BLASDELL, N.Y. — The 2022 Ilio DiPaolo Award winner was Dontae Hoose from Southwestern High School, but the evening awarding local wrestlers was about much more than the plaques and scholarships are given out at the former professional wrestler's namesake restaurant in Blasdell.
The scholarships' board of directors president Bud Carpenter was eager to present $2,000 to benefit the victims' of the Tops supermarket mass shooting on the east side of Buffalo on Saturday.
"Tonight is about honoring these young men but a bigger part tonight is honoring the families that have lost so much... We want to be there to help the families financially, spiritually," Carpenter said.
"That's what Western New York is about, that's what Ilio is about."
Bills offensive linemen Spencer Brown and Tommy Doyle made the trip to watch the first award from their former teammate, defensive tackle Harrison Phillips, the #97 award, given to Konrad Krzyston from Frontier High School.
Michael Schiffhauer from Iroquois Central High School won the Gary Castanza Award, Dakota Mascho from Portville Central won the "Destroyer" Wrestling Award, Travis Browning of Frontier Central won the Bill Hein Dedicated Wrestling Award, Carson Alberti from Depew won the Cauliflower Alley Club Award and Brian Bielec from Grand Island won the Knuutila Family Award.
