Bayport-Blue Point and Longwood have thrown in the towel, too – Longwood will be starting its fourth consecutive year on austerity. “When you get conditioned to doing this, and the district has been conditioned, you go along pretty well,” said Longwood Schools Superintendent Nick Muto. “With the economic climate the way it is, almost everyone has got to make some sacrifices and do what they can.” Longwood, where students are widely spread out, passed a separate transportation proposition to bus all students and has booster clubs to help support athletics.
WRESTLING RESULTS
Newsday, Combined editions; Long Island, N.Y. [Long Island, N.Y]. 12 Dec 1993:
LONGWOOD TOURNAMENT Final
91 – Sabele (Longwood) pinned Felicetta (Bellport), 3:48. 98 – Rodger (Mount Sinai) dec. Loguercio (Longwood), 4-0. 105 – Short (Longwood) pinned Ellison (Wyandanch), 4:37. 112 – Bragoli (Longwood) won by default. 119 – Phifer (Longwood) pinned Herrman (Bellport), 3:00. 126 – Zakar (Longwood) dec. Goldstein (Mount Sinai), 1-0. 132 – Woodly (Longwood) dec. Morelli (Mount Sinai), 10-0. 138 – McGuire (Newfield) dec. McKenzie (Longwood), 4-0. 145 – Fabian (Longwood) pinned Kiernan (Newfield), 1:47. 155 – Jones (Wyandanch) won by default. 167 – Tucci (Mount Sinai) pinned Matthews (Wyandanch), 5:00. 177 – Crawford (Wyandanch) def. Gallo (Bellport) by tech. fall, 4:30. Hvy – Leoni (Newfield) pinned Floyd (Bellport), 1:59. 250 – Mulhare (Longwood) dec. Marrero (Wyandanch), 6-4 OT. Most Outstanding Wrestler – Rason Phifer (Longwood).
HIGH SCHOOL WRESTLING PREVIEW Lange, Longwood Are Strong as Ever:
By Gregg Sarra. STAFF WRITER. Newsday, Combined editions; Long Island, N.Y. [Long Island, N.Y]. 12 Dec 1993
Longwood‘s John Lange can do what no other Suffolk wrestler has ever done before – win three state championships.
No one from the great Huntington, Sachem, Amityville or Brentwood teams from years past has ever achieved the feat. Adam Mariano of Comsewogue won state titles as a junior and senior but lost by two points in the state final as a sophomore.
“It’s an incredible feat,” Lange said. “It would be an honor to be the only guy to do it in Suffolk. There have been so many great wrestlers in Suffolk before me. It’s almost unbelievable but it is right there before me.”
Lange, the 145-pound state wrestling champion for the past two years will move up in weight to 155 and shoot for a record third straight title.
“Barring injury and anything unforeseen, I can’t see anyone in the state beating him,” said Longwood coach Mike Picozzi. “He knows he has to keep his focus and still work hard. And he knows nothing will be handed to him on a silver platter.”
Lange brings a career record of 60-1, including 41 pins, into his senior season. He will help Longwood defend its two-year reign atop the state rankings with teammates and county champions Shawn Lewis (98) and Rason Phifer (112, 2nd in state).
Other county place-winners at Longwood were Matt Simonton (132, 2nd in county) and Dustin Zakar (105, 4th in county). Simonton lost a match to Brentwood’s Dan Bergin in the 132-pound county final last year.
For Simonton and Deer Park’s Angelo Zegarelli (91) both runners-up in the county tournament, the path to a county title will be just as bumpy as last season. A county-record 10 underclassmen won county titles last year and return this campaign to defend their titles.
“It’s unbelievable,” said Bill Davey, president of the coaches association. “It’s going to be very difficult to see how many new faces make it to the state tournament. Or on the flipside, how many kids can defend their titles in such a strong county tournament.”
Four different weight classes (91, 98, 126, 132) have at least four returning county place-winners back. At 91, five county place-winners return. State champion Tom Longobardi of Islip edged Zegarelli in last year’s county final, then went on to destroy three opponents in the state tournament to become Islip’s first-ever state champion.
