WINTER SPORTS PREVIEW / Wrestling The Power-houses That Be Familiar schools strong again; 11 individual champs return:

By Gregg Sarra. STAFF WRITER. Newsday, Combined editions; Long Island, N.Y. [Long Island, N.Y]. 08 Dec 1991

Longwood, Sachem and Long Beach are loaded. Again. So what else is new?

Well, 11 county champions return to defend their titles on Long Island – six in Suffolk and five in Nassau. Dion Visconti has finally graduated from Chaminade with a record four Catholic state titles under his belt. But Kellenberg appears to be the best in the Catholic League.

Rocky Point crowned its first county champion in junior Chad Henkin in February and the League IV champion Eagles (14-0) took fourth in the county tournament. And when austerity threatened the program for this season, coach Robin Winkel and the Rocky Point Wrestling Club put together an Election Day golf outing at Swan Lake and attracted 140 participants to raise enough money to support the entire program.

Huntington is the only team in the state to return two state place-winners – Brian Fischenich (third) and Elias Perez (sixth). With six league place-winners back, Lou Giani’s squad will vie for its ninth successive league title and the county crown – something the Blue Devils haven’t captured since 1985.

Giani has guided the team to 19 league titles in the past 20 years and a 118-3 league record, including an active 55-match win streak. Commack North beat the Blue Devils, 28-25, in 1982. That was Huntington’s last league loss.

“He’s brilliant,” said Section XI chairman Paul Brodmerkel. “I wish he would let people into his practice room and see how he structures practices. But that’s where his secrets lie – behind those doors. And he’ll never let anyone in there.”

Former Blue Devil county champion Mike Picozzi has taken his knowledge from that room and instilled it at Longwood, coaching the program into one of the state’s finest.

“Longwood and Sachem are absolutely the best,” said Long Beach coach Paul Gillespie, who scheduled both in tournaments. “It’s good to meet teams of that caliber.”

Long Beach tries for a sixth consecutive county team title. However, the top-seeded Marines’ quarterfinal loss in the dual-meet championships against eighth-seeded East Meadow left them short of copping both team titles.

“We got outfoxed in the dual-meet tournament,” said Gillespie. “East Meadow surprised us.”

Massapequa took the dual meet title, and although the Chiefs graduated all but one wrestler from the starting lineup, 70 athletes are out and coach Gary Mims will have them ready to defend the title. East Meadow, Mepham and Bethpage join Long Beach as the teams to watch in Nassau.

“The depth at those schools will separate them from the rest,” said Freeport coach Terry Haise. “They have quality kids spread throughout the lineup.”

Bethpage has two-time county champion James Douglas and county titlist Ron Cercy to lead the way. Mepham has six county place-winners over the past two years returning and East Meadow lost only one starter to graduation. Long Beach brings seven county place-winners back.

“We should be right in the thick of it,” said Mepham coach John Walter. “It depends on how the other kids fill in. I’ll know after the first two tournaments where we stand.”

SCHOLASTIC SPOTLIGHT Mat-nik Travels For Gold:

By Joe Krupinski. STAFF WRITER. Newsday, Combined editions; Long Island, N.Y. [Long Island, N.Y]. 10 Nov 1991

Kerry McCoy was sent to Siberia last summer. He called it “one of the best times of my life.” The 17-year-old Longwood senior was one of 14 young U.S. wrestlers who visited the Soviet Union for two weeks in July to compete in the Tour du Monde.

Competing at 198 pounds, he was the only American to come home with a gold medal. The purpose of the program is to give Olympic hopefuls a taste of international competition at a tender age.

During a series of bouts in Krasnoyarsk, located in the Siberian region of the Russia republic, McCoy compiled a 6-1 record in dual meets against Soviet teams. Two weeks after he returned home, the 6-2, 205-pounder traveled to the Empire State Games in Albany, where he won two more championships – in both Greco-Roman and freestyle – as a scholastic heavyweight.

“The people were great,” McCoy said of the trip. “I was fortunate because my host spoke English very well and had a car. He took me out to a couple of social clubs at night. One day we went sightseeing to some out-of-the-way rivers and forests, something that the other guys didn’t get to do.”

