HIGH SCHOOLS / WRESTLING PREVIEW:
Newsday, Combined editions; Long Island, N.Y. [Long Island, N.Y]. 19 Dec 1996:
96 Steve Broglie (Mt. Sinai) Tom Buckman (Farmingdale) Jerold Lemongelli (M’pequa) Joshua Marksberry (Comsewogue) *Matt Roy (St. Anthony’s) Hector Toro (Brentwood)
103 Joe Allen (Massapequa) Sal Cardillo (Valley Stream No.) Kam Chang (Deer Park) Sheldon Jacobs (Amityville) Jon Masa (Long Beach) *Mike McCann (Mepham) *Steve Morrison (Hampton Bays) *Reuben Seguritan (Chaminade)
112 Jay Bedell (Hampton Bays) *Chris Felicetta (Bellport) Jason Finnerty (Longwood) Ryan Grassini (Clarke) Jesse Jantzen (Shoreham-Wading River) Mike Maloney (Massapequa) *Anthony Ricciardi (Bethpage)
119 Danny Carlon (Division) Tom D’Agostino (E. Meadow) Todd Davey (Riverhead) Tom Feeney (Farmingdale) Joe Halleran (North Babylon) Luke Palmisano (Massapequa) Frank Palumbo (Hills East) Brian Saltzer (MacArthur)
125 John Case (Hampton Bays) Jeremy Coffin (V.S. South) Dave Cruz (Sachem) Randy Fabian (Longwood) Steve Pedicini (East Meadow) Roy Rodas (Hauppauge) Tanik Smart (Farmingdale) Artie Weidler (Patchogue-Medford)
130 Kevin Hines (Syosset) Eric Klein (Valley Stream South) *Mike Longobardi (Islip) Mike McConnon (Valley Stream Central) Joe Morbillo (Mt. Sinai) Tim Mullady (Shoreham-Wading River) John Paganas (Huntington)
135 Jon Alarcon (Long Beach) Nick Bennett (Division) Wes Blauberg (Massapequa) Mike Burger (Connetquot) Luis Inoa (Copiague) James Lule (Huntington) Steve Tseperkas (Rocky Point) Kingsley Wedderburn (Freeport)
140 Matt DeNatale (Locust Valley) Eddie Gomez (Freeport) Colin Jerrick (Copiague) Chris Vlaspolous (Bethpage) *Matt Wyllie (Rocky Point)
145 *Bill Bennett (Division) *Cartney Curnuck (MacArthur) Chris Grimm (Mineola) *Tim Hodermosky (Holy Trinity) Rich Petracca (Sachem)
152 Chris Hirsch (East Meadow) Joe Patrovich Jr. (Connetquot) Noel Thompson (Freeport) Nathan Wallentin (Bethpage) Guy Wavra (Islip)
160 Cesar Carrion (Whitman) Walter Chomicki (Massapequa) Kevin Haggerty (Long Beach) Steve Holz (Westhampton) Dan Kelskey (Deer Park) Angelo Lancia (Farmingdale)
171 *Nick Macchio (Chaminade) Kevin Meyran (Port Washington) Tory Smith (Hills East) Mike Wacholder (Rocky Point) Damon Weston (Bellport) William Cardenas (Copiague)
189 Terry Brown (Freeport) Mike Ditaranto (Herricks) David Irrizarry (Brentwood) Tom Katsigiorgis (Massapequa) Steve MacAleese (Longwood) David Rechul (Huntington)
220 Esteban Cartegena (Seaford) Harsaan McBroom (N. Babylon) Dan Morales (Copiague) Jerry Ottomanelli (Mt. Sinai) *Kevin Shippos (Baldwin) Ray Tutko (Massapequa)
275 Cory Bidegan (Floyd) Mike Clancy (Kings Park) Jarrett Crump (Riverhead) Ryan Fletcher (Glen Cove) Ness Ginsberg (Bellmore JFK) **Thomas Marrero (Wyandanch)
Longwood Tournament
December 14, 1996
Championship Finals
96 Bernholz (Mt.Sinai) dec Owens (Longwood) 2-0
103 Broglie (MtS) dec Scholz (Smithtown) 7-0
112 Ketcham (Lwd) pin Jenkins (Sm) 3:18
119 R. Fabian (Lwd) pin Pardini (Sm) 1:45
125 Hines (Syosset) pin Lagatolla (Sm) 1:30
130 Poloskey (Lwd) dec Burke (Lwd) 11-4
135 Joe Morbillo (MtS) pin Emanuelle (Sm) 3:57
140 Ammann (Newfield) dec Shewprashad (Lwd) 4-0
145 Chereskin (Sm) dec Mousakheel (Sm) 9-8
152 Sable (Lwd) dec Carrion (Walt Whitman) 5-3
160 Campos (New) pin Irwin (Sm) 1:12
171 Short (Lwd) pin Torres (WW) 1:20
189 Reiter (Sm) pin Viola (New) 1:17
220 Ottomanelli (MtS) dec Barros (WW) 12-1
275 Morrero (Wyandanch) pin Merrit (New) 2:30
Most Outstanding Wrestler: Kevin Hines (Syosset, 125)
Champion of Champions: Joe Morbillo (Mt. Sinai, 135)
Tony Carlucci Memorial Tournament at Port Chester
December 21, 1996
Team Placement
1. Longwood
2. Sleepy Hollow
3. Harrison
4. Lakeland/Panas
5. Hen Hud
6. Hackley
7. Edgemont
8. Port Chester
9. Mt. Vernon
Championship Finals
96 – Ewing (SH) pinned Owens (Lwd) 5:55
103 – Negron (SH) pinned Miller (Harb) 5:21
112 – Ketcham (Lwd) pinned Caragliano (Hk) :48
119 – R. Fabian (Lwd) pinned Siegel (Hk) 1:28
125 – J. Fabian (Lwd) dec. Friedman (Hk) 9-4
