HIGH SCHOOLS PREVIEW Nassau Puts Moves on Suffolk Long Beach appears best in Nassau; Longwood in Suffolk:

By Gregg Sarra. Newsday, Combined editions; Long Island, N.Y. [Long Island, N.Y]. 03 Dec 1989

In Suffolk, Longwood is the slight favorite for a team title, with Huntington and Sachem offering the stiffest challenges. Longwood returns Duvall Coleman (138), Chris Conway (119) and Steve Ketcham at 112. Huntington will look to Kenny Johnson (132), Rahsaan Johnson (112) and Lance Allen (91), while Sachem has Braden Potvin (105), Tim Godoy (138) and Hector Bruno (167).

Sprig Gardner Tournament at East Hampton High School

91 – Heaney (WH) pinned Biondo (EH), 1:28; 98 – Buonagurio (Con) dec. Missale (L), 12-2; 105 – Farkas (L) dec. Lowery (W), 4-3; 112 – Michalski (Con) dec. Rawiszer (EH), 7-4; 119 – C. Conway (L) dec. McGinnis (W), 13-2; 126 – D. Conway (L) def. Scaramell (Con) by tech. fall, 22-6; 132 – Camisa (L) dec. Lizzol (L), 3-2; 138 – Polina (Com) dec. Fickenwirth (W), 8-5; 145 – Abdul-Rasheen (L) dec. Lassen (Con), 10-0; 155 – Woodly (L) won by default over Gianni (L); 167 – K. McCoy (L) won by default over Dean (Con); 177 – Hall (L) def. McGowin (EH) by tech. fall, 17-2. 215 – Barnes (L) dec. Walker, 6-3. Team scores: Longwood 210, Connetquot 136, Westhampton 109, East Hampton 79 1/2, Commack 61, Greenport/Southold 14. Outstanding wrestler: David Conway (Longwood). Dec. 10

Longwood 48, East Hampton 6

98 – Missale (L) pinned Coyle, 3:21. 105 – Azdoulas (L) dec. D’Andrea, 4-0. 112 – Cramer (L) pinned Rawiscer, 3:11. 119 – Lange (L) dec. Schaefer, 10-7. 126 – Camisa (L) def. Tarbet, tech. fall, 3:58. 132 – Swanson (EH) dec. Thompson, 6-5. 138 – Burke (L) dec. Castillo, 10-3. 145 – Gradney (L) pinned Stedman, :57. 155 – Gianni (L) dec. F. Hammer, 7-1. 167 – Renck (L) pinned Murray, 1:39. 177 – McGowin (EH) dec. McCoy, 5-2. Hvy – Rakoczy (L) pinned Peters, 3:58. Jan. 7

Longwood 52, Ward Melville 3

98 – Farkas (L) pinned Antonelli, 3:29. 105 – Ketcham (L) dec. Banks, 9-4. 112 – Kramer (L) pinned Classie, 3:24. 119 – C. Conway (L) pinned Andersen, 3:27. 126 – D. Conway (L) dec. Bellissimo, 13-4. 132 – Lizzol (L) dec. Latsko, 15-1. 138 – Rasheed (L) pinned Goldie, 3:40. 145 – Woodley (L) dec. Kupinsky, 2-1. 155 – Gianni (L) dec. Bacastow, 9-4. 167 – Williamson (L) dec. Timinaro, 3-2. 177 – McCoy (L) pinned Resch, 3:57. Hvy – Thompson (WM) dec. Barnes, 4-3. Jan. 13

Longwood 40, Connetquot 10

98 – Buonagurio (C) dec. Farkas, 8-0. 112 – Kramer (L) pinned Michalski, 3:35. 119 – Conway (L) dec. With, 12-3. 126 – Camisa (L) dec. Scaramel, 15-2. 132 – Lizzol (L) dec. Delamater, 4-0. 138 – Burke (L) dec. Gambino, 12-0. 145 – Woodly (L) dec. Lassen, 7-2. 155 – Ring (C) dec. Gianni, 9-4. 167 – Dean (C) dec. Williamson, 6-4. 177 – Hall (L) dec. Amarando, 14-3. Hvy – Barnes (L) dec. McLaughlin, 8-0. Forfeits by: Connetquot (105). Jan. 20