McCoy gained his first European experience in the summer of 1990 at the Cadet World Championships in Hungary, where he captured second place in the 16-and-under division. He took up the sport as a seventh-grader with Longwood’s KID wrestling program.

As a junior, McCoy won Suffolk’s 177-pound championship and went all the way to the state finals before losing the championship match, 3-2, to Mahopac senior John Degl. It was his first loss of the season in 34 matches. “I want to win states this year,” he said.

“He really took to the sport,” Longwood coach Mike Picozzi said. “He’s a natural. Now he wants to be in the Olympics.”

His mother, Gretchen Cisco, is not surprised at his lofty goals. She proudly lists some of her son’s other accomplishments: president of the senior class, a 3.89 academic average over the past three years and a Rotary Club Student of the Month as a junior. He also plays cello in the school orchestra and sings in his church choir at the Christ Baptist Church in Coram.

“He’s like the perfect kid. Sometimes it’s scary,” Cisco said. “He’s completely dedicated to whatever he does. He even tutors other boys on the wrestling team if they need {academic} help.”

McCoy’s latest exploit is recreational tennis. He gets on the court every chance he gets, but there’s one slight problem. “Some of my friends say I get carried away,” McCoy admitted.

“They ask me, `Can’t you do anything just for fun?’ I tell them no. I guess it’s an attitude I have about competition.”

Longwood Wins Title:

Newsday, Combined editions; Long Island, N.Y. [Long Island, N.Y]. 15 Dec 1991

Kerry McCoy of Longwood pinned all four of his opponents at 177 pounds and was voted the Most Valuable Wrestler at the Anderson Memorial Tournament yesterday in Oneonta. Longwood‘s Junius Gradney (132), Duane Thompson (138) and John Lange (145) also won weight classes to help the Lions win the team title with 272 points.

WRESTLING RESULTS:

Newsday, Combined editions; Long Island, N.Y. [Long Island, N.Y]. 11 Jan 1992

Defending county champion Kerry McCoy (177) pinned Sachem’s John Aebly 28 seconds into the second period clinching Longwood‘s 35-28 League I dual meet victory last night at Longwood.

Aebly, a county place-winner, trailed 5-0 after one period. McCoy (7-0) opened the second period with an escape and a takedown before getting the pin to open a 33-26 team lead.

The Flaming Arrows had used consecutive pins from Jason Kraft (155) and John Micena (167) to narrow the deficit to 27-26. It was the third consecutive win for the defending League I champions over Sachem. The last four dual meets between the teams weren’t decided until the heavyweight bout – all by four points or fewer. But last night, McCoy ended that streak one match sooner.

LEAGUE I Longwood 35, Sachem 28

98 – Phifer (L) pinned Carvalheira, 4:39. 105 – Missale (L) pinned Mongiello, 4:58. 112 – Harris (S) pinned Woodly, 3:30. 119 – Simonton (L), Casali (S), drew, 10-10. 126 – O’Hara (S) pinned Schuster, 1:49. 132 – Gradney (L) dec. Smith, 10-1. 138 – Thompson (L) dec. Christopher, 7-5. 145 – John Lange (L) pinned Golini, 3:03. 155 – Kraft (S) pinned Jim Lange, 3:04. 167 – Micena (S) pinned Bowlay-Williams, 1:44. 177 – McCoy (L) pinned Aebly, 2:28. Hvy – Forschner (L), Elmore (S), drew, 2-2. Patchogue-Medford 34, Floyd 30

Islip almost pulled off a major upset Jan. 11 in a dual meet with Longwood. – Jan. 19

Islip was leading the defending county champions, 19-16, going into the 177-pound bout. And, it was expecting points from All-Long Island football player Joe Cavanaugh at heavyweight.

As expected Kerry McCoy scored a pin at 177 for Longwood. But the surprise came when first-year starter Adam Forschner dealt Cavanaugh a 5-2 loss to give Longwood a 25-19 win.

“We underestimated them,” said Longwood coach Mike Picozzi, who rested three starters. “They had a good team. It almost cost us.” –Newsday, Combined editions; Long Island, N.Y. [Long Island, N.Y]. 19 Jan 1992: 15.