130 – Poloskey (Lwd) tech. fall Swansen (Lk/Pn)
135 – Burke (Lwd) dec. Vela (Harb) 10-8
140 – Shewprashad (Lwd) pinned Tompkins (HH) 1:55
145 – Buechner (Lwd) pinned Rybak (HH) 1:43
152 – Sable (Lwd) pin Montalvo (SH) 3:28
160 – Rodriguez (SH) pinned LaPore (HH) 1:05
171 – Stewart (Harb) won by disqual. over Short (Lwd)
189 – Giustizia (Lwd) pinned Olson (SH) 1:46
220 – Rabover (Harb) pinned Leonardo (SH) 1:53
275 – Alvardo (PC) pinned Watson (Lk/Pn) 1:52
Most Outstanding Wrestler: Ewing (Sleepy Hollow, 96)
Mid-Hudson Tournament
at Kingston, NY
December 27-28, 1996
Team Scores
1. Northern Adirondack 230.5 – Sec 7
2. Middletown 195.5 – Sec 9
3. Longwood 173.5
4. Niskayuna 173 – Sec 2
5. Shenendahowa 154.5 – Sec 2
6. North Babylon 145.5
7. Colonie 141.5 – Sec 2
8. Cornwall 131.5 – Sec 9
9. Valley Central 120 – Sec 9
10. Newburgh Free Academy 117 – Sec 9
11. Baldwin 111
12. Monroe-Woodbury 110 – Sec 9
13. Arlington 93 – Sec 1
14. Kingston 88 – Sec 9
15. Averill Park 83 – Sec 2
16. Rondout Valley 70.5 – Sec 9
17. Mahopac 67.5 – Sec `
18. Washingtonville 51 – Sec 9
19. Ossining 47 – Sec 1
20. Ellenville 33 – Sec 9
21. John Jay 30 – Sec 1
22. Tappan Zee 28 – Sec 1
23. Ardsley 27 – Sec 1
24. Roy C. Ketcham 21.5 – Sec 1
25. James I. O’Neill 1 – Sec 9 * only one entrant
Championship Finals:
96 – Rocco Mansueto (Midd) dec. Brad Trombley (NAC), 6-4
103 – Phillip Mansueto (Midd) dec. Mike Ingenito (NB), 8-3
112 – Joey Ketcham (Lwd) dec. Al Ronaldson (VC), 12-5
119 – Mike Popolizio (Nisk) dec. Greg Parker (Shen), 4-1
125 – Keith Poloskey (Lwd) dec. Joe Halleran (NB), 11-1
130 – Paul Paquin (Corn) pinned Noah Seitel (Ard), 2:48
135 – Chad Poirer (NAC) pinned Adam Horner (Nisk), 3:34
140 – Steve Romano (Bal) dec. David Myatt (NAC), 4-3
145 – George Sable ((Lwd) dec. R. Blanchet (Shen), 7-2
152 – George Butwell (NFA) pinned Dave Colabella (MW), 2:42
160 – Matt Dunne (MW) dec. Dan Uebel (Corn), 4-2
171 – Kevin Paul (Shen) dec. Mike Tepper (Midd) by tech. fall, 5:25
189 – Ken Barringer (VC) dec. Joe Califano (Arl), 12-10
220 – Kevin Shippos (Bal) pinned Harsaan McBroom (NB), 1:03
275 – Ron Gannello (Midd) dec. Ed Dworokowski (Shen), 5-0
Most Outstanding Senior: Kevin Shippos (Baldwin, 220)
Most Outstanding Junior: Rocco Mansueto (Middletown, 96)
Most Outstanding Sophomore: Joey Ketcham (Longwood, 112)
Most Outstanding Freshman: Brad Trombley (Northern Adirondack, 96)
Cliff Clark Classic
at Bay Shore
January 4, 1997
Championship Finals
96 – Owens (Longwood) dec. Melito (Patchogue-Medford), 9-3
103 – Bonfiglio (PM) dec. McGrath (PM), 2-1
112 – Ketchum (Lwd) pinned McNeill (PM), 1:37
119 – R. Fabian (Lwd) dec. Abbott (PM), 7-0
125 – Weidler (PM) pinned J. Fabian (Lwd), 2:33
130 – Poloskey (Lwd) dec. M. Slaughter (PM), 9-4
135 – Shrewprashad (Lwd) dec. M. Baglio (Bay Shore), 9-7, OT
140 – Buechner (Lwd) dec. W. Ludwigsen (BS), 7-2
145 – Sable (Lwd) dec. Crespi (BS), 7-5, OT
152 – Ebner (PM) tech fall Aldrich (BS), 6:00
160 – Short (Lwd) pinned Carter (Albany), 5:39
171 – Crapparrotta (PM) dec. Guistiza (Lwd), 6-2
189 – Posillico (BS) dec. Villafane (PM), 7-2
220 – Forest (St. John the Baptist) pinned Coles (Alb), 5:51
275 – Marrero (Wyandanch) dec. Clancy (Kings Park), 1-0
Most Outstanding Wrestler: Joey Ketchum (Longwood, 112))
Most Pins Least Time: Javier Castro (Bay Shore, ?), 2 in :30
Longwood 62, Centereach 6
January 8, 1997
103 – Owens (Lwd) dec. Puleo, 10-2
112 – Finnerty (Lwd) tech. fall Grover, 17-2
119 – Tully (Lwd) dec. Hengerle, 8-1
130 – Poloskey (Lwd) dec. Fabian, 11-2
135 – Shewprashad (Lwd) dec. Otto, 19-3
145 – Sable (Lwd) dec. Cuomo, 12-5
Forfeits by: Longwood (160); Centereach (125, 140, 152, 171, 189, 220)
Sachem Tops Longwood:
By Gregg Sarra. STAFF WRITER. Newsday, Combined editions; Long Island, N.Y. [Long Island, N.Y]. 18 Jan 1997
John Slokovitz is one of those wrestlers who seems to have been in the practice room for an eternity. He has worked hard for three years for Sachem. And he’s waited. Waited for that one chance to shine on the varsity.
