Life Is Hard in League I P-M just the latest to challenge Sachem, Longwood:
By Gregg Sarra. STAFF WRITER. Newsday, Combined editions; Long Island, N.Y. [Long Island, N.Y]. 10 Dec 1992
Craig Kelskey coaches one of Long Island’s finest wrestling programs at Patchogue-Medford. Yet it is one that never has won the League I title – and maybe never will.
But that’s life in the same league as Longwood and Sachem.
“I don’t know if we’ll ever break into the upper echelon with those two guys,” said Kelskey. “But let’s not say we can never beat them. Never is a bad word, and I don’t use it.”
Which is why this is not the way Kelskey envisions the rest of his coaching career. He hopes that someday his program can reach the level that Sachem and Longwood have attained. Although third place is better than no place, Kelskey has kept interest high at Patchogue-Medford – a school that consistently finishes third in the grueling League I.
“You almost know that Sachem and Longwood are on another level but you still have to show up and if things break the right way and everyone’s healthy we have a shot,” Kelskey said. “You never know – that’s why you play the game. I’d like to be optimistic, but it could go on forever.”
Kelskey also is a realist.
“I guess it’ll be years before other programs catch up,” he said. “You have to respect the work of those guys.”
Those guys are Longwood coach Mike Picozzi and Sachem coach Jack Mahoney, who have built powerful feeder programs, hired quality assistants and have left no mystery as to why those schools are superior in every regard to the rest of the state.
“They can field two varsity clubs and be competitive in any league,” said Lindenhurst coach Joe Russo. “The depth is out of sight.”
Depth will not be as much a factor at the league tournaments this year, as the Section XI alternatives committee streamlined all sports as a cost-saving maneuver. The modifications to wrestling were to consolidate the seven-league structure into six and reduce the number of wrestlers from each school allowed into the league tournaments. Each school can enter 21 wrestlers, pared down from 28.
Three state champions, John Carvalheira (98) of Sachem, Keith Matias (105) of Centereach and John Lange of Longwood (145), return to defend their titles. Add state place-winner Rob Wyllie of Rocky Point and two-time county runner-up Lenny Fries of Lindenhurst and the county is loaded.
Sachem has wrestlers Chris Asaro (145) and Rob Harris (112), who were one win away from a county title, and Pat Casali (119), who took third, back to defend the team title. Longwood, the top dual-meet team and county runner-up, brings back Rason Phifer (105), Jim Missale (112) and Jim Lange (167).
Longwood 50, Connetquot 6
98 – Lewis (L) def. Leo, by tech. fall, 5:59. 105 – Zakar (L) def. Petrella, by tech. fall, 5:32. 112 – Missale (L) dec. Dowd, 5-3. 119 – Kaminsky (C) dec. Avdoulos, 2-1. 126 – Brown (L) dec. Hayes, 4-3. 132 – Simonton (L) dec. Sutera, 7-1. 138 – Fabian (L) dec. Burger, 3-2. 145 – John Lange (L) dec. Meehan, 15-1. 155 – Melchiona (C) dec. Jim Lange, 3-2. 167 – Drago (L) pinned Theiler, 3:41. 177 – Bowlay-Williams (L) pinned Cherrier, 1:43 215 – Corkery (L) dec. Hendershot, 10-3. 250 – Mulhare (L) pinned Nichols, :16.
Longwood 54, Islip 10 91 – Longobardi (I) dec. Finnerty, 13-2. 98 – Lewis (L) pinned Cardone, 3:04. 105 – Zakar (L) dec. Barron, 5-2. 119 – Avdoulos (L) dec. Andria, 11-10. 126 – Brown (L) pinned Vetter, 4:24. 132 – Simonton (L) pinned Albrecht, 1:17. 138 – Kasel (I) dec. Fabian, 9-2. 145 – John Lange (L) pinned May, 1:26. 155 – Ditzler (I) dec. Jim Lange, 5-2. 167 – Drago (L) pinned Gaggiano, 2:45. 177 – Bowlay-Williams (L) pinned Cesare, 1:57. Forfeits by: Islip (112, Hvy). Jan. 10
Phifer Leads Strong Team for Suffolk:
By Gregg Sarra. STAFF WRITER. Newsday, Combined editions; Long Island, N.Y. [Long Island, N.Y]. 05 Mar 1993
Phifer Leads Strong Team for Suffolk Rason Phifer, the Longwood wrestling staff believed, had the potential to be a five-time county champion. As an eighth-grader, he was as heralded a wrestler as any at that age could be.
For two years, though, Phifer has battled his weight, opponents and even his teammates, but could not win a county title. As an eighth-grader, he endured a 5-4 loss in the county final to Huntington’s Brian Fischenich – an eventual state champion. Last year, a controversial slam in the League I tournament eliminated him from the county tournament.