Rocky Gilmore Tournament
January 20, 1990 at East Islip
Team Scores
1. Longwood-261.5
2. Amityville-146
3. Riverhead-99
4. Bay Shore-45.5
5. East Islip-40-
6. Mattituck-28.
MOW: Jason Burke (Longwood, 138)
Most Pins, Least Time: Charlton Woodley (Longwood, 145), 2 pins in 1:41
Championship Finals:
  91 – LeRoy Ford (Amity) dec. Craig Haynes (Lwd), 12-5
  98 – Tom Chapman (SWR) pinned Eric Farkas (Lwd), 2:41
105 – Steve Ketcham (Lwd) tech. fall Quinn Funn (Riv), 3:42 (16-0)
112 – Chris Conway (Lwd) tech. fall Paul Hatcher (Amity), 5:59 (17-1)
119 – Lee Isabel (Amity) dec. Joe Bendel (Riv), 3-2
126 – Dave Conway (Lwd) major dec. Mark Chapman (Riv), 16-6
132 – Ray Lizzol (Lwd) dec. Steven Kraft (BS), 8-3
138 – Jason Burke (Lwd) dec. Ismail Rasheed (Lwd), 3-2
145 – Charlton Woodley (Lwd) pinned Rob Chester (Amity), 1:19
155 – John Gianni (Lwd) dec. Brian Franke (Amity), 5-1
167 – Joe Malchuski (BS) pinned Kerry McCoy (Lwd), 5:17
177 – Nick Hall (Lwd) pinned Wally Valle (Amity), 0:56
215 – Brian Barnes (Lwd) pinned Dan Pollack (Amity), 3:47
250 – not contested
3rd/4th Place Consolation Finals
  91 – Lou Sacco (EI) won by default over Shane Daniels (Riv)
  98 – Lenwirth (Amity) dec. Chris Farrell (Riv), 7-4
105 – Hershel Walters (Amity) dec. Larry Eisworth (EI), 7-2
112 – Steve Garcia (BS) major dec. Jim Schober (EI), 9-1
119 – Bill Kramer (Lwd) tech. fall Chuck Bell (Mattituck), 2:45 (15-0)
126 – Noah Malewicz (Amity) major dec. Mike Ulloa (EI), 11-3
132 – Mullin (Amity) dec. Dan Brown (Riv), 7-5
138 – Joe Canfora (EI) dec. Steve Sillipo (BS), 4-2
145 – James Abel (EI) won by default over Shaun Hopke (Riv)
155 – Matt Stevenson (EI) dec. Ben Goodale (Riv), 9-2
167 – Bill Shipman (Mattituck) dec. Mike Milton (Amity), 9-2
177 – John McDonald (Riv) dec. Jamie Clarke (EI), 12-6
215 – Joe Mitchell (Mattituck) dec. Luke Rakcozy (Lwd), 1-0
250 – not contested

Longwood Wrestlers Trip Sachem Heavyweight draw clinches 24-22 win before big crowd:

By Michael Dobie. Newsday, Combined editions; Long Island, N.Y. [Long Island, N.Y]. 01 Feb 1990: 121. 

It is the nature of being a heavyweight – when the meet is close, it always comes down to you. Such was the case at last night’s League I showdown between Longwood and Sachem. After 11 matches, homestanding Longwood held a 22-20 lead when Brian Barnes and Sachem’s Jim Leach stepped onto the mat. All Barnes needed was a draw for a Longwood win. The two heavyweights traded escapes, and six minutes later, Barnes had a 1-1 draw and Longwood a stirring 24-22 win.