Slokovitz, who wrestled just three varsity matches last season as a junior, found himself center stage last night in a League I dual meet against perennial power Longwood. Sachem coach Jack Mahoney moved him up from 189 pounds to 220 and gave him the opportunity to leave his mark on Long Island’s greatest dual-meet rivalry. Mahoney selected Slokovitz over the team’s two heavyweight wrestlers to meet Longwood‘s Fred Moore at 220 pounds.
Slokovitz didn’t disappoint. After a scoreless first period, Slokovitz used a two-point reversal in the second period and held on for a 2-0 victory over Moore sending Sachem to a 24-18 win last night before 550 last night at Sachem.
It was only the second loss for Longwood in League I duals in the 1990s. The Lions are 48-2-1 in League I, both losses coming against Sachem.
“I was extremely nervous,” Slokovitz said. “I always dreamed about being in a spot like this. And when he called my name I was ready.”
Slokovitz (9-3) was mobbed by his Sachem teammates at the conclusion of the match. His mother, Patricia, sat in the stands and could barely watch, fidgeting and covering her eyes. “I was sick,” she said. “The pressure was unbelievable.”
Slokovitz’ cousin and wrestling partner, Adam Diana had just lifted the Flaming Arrows into a 21-18 lead with a stunning pin over sophomore Steve McAleese at 189 pounds. Diana caught McAleese with a powerful front headlock and put him to his back for the win. “That was unexpected,” Mahoney said. “And it was really nice for him to get that. He needed that after a tough loss earlier in the week.”
That loss came against Smithtown on Wednesday, when the Bulls upended Sachem, 26-25.
It looked as if Sachem would suffer a second successive setback when Longwood reeled off four consecutive decisions to open a 12-0 lead. Mike D’Aquino got Sachem on the scoreboard with a tough 11-8 decision over Longwood junior John Burke at 130 pounds.
Longwood‘s Rawle Shewprashade looked like he was going to take it to John Horvath in the 135-pound match. Instead, the patient Horvath used a five-point, first-period move to take a commanding 7-0 lead and held off Shewprashade for a 9-5 win.
With a 15-6 lead, Longwood coach Tony Peraza bumped 140-pound junior William Davis up to 145 against Sachem‘s Rich Petracca. Davis battled Petracca and stayed off his back, losing a 10-4 decision but allowing only three team points to make it 15-9.
The most entertaining match of the night came at 152 pounds, where Peraza bumped George Sable up from 145 to wrestle Derek Brady. Sable took a wild 14-13 win and Brady was hit for unsportmanlike conduct for pushing the referee, costing the Flaming Arrows a team point. That became moot when Sachem won the final four bouts to outscore Longwood 16-0 for the victory.
Sachem 24, Longwood 18
103 – Czachor (L) dec. Russo, 12-8. 112 – Ketcham (L) dec. de los Santos, 8-1. 119 – Fabian (L) dec. Podgarsky, 8-1. 125 – Polosky (L) dec. Cruz, 5-5, OT criteria. 130 – Daquino (S) dec. Burke, 11-8. 135 – Horvath (S) dec. Shewprashade, 9-5. 140 – Buechner (L) dec. Golini, 7-2. 145 – Petracca (S) dec. Davis, 10-4. 152 – Sabel (L) dec. Brady, 14-13. 160 – Petersen (S) dec. Short, 10-5. 171 – Dmoch (S) dec. Giustizia, 11-3. 189 – Diana (S) pinned McAleese, 4:40. 220 – Slokovitz (S) dec. Moore, 2-0.