This year, Phifer has finally emerged as the 112-pound champion and leads 10 underclassmen on a strong Suffolk sectional team to the state wrestling championships that begin today at the Onondaga County Convention Center in Syracuse.
“It hasn’t been easy,” Phifer said. “I’ve had some very disappointing moments. Last year was unforgivable and I wasn’t letting anything stand in my way this year.”
Not even Longwood teammate Jim Missale, who Phifer beat 4-2 in overtime in the county final. Missale had eliminated defending state champion Keith Matias of Centereach in the semifinal round.
“We knew each other through and through,” Phifer said. “But there comes a time when you have to look out for yourself and I had to do what I had to do. It wasn’t a pleasant thing for us to have to wrestle each other but the road to the states hasn’t been easy and he was another obstacle.”
Defending state champions John Carvalheira (105) of Sachem and John Lange (145) of Longwood cleared all of the obstacles in their way to make the return trip to Syracuse. Both finished undefeated and sectional coach Mike Picozzi of Longwood hopes that their experience will help the team.
“With so many underclassmen it’s hard to say what’s going to happen,” Picozzi said. “We have no way of telling how these kids will react to the pressure the tournament brings.”
Suffolk won the state sectional title and crowned eight champions last year while placing 11 of its 14 representatives. Rocky Point’s Rob Wyllie (167) was one of those placewinners, finishing fourth as a sophomore. He returns with higher aspirations.
“The goal was to place last year,” Wyllie said. “This time I know what it’s all about and I`m going up there with all intentions of winning. The experience is a big factor.”
Longwood can crown three state champions for a second consecutive year. Sophomore Shawn Lewis (98) joins Phifer and Lange for the Lions.
NOTEBOOK Money Was No Object:
Gregg Sarra and John Valenti. Newsday, Combined editions; Long Island, N.Y. [Long Island, N.Y]. 09 Feb 1993
It seemed simple. Drive to Sachem, park the car and see a high school wrestling match. Sachem against Longwood: the best teams in Suffolk, on Long Island – and in New York State.
But for some spectators, the drive through the gates at Sachem provided unexpected results and situations.
Each car was stopped by event staffers, who checked to see each person had tickets to the Friday night match. One Longwood resident was told he needed a ticket just to park in the lot. He explained he was a curiosity seeker and casual fan of wrestling. He added that if he had known the event would be sold out days earlier, he wouldn’t have made the trip.
The parking attendant had a heart. Instead of directing the car out of the lot, he allowed the man to see if he could find a ticket. After a 10-minute search, he found a Longwood student at the front door who had an extra ticket. The face value was $1.
“Ten bucks, mister,” the boy told him. “You don’t want to miss this match.” Then the boy added, “Hey, hear that crowd in there. They’re going wild.” The man paid the $10.
“It was well worth it,” said the man, who declined to give his name. “I didn’t care what I paid. I had to be in there. It was a great experience. I didn’t know wrestling was large on Long Island.”
When scalpers can get 10 times face value for a Longwood-Sachem dual-meet ticket, wrestling is very large.
Even better, of course, was that Longwood, ranked No. 2 in the state prior to the match, tied Sachem, which entered ranked No. 1. Longwood’s Paul Corkery, who also is an All-Long Island football player, won a 6-3 decision over Dave Egloff in the final bout. That left the teams in a 21-21 tie, which will tie them for the No. 1 ranking in New York.
“It’s the respect that these two programs have earned that brings all these people out,” Sachem coach Jack Mahoney said.
No argument here. Faces in the crowd
The Longwood-Sachem meet offered an opportunity to see some of Long Island’s all-time great wrestlers. Among the spectators: NCAA champions Peter Yozzo (Sayville, Lehigh) and Nick Gallo (Deer Park, Hofstra) and NCAA runners-up Wayne Catan (Bellport, Syracuse) and Dan Mayo (Sachem, Penn State). Trivia question
State’s Top Two Wrestle to a Tie:
By Gregg Sarra. STAFF WRITER. Newsday, Combined editions; Long Island, N.Y. [Long Island, N.Y]. 06 Feb 1993
It was the toughest ticket in town, so difficult to obtain that people Sachem wrestling coach Jack Mahoney had never met felt compelled to call his house at all hours and place ticket requests.
The Longwood-Sachem dual meet has built its own legacy – hard-fought, nail-biting excitement with an electricity all its own. The SRO crowd of 2,300 last night at Sachem could attest to that.
Last night’s meet would answer the question of just who was the best.
And it did. They both are.
It was fitting that Longwood and Sachem, ranked first and second in the state, would finish in a 21-21 tie and settle for a share of the League I dual-meet title.
