Who is Section V's all-time wrestler? VOTE in the poll sponsored by Faber Builders

It's time, as the old saying goes, to take one for the team.

USA Today Sports plans to choose, then celebrate the top athletes of all-time during the year that includes the 250th anniversary of the United States.

The Democrat and Chronicle has joined in, going down memory lane at the local level with high school sports. In the greater Rochester region of New York State, this means Section V.

Next up, is an attempt to choose the greatest wrestler in Section V history.

Wrestling fans, you've seen this before.

Instead of forfeiting a match at a dual meet, a wrestler is asked to take on an opponent with superior skills. Hang in there and avoid getting pinned.

No list of the greatest wrestlers in Section V history will earn universal approval.

This is just about impossible, like the wrestler being asked to take on the superior opponent going out and pinning the All-American.

A much smaller list must be made.

➤Jump straight to the poll

This triggers feedback, and this is OK. In this case, we invite your lists, thoughts and even - so long as there some education mixed in - criticism.

How would you reshape this list below of the greatest wrestlers in Section V history? And who is your choice for the greatest of them all? You can add your write-in vote in our poll.

Armdrag.com is library-like, and very useful.

Clayton Barnard, Hilton

The Hilton Cadets are one of the best wrestling teams in Section V, year-in and year-out. A program at that level needs a building block. Barnard was that block, according to former Hilton coach Chuck Partridge.

"Any respect we had as a team started in the 1970s and Clayton was instrumental," Partridge told the Democrat and Chronicle in 1997. "He was the guy who made people come out for wrestling."

Barnard was the first Section V champion at Hilton. The Hilton-chapter National Honor Society president, who graduated from high school in 1973, was the first member of the wrestling team to advance to the state championships.

The three-time Division III All-American at Ashland College (Ohio) was 24 years old in 1978, when leukemia took his life.

Kyle Borshoff, Pittsford

Won a state championship in 2006, and was inducted into the Section 5 Wrestling Hall of Fame in 2019. He won four Section V class titles while with the Panthers, then became a Division I All-American at American University (Washington, D.C.).

Last July, Borshoff stepped away from the Binghamton University head coach position after eight years.

Don Carlo-Clauss, Greece Olympia

You can still see spectators leaning forward in high school bleachers to watch Carlo-Clauss wrestle in a tournament final or semifinal. Would Carlo-Clauss come from behind to win by a point again?

The answer was always yes, during the 1996-97 and 1997-98 seasons when Carlo-Clauss won state titles.

Trevor Chinn, Canandaigua

A two-time state champion, who came home with the titles in 2003 and 2004. He wrestled in three state final bouts, in all, after qualifying for the state meet five times.

As a senior, Chinn was nationally-ranked by Wrestling USA Magazine and became Canandaigua's all-time leader in wins. Chinn went on to wrestle at Lehigh University (Pa.). He entered the Section 5 Wrestling Hall of Fame in 2016.

Frank DeAngelis, Spencerport

You know someone fits the description of a dominant wrestler when it was said that opponents feared this wrestler with the Spencerport Rangers.

DeAngelis was a state champion in 1974 and 1975. It was on to University of Oklahoma where he made to the final round of the NCAA Division I Championships. He was inducted into the Section 5 Wrestling Hall of Fame in 1996.

Lou DePrez, Hilton

Admittedly, it can slip your mind that DePrez, a 2017 Hilton graduate, won three state titles. One reason was that DePrez, a Democrat and Chronicle All-Greater Rochester co-wrestler of the year in 2017, was far from the type of person who made sure to draw attention to himself as he won and advanced. DePrez just advanced.

When you did pay attention to DePrez, who won all 49 of his matches during his senior year season, he looked good, better than most, as he advanced. Binghamton University coaches thought so and watched him advance to the NCAA Division I Championships. You can get this former nationally-ranked upper weight wrestler's spot in the Section 5 Wrestling Hall of Fame ready.

Greg Diakomihalis, Hilton

Imagine following in the footsteps of an older brother who is highly talented, highly accomplished, highly respected and very popular. And then have people in the intense sport of wrestling, watching to see if you resemble Yianni Diakomihalis from the way you take instructions from the varsity coach to your reaction to having a hand raised after a victory.