“To go out a winner against a powerhouse like Sachem is just great,” said Barnes, a senior. Barnes acknowledged the pressure of always wrestling the last match but said the easiest way to cope is winning. “When something happens like what happened here, it’s great,” he said. “It all depends on how tough the opponent is. Someone like Jim Leach gets you nervous.”

There were plenty of anxious moments throughout the meet for the overflow crowd of 2,300, announced as the largest dual-meet crowd in Suffolk history. “It was the type of dual,” Sachem coach Jack Mahoney said, “where you couldn’t predict anything – who was going to win, who was not going to win. I thought all the kids wrestled really well.”

Eric Farkas’ opening pin of John Giordano was offset by a pair of decisions that went to Sachem. Ralph Menechino (105) decisioned Steve Ketcham, 6-3, and John Jaeger (112) upset Chris Conway, 7-4.

Both Ketcham and Conway dropped down in class and had trouble with the quick weight loss. “I thought the lineup would be tougher that way,” Longwood coach Mike Picozzi said. “It almost hurt us but it came out okay in the long run.”

Longwood (10-0, 4-0) got a big lift in the next match when David Conway fought off the lingering effects of a groin injury to score a stunning 8-7 win over Armando Pulido on a reversal with one second left.

“I looked up at my girlfriend and she said, ‘Get up,’ ” Conway said. “I was going for the tie but I caught him with a lap whip and got my two points. She got me going, I owe it to her.”

Sachem (8-2, 3-1) scored on decisions by Mike Calabria (126) and Tim Godoy (138) and a major decision by Hector Bruno at 167. But Longwood’s Ishmail Rasheed scored a major decision at 145 and Nick Hall produced a superior decision, 20-8, at 177, which set the stage for the climactic heavyweight match.

“This is the best feeling I’ve ever had,” David Conway said. “This is the sweetest.”

“I can’t explain it,” Rasheed said. “It’s like I want to cry and laugh at the same time.”

Longwood’s win continued the trend this rivalry has produced recently – the teams have alternated wins over the past four years.

Longwood 24, Sachem 22

98 – Farkas (L) pinned Giordano, 1:00. 105 – Menechino (S) dec. Ketcham, 3-0. 112 – Jaeger (S) dec. C. Conway, 13-8. 119 – D. Conway (L) dec. Pulido, 8-7. 126 – Calabria (S) dec. Camisa, 7-4. 132 – Lizzol (L), Phillips (S) drew, 4-4. 138 – Godoy (S) dec. Burke, 6-4. 145 – Rasheed (L) dec. Burns, 13-5. 155 – Woodly (L), Kraft (S) drew, 8-8. 167 – Bruno (S) dec. McKoy, 9-0. 177 – Hall (L) dec. Aebly, 20-8. Hvy – Barnes (L), Leach (S) drew, 1-1.

Longwood 42, Centereach 16

91 – Naynes (L) drew with Matias (C), 1-1. 98 – Farkas (L) drew with Damboise (C), 2-2. 105 – Rossa (C) dec. Avduolos, 9-4. 112 – Kramer (L) dec. Paoson, 10-2. 119 – C. Conway (L) dec. Todaro, 3-2. 126 – Kielbasa (C) pinned Camisa, 5:26. 132 – Lizzo (L) dec. Scally, 11-0. 138 – Burke (L) pinned Furer, 4:30. 145 – Friedman (C) dec. Gradney, 3-1. 155 – Gianni (L) pinned Carey, 2:15. 167 – McCoy (L) pinned Beuchamp, 5:11. 177 – Williamson (L) dec. Hughes, 5-2. Hvy – Hall (L) def. Sweatt by tech. fall, 3:47 Feb. 4

Longwood 54, Brentwood 3

112 – Ketcham (L) def. Flores, by tech. fall, 5:20. 119 – Lang (L) def. Donaldson, by tech. fall, 4:31. 126 – Camisa (L) dec. Salanitri, 5-1. 132 – Lizzul (L) dec. Kvetor, 7-1. 138 – Burke (L) def. Yovino, by tech. fall, 5:42. 145 – Gradney (L) dec. Scavone, 7-5. 155 – Coleman (B) dec. Woodley, 7-4. 167 – McCoy (L) dec. Simon, 5-2. Forfeits by: Brentwood (98, 105, 177, Hvy). Feb. 9