“There are so many quality kids back this year,” said Shoreham-Wading River coach Paul Jendrewski. “We were a very young section last year. It’s going to be interesting to see where kids move in the different weight classes. You’re probably going to have to go through a county champion at some point to win a title.”
Longwood‘s Lewis failed to place at the state tournament and will have to contend with Huntington’s Luis Bonilla, Newfield’s Rocky Bracero, Mount Sinai’s Ryan Bernholz and Wyandanch’s Adrian Burgos for the 105-pound title.
Copiague’s Liston Brown (119) was the school’s first-ever state champion last year but he’ll find the middle weights to be very competitive this year. Amityville’s Brett Chester (126), Brentwood’s Dan Bergin (132), Wyandanch’s Russell Jones (138) and Rocky Point’s Rob Wyllie (167) are also back to defend county titles.
Phifer will defend his 112-pound title, but looking to take it away are Huntington’s Jim Amira, Connetquot’s Chris Dowd and Deer Park’s Tom Decker. Dowd upset Phifer in the League I tournament two years ago. With Lange up at 155 pounds, the 145-pound class becomes a wide-open weight class as are 177 and 215.
The team picture is pretty clear. Longwood is on its own level with six returning county place-winners and should capture the League I title. Perennial champion Sachem has only one county place-winner back and will battle Patchogue-Medford for second.
In League II, Mike Uccellini (126, 3rd in county) and Darren Pascarella (119) lead a balanced Hills East team that is favored to win. Huntington is the team to beat with five county place-winners back in League III. But Copiague has Brown and Mike Fields (126, 5th in county) and could challenge the Blue Devils.
In League IV, Deer Park and Hauppauge bring experienced teams to the mat and should vie for the title. In League V, Shoreham-Wading River and Amityville look strong. In League VI, watch out for Wyandanch with Jones and James Crawford, who took third in the county at 215.
BABYLON TOURNAMENT Final round – 91 – Sable (L) def. Russell (G) by tech. fall, 1:37. 98 – Zukowski (SWR) dec. Grau (L), 15-4. 105 – Mullady (SWR) dec. Short (L), 7-0. 112 – Julian (SWR) pinned Gonzalez (B), 3:55. 119 – Macaleese (L) dec. Schnappauf (B), 7-2. 126 – Brown (L) pinned DeBarro (B), 2:40 132 – Kiernan (B) pinned Giannettino (WB), 3:36. 138 – Rodriguez (G) dec. MacKenzie (L), 2-0. 145 – Fabian (L) dec. Walker (B), 4-3. 155 – Rappis (SWR) dec. Taylor (SWR), 15-4. 167 – Crenshaw (L) pinned Dettleff (SWR), 5:17. 177 – Drago (L) dec. Sandberg (G), 10-0. 215 – Tarra (B) pinned Galioto (L), 4:26. 250 – Harrell (L) dec. Pacifico (G), 10-2. Team scores – Shoreham-Wading River 227, Longwood `B’ 217, Babylon 129.5, Glenn 100, West Babylon 44.5. Most falls/least time – Justin Kiernan (B) 3 pins in 7:46. Most outstanding Wrestler – Tim Mullady (SWR).
Longwood 34, Brentwood 28
91 – Salinger (B) dec. Sable, 2-0. 98 – Rivera (B) pinned Harrell, 4:25. 105 – F. Martinez (B) dec. Short, 9-7. 112 – Phifer (L) pinned Cabrera, :49. 119 – Zakar (L) def. L. Martinez, by tech. fall, 5:12. 126 – Spahn (B) dec. MacAleese, 10-2. 132 – Woodley (L) dec. Flynn, 10-1. 138 – Simonton (L) dec. Bergin, 2-1, OT. 145 – Fabian (L) dec. Melgar, 1-0. 155 – Lange (L) pinned Manz, 1:20. 167 – Drago (L) def. Mendoza by tech. fall, 4:45. 177 – Froehrich (B) pinned Rasheed, 3:03. Hvy – Kriegsman (B) pinned Byrd, 1:32. Jan. 21
A secretary at the Patchogue-Medford athletic office answered the phone and asked if Newsday could help with the wrestlemania thing going on. She wanted fans to know how to obtain passes for tonight’s League I dual meet against Longwood at 7:30 p.m. at Patchogue-Medford.