Greg Diakomihalis can let you know. And he can also tell you how to successfully handle all of that attention. Highly talented and accomplished? Yes, no wrestler in Section V has won five state titles like Greg Diakomihalis did from 2016-2020. His varsity record was 194-2, with both losses coming while in middle school. He was 55-0 as a senior. Very popular and respected? As Diakomihalis made his way back from a knee injury during his senior year, Section V granted him a waiver for the minimum number of matches needed to compete in the high school postseason. Cornell University coaches thought Greg Diakomihalis would make a fine teammate of older brother Yianni.

Yianni Diakomihalis, Hilton

There will be at least one vote for the greatest wrestler in Section V history for the oldest of the Diakomihalis brothers. During his early days with the Hilton varsity, you could watch Diakomihalis goof around with teammates in the bleachers during tournaments, wrestle like he was a senior in high school and go back to safely flinging paper wads at teammates, all without annoying one, including his opponents on mats.

As Diakomihalis matured, he won two cadet world freestyle titles, four state titles, a then state record 210 consecutive matches, 243 out of 246 varsity matches and four AGR Wrestler of the Year distinctions. Elbow injuries ended his high school wrestling days at Hilton, before he won three NCAA Championships at Cornell University.

"It's pretty depressing," three-time state champion and former standout at Alexander Dane Heberlein said in 2017, during Diakomihalis' senior year of high school. "It's always fun to watch him. Every time you watch him or drill with him, it's a different feel. He's really good.

"I think he's wrestled so much, that he knows more positions than a lot of coaches."

Ernie DiBella, Pittsford

DiBella, in 1969, became the first wrestler from a school in Section V to win a state championship. He placed third the year before.

Years later, DiBella began a 37-year career as an administrator and teacher in the Pittsford School District. He was selected for entry into the Section 5 Wrestling Hall of Fame in 1997. DiBella, who at one time was an assistant wrestling coach at SUNY Brockport, was 73 years old when he died in November 2023.

Alex Ekstrom, Palmyra-Macedon

The first wrestler in Section V wrestling history to win four state titles, a feat he accomplished from 2006-09. Ekstrom won 226 varsity matches and a junior national title before heading to University of Oklahoma on scholarship.

There was an appreciation for Ekstrom's and Paddock's decision in 2009 to remain in the same weight class and wrestle against each other. Ekstrom is a member of the great, perhaps the best, 2025 Section 5 Wrestling Hall of Fame induction class.

Troy Forte, Pittsford

Yes, Troy Forte and other wrestlers on this list had more opportunities to wrestle in high school matches than athletes in the sport during previous decades. But a wrestler still has to go on to mats and defeat an opponent who understands wrestling is a physical sport.

And Forte's 236 wins once was a state record. He was a three-time high school All-American and finished in the top three in his weight class at the state championships three times. Forte won a state title in 2001.

Lou Fusilli, Madison

During the 1950s in Section V, the wrestling season stopped after the completion of the Section V Championships. Teams were separated into one of two classifications during Fusilli's time of success.

Fusilli was the 175-pound Section V champion in Class A in 1953, 1954 and 1955. He entered the Section 5 Wrestling Hall of Fame in 1996.

Moses Gilbert, Madison

His days in the spotlight while on the mat was in the 1950s. That's when the Section V Wrestling Championship meets were the grand finales of seasons. The first New York State Public High School Athletic Association state championship meet was in 1963.

Gilbert was the Section V Class A champion at 127 pounds in 1955 and in Class AA in 1956, after winning the Class A titles at 120 in 1954 and at 112 in 1953. He was inducted into the Section 5 Wrestling Hall of Fame in 1994.

Gregor Gillespie, Webster Schroeder

Gillespie, who graduated from Webster Schroeder in 2005, is a member of the first Webster Athletic Hall of Fame class inducted in January of this year. The Section 5 Wrestling Hall of Fame brought him in 2018.

A two-time state champion, Gillespie went to the top step of the awards podium at states in 2003 and 2005. He finished in the top six at the state championships four times, before wrestling at Edinboro University. There in Pennsylvania, Gillespie won a NCAA Division I championship and became a four-time All-American.