Sachem, Patchogue-Medford and Longwood qualified 45 of the 56 wrestlers who advanced to today’s semifinals of the League I tournament at Sachem. At 119 unseeded Brian Hamilton of Sachem upset Connetquot’s Frank Thristino (second seed) with a pin in 4:52. At 167, Ward Melville’s unseeded John Timpinaro, beat Patchogue-Medford’s second-seeded John Schlosser, 5-2, in a preliminary match. Feb. 17

Suffolk League 1 Tournament at Sachem
February 16-17, 1990
Team Scores
1. Sachem 333
2. Longwood 224.5
3. Patchogue-Medford 208.5
4. Connetquot 78
5. William Floyd 54.5
6. Ward Melville 32
7. Brentwood 14.5
Championship Finals
  91 – John Giordano (Sachem) dec. Dan Beckerman (Sachem), 5-1
  98 – Mike Buonagurio (Connetquot) sd. Todd Strychalsky (Patchogue-Medford), 15-2
105 – Keith Strychalsky (Patchogue-Medford) dec. Braden Potvin (Sachem), 6-4
112 – Chris Conway (Longwood) dec. Bob Stetter (Patchogue-Medford), 6-2
119 – Dave Isselbacher (Patchogue-Medford) dec. Armando Pulido (Sachem), 9-8
126 – David Conway (Longwood) dec. Mike Calabria (Sachem), 6-2
132 – Joe Schultz (Patchogue-Medford) dec. John Phillips (Sachem), 4-2
138 – Jason Burke (Longwood) dec. Tim Godoy (Sachem), 6-4
145 – Chris Davis (Sachem) dec. Larry Burns (Sachem), 6-3
155 – Charleton Woodley (Longwood) dec. John Gianni (Longwood), 6-2
167 – Hector Bruno (Sachem) dec. Saen McLaughlin (William Floyd), 6-3
177 – Nick Hall (Longwood) dec. Steve Thompson (Ward Melville), 4-3
215 – Jim Leech (Sachem) Brian Barnes (Longwood), 1-0
250 – Ken Wilson (Sachem) dec. Vic Laderia (William Floyd), 9-8
Most Outstanding Wrestler: Chris Davis (Sachem, 145)
Most Pins Least Time: Jason Burke (Longwood, 138), 3 pins in 8:08
Consolation Finals
  91 – Craig Haynes (Longwood) dec. Maser (Patchogue-Medford), 7-3
  98 – Tony Bianco (Patchogue-Medford) dec. Eric Farkas (Longwood), 5-0
105 – Ralph Menechino (Sachem) md. Anthony Nobre (Patchogue-Medford), 9-1
112 – Bill Krammer (Longwood) dec. John Jaeger (Sachem), 4-3
119 – Dennis Dragos (William Floyd) md. B. Hamilton (Sachem), 13-3
126 – Rich DeChiaro (Patchogue-Medford) md. Chris Maxwell (Sachem), 17-6
132 – Raymond Lizzol (Longwood) dec. Delamater (Connetquot), 2-1
138 – Bob Salas (Patchogue-Medford) dec. Gambino (Connetquot), 6-0
145 – Ed Ruland (Patchogue-Medford) dec. Rasheed (Longwood), 2-0
155 – Jason Kraft (Sachem) dec. Ring (Connetquot), 11-9
167 – Adam Bush (Patchogue-Medford) pinned John Aebly (Sachem), 4:39
177 – Craig Amarando (Connetquot) pinned Bob Gerardi (Sachem), 4:35
215 – Luke Rakcozy (Longwood) def. ?, by FFT
250 – Jeff McAndrew (Sachem) dec. Jemal Taylor (Brentwood), 7-4

Longwood Wins First Suffolk Title:

By Gregg Sarra. Newsday, Combined editions; Long Island, N.Y. [Long Island, N.Y]. 25 Feb 1990

Longwood coach Mike Picozzi calls 177-pound Nick Hall the backbone of his team. He also calls him its leader. Inspired by the opportunity to win a county championship and earn his school its first Suffolk County team championship, Picozzi’s designated team leader used an arm drag and a third-period takedown to bring home the team title with a 5-2 victory over Ward Melville’s Steve Thompson last night at Longwood High School. Longwood edged Sachem, 205-202, before a capacity crowd of 2,200.