So here goes. Passes will be available today and they’re free. They can only be obtained in advance through the athletic offices in Patchogue-Medford at 758-1061 or the Longwood athletic office at 345-9262. Because of an anticipated heavy turnout for the event, 1,200 passes were printed. No passes will be available at the door. Spectators are urged to park in the north parking lot.
“We are expecting a capacity crowd,” said Patchogue-Medford athletic director Ed Cinelli. “And we want to make sure that the parents and fans that have followed the wrestlers through the years don’t get shut out of this meet.”
Longwood Wins a Wild One PM’s Minogue pulls off upset, team falls short:
By Gregg Sarra. STAFF WRITER. Newsday, Combined editions; Long Island, N.Y. [Long Island, N.Y]. 29 Jan 1994
Tom Minogue did something no one has done in more than two years. He beat two-time defending state champion John Lange of Longwood, 7-5, in the 167-pound bout and put the Red Raiders of Patchogue-Medford in position to beat Longwood in last night’s dual wrestling meet at Patchogue-Medford High School.
It was as much a credit to Minogue’s talents as it was a credit to Patchogue coach Craig Kelskey for putting him on the mat against Lange.
“It was the match everyone wanted to see and it was the only way we had a chance to win the dual,” Kelskey said. “Lange’s a great wrestler and Longwood bumped him up a weight for the team. I knew Tommy could wrestle with him – Tommy’s very tough.”
Minogue’s win got Patchogue within 23-18 putting the pressure on teammate Sean Grey who needed a pin at 177 pounds for his team to pull out the victory. Longwood‘s Bryan Drago wrestled a cautious but effective bout and took a 4-2 overtime win over Grey and Longwood won a wild 26-18 League I decision.
With Longwood forfeiting the heavyweight class to Jason Majestic and giving up six pin points, Longwood coach Mike Picozzi knew his team had to forge an early lead.
They never did and the meet grew more intense with each bout.
“I was so proud of all my kids,” Kelskey said. “We were right there.”
The opening bout between Patchogue’s Nino LoCascio and Longwood‘s Jason Short really got the crowd of 1,200 involved. Short used a late third period reversal to tie an exciting match at 6 but LoCascio escaped with 16 seconds left for a 7-6 victory. It was the start of things to come.
Kelskey put sophomore Christian Herrera against county champion Shawn Lewis at 98. Herrera wrestled Lewis hard but as he tried to flee Lewis’ grasp for an escape and the tying point late in the third period, Lewis threw in a vicious standing cradle and put the sophomore to his back for an 8-2 win.
At 126, Longwood‘s Kendell Brown scored a late third period escape to force overtime where he took a 5-3 win over Ed Mentz.
Patchogue’s fiery John Weidler (132) stalked Chauncy Woodly in an action-packed bout before putting a powerful headlock to Woodly and throwing him to his back for a five-point move and the 14-8 win.
“This dual was as close as it gets,” Weidler said. “It could have gone our way with one break.”
Weidler gave the Red Raiders a 15-10 lead but county runner-up Matt Simonton (138) brought the Lions back from the deficit against David Rubinstein when he scored two back points with four seconds left for a 10-1 win and four team points. Longwood‘s Robert Fabian (145) went out and manhandled Vin Lorenzo 12-0 for five team points and a 19-15 team lead. James Crenshaw beat Joe Gannone 10-1 for a 23-15 lead. After Lange was upset, Grey sealed the win with his overtime victory and Lange was the first to embrace him.
LEAGUE I Longwood 26, Patchogue-Medford 18 – 98 – LoCascio (PM) dec. Short, 7-6. 105 – Lewis (L) dec. Herrera, 8-2. 112 – Phifer (L) dec. Riley, 9-0. 119 – Sanchez (PM) dec. Zakar, 3-1. 126 – Brown (L) dec. Mentz, 5-3, OT. 132 – Weidler (PM) dec. Woodly, 14-8. 138 – Simonton (L) dec. Rubinstein, 10-1. 145 – Fabian (L) dec. Lorenzo, 12-0. 155 – Crenshaw (L) dec. Gannone, 10-1. 167 – Minogue (PM) dec. Lange, 7-5. 177 – Drago (L) dec. Grey, 4-2 OT. Forfeits by: Longwood (Hvy).