Frankie Gissendanner, Penfield

Gissendanner, like Hilton graduate Lou DePrez, appears pointed toward the Section 5 Wrestling Hall of Fame.

The Penfield middleweight was a four-time state champion, taking his titles from 2015-18. The Penfield middleweight became the first wrestler to win his weight class at SuperSectionals, Section V's state meet qualifier, six times. Nationally ranked, Gissendanner was undefeated during his senior year season, giving him a 267-11 varsity record. He certainly was a prospect to wrestle with a NCAA Division I team.

Sirrell Gissendanner, Spencerport

A strong and fast Spencerport Ranger, Gissendanner placed third at the 1992 state championships. The next year, Gissendanner was a state champion after winning a weight class final that went into overtime, 12-10.

Iowa State welcomed Gissendanner onto its NCAA Division I team after graduation from Spencerport. Bobby Douglas, the wrestling coach at Iowa State then, said in 1995 that he never saw Sirrell Gissendanner wrestle for Spencerport.

"He came highly recommended from several sources," Douglas said. "That was good enough for me."

Gissendanner went into the Section 5 Wrestling Hall of Fame in 2003.

Dane Heberlein, Alexander

A standout at Alexander, Heberlein had two older brothers, about three to six years up in age than him.

"That contributed to me . . . being fearless," Heberlein told the Democrat and Chronicle in 2017, as a wrestler at Binghamton University. "I guess some of it (treatment from his older brothers) was to be mean, but looking back on it, it contributed to my success."

Heberlein never lost a match in Section V after the eighth grade. Overall, he won 258 matches and lost 13 on his way to winning Division II or small schools state titles at 99 pounds in 2014, at 120 in 2016 and at 132 in 2017. The Democrat and Chronicle named him the All-Greater Rochester Division II Wrestler of the Year three times.

Marty King, Canandaigua

Not only was King the all-time wrestling wins leader at Canandaigua for a time, a notable accomplishment, but in Section V history with 168.

King wrestled his way to five state meets, the first in Section V history to make that happen. He won state titles in 1983 and 1984. Induction into the Section 5 Wrestling Hall of Fame came in 1998.

Carmon Molino, Wayne

Lightweight wrestler who excelled in Section V during the mid-1950s. In those days, the area high school wrestling season ended with the Section V Championships, where teams and wrestlers were separated into one of two or three classifications or groups.

Molino was a Section V finalist four times, winning the Class B title at 127 pounds in 1953. He went on to a college career that led to his induction into the Cornell University Hall of Fame. A member of three United States world teams, Molino was inducted in the Section 5 Wrestling Hall of Fame in 1995. In 2002, the New York upstate chapter of the National Wrestling Hall of Fame recognized Molino's lifetime of service to wrestling.

Quinton Murphy, Holley

At one time Murphy, a lightweight at Holley, was the all-time wins leader in the state with 302. In 2012, his senior year in high school, Murphy won his fourth state title with a 59-0 season record.

Twice, Murphy was named a Democrat and Chronicle All-Greater Rochester Division II co-Wrestler of the Year. A high school All-American, Murphy was recruited and committed to wrestle at Indiana University.

Chris Nevinger, Letchworth

Powerhouse out of the Livingston County league was named a Democrat and Chronicle All-Greater Rochester Division II co-Wrestler of the Year in 2011 and 2012.

The three-time state champion won 51 matches in 2012, the third consecutive year he won all of his bouts. Winning his final 143 matches gave him a high school varsity record of 260-24. He was recruited and signed by University at Buffalo.

Anthony Noto, Honeoye Falls-Lima

A four-time state champion, who took Division II or small school titles beginning in 2017. He was also named an outstanding wrestler at the 2019 and 2020 state championships.

Noto was the Democrat and Chronicle All-Greater Rochester Division II Wrestler of the Year in 2018, 2019 and 2020, his final years at HF-L. His record as a senior was 41-1 and 174-6 as a varsity wrestler. "My hard work and dedication to the sport of wrestling has allowed me to be an example to my school and community," Noto said in 2020, after he committed to wrestle at Division I North Carolina State. He later transferred and built his college career at Division II Lock Haven in Pennsylvania.