“Nobody likes a tie,” Mahoney said. “But when two teams of this caliber meet like this – so be it. Both teams wrestled well.”
The schools waged a battle similar to those of the past five years. Perhaps the only significant change was the names of these wrestlers – new faces in the same uniforms.
And yet last night served as only a reminder that Longwood and Sachem were indeed on a higher level. Both schools breezed through another dual-meet season with only Patchogue-Medford as a competitive opponent.
Sachem jumped to a 15-9 lead keyed by victories at 112 and 119. Sachem senior Rob Harris edged Jim Missale, 3-2, at 112 and teammate John Kagan decisioned Rason Phifer, 4-2, at 1:47 of overtime at 119.
“The bouts between 112 and 138 were toss-ups,” Mahoney said.
Within that critical span of bouts, only Matt Simonton at 132 kept Longwood close with a 2-0 overtime win at 1:06 over Juan Delgado. It was the Lions’ only win in the five bouts.
“We expected a bigger lead before {John} Lange took the mat,” Kagan said.
That was at 145, when Lange, the defending state champion, brought the momentum back to Longwood with a stirring pin over Dave Petracca in 1:32 to tie the score at 15.
“John is usually not that physical,” Longwood coach Mike Picozzi said. “But tonight he really went out and put it to him.”
The teams split the final four bouts, with Longwood heavyweight Paul Corkery pulling out a 6-3 win over Dave Egloff to force the tie.
The event was the place to be and the teams didn’t disappoint anyone.
LEAGUE I Longwood 21, Sachem 21
98 – Lewis (L) pinned Ferrari, 2:47. 105 – Carvalheira (S) dec. Zakar, 7-2. 112 – Harris (S) dec. Missale, 3-2. 119 – Kagan (S) dec. Phifer, 4-2, OT. 126 – Casali (S) dec. Woodley, 6-2. 132 – Simonton (L) dec. Delgado, 2-0, OT. 138 – Attanasio (S) dec. Fabian, 7-3. 145 – John Lange (L) pinned Petracca, 1:32. 155 – Jim Lange (L) dec. Pulido, 3-1. 167 – Sciacca (S) dec. Drago, 9-7. 177 – Asaro (S) dec. Bolay-Williams, 8-6. Hvy – Corkery (L) dec. Egloff, 6-3.
Suffolk League 1 Tournament at Ward Melville
February 13, 1993
Team Scores
1. Sachem 234.5
2. Longwood 205
3. Patchogue-Medford 172.5
4. Connetquot 89
5. Brentwood 85
6. William Floyd 70
7. Ward Melville 55
8. Smithtown 46
Championship Finals
91 – Dilberth Jiminez (William Floyd) pinned Nino Locasio (Patchogue-Medford), 1:59
98 – Jim Giuliano (Smithtown) dec. Brian Cusati (Patchogue-Medford), 4-3
105 – John Carlvalhiera (Sachem) dec. Dustin Zakar (Longwood) 8-2
112 – Jim Missale (Longwood) dec. Rason Phifer (Longwood), 4-3
119 – Jon Kagan (Sachem) dec. Jim DiMartino (Patchogue-Medford), 7-6
126 – Juan Delgado (Sachem) dec. John Weidler (Patchogue-Medford), 3-2
132 – Dan Bergin (Brentwood) dec. Bo Flynn (Brentwood), 8-2
138 – Mike Attanasio (Sachem) dec. Greg Savastano (Patchogue-Medford), 5-0
145 – John Lange (Longwood) md. Joe Nemeth (William Floyd), 16-5
155 – Jim Melchionna (Connetquot) pinned Mark Backastow (Ward Melville), 5:32
167 – Chris Asaro (Sachem) md. Shane McLaughlin (William Floyd), 13-2
177 – Elrich Bowlay-Williams (Longwood) dec. Phil Sciacca (Sachem), 5-1
215 – Jason Majestic (Patchogue-Medford) dec. Corkery (Longwood), 7-0
250 – Vin Mulhare Longwood) pinned Brian Burd (William Floyd), 4:10
Most Outstanding Wrestler: John Lange (Longwood, 145)
Most Pins Least Time: Jon Kagan (Sachem, 119) 3 pins in 10:16
Consolation Finals
91 – Justin Finnerty (Longwood) pinned Jeremy Salinger (Brentwood), 1:37
98 – Shaun Lewis (Longwood) dec. Chris Ferrari (Sachem), 7-2
105 – Brennan (Patchogue-Medford) def. Frank Petrella (Connetquot), by Inj Dflt
112 – Chris Dowd (Connetquot) dec. Segnini (Ward Melville), 6-5
119 – Kevin Kaminsky (Connetquot) dec. Jason Spahn (Brentwood), 3-0
126 – Pat Casali (Sachem) pinned Scheer (Smithtown), 1:35
132 – Matt Simonton (Longwood) dec. Paul Sutera (Connetquot), 6-3
138 – Mike O’Neill (Brentwood) TF Ilovic (Smithtown), 4:45
145 – Pete Gillen (William Floyd) dec. David Petracca (Sachem), 8-1
155 – Jason Pulido (Sachem) dec. Jim Lange (Longwood), 5-2
167 – John Minogue (Patchogue-Medford) pinned Bryan Drago (Longwood), 2:08
177 – Sean Gray (Patchogue-Medford) dec. Hart (Ward Melville), 5-1
215 – Joe Bieler (Sachem) dec. Jason Hendershot (Connetquot), 6-4
250 – Mike Villalta (Sachem) pinned Kevin Nichols (Connetquot), 2:52
A Draw, Then A Loss Top wrestlers out in tough 1st round:
By Gregg Sarra. STAFF WRITER. Newsday, Combined editions; Long Island, N.Y. [Long Island, N.Y]. 20 Feb 1993:
So just how tough is the Suffolk County wrestling tournament? Well, consider that 10 wrestlers with at least 20 wins each and no more than five losses apiece were sent home after the first round.