Depleted Longwood Holds Off Sachem:
By Gregg Sarra. STAFF WRITER. Newsday, Combined editions; Long Island, N.Y. [Long Island, N.Y]. 03 Feb 1994:
This was the one year that Longwood could afford to wrestle Sachem without two of its starters in the lineup. In any other year the Lions would have been hard-pressed to pull out a win.
With Chauncy Woodly (132) sidelined because of an arm injury and county champion Shawn Lewis (105) sent home for not making weight, Longwood coach Mike Picozzi was a bit uncomfortable at the outset of last night’s League I dual.
The outcome wasn’t decided until 167-pounder Bryan Drago scored six unanswered points to deliver a 6-2 win over Matt Abbene and seal the host Lions’ 29-25 win.
Drago’s win gave the Lions (10-0), the state’s top-ranked team, a 29-15 lead with two bouts left and clinched the League I dual meet title.
“Everyone thinks I’m sleeping through the first two periods when I wrestle because I’m a slow starter,” Drago said. “I’m usually just feeling out the opponent and then I explode on him in the third period. I knew the pressure was on me tonight when I took the mat.”
It certainly was.
After 155-pounder John Lange turned in a 15-2 win over Sachem‘s Brian Micena, the Lions led 26-15. But with Sachem (8-1-1) favored to win the next three bouts, a pin and two decisions could have pulled out a 27-26 win.
“I thought we were going to win going into the 167-pound match,” said Sachem coach Jack Mahoney. “It came down to 167 and Drago kept it close and then beat us.”
It was fortunate for the Lions that Drago got the job done as the Flaming Arrows won the final two bouts. Sachem‘s Tony Vecchio (177) recorded a dominant 11-0 win over James Crenshaw. Vecchio turned Crenshaw to his back for about 1:44 of the bout but couldn’t pin him. Sachemheavyweight Ed Hartmann pinned Eric Byrd in 2:26.
“We had to overcome a few problems tonight and we did,” Picozzi said. “It looked like we were in better shape. Some of their kids got tired.”
Picozzi was right as three of the Lions’ wins came in the final seconds.
Sachem had adversity of its own as it forfeited the 98-pound class because of an injury to Chris Henneborn.
The meet opened with Longwood winning three consecutive bouts. County champion Rason Phifer (112) was tested by Chris Lotito and trailed 4-2 late in the second period before he used a reversal and cradled Lotito to his back for a pin with five seconds remaining in the period. Teammate Dustin Zakar (119) followed with a third-period escape to edge Scott Herfel, 1-0, and Lions sophomore Kendell Brown recorded a takedown with 31 seconds left in the third period for an 8-6 win over Chris Davidson in an exciting 126-pound bout for an 18-6 lead.
A pumped up Ramon Acevedo of Sachem pinned Mike MacKenzie in 3:17 and got the Flaming Arrows to within 18-12 before the teams traded decisions at 138 and 145, setting up Lange’s superior decision.
Picozzi, in reference to League I rival Patchogue’s T-shirts that read, “If you can’t run with the big dogs, stay on the porch,” said, “Running with the Big Dogs is one thing, but no one can run with the Lions.”