Longwood 50, Connetquot 19
January 22, 1997
112 – Ketcham (Lwd) def. Burns by tech. fall, 5:00
119 – Fabian (Lwd) def. Coster by tech. fall, 4:38
125 – Burke (Lwd) dec. Accardi, 12-2
135 – Shewprashad (Lwd) dec. Mojica, 8-0
140 – Kuefner (Con) dec. Buechner, 12-3
145 – Sable (Lwd) pinned Lenderman, 1:38
160 – Short (Lwd) pinned Dowgiallo, 1:29
171 – Guistizia (Lwd) pinned Tuhey, 5:54
189 – Lore (Con) pinned McAleese, 5:34
220 – Hendershot (Con) dec. Walrond, 7-5
Forfeits by: Connetquot (103, 130); Longwood (152)
Longwood 56, Ward Melville 6
January 24, 1997
103 – Czachor (Lwd) dec. Simon, 13-2
112 – Finnerty (Lwd) pinned Margolin, 3:43
119 – Fabian (Lwd) def. Belvedere by tech. fall, 5:30
125 – Poloskey (Lwd) dec. Defario, 15-10
130 – Davis (Lwd) dec. Martin, 4-2 OT
135 – Shewprashad (Lwd) dec. Bertelle, 17-7
145 – Sable (Lwd) pinned Kosiorowski, 1:37
152 – Moyles (WM) pinned Labianca, 3:39
160 – Short (Lwd) dec. Ahlers, 6-4
171 – Duistivia (Lwd) dec. Diverna, 5-1
189 – McAleese (Lwd) pinned Ferraro, 1:04
220 – Moore (Lwd) pinned Urban, 3:01
Forfeits by – WM (140)
WRESTLING NOTEBOOK / Czachor Beats Adversity to Wrestle:
Sarra, Gregg. Newsday, Combined editions; Long Island, N.Y. [Long Island, N.Y]. 30 Jan 1997:
The protective facemask serves as a reminder of a bad memory. And Longwood sophomore Adam Czachor must put it on each time he takes to the mat.
The mask, which has a skull drawn on it, is Czachor‘s saving grace. Without it, he would be declared physically unfit towrestle for the Lions. On Sept. 29, Czachor suffered a broken nose when the car in which he was a passenger crashed into a tree. The one-car accident took place just around the corner from Czachor‘s house.
“We went out for something to eat and on the way back he hit the tree,” Czachor said. “My face smashed into the back of the front seat and I broke my nose. It took me a month to recover and I had an operation to repair a collapsed nose. The black eyes were pretty bad. I missed three weeks of school and I never really caught up.”
Czachor underwent reconstructive surgery after the accident and faces more surgery after the wrestling season. His after-school job teaching kickboxing to kids between the ages of 5 and 12 at American Fighting Concepts in Middle Island was put on hold.
That was the start of Czachor‘s problems. He had trouble concentrating in school and reading was giving him headaches. A high-honors student was finding it difficult to get passing grades in math and spanish.
Czachor was ruled academically ineligible by the district in November and not allowed to wrestle until Jan. 14. He was heartbroken and his participation was contingent upon improved grades by then.
“You couldn’t see his eyes, they were so swollen. He didn’t even look like himself,” said his sister Danielle Renck.
Czachor‘s focus now is on reaching the county tournament and keeping his grades up.
“The accident affected him psychologically and he’s working his way through it,” Longwood coach Tony Peraza said. “He’s still a little rusty, but he’s coming around and we hope he can place in the league and the county. He’s been through a lot.”
Czachor also has his work cut out for him in one of the county’s toughest weight classes at 103 pounds. He’ll challenge Brentwood’s Carlos Restreppo and Smithtown’s Steve Jenkins, both League I finalists last year, for the league title.
He currently is 5-0 with an impressive pin over county runnerup Steve Broglie of Mt. Sinai. He was 11-3 last year as a varsity freshman.
His bout with Jenkins could prove pivotal in tonight’s dual meet with Smithtown. The Bulls are 5-0 and Longwood is 4-1. A Longwood win would create a three-way tie for the League I dual-meet title with Smithtown, Longwood and Sachem.
As for Czachor‘s designer mask, “It’s not comfortable at all,” he said. “It’s pretty enclosed and claustrophobic. I can’t breath through my nose. But I try not to think about it.” Nassau dual-meet title
Longwood Tops Smithtown:
Newsday, Combined editions; Long Island, N.Y. [Long Island, N.Y]. 31 Jan 1997
Greg Czachor hadn’t wrestled a varsity match this season.
He was one of those Longwood wrestlers who worked hard in practice every day and waited for the day when coach Tony Peraza would call upon him to wrestle with the varsity.
Yesterday was Czachor’s day.
The junior made his first varsity opportunity in the Lions’ biggest dual meet of the season a memorable one.
Czachor pinned Smithtown’s Rob Youllar with three seconds left in the second period of their 171-pound match to give Longwood a 31-16 lead in its 30-22 victory.
The win moved the Lions into a three-way tie for first place in League I with Sachem and Smithtown. All three teams have 5-1 records with one dual meet left.
“I just liked the way he’s been wrestling on his feet in practice and working so hard,” Peraza said. “He earned the chance to get out there. And he got the job done.”
Peraza said he thought the match with Smithtown would come down to falls and he was right. The Lions came up with pins from Czachor, JoeyKetcham (112) and Randy Fabian (119). Smithtown netted only one pin.
“We wrestled very tough and lost a couple of close decisions,” Peraza said. “Smithtown is very well-balanced and the coaching staff is bringing out the best in those kids. I was proud of our performance.”
Highly regarded junior Steve Jenkins of Smithtown was too much for sophomore Adam Czachor, Greg’s brother, and came away with a 13-3 win in the 103-pound weight class. Jenkins hit Czachor with a five-point move in the final 10 seconds of the match to seal the win. He countered an aggressive move from the previously undefeated Czachor and put him to his back.