Wrestling League 1 Longwood 54, Ward Melville 9

98 – Bragole (L) dec. Anastasia, 5-2. 105 – Missale (L) pinned Segnini, 2:52. 112 – Toth (WM) dec. Sanfrantello, 3-0. 119 – Woodly (L) pinned Mancuso, 5:05. 126 – Bellissimo (WM) dec. Reuter, 9-8. 132 – Gradney (L) pinned Banks, 1:19. 138 – Thompson (L) pinned Bacastow, 3:37. 145 – Lange (L) pinned Nolan, 2:41. 155 – Mclaughlin (WM) dec. Flemming, 6-4. 167 – Drago (L) dec. Hart, 3-1. 177 – Forschner (L) pinned Visconti, 1:58. Hvy – McCoy (L) pinned Ryan, 3:00. 250 – Mulhare (L) pinned Washington, 5:21. – Newsday, Combined editions; Long Island, N.Y. [Long Island, N.Y]. 23 Jan 1992

Longwood 41, Patchogue-Medford 10 –Newsday, Combined editions; Long Island, N.Y. [Long Island, N.Y]. 01 Feb 1992

98 – Bombaci (PM) dec. Bragoli, 9-5. 105 – Missale (L) dec. DiMartino, 8-2. 112 – Phifer (L) pinned Maser, 1:21. 119 – Simonton (L) dec. Weidler, 8-4. 126 – Reuter (L) dec. Savastano, 5-1. 132 – Gradney (L) dec. Salas, 4-0. 138 – Thompson (L) pinned Yondola, 2:48. 145 – Lange (L) def. Minogue by tech. fall, 5:50. 155 – Flemming (L) dec. Numeyer, 3-0. 167 – Gray (PM), Drago (L) drew, 6-6. 177 – McCoy (L) pinned Geoghegan, 1:48. Hvy – Lent (PM) dec. Forschner, 13-1.

Centereach coach Rich Zakar wasn’t too disappointed with his team’s 55-12 loss to Longwood.

At least he got see his son, Longwood freshman Dustin Zakar, (91) turn in a 51-second pin to get the Lions started. And he watched as his 177-pounder Robert Hughes went the distance with unbeaten Kerry McCoy in the same match, losing 2-0. It was McCoy’s closest match this year. – Newsday, Combined editions; Long Island, N.Y. [Long Island, N.Y]. 09 Feb 1992:

Newsday, Combined editions; Long Island, N.Y. [Long Island, N.Y]. 23 Feb 1992

Suffolk’s six defending county champions are tough to beat. Brian Fischenich (91) and Elias Perez (119) of Huntington, Chad Henkin (132) of Rocky Point, Jason Kraft (155) of Sachem, Kerry McCoy (177) of Longwood and Jason Cohen (250) of West Islip have a combined 156-1-1 record this season.

Both blemishes came when wrestlers moved up a weight. Fischenich lost in the 98-pound final of the Windsor Tournament to Maine-Endwell’s Jason Goldman, 10-2, and Perez drew with Bellport’s Dan Smith, 4-4, at 126. * * *

Longwood freshman Rason Phifer (105), a county runnerup at 91 pounds, was eliminated from the League I tournament when he was called for an illegal slam in the first period of a match he led 11-1 over Connetquot’s Chris Dowd. Phifer had pinned defending state champion David Hartwig of Valley Central (Section IX) in the first period of a Christmas Tournament but will miss the county tournament . . . Bayport-Blue Point’s Phil Adriano decisioned county place-winner David Sbarra of Shoreham-Wading River, 7-5, in the 155-pound class of the League VI tournament. The Wildcats lost six of seven final bouts and the team title to Rocky Point, 208 1/2-203 . . . North Babylon’s Jimmy Bopp beat Jesse O’Neill of Bellport, 7-6, in the League III final. It was O’Neill’s (26-1) first loss of the year and earned Bopp – who reversed an earlier 10-1 loss – the outstanding wrestler award.