Suffolk League 1 Tournament at William Floyd
February 13, 1994
Team Scores
1. Patchogue-Medford 206
2. Longwood 162.5
3. Sachem 147
4. Connetquot 139
5. Brentwood 123
6. William Floyd 86.5
7. Smithtown 43
8. Ward Melville 24
Brackets
Championship Finals
91 – George Cintron (William Floyd) dec. Jeremy Salinger (Brentwood), 7-0
98 – Nino LoCasio (Patchogue-Medford) dec. Jason Short (Longwood), 7-6
105 – Chris Ferrari (Sachem) dec. Felix Martinez (Brentwood), 13-9
112 – Rason Phifer (Longwood) TF Kurt Riley (Patchogue-Medford), 3:36
119 – Jeff Forsythe (William Floyd) md. Bryan Meehan (Connetquot), 16-5
126 – Chris Down (Connetquot) dec. Jason Spahn (Brentwood), 7-1
132 – Kevin Kaminsky (Connetquot) dec. John Weidler (Patchogue-Medford), 3-1 OT
138 – Matt Simonton (Longwood) dec. Tom Mongiello (Sachem), 5-2
145 – Dan Bergin (Brentwood) dec. Rob Fabian (Longwood), 3-2
155 – John Lange (Longwood) pinned Brian Micena (Sachem), 0:38
167 – Matt Backastow (Ward Melville) dec. Bryan Drago (Longwood), 7-5
177 – Tom Minogue (Patchogue-Medford) dec. Sean Gray (Patchogue-Medford), 9-7
215 – Jason Majestic (Patchogue-Medford) dec. Rob Feise (William Floyd), 3-2
250 – Rob Ramirez (Patchogue-Medford) def. Jason Hendershot (Connetquot), by Inj Dflt
Most Outstanding Wrestler: Kevin Kaminsky (Connetquot, 132)
Most Pins Least Time: John Lange (Longwood, 155), 4 pins in 3:38
Consolation Finals
91 – George Sable (Longwood) dec. A. Bernstein (Patchogue-Medford), 10-5
98 – Jason Rivera (Brentwood) dec. M. Corrigan (Smithtown), 2-1
105 – Dilberth Jimenez (Brentwood) dec. Vinney Leo (Connetquot), 7-3
112 – Frank Petrella (Connetquot) dec. Scott Herfel (Sachem), 5-0
119 – Willie Sanchez (Patchogue-Medford) dec. J. Bombaci (Patchogue-Medford), 2-0
126 – Kendell Brown (Longwood) dec. Ed Mentz (Patchogue-Medford), 3-1
132 – Ramon Acevedo (Sachem) TF Tom Maldonado (Brentwood), 5:21
138 – Danny Hayes (Connetquot) dec. J. Tulley (Smithtown), 4-1
145 – Chris Meehan (Connetquot) pinned Dave Petracca Sachem), 3:53
155 – Pete Ilovic (Smithtown) dec. Jim Crenshaw (Longwood), 7-5
167 – Anthony Vecchio (Sachem) dec. Matt Abbene (Sachem), 2-1
177 – Edward Hartman (Sachem) dec. Sal Froehrich (Brentwood), 5-0
215 – Matt Mueller (Patchogue-Medford) pinned Phil Sciacca (Sachem), 4:05
250 – Dave Kriegsman (Brentwood) dec. Mike Delguidice (Sachem), 5-0
c
Dr. L Robert “Doc” Fallot Memorial Suffolk County Wrestling Championship
Stony Brook University, Stony Brook, NY
February 18-19, 1994Team Score
| Patchogue-Medford | 154.5 | East Hampton | 21.0 | |
| Longwood | 117.5 | Ward Melville | 20.5 | |
| Huntington | 86.5 | Centereach | 18.0 | |
| Wyandanch | 78.0 | Westhampton Beach | 18.0 | |
| Connetquot | 76.0 | Northport | 17.0 | |
| Half Hollow Hills East | 65.5 | Bay Shore | 16.0 | |
| Brentwood | 64.0 | Hauppauge | 16.0 | |
| William Floyd | 59.0 | Mattituck | 16.0 | |
| Rocky Point | 58.0 | Smithtown | 15.0 | |
| Sachem | 57.5 | Sayville | 13.0 | |
| Harborfields | 56.5 | North Babylon | 11.0 | |
| Lindenhurst | 55.0 | Kings Park | 10.0 | |
| Amityville | 54.5 | Comsewogue | 8.5 | |
| Bellport | 53.0 | Copiague | 4.0 | |
| Newfield | 49.0 | Bayport-Blue Point | 0.0 | |
| Deer Park | 48.0 | Commack | 0.0 | |
