Mar 26, 2022
Photo courtesy of Michelle Gilbert | Charming Artistry Maple Grove senior Luke Tomlinson went 44-4 with 37 pins this season, which ended with a sixth-place Division II 145-pound finish at the NYSPHSAA Championships last month.
Luke Tomlinson’s “Wrestling Accomplishments” page on armdrag.com resembles the ceiling at Madison Square Garden.
There are 36 banners recognizing the Maple Grove standout’s six seasons as a Red Dragon.
His final campaign was his best.
Tomlinson opened his senior year with a first-place finish at the 46th annual Portville Invitational. In the 153-pound quarterfinals, he pinned Alfred-Almond’s Riley McMichael before pinning Jamestown’s Keith Miller in the semifinals. Tomlinson then needed just 41 seconds to pin Portville’s Kaedon Holcomb in the final en route to being named the tournament’s Most Outstanding Wrestler.
Tomlinson then took second place at the second annual Linda C. Knuutila Memorial Tournament. Again wrestling at 152 pounds, he pinned Newfane’s Camden Rowels, Niagara Wheatfield’s Iain O’Donnell and Lancaster’s Micah Harry before being taken down by Williamsville North/East’s Cameron Catrabone in the final. Catrabone went on to finish sixth at 145 pounds in Division 1 at the New York State Public High School Athletic Association championships in Albany.
At the 28th annual Ripley Invitational, Tomlinson won his second championship and was again named the tournament’s Most Outstanding Wrestler. Competing at 145 pounds, Tomlinson pinned Gowanda/Cattaraugus-Little Valley’s Christian Hines, Chautauqua Lake/Westfield/Panama’s Bradley Smith and St. Joe’s Luke Ventresca.
Tomlinson won his third tournament title of the season at the 21st annual Patrick J. Morales Memorial Tournament, hosted by Falconer. Again, he picked up four pins over Lake Shore’s Vincent Marszalek, Gowanda/Cattaraugus-Little Valley’s Evan Fort, Ventresca for a second time and Kane (Pa.)’s Reece Bechakas.
A week later, Tomlinson picked up his third Most Outstanding Wrestler honor and fourth tournament title when he bested the 145-pound field at the Gowanda Invitational. In a round-robin format, Tomlinson went 4-0 with pins over Falconer/Cassadaga Valley’s Jacob Clark and Charlie Reichenbach, CL/W/P’s Smith and St. Francis’ Liam Edwards.
At Eden in early February, Tomlinson wrapped up his fourth straight Class C/D crown and was named Most Outstanding Wrestler for a fourth time this season. He pinned Southwestern’s Morgan Ribbing, Randolph’s Connor Braley and the Thunderbirds’ Smith before earning a 6-2 decision over Newfane’s Adam Huntington.
Tomlinson wrapped up six years of competition locally when he bested the 145-pound field at the Section VI Division II state qualifier at Jamestown Community College. He received a bye into the quarterfinals where he pinned Pioneer’s Brandon Doyle in 1:16. In the semifinals, Tomlinson pinned Iroquois’ Ethan Pfeiffer in 2:38 before again topping Huntington in the final, this time by a 4-2 score.
After qualifying for the state tournament as a sophomore, Tomlinson wasn’t given the opportunity as a junior due to COVID-19. This year, he received a first-round bye and then pinned South Jefferson/Sandy Creek’s Aaron Briones-Cooper in 1:34. In the quarterfinals, Tomlinson was pinned by Cold Spring Harbor’s Jackson Polo in 4:29.
On Day 2, Tomlinson pinned Dryden’s Joshua Rowland before earning an 8-0 decision over Norwich’s Brady Smith. In the consolation semifinals, Tomlinson lost a 10-3 decision to Central Valley Academy, and then with fifth place on the line, Tomlinson fell to Edgemont’s Sander Miller by a 9-2 score.
This season, Tomlinson finished with a 44-4 record, including a Section VI season-record 37 pins. For his career, he finished 224-27, including 169 pins, which is good for second place all-time in Section VI, unofficially. His 224 victories is a Maple Grove record and are good for 21st in Section VI history.
He will go down as a six-time Section VI qualifier, five-time Section VI place finisher and three-time New York state tournament qualifier.
And now, Tomlinson adds another accolade: 2022 Post-Journal Wrestler of the Year.
Today’s breaking news and more in your inbox
Ken Rowe brings people together. Some by choice — others by necessity. Just look at the Chautauqua …
BUFFALO — Alex Ovechkin scored the tying goal and then had the decisive shootout goal, helping the Washington …
BUFFALO — The Buffalo Bills moved closer to landing $200 million in NFL funding to help finance their bid to …
Today’s breaking news and more in your inbox
Copyright © Observer Today | https://www.observertoday.com | PO Box 391, Dunkirk, NY 14048 | 716-366-3000 | Ogden Newspapers | The Nutting Company