That’s how tough it is. Just ask Copiague’s Ryan Richardson (112) what he thinks. Richardson, a third-place finisher in the 1991 tournament, was ousted in the first round by Longwood‘s Jim Missale in a 3-2 decision. Richardson drew Sachem’s defending state champion John Carvalheira in the first round of last year’s tournament and lost, 4-3.
Or ask top seeds, Matt Maltese (132) of Lindenhurst and Rich Medico (155) of Huntington, who also were eliminated in the first round.
“We’ll send those kids home with nothing to show for all of the time and hard work they put in this year,” said Patchogue-Medford coach Craig Kelskey. “And why? Because we have an automatic seeding criteria that matches kids by chance instead of performance. And with no wrestleback round for the first-round losers, we as coaches do a real injustice to these kids. Quality kids get no shot for a place finish if they get a bad draw and lose a tough first-round match . . . It’s horrible.”
Despite the automatic seeding, all three defending state champions advanced to the semifinals of the Suffolk County Dr. Robert Fallot Wrestling Championships at 10 a.m. today at SUNY Stony Brook.
Sachem’s Carvalheira (105), Centereach’s Keith Matias (112) and Longwood‘s John Lange (145) won two matches apiece to advance.
Longwood, with 90 1/2 points and seven semifinalists, leads defending champion Sachem’s 77 1/2 points and six semifinalists for the team title. A record 30 teams will be represented in the semifinals.
Among those is Mount Sinai with Bill Morgan (126), who is trying to become that school’s first county champion.
Half Hollow Hills East qualified 11 wrestlers into the tournament, more than any other school, and advanced three into the semifinals. Another Hills East wrestler, Darren Pascarella (119), nearly upset top-seeded Liston Brown of Copiague before dropping a 4-3 decision.
“It’s too bad they met so early,” Hills East coach Joe Pennacchio said.
That seemed to be the feeling everywhere.
Said Copiague’s Richardson. “I watched six guys go up to the podium and stand there and accept awards last year. And I beat four of them, two by pin. But Carvalheira knocked me out in the first round. But I got over it, worked hard and made it back here. I got another horrible draw and I’m done after one match. I got the short end of the stick two years in a row.”
Richardson may have been the second-best wrestler at his weight two years in a row, but never got the chance to prove it.