| Walt Whitman | 47.0 | Greenport/Southold | 0.0 | |
| Islip | 46.5 | Half Hollow Hills West | 0.0 | |
| Mt. Sinai | 42.5 | Mercy | 0.0 | |
| West Islip | 40.5 | Miller Place | 0.0 | |
| Shoreham-Wading River | 37.5 | Port Jefferson | 0.0 | |
| Hampton Bays | 37.0 | Stony Brook | 0.0 | |
| East Islip | 30.0 | West Babylon | 0.0 | |
| Babylon | 24.0 |
Championship Finals
91 – Angelo Zegarelli (Deer Park, Jr.) dec. George Cintron (William Floyd, 8th), 9-5
98 – Tom Longobardi (Islip, Sr.) dec. Jason Short (Longwood), 5-1
105 – Adrian Bonilla (Huntington, So.) dec. Felix Martinez (Brentwood, Sr.), 4-2 OT
112 – Rason Phifer (Longwood, Jr.) dec. Matt Hickey (Half Hollow Hills East), 9-7
119 – Jim Amira (Huntington, Sr.) dec. Nick Mancuso (Hampton Bays), 6-3
126 – Matt Wyllie (Rocky Point, Fr.) dec. Chris Dowd (Connetquot, Sr.), 4-3
132 – Kevin Kaminsky (Connetquot, Sr.) dec. John Weidler (Patchogue-Medford, Sr.), 5-4 OT
138 – Darren Pascarella (Half Hollow Hills East, Sr.) dec. Kevin Lavey (Harborfields, Sr.), 3-0
145 – Russell Jones (Wyandanch, Sr.) dec. Dan Bergin (Brentwood, Sr.), 5-4
155 – John Lange (Longwood, Sr.) dec. Preston Tucci (Mt. Sinai, Sr.), 7-0
167 – Rob Wyllie (Rocky Point, Sr.) maj dec. Matt Backastow (Ward Melville, Sr.), 15-3
177 – Tom Minogue (Patchogue-Medford) dec. James Crawford (Wyandanch, Jr.), 5-1
215 – Jason Majestic (Patchogue-Medford, Sr.) dec. Mark Frole (Lindenhurst, So.), 5-1
250 – Frank Ganter (Newfield, Jr.) dec. Rob Ramirez (Patchogue-Medford, Sr.), 9-5
Lonnie Kittle Most Outstanding Wrestler: John Lange (Longwood, 155)
Most Pins Least Time: Frank Ganter (Newfield, 250), 3 in 3:46
Consolation Finals 3rd/4th
91 – Shaun Leggio (Bay Shore, Jr.) dec. Derek Swallow (Lindenhurst), 7-2
98 – Nino LoCasio (Patchogue-Medford) maj dec. Annae Simmons (Harborfields), 10-0
105 – Joe Massaro (West Islip) maj dec. Tim Mullady (Shoreham-Wading River), 9-0
112 – Luis Bonilla (Huntington, Jr.) dec. Kurt Riley (Patchogue-Medford), 5-2
119 – Russ Walker (West Islip) dec. Tom Decker (Deer Park), 3-1 OT
126 – Brett Chester (Amityville) dec. Jason Spahn (Brentwood), 3-0
132 – Chris Hughes (Centereach) maj dec. Joseph Kiernan (Babylon), 11-0
138 – Tom Mongiello (Sachem) def. Matt Simonton (Longwood), by FFT
145 – Tom Peers (Walt Whitman, Sr.) dec. Chris Meehan (Connetquot, Sr.), 7-5 OT
155 – Kevin Pollack (Amityville) dec. Darryl Mathews (Wyandanch), 7-3
167 – Anthony Vecchio (Sachem) dec. Bryan Drago (Longwood), 2-1 OT; 1-1 regulation
177 – Edward Hartman (Sachem) dec. Sean Gray (Patchogue-Medford), 1-0
215 – Rob Feise (William Floyd) pinned Trevor Darrell (East Hampton), 2:49
250 – Jose Henriquez (Walt Whitman) TF Joe Hartig (Harborfields), 4:16 18-3
Consolation Finals 5th/6th
91 – Joe Halleran (North Babylon, Fr.) dec. Bob Hough (Mattituck), 3-2
98 – Jim Erickson (Huntington, Sr.) dec. Mathew Ellison (Wyandanch), 9-5
105 – Mike Coppinger (East Islip, Jr.) def. Rocky Bracero (Newfield), by FFT
112 – Ryan Bernholz (Mt. Sinai) maj dec. Drew Leins (Northport), 13-2
119 – Tom Andria (Islip) dec. Jeff Forsythe (William Floyd), 4-2
126 – Rob Edwards (Bellport) def. Mike Uccelini (Half Hollow Hills East), by FFT
132 – Kevin David (Sayville) dec. Barry McGuire (Newfield), 5-0
