By Nate Beutel
If Joe DiFrancesco was spinning his tires last year, this season he’s in overdrive.
The Niagara Falls sophomore has developed into one of Western New York’s top 140-pound wrestlers. He’s currently 27-6 on the season and listed as an honorable mention by the Wrestling Review of Western New York.
“He’s really progressed the way I’ve wanted him to,” veteran NFHS coach Izzy Martinez said at Tuesday’s practice. “He beat a lot of good kids this year. He’s starting to see he belongs.”
DiFrancesco has wins over top Section VI small schools contender Phil Czapla of East Aurora and Lyndonville’s John Brabon, a top challenger in Section V (Rochester area). He also picked up his first-ever varsity tournament title at Williamsville North this past weekend.
“I’ve been waiting for that for a while,” DiFrancesco said with a smile. “It felt really good.”
It also made all that drilling with teammate and state qualifier Irvin Buck pay off. Buck is the area’s top 145-pound grappler and is the biggest reason for DiFrancesco’s rapid development.
“Wrestling him every day makes you more of a competitor,” DiFrancesco said. “You want to work harder because you want to eventually beat him.”
DiFrancesco also wants to be a more complete wrestler. Martinez calls DiFrancesco “as good as anybody on his feet.” He’s also respectable on top, but it’s his work on the bottom that will define just how good he can be, according to his coach.
“If he can develop a go-to move on the bottom, he’ll be right in the conversation with all the best wrestlers in the area,” Martinez said.
The good news in that quest is that DiFrancesco has more than two years to do so. And two summers — a time of the year in which DiFrancesco previously spent on baseball and football.
“I’m going to put in the time,” he said. “I’m focused on being a better wrestler.”
That said, sooner would be better than later.
“There’s a lot of tough kids at 140, but I think I can place high in the section again this year,” said DiFrancesco, who took third a year ago at sectionals. “I’d like to join Irvin at states maybe.”
Martinez added, “He’s got a shot. He’s at a tough weight class, but if he places high enough, combined with his season record and finish last year, he could get an at-large berth, a wild card, to states.”
First, DiFrancesco and his teammates have a showdown with rival Niagara-Wheatfield on their minds. The unbeaten Niagara Frontier League teams will do battle at 6 p.m. today at the Wolvearena with first place and likely the NFL title on the line. N-W is the six-time defending league champion.
“Guys that maybe have been doing OK have to step up and win (today),” DiFrancesco said. “If we wrestle the way we have been lately, we’ve got a shot. Wheatfield is one of the best teams in the state and they’re really good, but I still think we’ve got a shot.”
Contact reporter Nate Beutel at 282-2311, ext. 2262.
