ALBANY — February 25th has become a special date for the Copenhagen wrestling program.
Copenhagen junior Chase Nevills recorded the program’s second state title with a 9-1 major decision against Joey Florance of Section 4’s Bainbridge-Guilford-Afton-Harpursville in the 118-pound final in Division II at the NYSPHSAA championships Saturday night at MVP Arena.
Nevills joins Dempsey Carroll as the only other Golden Knights’ wrestler to win a state title. Carroll took the crown at 152 in 2017 exactly six years ago to the day.
Nevills had been going down to the state tournament for years and now adds the state title he’s always coveted.
“I’ve been coming here ever since I was a little kid,” said Nevills, who wraps up the season with a 39-1 record. “I’ve been watching all these other kids win it (a state title) and now me winning it, feels unbelievable.”
The start of the final bout at 118 was delayed due to the 110 final in Division I between Luke Satriano of Section 9’s Valley Central and Evin Gursoy of the PSAL’s Midwood going into overtime. Nevills stayed loose and waited out the other match without a problem before getting down to business.
“I was just joking with my coaches because when I’m happy and smiling, I wrestle my best,” Nevills said. “My coach and I were just making jokes just to stay positive and stay happy.”
Nevills got into the match quickly and recorded a quick two-point takedown 38 seconds into the first period. Florance scored his only point of the match v