138 – Matt Maltese (Lindenhurst) dec. Curtis Morrison (Shoreham-Wading River), 7-5 OT
145 – Chuck Maragiolio (Bellport, Sr.) dec. Jason Gerondel (East Islip, Jr.), 8-3
155 – Pete Ilovic (Smithtown) def. Brian Micena (Sachem), by FFT
167 – Justin Cardone (Bellport) dec. Mathius Milton (Amityville), 6-5
177 – Vangy Raptis (Shoreham-Wading River) maj dec. John Joyce (Walt Whitman), 9-0
215 – Kenya Floyd (Bellport) dec. Eric Enners (Hampton Bays), 3-2
250 – Jason Hendershot (Connetquot, Sr.) pinned David Kohler (Westhampton Beach, So.), 2:49
The Best, the Best, the Best A three-peat for Longwood’s Lange:
By Gregg Sarra. STAFF WRITER. Newsday, Combined editions; Long Island, N.Y. [Long Island, N.Y]. 07 Mar 1994
There should be a time in all our lives when we can sit back, relax and smile. Longwood wrestler John Lange can afford to do that today. He rewrote the record books late Saturday night at the 32nd annual state wrestling championships at the Onondaga War Memorial in Syracuse.
Lange became the first Suffolk wrestler to win three state wrestling titles when he dominated Cooperstown’s Tom Murphy, 12-1, in the 155-pound final before a packed crowd of 6,113.
It was a performance that befit a three-time champion. Lange, whom Longwood coach Mike Picozzi calls “an All-American kid who goes strictly by the book,” earned the state tournament’s most outstanding wrestler award and etched his name atop the Suffolk County wrestling journals for a long time to come.
“It’s hard to picture what I’ve achieved,” Lange said. “It really hasn’t hit me yet. I’m just sitting here and I can’t grasp this. It’s kind of funny. I look at {two-time state champ from Comsewogue} Adam Mariano’s overall record and he was awesome {168-9}. He had twice as many wins as I had and he only won the states twice. It must be tough.”
Said Picozzi, “Mariano’s win total surpassed Lange’s because everyone wanted to wrestle against a team of Comsewogue’s caliber. Johnny wrestled his career at the state’s top-ranked school at Longwood, where there were no takers for extra dual meets and tournament openings. We couldn’t get matches.”
Lange completed a 24-1 season in which he pinned 18 opponents and earned the most outstanding wrestler award in the sectional tournament and the state.
“Johnny will be the first three-time state champ that doesn’t have 100 wins,” Picozzi said. “And he will be the last.”
Suffolk crowned four champions and scored 204 1/2 points to take home its second team title in the past three years and sixth in the past 10.
Lange’s junior teammate, Rason Phifer, dominated Mike Pacillo of Kenmore West, 10-3, for the 112-pound title. Phifer, 103-5 in his four-year varsity career, was a state runner-up in 1992 as a sophomore.
“He’s coming along and he’d like to be a three-time finalist,” Picozzi said. “He’s right there with the best there is.”
At 119, senior Jim Amira gave Huntington coach Lou Giani his 16th state champion (tops in the state) with a 9-1 win over Franklin’s Mike Maloney. Amira completed a 35-0 season. And Patchogue-Medford’s Tom Minogue decisioned Saranac’s Seth Charles, 6-3, for the 177-pound title to give coach Craig Kelskey his second state champion.
