Austin Dean capped his senior wrestling with his first state championship, earning a 5-3 overtime victory in the New York State Public High School Athletic Association Division II state championships at the Times Union Center in Albany.

Dean, who finished the season undefeated at 36-0, beat Dan Appley, of Herkimer/Sauquoit Valley, in the championship.

Dean’s escape with not much time remaining in overtime earned him the 11th state championship in Sidney school history. The last champion was Anthony Chamorro, who won in 2002.

The top seed at 285, Dean opened the two-day tournament with a pin of Beekmantown’s Clay Watts in 3 minutes, 46 seconds. He followed that with a pin of Paul Parada of Island Trees in 4:47.

In the state semifinals, he earned a 11-1 victory over Tyler Vandenbogaard of Hadley-Luzerne/Lake George.

Sidney senior Nick Jump also competed at the state tournament, finishing with a 1-2 record at 170.

Jump opened with a 9-6 victory over Mattituck’s Tanner Zagarino, before being pinned by Peru’s Jordan Bushey in 4:37. He was eliminated from the wrestleback portion of the tournament when he was pinned by Schuylerville’s Tyler Green in 3:10.

For a gallery of images, please click here. (photos by Dwayne Lobdell)