“If I could pick the guy I wanted out there in that situation it would be Nick,” Picozzi said. “He’s the experienced one.” For Thompson (32-1) the pressure was intense. He found himself wrestling not just for his own following but for all the Sachem faithful that needed him to pull out a victory to secure a second consecutive county title.

“He really came after me but I had to do it for the team, not myself,” said Hall (26-0). “They don’t mean to put the pressure on you but believe me they do.”

Longwood was ripe for the county title when three of its finalists rose above the championship pressure to capture crowns. All three were underclassmen.

With his team trailing 198-191, Longwood’s Chris Conway (112) earned six team points with a pin at 2:49 over Sandy Lipkins of Half Hollow Hills East.

“I went out to set the stage and I didn’t worry about the team title,” said Conway, who weighed in at 115 but weighed 132 before the match. “I knew our guys would take care of that.”

Armando Pulido (119), the tournament’s outstanding wrestler, pulled Sachem ahead 202-196 with a late third-period flurry to wipe out a 4-1 deficit and decision Centereach’s Angelo Todaro, 6-5.

“I knew we needed two more champions,” said Picozzi.

And he got them.

Junior Jason Burke (138), who met top seed and undefeated Pat Kennedy of Islip, erased a 5-4 deficit with 24 seconds left with an ankle pick for a two-point takedown and a 6-5 victory.

“I was nervous but I didn’t want to lose my composure,” said Burke, the third Longwood junior who won a championship. “I knew I had time to pull it out so I kept the pressure on him.”

“It was a very tight match. I was up and down in my seat,” Picozzi said.

Defending champion Mike Buonagurio (98) finished the season with a 31-0 record and allowed only one point on his way to his second consecutive county title with a pin in 2:43 over Tom Chapman of Riverhead. Buonagurio will represent Connetquot, which sends a titlist to the state championships for the seventh consecutive year.

Patchogue-Medford’s Keith Strychalsky (105) defended his title with a 3-1 decision over Sachem’s Ralph Menechino. The victory completed a 30-0 season for Strychalsky.

Suffolk County – Section XI Public High School Wrestling Tournament 
Walt Whitman High School, Huntington Station, NY 
February 23-24, 1990Team Score

Longwood	205.0		Riverhead	22.0
Sachem	202.0		East Islip	16.5
Patchogue-Medford	91.5		Copiague	14.0
Centereach	81.5		Westhampton Beach	14.0
Smithtown East	81.0		North Babylon	9.0
Amityville	73.0		Smithtown West	8.0
Huntington	71.0		West Babylon	8.0
Newfield	67.5		Comsewogue	4.0
Half Hollow Hills East	67.0		East Hampton	4.0
Bellport	61.0		Mattituck	4.0
Hauppauge	59.0		Port Jefferson	4.0
Lindenhurst	58.0		William Floyd	4.0
Walt Whitman	52.5		Sayville	3.0
Babylon	52.0		Central Islip	2.0
Connetquot	50.0		Deer Park	2.0
Islip	44.5		Miller Place	2.0
Kings Park	42.5		Brentwood	0.0
Half Hollow Hills West	38.0		Commack	0.0
Shoreham-Wading River	34.0		Greenport/Southold	0.0
Rocky Point	33.0		John Glenn	0.0
Bayport-Blue Point	31.0		Hampton Bays/Southampton	0.0
Wyandanch	27.0		Harborfields	0.0
Ward Melville	26.0		Northport	0.0
Bay Shore	25.0		Stony Brook	0.0
West Islip	24.0