Minogue won his state title with class. There was no arm-pumping, finger-pointing or screaming. He acted like a gentleman after his workmanlike victory, shook his opponent’s hand, accepted congratulations from Kelskey and sat in the coaches’ corner to watch teammate Jason Majestic vie for the heavyweight crown.
“I was very concerned about Jason’s match and I badly wanted him to win,” Minogue said.
Majestic dropped a 5-0 decision to Colin Crickard of Williamsville East in the 215-pound final.
As Lange left the arena with the MOW trophy, he was besieged by autograph-seekers, including one youngster who gave him his Chicago Bulls three-peat hat and asked Lange to cross out Bulls and sign his name.
“I signed for whoever asked,” Lange said. “It made me feel special. But I never thought anyone would want a wrestler’s autograph.”
Someone should tell Lange he’s not just any wrestler. Threepeats
Off the Mat To Preserve Shot at Title:
By Gregg Sarra. STAFF CORRESPONDENT. Newsday, Combined editions; Long Island, N.Y. [Long Island, N.Y]. 05 Mar 1994
Syracuse – No wrestler in the history of Suffolk County wrestling has won three state titles. Only two wrestlers have had the opportunity before this year – and both failed.
Two-time state champion John Lange of Longwood came to this year’s 32nd annual state wrestling championships as the third wrestler with the chance to achieve the feat.
That chance almost slipped away from Lange when he found himself counting ceiling tiles as he lay flat on his back with 51 seconds left in his quarterfinal match against Steve Swingle of Livonia at the Onondaga War Memorial in Syracuse.
It was the last place Lange ever thought he could be.
“I couldn’t believe it,” Lange said.
For Longwood coach Mike Picozzi it was a heart-stopping feeling as his finest wrestler found himself inches from defeat.
“I was nervous and I was thinking the worst,” Picozzi said. “Any time a kid gets John to his back, the kid must be good.”
But not good enough.
Lange fought his way off his back and stood at the center of the mat with 39 seconds left trailing, 5-2. In one swift move he threw a headlock around Swingle’s neck and wrenched the Livonia senior to the mat.
That powerful move put Lange back on track for a third state title as he pinned Swingle in 3:29 of their 155-pound bout and moved into today’s semifinal round at 10 a.m. against Eric Vaughn of Medina.
“The headlock was there and he pulled it off,” said Picozzi. “This will get him going. Nothing can stop him now.”
It doesn’t look like anything can stop the Suffolk sectional team either. Suffolk moved 10 of 11 quarterfinalists into the semifinal round and leads the team scoring with 84 points. Nassau is tied for seventh with four semifinalists and 39 points.
Lange Grapples With His College Choice:
COMPILED BY GREGG SARRA AND JOE KRUPINSKI. Newsday, Combined editions; Long Island, N.Y. [Long Island, N.Y]. 05 May 1994:
John Lange of Longwood became Suffolk’s first three-time state wrestling champion in March. He was inundated by college recruiters as they flocked to his door. To make his decision easier, Lange set up a four-part criteria to evaluate each of the colleges he was interested in.
“One by one he eliminated the schools,” said his father, Mike Lange. “He asked for help and we sat down and matched the schools against his criteria.”
Lange’s four criteria? He didn’t want to be the big fish in a small pond. He wanted to be with a team where the coaching staff could someday help him win an individual national title. He wanted to be on a team that had a shot at winning a national championship. And he wanted a quality education.
He narrowed the list to Penn State and Wisconsin.
“Both schools had all four qualities,” Lange said. “I liked everything about Penn State and their recruiting class had two workout partners near my weight. They weren’t necessarily the best choice in any one category but they were very strong in all of them. I loved the coaching staff at Wisconsin and Barry Davis, the head coach, was absolutely great.”
So what’d he do?
“I felt Penn State met the criteria a little better,” Lange said. “It’s a decision that will affect me for the rest of my life. My father helped me with the decision and I’m very excited about Penn State.”
And it doesn’t hurt that he’ll join former Longwood state titlist and defending NCAA heavyweight champion Kerry McCoy there. May 5