Wrestler Ben Miner reaches 2nd round of state tourney

ALBANY | Warrensburg-Lake George athlete Ben Miner concluded his high school wrestling career Feb. 27 as he won one match and lost two subsequent bouts at 157 pounds in the state wrestling championship tournament held in the MVP Arena in Albany. In the tournament's round of 32 wrestlers in his weight class, Miner — seeded No. 19 — pinned No. 14-seeded Hayden Bartlemus of Northern Adirondack High School in three minutes and 40 seconds after leading him 12-4. Bartlemus is a three-time Section VII champion. After this upset victory, Miner advanced into the Round of 16, but was pinned in 59 seconds by No. 3-seeded Logan Sheriff of Southern Hills High. In a consolation bout, Miner lost a 10-2 decision to Oxford Central's Troy Braman, who was seeded No. 11 in the tournament. "It was a tight match right to the end," Warrensburg-Lake George Wrestling Coach Mark Trapasso said of Miner's final tournament bout. "Ben had a great year and a very good wrestling career," Trapasso said, noting that over this season, Miner won the Class D Championship at 157 pounds on Feb. 7, then won a "true second place" bout in the Section II tournament to earn a berth in the state tournament. This season, Miner has also won two major area invitational tournament championships and achieved a 44-6 win-loss record. In mid-January, Miner surpassed his 100th career wrestling victory, despite joining the Warrensburg-Lake George wrestling program as a freshman rather than in junior high school as most Burghers have done. Last season, he placed first in Class D and third in the state qualifier tournament, plus he won two other regional invitational tournaments, tallying a 34-9 overall record. Miner has now completed three seasons with winning records, despite not having participated in Warrensburg's youth wrestling or Modified programs. "Ben is a tough, hard-working wrestler," Trapasso said. SR. WRESTLERS HAILED In addition to Miner, four other Warrensburg-Lake George seniors have concluded their high school wrestling careers, and coach Trapasso praised their achievements and contributions to the Burghers team. • Kawliga Duell is an accomplished wrestler, having placed third in the Section II Class D tournament by winning three of his four matches at 138 pounds. His 2025-26 win-loss record is 25-19. A five-year varsity wrestler, Duell had a 10-7 winning season in 2022-23 at 102 pounds, placing third in Class D that year. • Colton Stannard, a four-year varsity wrestler, exhibited steady improvement in wrestling through high school. In mid-December, he started a strong winning streak that led to his Class D title victory at 144 pounds against tough competitors. Also, he was a place-winner in invitational tournaments held this season by Galway and Queensbury. "The 2026 Class D championship will be with Colton forever," Trapasso said. • Cody LeBarron wrestled several years ago, but started on varsity in December 2025 due to an injury. Regardless of this hiatus, LeBarron was able to tally a remarkable 20-7 win-loss record this season, which featured 18 pins and one technical fall at 175 and 165 pounds. He won the 165-pound championship at the 2026 Galway Invitational tournament, and he placed 5th in the recent Class D tournament, achievements undoubtedly augmented by LeBarron's strength training. "Cody has been a very positive person to have on our wrestling team," Trapasso said. • Glenn Potter wrestled for Warrensburg-Lake George since he was an eighth grader, and for the last three-and-a-half years, has been the team's heavyweight contender. Over his tenure on the team, he won most of his matches as he gained considerable strength, skills, and confidence, Trapasso said. This year, Potter won fourth place in both the Class D tournament and the Section II tournament. Last season, he was the third-place winner in Class D and won the heavyweight championship of the Queensbury Holiday tournament. Coach Trapasso said that only one or two points in two matches separated Potter from winning the 2026 Section II heavyweight wrestling championship. "Glenn was so close to winning those big matches — he was right there at the top," Trapasso said. "Glenn had a great wrestling career with us."

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Wrestler Ben Miner reaches 2nd round of state tourney

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