Brackets: Division 1 Brackets (pdf) 

Championship Finals
91 – Dave Bracero (Newfield) dec. Lenny Fries (Lindenhurst), 4-2 
98 – Mike Buonagurio (Connetquot, Sr.) pinned Tom Chapman (Riverhead), 2:43 
105 – Keith Strychalsky (Patchogue-Medford) dec. Ralph Menchino (Sachem), 3-1 
112 – Chris Conway (Longwood) pinned Sandy Lipkins (Half Hollow Hills West), 2:49 
119 – Armondo Pulido (Sachem) dec. Angel Todaro (Centereach), 6-5 
126 – Demond Betts (Walt Whitman) dec. Sean Kiernan (Newfield), 7-1 
132 – Ken Johnson (Huntington, Sr.) pinned John Ferraro (Islip), 5:57 
138 – Jason Burke (Longwood) dec. Pat Kennedy (Islip), 6-5 
145 – Rob Chester (Amityville) dec. Chris Davis (Sachem), 5-1 
155 – Mike Murtha (Bellport) dec. John Gianni (Longwood), 10-4 
167 – Joe Malchuski (Bay Shore, Sr.) dec. Jason Dove (Hauppauge), 6-1 
177 – Nick Hall (Longwood) dec. Steve Thompson (Ward Melville), 5-2 
215 – Bill Neuss (Bellport) dec. Joe Montaldo (Smithtown East), 4-3 
250 – Sean McLaughlin (Babylon) dec. William Crawford (Wyandanch, Sr.), 6-4 OT; 4-4 regulation; criteria 

Lonnie Kittle Most Outstanding Wrestler: Armando Pulido (Sachem, 119) 
Most Pins Least Time: Dan Pollack (Amityville, 215), 3 in 7:51 

Consolation Finals 3^rd/4^th
91 – Lance Allen (Huntington, Sr.) dec. Leroy Ford (Amityville), 4-3 
98 – Ken Leverich (Smithtown East) pinned Poung Hoang (Smithtown East), 2:44 
105 – Braden Potvin (Sachem) maj dec. Brian Betancourt (Smithtown East), 9-1 
112 – Bill Kramer (Longwood) dec. Steve Hughes (Centereach), 6-3 
119 – David Isselbacher (Patchogue-Medford) dec. Chris Papa (Half Hollow Hills East), 5-4 
126 – David Conway (Longwood) dec. Joe Welz (Hauppauge), 11-6 
132 – John Phillips (Sachem) dec. Ray Lizzol (Longwood), 2-1 
138 – Tim Godoy (Longwood) dec. Ryan McGovern (Bayport-Blue Point), 10-5 
145 – Mike McGuiness (Walt Whitman) dec. Orlando Rivera (Copiague), 8-3 
155 – Charlton Woodley (Longwood) def. Matt Stevenson (East Islip, Sr.), default 
167 – Jim Power (Shoreham-Wading River) dec. Hector Bruno (Sachem), 7-2 
177 – Chris Aliani (Lindenhurst) dec. Craig Amarando (Connetquot, Jr.), criteria 
215 – Dan Pollack (Amityville) dec. Jim Leach (Sachem), 3-2 
250 – Ken Wilson (Sachem) pinned Jason Cohen (West Islip), 3:17 

