestle girls. And now, my girls didn’t wrestle any boys this year. I think it’s a new initiative. I think people are getting on board. It’s moving in the right direction, and I think in a community like Ithaca, it would be a great fit.”