c
Suffolk County – Section XI Public High School Wrestling Tournament
Stony Brook University, Stony Brook, NY
February 19-20, 1993Team Score
| Longwood | 201.5 | John Glenn | 26.0 | |
| Sachem | 152.5 | Northport | 26.0 | |
| Huntington | 76.5 | Lindenhurst | 24.5 | |
| Amityville | 73.0 | Smithtown | 22.5 | |
| Half Hollow Hills East | 67.5 | Bay Shore | 22.0 | |
| East Islip | 58.5 | Hauppauge | 17.5 | |
| Rocky Point | 53.5 | West Islip | 16.0 | |
| Wyandanch | 52.0 | Westhampton Beach | 13.5 | |
| Deer Park | 49.5 | East Hampton | 8.0 | |
| Newfield | 48.5 | Harborfields | 8.0 | |
| Islip | 48.0 | Ward Melville | 8.0 | |
| Shoreham-Wading River | 47.5 | Kings Park | 6.5 | |
| Patchogue-Medford | 46.5 | Sayville | 6.5 | |
| Mt. Sinai | 46.0 | Mattituck | 6.0 | |
| Brentwood | 45.0 | Riverhead | 6.0 | |
| Babylon | 41.0 | Central Islip | 4.0 | |
| Port Jefferson | 39.5 | Stony Brook | 4.0 | |
| Centereach | 37.5 | Bayport-Blue Point | 0.0 | |
| North Babylon | 37.5 | Commack | 0.0 | |
| Copiague | 37.5 | Comsewogue | 0.0 | |
| Connetquot | 36.0 | Greenport/Southold | 0.0 | |
| Bellport | 32.0 | Miller Place | 0.0 | |
| William Floyd | 32.0 | West Babylon | 0.0 | |
| Hampton Bays/Southampton | 31.0 | Half Hollow Hills West | 0.0 | |
| Walt Whitman | 30.0 | Central Islip | 0.0 |
Championship Finals
91 – Tom Longobardi (Islip, Jr.) dec. Angello Zegarelli (Deer Park), 7-5
98 – Shaun Lewis (Longwood, So.) pinned Jim Giugliano (Smithtown East), 5:24
105 – John Carvalhiera (Sachem, Sr.) dec. Lenwirth Jacobs (Amityville), 4-0
112 – Rason Phifer (Longwood, So.) dec. Jim Missale (Longwood), 4-2 OT
119 – Liston Brown (Copiague, Jr.) dec. Joe Rossa (Centereach), 5-0
126 – Brett Chester (Amityville, Sr.) dec. Bill Morgan (Mt. Sinai), 2-0
132 – Dan Bergin (Brentwood, Jr.) dec. Matt Simonton (Longwood), 3-0
138 – Russell Jones (Wyandanch, Jr.) pinned Lenny Fries (Lindenhurst), 5:02
145 – John Lange (Longwood, Jr.) maj dec. Joe Nemeth (William Floyd), 18-7
155 – KC Armstrong (Port Jefferson, Sr.) dec. Jason Pulido (Sachem), 11-6
167 – Rob Wyllie (Rocky Point, Jr.) pinned Chris Asaro (Sachem), 3:47
177 – Jason Bruno (John Glenn, Sr.) dec. Jeff Canfora (East Islip, Sr.), 9-7 OT
215 – Mike Lampasso (Bellport, Sr.) dec. Frank Servidio (Northport, Sr.), 8-5
250 – Frank Ganter (Newfield, So.) dec. Keith Williams (East Islip, Sr.), 7-2
Lonnie Kittle Most Outstanding Wrestler: Russell Jones (Wyandanch, 138)
Most Pins Least Time: Frank Ganter (Newfield, 250), 3 in 7:20
Consolation Finals 3rd/4th
91 – Brian Haise (Babylon) dec. John Cortes (Amityville), 6-0
98 – Luis Bonilla (Huntington, So.) dec. Rocky Bracero (Newfield), 9-7
105 – Tim Puskas (Huntington, Jr.) pinned Dustin Zakar (Longwood), 4:07
112 – Jim Amira (Huntington, Jr.) dec. Keith Matias (Centereach, Sr.), 5-4
119 – Jack Magnani (Deer Park) dec. Jon Kagan (Sachem), 4-1
126 – Juan Delgado (Sachem) pinned Mike Uccelini (Half Hollow Hills East), 2:07
132 – Bo Flynn (Brentwood) dec. Mike Foster (Huntington, Sr.), 1-0
138 – Chris Dollard (Shoreham-Wading River) dec. Mike Attanasio (Sachem), 4-2
145 – Lenny Fanelli (North Babylon, Sr.) dec. Brian Babcock (Hampton Bays), 7-6
155 – Jim Melchionna (Connetquot, Sr.) dec. Kurt Ditzler (Islip), 4-3
167 – James Crawford (Wyandanch, So.) dec. Dwayne Dorsett (Bay Shore, Sr.), 3-2
177 – John Sparacio (North Babylon, Sr.) pinned Elrich Bowlay-Williams (Longwood), 4:41
215 – Jason Majestic (Patchogue-Medford, Jr.) dec. Alex Sweet (Westhampton Beach, Sr.), 5-3
250 – Vinny Mulhare (Longwood) def. Mike Villalta (Sachem), 4:56 (16-1)
Consolation Finals 5th/6th
91 – Adrian Bonilla (Huntington, Fr.) maj dec. Steve Tsperkas (Rocky Point), 9-0
98 – Ryan Bernholz (Mt. Sinai) pinned Anthony Burgos (Wyandanch), 1:18
105 – Matt Hickey (Half Hollow Hills East) dec. Mike Specht (Rocky Point), 4-2
112 – Chris Dowd (Connetquot, Jr.) dec. Tom Decker (Deer Park), 3-0
119 – Russ Walker (West Islip) dec. James DiMartino (Patchogue-Medford), 1-0
126 – Mike Fields (Copiague) dec. John Weidler (Patchogue-Medford), 12-9
132 – Jeff Berzolla (Shoreham-Wading River) dec. Ryan Walker (Babylon), 6-0