Suffolk League 1 Tournament at Patchogue-Medford
February 14-15, 1992
Team Scores
1. Sachem 333
2. Longwood 283.5
3. Patchogue-Medford 152
4. Connetquot 109
5. William Floyd 84
6. Ward Melville 43.5
7. Brentwood 18.5
Brackets
Championship Finals
91 – Brian Cusati (Patchogue-Medford) pinned Shawn Lewis (Longwood), 0:51
98 – John Carvalheira (Sachem) TF Jason Bombaci (William Floyd), 5:30
105 – Jim Missale (Longwood) dec. Jim DiMartino (Patchogue-Medford), 5-3
112 – Rob Harris (Sachem) dec. Kevin Kaminskey (Connetquot), 3-0
119 – Pat Casali (Sachem) dec. John Weidler (Patchogue-Medford), 7-0
126 – Sean O’Hara (Sachem) dec. Brian Reuter (Longwood), 10-3
132 – Junius Gradney (Longwood) dec. Frank Thristino (Connetquot), 2-1
138 – Duane Thompson (Longwood) Joe Nemeth (William Floyd), 7-3
145 – John Lange (Longwood) pinned Chris Asaro (Sachem), 0:54
155 – Jason Kraft (Sachem) def. John Micena (Sachem), by FFT
167 – Brett Lassen (Connetquot) md. Bryan Drago (Longwood), 10-0
177 – Kerry McCoy (Longwood) TF Elrich Bowlay-Williams (Longwood), 4:56
215 – John Aebly (Sachem) dec. Greg Lent (Patchogue-Medford), 5-4
250 – Scott McAndrew (Sachem) dec. Vin Mulhare (Longwood), 8-4
Most Outstanding Wrestler: John Lange (Longwood, 145)
Most Pins Least Time: John Lange (Longwood, 145), 4 in 10:03
Consolation Finals
91 – Dustin Zakar (Longwood) dec. Matt Brennan (Patchogue-Medford), 5-4 OT
98 – Brian Martin (William Floyd) pinned Rich Bragoli (Lindenhurst), 4:50
105 – Chris Dowd (Connetquot) def. Rason Phifer (Longwood), by DQ (slam)
112 – Kevin Maser (Patchogue-Medford) dec. Matt Schlueter (William Floyd), 8-2
119 – John Kagan (Sachem) dec. Frank Santoro (Connetquot), 5-4
126 – Juan Delgado (Sachem) dec. Peter Rocco (Connetquot), 5-0
132 – Chad Smith (Sachem) dec. Tim Paradise (Sachem), 4-2
138 – Mark Bacastow (Ward Melville) dec. Jim Christopher (Sachem), 8-6
145 – Chris Golini (Sachem) dec. Pete Gillen (William Floyd), 2-0
155 – Gregg Fleming (Lindenhurst) dec. Casey Strobel (William Floyd), 8-6
167 – Jason Pulido (Sachem) dec. Jim Lange (Longwood), 2-0
177 – Mark Geoghegan (Patchogue-Medford) dec. Phil Sciacca (Sachem), 2-1
215 – Toby Elmore (Sachem) pinned Mike Ryan (Ward Melville), 2:20
250 – John Gerst (William Floyd) pinned Brian Burd (William Floyd), 2:05

Wrestling SUFFOLK CHAMPIONSHIPS Saturday at Longwood – Feb. 28

Final Round: 91 – Brian Fischenich (Hunt) dec. Tom Longobardi (Islip), 13-5. 98 – John Carvalheira (Sachem) dec. Jim Amira (Hunt), 8-4. 105 – Keith Matias (Cent) dec. Lenny Jacobs (Amityville), 3-2. 112 – Jim Pascarella (HHHE) dec. Rob Harris (Sachem), 2-2, sudden death-overtime, 2-0. 119 – Elias Perez (Hunt) dec. Lenny Fries (Lind), 3-2. 126 – Sean O’Hara (Sachem) dec. Mike Mannarino (Lind), 3-3, sudden death-overtime, 2-0. 132 – Chad Henkin (RP) dec. Russell Jones (Wyandanch), 2-0. 138 – Duane Thompson (Longwood) dec. Ed Aulino (Lind), 3-1. 145 – John Lange (Long) dec. Chris Asaro (Sachem), 3-2. 155 – Jason Kraft (Sachem) dec. Arthur Arden (Haup), 15-4. 167 – Rob Wyllie (RP) dec. Brett Lassen (Conn), 2-1. 177 – Kerry McCoy (Long) dec. Robert Hughes (Cent), 14-5. Hvy – John Aebly (Sachem) dec. John LaVecchia (KP), 8-4. 250 – Jason Cohen (WI) dec. Scott McAndrew (Sachem), 4-4, sudden death-overtime, 2-0. Team Scores – Sachem 225, Longwood 143, Huntington 126, Lindenhurst 90 1/2, Rocky Point 90, Half Hollow Hills East 84 1/2, Kings Park 71, Hauppauge 70, West Islip 67, Patchogue-Medford and Hampton Bays 52, Centereach 50.