“Adam went and missed a big move and ended up on his back,” Peraza said. “We knew that would be a tough match.”
Longwood lost a team point when 189-pounder Elroy Walrond threw his headgear in disgust after losing a 9-2 decision to Charlie Reiter.
“It’s not about Longwood, Sachem and Patchogue-Medford anymore in this league,” Peraza said. “Brentwood and Smithtown have risen into the upper echelon. The League I tournament {Feb. 15} is going to be hard to win.”
LEAGUE I Longwood 30, Smithtown 22
103 – Jenkins (S) dec. A.Czachor, 13-3. 112 – Ketcham (L) pinned S.Fiore, 2:58. 119 – Fabian (L) pinned Lagatolla, 4:48. 125 – Polosky (L) dec. Turbush, 10-3. 130 – Davis (L) dec. Emmanuelle, 8-3. 135 – Kipling (S) dec. Shewpreshad, 1-0. 140 – Chereskin (S) dec. Buechner, 5-2. 145 – Sable (L) dec. Mousakheel, 21-13. 152 – M.Fiore (S) pinned LaBianca, 2:25. 160 – Short (L) dec. Irwin, 4-0. 171 – G.Czachor (L) pinned Youllar, 3:57. 189 – Reiter (S) dec. Walrond, 9-2. 220 – Calabria (S) dec. Moore 7-2.
Longwood 49, William Floyd 18
February 7, 1997
103 – A. Czachor (Lwd) pinned Walsh, 1:06
112 – Finnerty (Lwd) pinned M. Williams, 3:42
119 – Fabian (Lwd) pinned Maurer, 3:34
125 – Poloskey (Lwd) tf. DeOliveria, 3:28
130 – Burke (Lwd) dec. Flores, 9-7 OT
135 – Shewpreshad (Lwd) tf. Esposito, 3:20
140 – Medina (WF) dec. Buechner, 12-7
145 – Sable (Lwd) dec. F. Williams by inj. def
160 – Short (Lwd) dec. McDowell, 10-2
171 – Barone (WF) dec. Guistizia, 4-2 OT
220 – Cicero (WF) pinned Moore, 2:38
Forfeits by: L (152); F (189).
Longwood 52, Hampton Bays 9
February 8, 1997
103 – Morrison (HB) dec. Czachor, 9-3.
112 – Finnerty (Lwd) pinned Walsh, 1:09.
119 – Fabian (Lwd) dec. Bedell, 4-2.
125 – Poloskey (Lwd) pinned Moran, 1:29.
130 – Davis (Lwd) pinned Rispoli, 3:36.
135 – Shewprashad (Lwd) dec. Urcuiolio, 2-0.
140 – Burke (Lwd) pinned Menace, 2:44.
145 – Buechner (Lwd) dec. Calamita, 11-4.
152 – Sable (Lwd) pinned Udovico, 2:30.
160 – Short (Lwd) dec. Hickson, 12-3.
171 – Guistizia (Lwd) dec. Gagliano, 5-1.
220 – Mangarillo (HB) pinned Walrond, :40.
Forfeits by: HB (189).
Suffolk League 1 Tournament at Sachem
February 15, 1997
Team Scores
1. Longwood 211
2. Brentwood 179
3. Sachem 169
4. Smithtown 166
5. William Floyd 118
6. Patchogue-Medford 97
7. Connetquot 80
8. Ward Melville 24
Brackets
Championship Finals
96 – John Cicio (WF) dec. Hector Toro (Bwd), 7-5
103 – Carlos Restrepo (Bwd) dec. Steve Jenkins (Smith), 4-3
112 – Manny Orama (Bwd) dec. Jason Finnerty (Lwd), 10-1
119 – Randy Fabian (Lwd) dec. Felix Cabrera (Bwd), 6-3
125 – Artie Weidler (PM) dec. Keith Poloskey (Lwd), 7-2
130 – William Davis (Lwd) dec. Felix Martinez (B), 5-2
135 – Mike Burger (Conn) dec. Rawle Shewprashad (Lwd), 2-0
140 – Paul Buechner (Lwd) dec. Lane Chereskin (Smith), 3-1
145 – George Sable (Lwd) dec. Rich Petracca (Sac), 7-2
152 – Derek Brady (Sac) dec. Joe Patrovich (Conn), 8-3
160 – Ted Petersen (Sac) dec. Mike Short (Lwd), 6-2
171 – Joel Barone (WF) major dec. Rob Cuffie (Bwd), 13-2
189 – Charles Reiter (Smith) dec. Dave Irizarry (Bwd), 2-1
220 – Joe Cicero (WF) pinned Rob Calabria (Smith), 5:05
275 – Cory Bidegain (WF) dec. Jesse Brush (Sac), 8-4
Most Outstanding Wrestler: Mannny Orama (Brentwood, 112)
Most Pins Least Time: Manny Orma (Brentwood, 112) 3 pins in 1:38
Consolation Finals
96 – Pat Owens (Lwd) dec. Gerard Milito (PM), 1-1 OT Crit
103 – Adam Czachor (Lwd) dec. Jesse Bonofiglio (PM), 3-0
112 – Joe Ketcham (Lwd) dec. Mike Williams (WF), 18-2
119 – Brian Podgarsky (Sac) dec. Brad Abbott (PM), 4-3
125 – Dave Cruz (Sac) dec. Greg DeSario (WM), 4-1
130 – Mike Slaughter (PM) dec. John Burke (Lwd), 7-2
135 – Moses Gonzalez (Bwd) pinned Jeremy Kipling (Smith), 5:45
140 – Jeff Papa (Bwd) dec. John Kuefner (Conn), 7-2
145 – Joe Mousakheel (Smith) dec. Josh Ebner (PM), 3-2
152 – Mike Fiore (Smith) pinned Frank Williams (WF), 4:25
160 – Mike Dmoch (Sac) dec. Joe Broderick (PM), 4-3
171 – Rob Youllar (Smith) dec. Adam Diana (Sac), 11-2
189 – Ben Lore (Conn) dec. Efran Villafane (PM), 4-3
220 – John Slokovitz (Sac) dec. Neil Hendershot (Conn), 3-1
275 – Doug Hatton (Smith) pinned Dan Hollander (Sac), 4:5
Practice Keeps Marrero Perfect:
By Gregg Sarra. STAFF WRITER. Newsday, Combined editions; Long Island, N.Y. [Long Island, N.Y]. 23 Feb 1997
Thomas Marrero‘s troubles have never been on the wrestling mat. He hasn’t lost a match in two years. The most difficult task Wyandanch’s defending state champion has faced has been finding opponents.