138 – Mark DeGaetano (Half Hollow Hills East) dec. Greg Savastano (Patchogue-Medford), 3-2
145 – Darren Correa (Half Hollow Hills East) dec. James Mathias (Port Jefferson), 7-5
155 – Tom Peers (Walt Whitman) dec. Preston Tucci (Mt. Sinai), 3-2
167 – Jason Schoerlin (Hampton Bays) dec. Dave Ieni (Half Hollow Hills East), 8-1
177 – Marc Bujnicki (Shoreham-Wading River) dec. Phil Scicca (Sachem), 4-2 OT
215 – Paul Corkery (Longwood) def. Jose Henriquez (Walt Whitman), Default 3:26
250 – Brian Burd (William Floyd) pinned John Pfaffe (Central Islip), 3:37
Longwood Wrestlers Win:
Newsday, Combined editions; Long Island, N.Y. [Long Island, N.Y]. 23 Feb 1993
Longwood – with three county champions in Rason Phifer (112), Shawn Lewis (98) and John Lange (145) – totaled 199 1/2 points and claimed its third team title in four years Saturday night at SUNY-Stony Brook.
Sachem’s John Carvalheira (105) won his second consecutive county title and will join Lange in defense of their state titles in Syracuse March 6-7. Rocky Point junior Rob Wyllie (167) also defended his county title. He finished fourth last year at the state tournament.
Junior Russell Jones earned the most outstanding wrestler award and became only the second county winner in Wyandanch history. William Crawford won at heavyweight in 1988. – Gregg Sarra
Longwood Wins Title:
By Gregg Sarra. STAFF WRITER. Newsday, Combined editions; Long Island, N.Y. [Long Island, N.Y]. 21 Feb 1993
The Longwood coaching staff sat expressionless during the 112-pound final at the Suffolk County wrestling championships last night.
The coaches chose to sit back and watch as Longwood teammates Jim Missale and Rason Phifer battled for the title and the right to go to the state championships March 6-7 in Syracuse.
It was the first time teammates met in a county final since 1982 when Bay Shore’s Bob Panarello decisioned Mike Glynn.
“To have two kids in the same weight class in the county final is great,” Longwood coach Mike Picozzi said. “But I had mixed emotions when it ended. I felt happiness and sadness.”
In the end, it was the sophomore, Phifer, who used an overtime takedown to beat the senior, Missale, 4-2.
With Phifer’s crown and county titles to Shawn Lewis (98) and John Lange (145, his second title) Longwood totaled 199 1/2 points and claimed its third team title in four years at the county championships at SUNY-Stony Brook.
“We had eight kids place,” Picozzi said. “We have a young team and didn’t expect them to grow so quickly. But they did and we’re very satisfied.”
Sachem’s John Carvalheira (105) captured his second straight county title and will join Lange in defense of their state titles. Carvalheira shut out two-time county runner-up Lenny Jacobs of Amityville, 4-0.
Rocky Point junior Rob Wyllie (167) defended his county title with a pin in 3:47 over Sachem’s Chris Asaro. Wyllie finished fourth last year at the state tournament.
“Now I get the opportunity to go back to Syracuse and win the state,” he said. “I’ve looked forward to this for a year.”
Wyandanch junior Russell Jones was denied a county title last year when he lost 2-0 to Rocky Point’s Chad Henkin. Last night, Jones and Lindenhurst’s Len Fries battled to a 6-6 tie before Jones got a takedown and headlocked Fries for a pin in 5:02. The win earned Jones the most outstanding wrestler award and made him only the second county winner in Wyandanch history. William Crawford won at heavyweight in 1988.
Tom Longobardi (91) became Islip’s first-ever county titlist when he beat Deer Park’s Angelo Zegarelli, 7-5.
Newfield sophomore Frank Ganter made probably the most impressive march to a title.
Ganter, who took third place in the League III tournament, pinned three opponents, including top-seeded Vin Mulhare of Longwood, on his way to the final. There he upended East Islip’s Keith Williams, 7-2, an opponent that had beaten him three times this year.
“Those three matches didn’t matter,” Newfield coach Tony Perna said. “This was the one that counted. The `Baby House’ got it done.”
Jason Bruno beat East Islip’s Jeff Canfora, 9-7, in overtime at 177 pounds to become Glenn’s first county champion since 1975 when 250-pounder Eric Creagen won.