Sachem Runs Away With Title:

By Gregg Sarra. STAFF WRITER. Newsday, Combined editions; Long Island, N.Y. [Long Island, N.Y]. 23 Feb 1992

Exceptional conditioning and teamwork are the main reasons for the success of the Sachem wrestling team. “These kids wrestled two practices a day during the week we had off,” Sachem coach Jack Mahoney said. `Even the varsity letter-winners who weren’t in the tournament came to practice and helped the qualifiers prepare. I’m proud of everyone.”

He should be. Sachem crowned four champions and scored 227 points to win the team title last night at the Suffolk County Wrestling Championships at Longwood. The Flaming Arrows dethroned two-time defending champion Longwood to win their first title since 1989.

They worked hard for it, finding the key to success in the rolling hills on Blue Point Road and Adirondack Drive in Farmingville.

“We called it the Blue Point Road crew and the Sachem training center,” Sachem assistant coach Al Bertolone said. “We ran those hills after practices, matches and the day after the league tournament.”

“I paid my dues,” said Sachem’s Sean O’Hara, the 126-pound champion. “I was tired in overtime, but the extra work paid off.”

O’Hara’s sudden-death thriller against Lindenhurst’s Mike Mannarino ended when he took down Mannarino late in the overtime period.

John Carvalheira (98), Jason Kraft (155) and John Aebly (heavyweight) were Sachem’s other champions.

Longwood took second (143 points) and had three champions: Duane Thompson (138), John Lange (145) and two-time titlist Kerry McCoy (177).

Lange, a sophomore, used a buzzer-beating takedown to edge Sachem’s Chris Asaro, 3-2.

It was one of many exciting matches. But the most outstanding of all was the one turned in by junior Keith Matias of Centereach, who capped a brilliant tournament with a 3-2 win over Amityville’s Lenny Jacobs for the 105-pound title. Matias took a 3-0 lead with a snapdown late in the second period. Jacobs hit a deep single-leg takedown attempt, but Matias countered well and fought off Jacobs with 11 seconds left for the win.

The match culminated a tournament in which Matias ousted the first, second and seventh seeds in his weight class. The performance earned Matias the meet’s outstanding wrestler award.

Huntington teammates Brian Fischenich (91) and Elias Perez (119) both won second consecutive titles. Perez took a hard-fought 3-2 win over Lindenhurst junior Lenny Fries (21-1) and danced off the mat signaling No. 4.

“It means for me, for my family, for League IV and four more matches to win the state title,” Perez said. “I’ve worked hard to defend my title.”

As did Rocky Point’s Chad Henkin (132). Henkin got a reversal with 35 seconds left in his match for a 2-0 win over Wyandanch’s Russell Jones. It was Henkin’s 118th career win, the most of any wrestler this season.

Poise was the key to victory in the 112-pound class for Half Hollow Hills East senior Jim Pascarella. He scored a two-point takedown at the buzzer to send his match with Sachem’s Rob Harris into sudden-death overtime. Pascarella scored a takedown with four seconds left in overtime to become Hills East’s first champion since Sepp Dobler in 1988.

