VanDyke Sets Tone For Athens In 39-21 Win Over Canton
By: Tim Birney / January 7, 2026 / Photo: Christina Kreykenbohm
ATHENS - Freshman Chace VanDyke set the tone early for Athens with a big come-from-behind win, and the Wildcats won five of the next six matches to top Canton, 39-21, here Tuesday night in NTL wrestling action.
VanDyke trailed Levi Vermilya 12-2 in the second period of their 107-pound bout, but scored an escape and a takedown in the final 30 seconds to close the gap to 12-6 heading into the final two minutes.
VanDyke scored three takedowns to tie the bout at 15-15, and added four near-fall points in the final takedown to pull out the win and give the Wildcats a 3-0 lead.
Read more match coverage on Valley Sports Report.
About the Author
Tim Birney
Tim Birney is the founder / owner of River Road Media Group. He was born and raised in the Valley, graduating from Waverly High School in 1984.
Birney earned an Associate's Degree in Journalism from SUNY Morrisville in 1986 and a Bachelor's Degree in Journalism / Public Relations from Utica College of Syracuse University in 1988. He began his newspaper career at The Daily Review in Towanda in 1989, before moving on to The Evening Times in 1995. He spent more than 10 years at the Times, the last four as Managing Editor.
River Road Media Group includes five sites in "The Sports Reports" family that cover 24 school districts in five counties: Valley Sports Report (launched Aug. 10, 2009), Tioga County (NY) Sports Report (Aug. 13, 2018), and Northern Tier Sports Report (Aug. 31, 2020); Northern Tier West Sports Report (March 15, 2021) Southern Tier Sports Report (Aug. 16, 2021).