For Port Jefferson’s K.C. Armstrong, a six-time league place-winner who suffered a broken neck last year as a junior and recovered to place fourth in the county, his 11-6 win over Sachem’s Jason Pulido for the title at 155 was worth the wait.
“K.C. wanted this very bad for his dad, who has been sick,” first-year Port Jefferson coach Tom Williams said. “There was a tremendous amount of emotion riding on his match. It was difficult to keep him under control. He was extremely aggressive.”
Illustration
Phifer Leads Strong Team for Suffolk:
By Gregg Sarra. STAFF WRITER. Newsday, Combined editions; Long Island, N.Y. [Long Island, N.Y]. 05 Mar 1993
Phifer Leads Strong Team for Suffolk Rason Phifer, the Longwood wrestling staff believed, had the potential to be a five-time county champion. As an eighth-grader, he was as heralded a wrestler as any at that age could be.
For two years, though, Phifer has battled his weight, opponents and even his teammates, but could not win a county title. As an eighth-grader, he endured a 5-4 loss in the county final to Huntington’s Brian Fischenich – an eventual state champion. Last year, a controversial slam in the League I tournament eliminated him from the county tournament.
This year, Phifer has finally emerged as the 112-pound champion and leads 10 underclassmen on a strong Suffolk sectional team to the state wrestling championships that begin today at the Onondaga County Convention Center in Syracuse.
“It hasn’t been easy,” Phifer said. “I’ve had some very disappointing moments. Last year was unforgivable and I wasn’t letting anything stand in my way this year.”
Not even Longwood teammate Jim Missale, who Phifer beat 4-2 in overtime in the county final. Missale had eliminated defending state champion Keith Matias of Centereach in the semifinal round.
“We knew each other through and through,” Phifer said. “But there comes a time when you have to look out for yourself and I had to do what I had to do. It wasn’t a pleasant thing for us to have to wrestle each other but the road to the states hasn’t been easy and he was another obstacle.”
Defending state champions John Carvalheira (105) of Sachem and John Lange (145) of Longwood cleared all of the obstacles in their way to make the return trip to Syracuse. Both finished undefeated and sectional coach Mike Picozzi of Longwood hopes that their experience will help the team.
“With so many underclassmen it’s hard to say what’s going to happen,” Picozzi said. “We have no way of telling how these kids will react to the pressure the tournament brings.”
Suffolk won the state sectional title and crowned eight champions last year while placing 11 of its 14 representatives. Rocky Point’s Rob Wyllie (167) was one of those placewinners, finishing fourth as a sophomore. He returns with higher aspirations.
“The goal was to place last year,” Wyllie said. “This time I know what it’s all about and I`m going up there with all intentions of winning. The experience is a big factor.”
Longwood can crown three state champions for a second consecutive year. Sophomore Shawn Lewis (98) joins Phifer and Lange for the Lions.
Defending Champ Carvalheira Loses:
By Gregg Sarra. STAFF CORRESPONDENT. Newsday, Combined editions; Long Island, N.Y. [Long Island, N.Y]. 06 Mar 1993
Instant replay’s use at the state wrestling championships might not be a bad idea, considering the result of last night’s 105-pound quarterfinal bout between Sachem’s John Carvalheira and Maine-Edwell’s Jason Goldman.
Carvalheira, the defending state champion, lost a 3-2 decision to Goldman when referee Dick DeMott did not award any points after Carvalheiraseemingly had broken Goldman’s hold into a neutral position and then worked for a two-point reversal before time expired. The defeat prevented Carvalheira from advancing to defend his title.
“He {Carvalheira} never gained control and he got selfish going for the two points, instead of an escape for one,” DeMott said. “Two seconds earlier and he gets a neutral, but he {Goldman} never lost control.”
A videotape replay seemed to indicate Carvalheira had broken Goldman’s hold. That would have given Carvalheira one point for the neutral position and would have sent the bout into overtime.
“He’s crushed,” Sachem coach Jack Mahoney said of Carvalheira. “It wasn’t the right call at all.”
Meanwhile, Port Jefferson coach Tom Williams was upset at the second of two referee’s calls in K.C. Armstrong’s 9-7 overtime loss to East Rochester’s Jason Rucker. Williams did not disagree with Armstrong getting penalized for an illegal hold on Rucker with 12 seconds left and cutting his lead to 7-6. But Williams was upset when Armstrong and Rucker went out of bounds with four seconds left and DeMott penalized Armstrong a point for fleeing the mat to tie it at 7. Armstrong then lost in overtime.
“I had one of two choices,” DeMott said. “I could call the kid {Armstrong} for fleeing the mat or stalling because he hipped him from the mat.”
“The official should never determine the outcome of the match,” Williams said. “There was no way K.C. gets called for those points at the end of the match. It’s a gross injustice that he works his whole life for an opportunity in the state tournament and it gets taken away from him by an official.”