Suffolk County – Section XI Public High School Wrestling Tournament
Longwood HS, Middle Island, NY
February 21-22, 1992Team Score
Sachem225.5 William Floyd23.5
Longwood143.0
Port Jefferson122.5
Huntington126.0
Sayville121.0
Lindenhurst190.5
Bellport120.0Rocky Point90.0 Newfield20.0Half Hollow Hills East84.5 Smithtown West19.0Kings Park71.0 Commack18.0Hauppauge70.0 Walt Whitman12.0West Islip67.0 Miller Place8.0Patchogue-Medford52.0 Bayport-Blue Point6.5Hampton Bays/Southampton52.0 Harborfields6.0Centereach50.0 Northport6.0Islip46.0 Comsewogue4.0East Islip39.5 East Hampton4.0Babylon37.5 West Babylon4.0Connetquot36.0 Half Hollow Hills West2.5Amityville35.0 Brentwood0.0Mt. Sinai34.0 Central Islip0.0Shoreham-Wading River34.0 Greenport/Southold0.0Copiague31.0 John Glenn0.0Riverhead31.0 Mattituck0.0Bay Shore28.5 Smithtown West0.0Deer Park26.5 Stony Brook0.0North Babylon26.0 Ward Melville0.0Wyandanch24.0 Westhampton Beach0.0

Championship Finals
91 – Brian Fischenich (Huntington, Sr.) maj dec. Tom Longobardi (Islip), 13-5
98 – John Carvalhiera (Sachem) dec. Jim Amira (Huntington, So.), 4-3
105 – Keith Matias (Centereach, Jr.) dec. Lenwirth Jacobs (Amityville), 3-2
112 – James Pascarella (Half Hollow Hills East) dec. Rob Harris (Sachem), 2-0 OT; 2-2 regulation
119 – Elias Perez (Huntington, Sr.) dec. Lenny Fries (Lindenhurst), 3-2
126 – Sean O’Hara (Sachem) dec. Mike Mannarino (Lindenhurst), 2-0 OT; 3-3 regulation
132 – Chad Henkin (Rocky Point) dec. Russell Jones (Wyandanch, So.), 2-0
138 – Duane Thompson (Longwood) dec. Ed Aulino (Lindenhurst), 3-1
145 – John Lange (Longwood) dec. Chris Asaro (Sachem), 3-2
155 – Jason Kraft (Sachem) maj dec. Arthur Arden (Hauppauge), 15-4
167 – Rob Wyllie (Rocky Point) dec. Brett Lassen (Connetquot, Sr.), 2-1
177 – Kerry McCoy (Longwood) maj dec. Brian Hughes (Centereach), 14-5
215 – John Aebly (Sachem) dec. John LaVecchia (Kings Park), 8-4
250 – Jason Cohen (West Islip) dec. Scott McAndrew (Sachem), 2-0 OT; 4-4 regualtion

Lonnie Kittle Most Outstanding Wrestler: Keith Matias (Centereach, 105)
Most Pins Least Time: Tom Chapman (Riverhead, 119), 3 in 5:28

Consolation Finals 3^rd/4^th
91 – Brian Cusati (Patchogue-Medford) sup dec. Ryan Bernholz (Mt. Sinai), 16-3
98 – Matt Marks (Kings Park) dec. Rocky Bracero (Newfield), 8-5
105 – Tim Puskas (Huntington, So.) dec. Jim Missale (Longwood), 3-3 OT; 3-3 regulation
112 – Liston Brown (Copiague) pinned Mike Morelli (Mt. Sinai), 3:54
119 – Pat Casali (Sachem) maj dec. Jason Kiernan (Babylon), 12-4
126 – Travis Smith (Huntington, Sr.) dec. Chris Mordente (Bellport), 4-2 OT; 2-2 regulation
132 – Junius Gradney (Longwood) dec. Jeff Galvez (Half Hollow Hills East), 2-0 OT; 0-0 regulation
138 – Brian Babcock (Hampton Bays/Southampton) dec. Joe Nemeth (William Floyd), 7-6
145 – Jeff Schwenk (Rocky Point) dec. Chris Golini (Sachem), 3-0
155 – John Micena (Sachem) dec. KC Armstrong (Port Jefferson), 6-0
167 – Jeff Canfora (East Islip, Jr.) pinned Todd Dollard (Shoreham-Wading River), 2:14
177 – John Sparacio (North Babylon, Jr.) dec. Louis Pontillo (Hauppauge), 6-4 OT; 4-4 regulation
215 – Greg Lent (Patchogue-Medford) dec. Mike Vernagallo (Rocky Point), 11-4
250 – Vinny Mulhare (Longwood) dec. Frank Petitto (Comsewogue), 2-1