He had no one to wrestle in the 275-pound weight class this season in any of Wyandanch’s 12 dual meets. Marrero, who won the 250-pound state title last year with a 3-1 overtime decision over Baldwin’s Kevin Shippos, wrestled 11 times before this weekend’s Dr. Robert Fallot Memorial county wrestling championships at SUNY-Stony Brook.
And after yesterday’s semifinal pin over Alex Kahn of Hills West in 3:04, Marrero moved into last night’s final with a chance to defend his title.
“A lot of my work has to come on my own in practice,” Marrero said. “I work out with assistant coach Bob Arnold. And I know I’m lucky to have that man. I try to be a leader in the room because I’m the only senior and I take great pride in showing the younger wrestlers what it takes to be a champion.”
Marrero (14-0) saw all of his competition in tournaments. He won the Longwood, East Islip, Half Hollow Hills East, Albany and Bay Shore titles. He has been offered a scholarship to wrestle and play football at Virginia.
“I’ll take the best offer for the best education,” he said. “I want to study criminal justice. But Virginia wants me for both sports and that’s tough to do both and get an education.”
Marrero met Kings Park senior Mike Clancy in last night’s final. He beat Clancy, 1-0, in the final of the Bay Shore Tournament on Jan. 4.
“I really wanted another shot at him,” Marrero said. “I’ve been waiting for this rematch.”
Longwood led the team scoring with 115 points and moved three wrestlers into the finals. The Lions’ Keith Poloskey gained a takedown with 27 seconds left in overtime to edge Sachem’s Dave Cruz, 6-4, at 125 pounds. Teammates William Davis (130) and George Sable (145) also moved into the finals.
Rocky Point also moved three wrestlers into the finals. Unseeded Mike Torriero erased a 4-0 second-period deficit to come back and beat second-seeded Manny Orama of Brentwood, 6-4, in a 112-pound semifinal. He was joined in the final round by three-time county champion Matt Wyllie (24-0), Rocky Point’s all-time winningest wrestler (145 wins), and 171-pounder Mike Wachholder (27-0).
Wyllie attempted to become only the third in Suffolk history to win four county titles.
The semifinal round was highlighted by Hampton Bays’ 103-pounder Steve Morrison, the defending county champion. He trailed Brentwood’s Steve Jenkins 9-1 in the second period. Jenkins allowed an uncontested escape, was taken down, cradled and pinned by Morrison in 3:35. “I never gave up,” Morrison said. “No one should.”
Notes & Quotes: Three former all-county wrestlers who captained teams from Bay Shore advanced wrestlers into last night’s finals. Bay Shore coach Mike Porcelli (1979) had Mike Mills at 130, East Islip coach Guy Leggio (1981) had Matt Dailey at 140 and Brentwood coach Bob Panariello (1982) had Carlos Restrepo at 103. Restrepo upset defending county champion Chris Felicetta of Bellport, 5-3 . . . Two coaches and two wrestlers were ejected for unsportsmanlike conduct. Floyd’s Corey Bidegain was ejected from his 275-pound semifinal match as was his coach, Terry Phelan. Floyd lost 15 team points. Copiague’s Colin Jerrick was ejected from his 152-pound quarterfinal match as was his coach, Jim Konen. Copiague lost 9 1/2 team points. Tournament director Joe Giani said both coaches were allowed to coach in the finals . . . Cablevision will air the championships on tape at 2 p.m. today on Long Island One and again at 4 p.m. Wednesday on Ch. 40.
Top Seeds Take a Fall:
By Gregg Sarra. STAFF WRITER. Newsday, Combined editions; Long Island, N.Y. [Long Island, N.Y]. 24 Feb 1997:
Four top-seeded wrestlers heading into the final round of the Dr. Robert Fallot Memorial county wrestling championships at SUNY-Stony Brook were beaten Saturday night by opponents they had dominated throughout the season and in the past.