Consolation Finals 5^th/6^th
91 – Mark Cope (Newfield) dec. Christian Dollard (Shoreham-Wading River), 1-0 
98 – Tony Bianco (Patchogue-Medford) dec. Pat Damboise (Centereach), 2-1 OT 
105 – Tom Golembeski (Babylon) dec. Jose Cavaro (Kings Park), 8-7 
112 – Brian McGinnis (Westhampton Beach, Jr.) dec. Anthony Spina (Newfield), 4-3 OT 
119 – Pete Mancuso (Kings Park) dec. Mike Halleran (North Babylon), 6-5 
126 – Mike Calabria (Sachem) dec. Curt Kielbasa (Centereach), 4-3 
132 – Joe Schultz (Patchogue-Medford) maj dec. Dave Zapata (Smithtown East), 10-2 
138 – Howie Hain (Half Hollow Hills East) dec. Craig Furrer (Centereach), 2-1 
145 – Chris Steimel (Rocky Point) dec. Scott Morano (Half Hollow Hills East), 3-0 
155 – Tom Short (Kings Park) dec. Rob Farina (Half Hollow Hills East), 6-1 
167 – Glenn DiPrima (Half Hollow Hills West) dec. Rick Barany (Lindenhurst), 7-2 
177 – Jerry Vitiello (Babylon) dec. Rob Hughes (Centereach), criteria 
215 – Brian Barnes (Longwood) pinned Bill Zach (Kings Park), 4:13 
250 – Matt Puskas (Huntington, Sr.) dec. Jeff Skobel (Hauppauge), 5-0 

Suffolk County Wrestling Finals Saturday at Longwood High School

91 – David Bracero (Newfield) dec. Lenny Fries (Lindenhurst), 4-2. 98 – Mike Buonagurio (Connetquot) pinned Tom Chapman (Riverhead), 2:43. 105 – Keith Strychalsky (Patchogue-Medford) dec. Ralph Menechino (Sachem), 3-1. 112 – Chris Conway(Longwood) pinned Sandy Lipkins (Half Hollow Hills East), 2:49. 119 – Armando Pulido (Sachem) dec. Angelo Todaro (Centereach), 6-5. 126 – Demond Betts (Whitman) dec. Sean Kiernan (Newfield), 7-1. 132 – Kenny Johnson (Huntington) pinned John Ferraro (Islip), 5:57. 138 – Jason Burke (Longwood) dec. Pat Kennedy (Islip), 6-5. 145 – Robert Chester (Amityville) dec. Chris Davis (Sachem), 5-1. 155 – Mike Murtha (Bellport) dec. John Gianni (Longwood), 10-4. 167 – Joe Malchuski (Bay Shore) dec. Jason Dove (Hauppauge), 6-1. 177 – Nick Hall (Longwood) dec. Steve Thompson (Ward Melville), 5-2. Hvy – Bill Neuss (Bellport) dec. Joe Montaldo (Smithtown East), 4-3. 250 – Sean McLaughlin (Babylon) dec. William Crawford (Wyandanch), 6-4 in overtime. Outstanding Wrestler: Armando Pulido (Sachem). Team Scores – Longwood 205, Sachem 202, Patchogue-Medford 91 1/2, Centereach 81 1/2, Smithtown East 81, Amityville 75, Huntington 71, Newfield 67 1/2, Hills East 67, Bellport 61.

For Some Kids, Wrestling’s the Thing:

By Gregg Sarra. Newsday, Combined editions; Long Island, N.Y. [Long Island, N.Y]. 18 Mar 1990

What does it take to get your son to put away the Nintendo or turn off TV’s Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles? Billy Fox has the answer.

As any gym teacher will tell you, it is extremely trying to settle down a class of 20 first-graders on schoolday mornings and have them willfully participate in a program. Fox, however, juggles 120 youngsters crammed into the confines of a junior high gymnasium every Saturday morning in winter through his Kid Wrestling program. And before this small army gets too worked up, Fox is able to harness its natural hyperactivity and gain its collective attention.

“Their energy level is unbelievable,” said Fox, the Director of Kid wrestling at the Longwood Central School District. “I love working with young kids. They can feel that I enjoy teaching them and most important is that they want to be here.”

In an era where kids are specializing in sports at a younger age, the number of participants in Kid wrestling has increased each year. Long Island boasts 10 Kid programs with approximately 1,200 athletes.

Despite the reckless enthusiasm and the frequent fidgeting, Fox has little problem running a program of such size. Perhaps his toughest job is helping kids to disassociate the World Wrestling Federation on television from the high-school style of wrestling that he’ll introduce.