Christopher Noto, Honeoye Falls-Lima

Another wrestler who followed a highly successful brother to the top step of the awards podium at the state championships. Noto made it look easy.

By the end of Noto's time at HF-L in 2026, he won two state titles. The 2025 and 2026 Democrat and Chronicle All-Greater Rochester Division II Wrestler of the Year put together a 47-2 record in his senior year season.

"It's special and just a pretty amazing feeling because you train so hard and then it comes true, your dream," Noto said after the 2026 state championships.

Ian Paddock, Warsaw

Paddock did a lot of winning in general, and wrestled a lot at the state championships. Another true powerhouse from the Livingston County league, Paddock advanced to the state meet five times. He won state titles in 2005, 2007 and 2008.

In 2009, Paddock and Alex Ekstrom at Palmyra-Macedon, another wrestler on this all-time Section V greats list, earned a bit of admiration and respect for their decisions to wrestle in the same weight class. Paddock lost in that year's Division II state 135-pound final to Ekstrom. The all-time great at Warsaw won 268 bouts in six seasons before wrestling at Ohio State.

Neal Pipe, Corning Free Academy

A powerful wrestler at the upper weights during the early 1960s, when Corning Free Academy competed in Section V. This star from the Southern Tier won three Section V Class A championships from 1961-63, twice at 180 pounds and the first at 165. He was inducted into the Section 5 Wrestling Hall of Fame in 2016.

Rich Salamone, McQuaid

A 1976 McQuaid graduate, who was a member of the school's first athletic hall of fame class. The lightweight wrestler was a state champion at 91 pounds during final high school season.

Salamone later became a United States freestyle champion seven times and was an alternate for three Olympic teams. He went into the Section 5 Wrestling Hall of Fame in 2003.

Don St. James, Rush-Henrietta

The Georgia chapter of the National Wrestling Hall of Fame recognized St. James' lifetime service to wrestling, including his achievements in Section V at Rush-Henrietta Sperry and 32 years as a coach.

On the mat, the 1978 Rush-Henrietta Sperry graduate, a lightweight, reached two state finals at 105 and 119 pounds. He also finished third once. St. James was named an outstanding wrestler at the 1978 SuperSectionals, Section V's state qualifier, after winning the 119-pound Section V Class AAA and Monroe County league titles earlier that season. He took the Section V Class AAA and Monroe 105 titles the year before. Inducted into the Section 5 Wrestling Hall of Fame in 2003.

Dominick Vistocco, Geneva

Lightweight wrestler never lost a match while in high school. The "Tiger" won Section V weight-class titles in Class A (three) and Class B from 1950-53 at four different weights: 95, 103, 112 and 120 pounds. Sectionals were the season final meets during this era.

Vistocco went on to become captain of the team at Ithaca. The Geneva High Sports Hall of Fame member was inducted into the Section 5 Wrestling Hall of Fame in 2008.

Ron Winnie, Spencerport

Winnie was super in the 1970s, helping to build the legacy of the Spencerport Rangers. His triumphs as a lightweight include the Section V Class AAA titles at 119 and 126 pounds, plus Monroe County titles in 1975 and 1977. He is in three halls of fame, including the NCAA Division III.

Winnie went on to win two national championships and become a three-time All-American 150-pounder at SUNY Brockport, where he was inducted into the school's Hall of Fame in 1996. He is a member of the 2002 Section 5 Wrestling Hall of Fame induction class.

James Johnson, who grew up in the city of Rochester, has worked as a full-time journalist covering high school sports for the Democrat and Chronicle since 1996. His career began as an intern during the summer of 1990, before the start of his senior year at Edison in the Rochester City School District. He has become a two-time winner of the Rochester Press-Radio Club's Sports Media Excellence Award.

The Upstate New York Chapter of the National Wrestling Hall of Fame presented Johnson its 2023 Stanbro Media Award. He was the recipient of Section V wrestling's award for "outstanding service" to the sport in 2012.

This article originally appeared on Rochester Democrat and Chronicle: Vote for Section V's greatest wrestler of all time