Earlier this year, Islip’s defending county champion Mike Longobardi, a senior, handed Mt. Sinai senior Joe Morbillo (135) his only two losses, including a 7-2 defeat in the League V final.
But Morbillo denied Longobardi a second county title when he edged the Buccaneers grappler with a shocking 3-2 victory for the 135-pound class.
“It was his own ‘Vision Quest,’ ” Mt. Sinai assistant Darren Goldstein said. “He {Longobardi} was the only kid Joe couldn’t beat.”
Said Morbillo: “I could have gone to a different weight class in the leagues to avoid him and a lot of people told me I should have. But we had a game plan and it worked out.”
Morbillo (29-2) used a defensive strategy to keep Longobardi (29-1) off him and did enough offensively for the win. He constantly blocked Longobardi’s inside moves and made it difficult to score.
Patchogue-Medford junior Artie Weidler (125) found scoring difficult in his final against Longwood junior Keith Poloskey, an opponent he’d beaten twice this year, including a 7-2 victory in the League I final.
Each time Weidler (28-1) made a move, Poloskey (29-2) hit a beautiful counter and came away with an 8-3 win to capture the 125-pound class.
Poloskey’s win helped Longwood take the team title with 113 1/2 points. The Lions unseated second-place and defending champion Mt. Sinai, which scored 104.
Sachem junior Derek Brady (152 pounds) met the same fate as Weidler. Brady (29-3) had beaten Connetquot sophomore Joe Patrovich twice this year, including an 8-3 decision in the League I final. But the third time was a charm for Patrovich, who took a 7-2 victory for the title. It gave Connetquot its 12th county champ in the past 13 years.
“Interesting tournament, that proves you never really know,” Connetquot coach Bill Santoro said. “We told Joe, who’s still maturing as a sophomore and gaining confidence, that he could win. He wrestled wide open without any pressure.”
And after those three upsets, Bellport’s Ryan Newman (31-4) went out and took it to previously unbeaten Islip senior Guy Wavra (28-2). Newman has lost three times over the past three years to Wavra, including an 11-3 beating in a semifinal of the Islip Tournament.
“We thought Wavra would be a little tentative before the final,” Bellport coach Fred Meyer said. “We could see it in his emotion. The magnitude really didn’t register with our kid {Newman} and it didn’t bother him being in the spotlight. And when he hit the fireman’s carry and clamped him up, I knew it was over. He never lets people off their back.”
Said Newman, who recorded his 29th pin: “I just locked him up and that was it.”
Rocky Point’s Matt Wyllie (24-0), the school’s all-time winningest wrestler (148 wins), became only the third wrestler in Suffolk to win four county titles. He did that after pulling out a 15-10 decision in a brawl with Longwood’s George Sable at 145 pounds.
“This was the toughest win yet,” Wyllie said. “He was really strong and ready to go.”
Wyllie hit Sable with an early five-point move when he picked the Longwood wrestler’s ankle and dumped him on his back for a 9-2 lead. Sable (31-1) pushed the action throughout the second and third periods but couldn’t pull off the upset.
Shoreham-Wading River freshman Jesse Jantzen (33-0) locked up his third county title with a first-period pin in 1:37 over Bayport-Blue Point junior Bryon Rose. Jantzen is 94-3 in his career.
Wyandanch senior Thomas Marrero (15-0), the defending state champion, needed a late third-period takedown for a 6-5 win over junior Mike Clancy (18-4) of Kings Park. Marrero won the 250-pound state title in 1996.
“I almost blew it,” Marrero said. “But I kept working for that last move and it finally happened.”
And Marrero will look for a repeat of his past glory at the states Friday at the Onondaga War Memorial in Syracuse at 3 p.m.
But Marrero beware. Saturday night, past glories were simply the past.
Dr. L Robert “Doc” Fallot Memorial Suffolk County Wrestling Championship
Stony Brook University, Stony Brook, NY
February 21-22, 1997Team Score
| Longwood | 113.5 | Kings Park | 24.0 | |
| Mt. Sinai | 104.0 | Half Hollow Hills East | 23.5 | |
| Bellport | 99.0 | Half Hollow Hills West | 20.0 | |
| Sachem | 95.5 | Lindenhurst | 20.0 | |
| Hauppauge | 95.0 | North Babylon | 19.0 | |
| Smithtown | 87.0 | Harborfields | 16.0 | |