“Once you get past the knee drops and the belly and hammer locks, everything goes smooth,” said Fox’s assistant coach, Paul Infranco. “They’re a little disappointed when they find out they can’t kill each other.”

Although WWF it’s not, the excitement in a gym chock full of kids is music to the instructors’ ears.

“We place a lot of emphasis on movement,” Fox said. “We have kindergarten and first-graders here. Skipping, hopping and being taught left from right is important. We don’t break it down so that it’s over their heads with detail.”

“The most natural thing in the world for little boys to do is wrestle with each other,” said Mike Picozzi, the Longwood varsity wrestling coach. “They do it on their front lawns, in school, during recess and even in the backseat of their parents’ car.”

The Longwood program has grown to a point where the kids have to be broken down into beginner, advanced and intermediate groupings. With that type of enrollment, Longwood can only benefit from the early introduction of the demanding sport.

“There are so many kids involved we can’t have spectators,” said Picozzi, who pairs his wrestlers by weight classes from 45 to 160 pounds. “Billy’s [Fox! contribution to our program is immeasurable. He more or less gets kids to get the feel for the mat while having a good time. We ask the parents to stay home or go shopping because of space limitation.”

“Longwood and Sachem have very big programs,” said Craig Kelskey, Patchogue-Medford varsity wrestling coach, who runs a program for about 40 children. “It’s like they have very large little leagues. Kid wrestling is comparative to Little League baseball.”

Baseball has its winners and losers, but Kid wrestling trys to stay away from that aspect. To alleviate the possibility of kids being turned off at Longwood because they don’t achieve instant success, each child is rewarded with a ribbon at in-house tournaments and it’s worn with pride at school the next day. At Bay Shore, the coaches have always raised both wrestlers hands in victory after each match.

“I just don’t think it’s fun for them to sit in a gym all day long,” Kelskey said about the tournament setups. “They’re kids, there’s other things they want to do.”

And therein lies the most important aspect of Kid wrestling.

Nothing could better describe the philosophy behind Kid wrestling than the sign that hangs in its birthplace at the 5th Avenue Elementary School basement in Bay Shore. It reads: “Fun and Fundamentals!”

Bill Knapp, who fathered 16 children before he died in 1980, inspired the Kid program and initiated its first practices at Bay Shore in 1963. Along with Gombatista (Jumper) Leggio, who is known as the father of Kid wrestling and is still active as a coach in the Bay Shore program, the two set the foundation of what turned out to be New York State’s most talented high school section in the 1980s, as Suffolk County captured five state team titles.

Not long after Bay Shore introduced the volunteer program, Youth Association programs at Amityville, Brentwood, Long Beach, Sachem, Babylon, Huntington, Lindenhurst, West Islip, Patchogue and Longwood followed suit. These feeder programs have made the school teams successful.

“The performance of Suffolk wrestlers in the state tournament is a direct result of the Kid program,” said Leggio’s son, Guy, who coaches the varsity wrestlers at East Islip High School. “From 5 to 14 years old they learn the fundamentals. At the high school level they refine and practice advanced moves.”

Not having forgotten his roots, Longwood’s 177-pound Nick Hall, who won the Cadet Junior Nationals last summer and is currently ranked first in his weight class in Suffolk can be found after practice working with kids.

“I’m a product of the Kid program,” Hall said. “It was always so much fun. In fact, 10 of our 12 starters were in the Kid program. We grew up wrestling together.” That declaration speaks for itself. Longwood High School was undefeated and ranked second in New York State.

Kerry McCoy Makes World Team

Wrestling. Kerry McCoy of Longwood High School qualified for this week’s Cadet World Wrestling Championships in Budapest, Hungary by taking second place in the 180-pound class at the nationals. Teammate Junius Gadney (143) placed fourth. Three other Longwood wrestlers – Craig Hynes, Bobby Avdoulous and John Lange – were part of the U.S. team that beat Canada, 40-12, in the Canadian Friendship Cup competition. The Longwood wrestling coach is Mike Picozzi. July