Plainedge wrestler Devin Downes earns spot in state semifinal at 215 pounds, eyes third straight title
Devin Downes of Plainedge defeats Zach Pettitt of Carthage in a 215-pound Division I quarterfinal match at the state boys wrestling championships on Friday Feb. 27, 2026, at the MVP Arena in Albany. Credit: Newsday/Thomas A. Ferrara
ALBANY — Even with his stellar resume, Devin Downes still has a chip on his shoulder.
The Plainedge senior is a two-time state champion, an Eastern States Classic champion, has amassed more than 200 career wins and is committed to wrestle at the University of Maryland.
The No. 1 seed at 215 pounds in the Division I state wrestling tournament is laser-focused on winning a third straight title.
“To me, this is the most important tournament,” Downes said. “Getting this one really puts a stamp on everything for me. There are a bunch of good kids in the bracket and I could get a bunch of quality wins. It would really mean a lot to me to get this third title.”
Downes pinned No. 8 Zach Pettitt of Carthage in 1:17 in the quarterfinals Friday afternoon at MVP Arena.
He will face No. 4 Dominc Darch (St. Francis) in the semifinals, set to begin at 9:30 a.m. on Saturday.
Downes wasn’t always a household name. He lost in the blood round of the state tournament as a freshman, but that was a sign that he was making progress.
He broke through as a sophomore when he won the Division I state title at 170 pounds. He followed that up by claiming the Division II title at 190 pounds last year.
“Growing up, I wasn’t the best wrestler. I wasn’t the kid phenom that you see sometimes,” Downes said. “It took me a long time to start winning. I had a lot of people that wouldn’t pay attention to me when I was younger and now, I just want to prove to them that I’m here to stay.”
Bouncing between Division I and Division II can be challenging, but wrestling the top competition year-round certainly helps.
“I’ve wrestled the best kids in the country and I’ve wrestled some kids that weren’t so good, but I try to treat every match the same,” Downes said. “Otherwise, sometimes you get sidetracked and that’s how big upsets happen. So, Division I is definitely a little deeper, but it hasn’t really been much of a difference for me.”
Three LIers reach D-II semifinals
Long Island qualified 56 wrestlers for the Division II tournament. Only three will be looking to punch their ticket to the finals on Saturday.
No. 4 Justin D’Arce of Center Moriches defeated No. 12 Jayden Acomb (Ravena/Coeymans/Selkirk) by 14-8 decision in the 138-pound quarterfinals. He will face top-seeded Landyn Shaffer (Deposit/Hancock) Saturday morning.
Two top seeds from Shoreham-Wading River will also wrestle in the semifinals.
Two-time state champion Gavin Mangano defeated Miller Place’s Alex Southworth, 21-5, by technical fall in the 144-pound quarterfinals in a rematch of the Suffolk final. The junior Penn State commit will face No. 4 Evan Sheils of Lansing in the semifinals.
His teammate, Andrew Dolson, defeated No. 8 Brennon Egan (Broadalbin-Perth) by 5-0 decision in the 103-pound quarterfinals. Earlier in the day, he won a 4-2 decision over Mount Sinai’s Parker Menechino in a rematch of the Suffolk final.
Dolson a freshman, will face No. 4 Drew Telesky (Sherburne-Earlville) in the semifinals.
‘“I’m very excited to have one of my teammates in the semis with me,” Mangano said. “Andrew has to stay on his offense on his feet. He’s been doing that pretty well. He has to start turning kids on top, but he’s been wrestling really well.”
“He’s the top seed, but he won two tough matches today. They weren’t easy,” said Dolson’s father and Shoreham-Wading River assistant coach, Cory Dolson. “He got himself top-six placing, but the goal is to win the tournament.”
Mangano and Dolson each have work to do, but the dream of bringing home two gold medals remains alive.
Said Mangano: “It would be pretty awesome to have two state champions.”
Matt Lindsay is a high school sports reporter who joined Newsday in 2022 after graduating from Stony Brook University.
