Archive: Sports

Lansing High School senior Connor Lapresi signed his acceptance of a full wrestling scholarship to Bucknell University last week.  Lapresi, who won the State Championship last year, was surrounded by coaches, family, and school administrators.

Lapresi has been wrestling since the age of five.  He was on the Geneva varsity wrestling team in eighth and ninth grade, and began wrestling on the Lansing team in his sophomore year after his family moved here from Geneva.  Last year he was the 2012 132 Division II champion at the NY State Championship bouts.

Lansing athletes have won the State Wrestling Title four times in its history.  Under coach Doug Dake Kyle Dake won States in 2007 and 2009, Will Koll in 2011, and Lapresi in 2012.

"One thing I remember most is his semi-final win at States last year," recalls Athletic Director Adam Heck.  "I'm a basketball coach so you hear about 'buzzer beaters' all the time.  This was a wrestling buzzer-beater.  He had a take-down with one second left to win the semi-final that put him in the championship match.  What a great example that was -- you play to the whistle, and he did that.  He's a great kid. We're really proud of him here at Lansing."

Additionally the Lansing team came in second last year.

"We had a really good season," Lapresi says.  "We were in the running to win it as a team, which has never happened.  If one more Lansing wrestler had won one more match we would have won it as a team.  Last year the chemistry of the team we had -- me, Will Cole, Corey Dake, and Ryan Todd -- the 'fantastic four' -- every day we'd beat each other up and wrestle real hard... that feeling as a team is something I will never forget.  Corey and his dad have been so good to me."

Bucknell University was one of 435 athletic programs that dropped wrestling programs in 2002 as part of a plan to comply with Title IX, a federal program to insure gender equality.  Lapresi says that although the team has only recently been reconstituted it is already producing All-Americans.

"It's a fairly young team that's looking to grow and become a national presence", he says.  "I like the chance to be part of something that can possibly be great."


Lapresi signed his acceptance letter at Lansing High School Tuesday, November 20th.  Acting Superintendent Chris Pettograsso, Athletic Director Adam Heck, former Assistant Wrestling Coach John Kotmel, and the new head coach Kris Harrington joined Lapresi's family to watch him sign.  Long time varsity wrestling coach Doug Dake was unable to get away from work, but he called Connor to congratulate him just before the signing.

This year's team will have a new coach, Kris Harrington.

"I like him.  He's really good and really dedicated to the sport," Lapresi says.  "He's willing to put in the time it takes to grow a program.  Obviously he wants me and Will to win States again, but that's not his only goal.  He's looking to create as many state wrestlers as he can, to grow the program.  And he's starting all the way down at modified.  It's going to be a great season."

The team will begin this year's Lansing season at a tournament at Newark Valley December 1.

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