| Shoreham-Wading River | 83.0 | Commack | 15.5 | |
| Sayville | 77.0 | Westhampton Beach | 13.5 | |
| Hampton Bays | 76.0 | Newfield | 13.0 | |
| Rocky Point | 74.5 | West Babylon | 10.5 | |
| Islip | 71.5 | East Hampton | 9.0 | |
| Riverhead | 70.0 | Mercy | 9.0 | |
| Bay Shore | 68.5 | Northport | 9.0 | |
| Huntington | 61.0 | John Glenn | 8.5 | |
| Brentwood | 54.5 | Mattituck | 5.0 | |
| Connetquot | 50.5 | West Islip | 5.0 | |
| East Islip | 45.0 | Port Jefferson | 4.5 | |
| William Floyd | 41.0 | Comsewogue | 4.0 | |
| Wyandanch | 39.5 | Miller Place | 4.0 | |
| Copiague | 39.0 | Babylon | 2.0 | |
| Bayport-Blue Point | 38.5 | Centereach | 2.0 | |
| Deer Park | 38.0 | Greenport/Southold | 0.0 | |
| Amityville | 35.5 | Southampton | 0.0 | |
| Walt Whitman | 33.0 | Stony Brook | 0.0 | |
| Patchogue-Medford | 30.0 | Ward Melville | 0.0 |
Championship Finals
96 – Steve Broglie (Mt. Sinai) dec. Sheldon Jacobs (Amityville), 7-2 OT
103 – Carlos Restrepo (Brentwood) dec. Steve Morrison (Hampton Bays), 4-2 OT
112 – John Case (Hampton Bays) dec. Mike Torriero (Rocky Point), 18-13
119 – Jesse Jantzen (Shoreham-Wading River) pinned Bryon Rose (Bayport-Blue Point), 1:37
125 – Keith Poloskey (Longwood) dec. Artie Weidler (Patchogue-Medford), 8-3
130 – Mike Mills (Bay Shore, Sr.) dec. William Davis (Longwood), 4-3
135 – Joe Morbillo (Mt. Sinai) dec. Mike Longobardi (Islip), 3-2
140 – Matt Dailey (East Islip, Sr.) pinned Marone MacDonald (Walt Whitman), 3:42
145 – Matt Wyllie (Rocky Point) dec. George Sable (Longwood), 15-10
152 – Joe Patrovich (Connetquot, So.) dec. Derek Brady (Sachem), 7-2
160 – Ryan Newman (Bellport) pinned Guy Wavra (Islip), 2:47
171 – Mike Wachholder (Rocky Point) dec. William Cardenas (Copiague), 6-2
189 – David Rechul (Huntington, Jr.) dec. Charlie Reiter (Smithtown), 2-1
220 – Willie Welsh (Riverhead) dec. Ed Knote (Sayville), 6-1
275 – Thomas Marrero (Wyandanch, Sr.) dec. Mike Clancy (Kings Park), 6-5
Lonnie Kittle Most Outstanding Wrestler: Carlos Restrepo (Brentwood, 103)
Champion of Champions: Joe Morbillo (Mt. Sinai, 135)
Most Pins Least Time: Dave Kirkman (Sayville, 275), 4 in 13:58
Consolation Finals 3rd/4th
96 – John Cicio (William Floyd) dec. Justin Iannello (Hauppauge), 3-1
103 – Chris Felicetta (Bellport) dec. Steve Jenkins (Smithtown), 4-1
112 – Todd Davey (Riverhead) dec. Joey Ketcham (Longwood), 2-0
119 – Jay Bedell (Hampton Bays) dec. Mike Cox (Sayville), 7-5
125 – Dave Cruz (Sachem) dec. Michael Messina (Hauppauge), 3-2
130 – Tim Mullady (Shoreham-Wading River) dec. James Scanlan (Lindenhurst), 3-0
135 – Mike Burger (Connetquot, Sr.) dec. Matt McEvoy (Riverhead), 13-1
140 – Nick LaBella (Shoreham-Wading River) pinned Mark Smith (Hauppauge), 2:35
145 – Edgar Crespi (Bay Shore, Sr.) dec. Joe Mousakheel (Smithtown), 12-7
152 – Mike Omelchuk (Bellport) dec. Steven Baptiste (Harborfields), 7-4
160 – Ted Petersen (Sachem) dec. Mike Dmoch (Sachem), 3-2
171 – Damon Weston (Bellport) dec. Joel Barone (William Floyd), 13-2
189 – Joe Fakhro (Mt. Sinai) dec. Chris Posillico (Bay Shore, Sr.), 4-2
220 – Jerry Ottomanelli (Mt. Sinai) pinned Rob Calabria (Smithtown), 4:19
275 – Dave Kirkman (Sayville) pinned Alex Kahn (Half Hollow Hills West), 2:03
Consolation Finals 5th/6th
96 – Marcus Lewis (Wyandanch) dec. Joe Melchiorre (Hauppauge), 3-0
103 – Lou Scalesse (East Islip, Sr.) dec. Sal Santoro (Newfield), 7-1
112 – Marny Orama (Brentwood) dec. Jason Finnerty (Longwood), 6-3
119 – Paul Chapman (Shoreham-Wading River) dec. Randy Fabian (Longwood), 13-5
125 – John Paganas (Huntington, Jr.) def. Sean Dwyer (Bayport-Blue Point), by FFT
130 – Chris Galvez (Half Hollow Hills East) dec. Lou Inoa (Copiague), 4-3
135 – Justin Latessa (Hauppauge) dec. James Lule (Huntington, Jr.), 7-6
140 – Lane Chereskin (Smithtown) dec. Paul Buechner (Longwood), 6-4 OT
145 – Rich Petracca (Sachem) dec. Kelvin Joseph (Walt Whitman), 2-1
152 – Steve Holz (Westhampton Beach, Sr.) def. Eric Carlsson (Bayport-Blue Point), by Dflt
160 – Mike Theodorakis (Commack) pinned Anthony Fasano (Deer Park), 3:24
171 – Dan Kelskey (Deer Park) dec. Robert Cuffie (Brentwood), 5-4
189 – Karl Geiger (Amityville) dec. Mike McLaughlin (Deer Park), 1-0
220 – Alexis Ayala (Copiague) dec. Joe Cicero (William Floyd), 5-2
275 – Mike Newbold (Islip)