Wrestler picks Iowa State
Cheektowaga senior Renaldo Rodriguez-Spencer will sign his letter of intent to wrestle at Division I power Iowa State at 8:30 a.m. today in the high school foyer.Last winter, Rodriguez-Spencer became the first Cheektowaga wrestler to win a New York State title while finishing with a 47-0 record. He followed that up last spring by winning the national championship at 138 pounds at the National High School Coaches Association wrestling championships at Virginia Beach. He secured the title in the final seconds of the match by executing a Flying Squirrel takedown, to turn a 3-2 deficit into a 4-3 victory, He earned Most Outstanding Wrestler for the entire Junior division.
• Three baseball players will also be signing. Alexander O’Donnell of Starpoint and John Conti of Canisius High School will sign a letter of intent today with Canisius College. Senior Aaron Phillips of Cleveland Hill will sign with St. Bonaventure on Thursday at 3 p.m. ... Jack Boyd of Canisius will sign a letter of intent to swim with Harvard today.
Football officials elect officers
The Western New York Certified Football Officials elected Kevin Dale, John Drobits and Dave Michael to two-year terms on the Board of Directors at its annual banquet.Paul Trzybinski was presented the John D. Burns Award for dedication and contributions to high school football in Western New York. Doug Hartmayer was presented the Richard E. Leous Award for his exemplary service to the WNY Certified Football Officials organization.
Larry Michael and John Connolly were recognized for 40 years of service to the organization. Tom Juliano and Ken Kucewicz were recognized for 30 years of service.
Dan Colpoys, Jim DiMartino, Ken Harris, Wayne Hill, Brian Madej and Jim Martek were recognized for 20 years.
College Night has new location
The VFW Weber Post at 2909 South Park Avenue in Lackawanna will host this year’s College Recruiting Night for high school football players. The 10th annual event, scheduled at 6 p.m. on Dec. 3, is sponsored by the WNY Amateur Football Alliance and Section VI. This night give senior football players with college aspirations and their parents an opportunity to meet face-to-face with college coaches.NCAA Division II and III coaches will be available to discuss a variety of recruiting issues. Players are welcome to bring game DVDs, other media, and/or high school transcripts. The event is free.
Wendy’s Heisman tabs six
Six Western New York athletes were among the 20 finalists in New York State for the Wendy’s High School Heisman. The award celebrates hard work, dedication in athletics, academics and community leadership. Recognized were: Marissa Saenger (Clarence), Marta McLaughlin (East Aurora), Livia Chase (Starpoint), Cassidy Powers (North Tonawanda), Angela Goodman (Wilson) and Olivia Denny (Barker). The winners were Carolyn Carrera of Riverhead and John McCarthy of Corning-Painted Post West.