Despite the losses by Carvalheira and Armstrong, 11 Long Islanders have a shot at the title by advancing into today’s semifinal round at the Onondaga County Convention Center. Suffolk advanced six wrestlers and Nassau advanced five. Suffolk, the defending team champion, is in fourth place with 65 points and Nassau is in seventh place with 48. Binghamton, with 10 semifinalists, leads with 80 points.
One Long Islander who still has a chance to successfully defend his state title is Longwood’s John Lange (145), who won his first two matches by pin (2:36) and decision (11-4).
Four Long Islanders have a shot at becoming their high school’s first ever state champion: Rocky Point’s Rob Wyllie (167), Islip’s Tom Longobardi (91), Copiague’s Liston Brown (119) and Cold Spring Harbor’s Brian Mulada (112).
“I need to stay focused and take it one match at a time,” Wyllie said. “There’s no room for mistakes up here.”
Longwood coach Mike Picozzi, the Suffolk sectional coach, was disappointed in not advancing more wrestlers.
“We made mistakes and lost a lot of close matches,” he said. “The quarterfinal round was a bad one for us.”
Suffolk lost six of 12 quarterfinal matches and Nassau lost five of 10, but none of the 14 representatives from either county has been eliminated.
“Everyone’s alive and we’ve wrestled well,” said Nassau sectional coach Gary Mims of Massapequa. “I expected a solid performance and I’m getting one.”
NEW YORK STATE WRESTLING CHAMPIONSHIPS At Onondaga County Convention Center Syracuse Quarterfinal results
91 – Tom Longobardi (Islip) pinned Dave Mitola (Shenendehowa, II), 5:32; Mike Giuliani (Massapequa) dec. Erik Guild (Royalton-Hartland, VI), 3-2. 98 – John Gemmell (Hornell, V) dec. Doug Nick (MacArthur), 10-1; Andy Matteoti (Suffern, I) dec. Shawn Lewis (Longwood), 4-2; Steve Conlon (Kellenberg) dec. Michael Masci (Goshen, XI), 6-0. 105 – Mark Keller (Amherst, VI) dec. James Hieronymous (Freeport), 9-2; Brian Schaal (Alexander, V) dec. Nick Amico (Chaminade), 6-3; Jason Goldman (Maine-Endwell, IV) dec. John Carvalheira (Sachem, XI), 3-2. 112 – Rason Phifer (Longwood) dec. Peter Schmidt (So. Glens Falls, II), 13-6; Brian Mulada (Cold Spring Harbor) dec. Jason Barbera (Spencerport, V), 2-1. 119 – Craig Walter (Plainedge) dec. Jason Collins (Royalton-Hartland, VI), 7-6; Liston Brown (Copiague) def. Mike Mitchell (Cornwall, IX), by tech. fall, 4:00. 126 – Rennie Crisafulli (Allegany, VI) pinned Mike Mundo (Calhoun), 3:21; Brett Chester (Amityville) dec. Arkee Allen (Irondequoit, V), 3-2; Terry Showalter (Canastota, III) pinned Craig Grella (St. Anthony’s), 1:40. 132 – Shawn Cummings (Gouveneur, X) dec. Sergio Nicolosi (East Meadow), 4-2. 138 – Greg Shaw (Richfield Springs, III) dec. Russell Jones (Wyandanch), 13-6. 145 – John Lange (Longwood) dec. John Painter (Salem, II), 11-4; Jacob Schaus (Falconer, VI) pinned Arturo Mazzeo (Chaminade), 2:52. 155 – Aldy Teran (Long Beach) dec. Brian Bosley (Tappan Zee, I), 14-4. 167 – Ariel Marine (Valley Stream South) dec. Andy Sweredowski (Lowville, III), 4-3; Rob Wyllie (Rocky Point) dec. Jason Venne (Saranac, VII), 12-3. 177 – Keith Evans (Norwich, IV) dec. Jason Bruno (Glenn), 12-10, OT. 215 – Tim Stoddard (Norwich, IV) dec. Mike Lampasso (Bellport), 15-6; Marco Sanchez (Nazareth, CHSAA) dec. Dan Hansen (Baldwin), 15-7. 250 – Jermaine Fortson (Ossining, I) dec. Frank Ganter (Newfield), 8-5. Team Scores – Binghamton-IV 80, Rochester-V 68, Syracuse-III 66, Suffolk-XI 65, Buffalo-VI 54, Albany-Schenectady-II 49, Nassau-VIII 48, Westchester-I 48, St. Lawrence County-X 23, CHSAA 22, Plattsburgh-VII 21, Catskills-IX 15, PSAL 0.