Consolation Finals 5^th/6^th
91 – Angello Zegarelli (Deer Park) maj dec. John Murray (Kings Park), 14-6
98 – Brett Chester (Amityville, Jr.) dec. Dan Dillon (Sayville), 5-0
105 – Tom Ruggerio (Hauppauge) dec. Jim DiMartino (Patchogue-Medford), 7-5
112 – Bill Carry (Deer Park) pinned Tom Golembeski (Babylon), 4:33
119 – Tom Chapman (Riverhead) pinned Nick Mancuso (Hampton Bays/Southampton), 0:15
126 – Paul Cardone (Islip) dec. Chris Dollard (Shoreham-Wading River), 3-2
132 – Eric Hottinger (Hauppauge) dec. Frank Thristino (Connetquot, Sr.), 5-1
138 – Adam Corso (West Islip) def. Jim Salvaggio (Kings Park), default
145 – Nick Bortugio (Lindenhurst) def. Rich Poehnelt (Hampton Bays/Southampton), FTT
155 – Charlie Gleis (Bay Shore, Sr.) dec. John Csere (Half Hollow Hills East), 3-2
167 – Dwayne Dorsett (Bay Shore, Jr.) dec. Christian Doller (West Islip), 8-7
177 – Mark Maurino (Half Hollow Hills East) dec. Jason Mills (Kings Park), 3-2
215 – Bob Farina (Half Hollow Hills East) dec. Kirk Anderson (Miller Place, Sr.), 2-1
250 – John Gerst (William Floyd) maj dec. Tom Fagan (East Islip, Jr.), 13-2

Champions Want More:

By Gregg Sarra. STAFF WRITER. Newsday, Combined editions; Long Island, N.Y. [Long Island, N.Y]. 23 Feb 1992

Lange’s A Champ:

By Gregg Sarra. STAFF WRITER. Newsday, Combined editions; Long Island, N.Y. [Long Island, N.Y]. 01 Mar 1992:

Being undefeated as a freshman was a sure sign of things to come for Longwood‘s 145-pounder John Lange. This year, with the opportunity to be a starter, Lange turned in a 26-0 record and used a last-second takedown for a 3-2 win over Sachem’s Chris Asaro for the 145-pound county title.

Lange, who pinned Asaro in 54 seconds at the League I tournament a week ago, said he was surprised the match was so close. “He was defending my moves and countering everything I tried very well,” Lange said. “I couldn’t believe it. But I felt strong from my conditioning and I kept going at him.”

Lange’s perseverance earned him a shot at the state title.

Teammates Duane Thompson (138) and Kerry McCoy (177) were also crowned champions. Thompson (22-0) beat Lindenhurst’s Ed Aulino, 3-1, and used a solid defensive style to offset his opponent’s speed.

“He was very quick with the duck-unders and I kept my elbows in to keep him away,” Thompson said. “I counter-shot with a single leg for the winning takedown after I blocked one of his moves.”

For Kerry McCoy (177), a two-time county champ, his 14-5 win over Centereach’s Robert Hughes was fun.

“I respect him because he pushed the action and came after me,” McCoy said. “He didn’t stall. We did some wrestling.”

Hughes finished his season at 28-2, losing twice to McCoy.

Thompson Made The Right Choice:

By Gregg Sarra. STAFF CORRESPONDENT. Newsday, Combined editions; Long Island, N.Y. [Long Island, N.Y]. 07 Mar 1992

Longwood wrestler Duane Thompson almost made a big mistake in ninth grade. The 138-pounder almost played basketball. “Coach {Mike Picozzi} steered me in the right direction and told me of the potential he thought I had,” Thompson said. “And I’m glad I took his advice because wrestling will put me through college.”

With two victories, Thompson moved into the semifinal round of the state wrestling championships last night at the Onondaga War Memorial.

Picozzi recalled how Thompson tried to maneuver his way through the halls and avoid telling his coach of his desire to play basketball.

“I cornered him one morning and we talked about loyalty and all the things we did together in his early development,” Picozzi said. “He started crying in the school hallway and said he was only kidding.”

Kidding or not, Thompson is no joke. The senior raised his record to 24-0 and leads 10 Suffolk wrestlers into the semifinal round. Suffolk leads team standings with 85 1/2 points. Albany-Schenectady, which qualified eight semifinalists, is second with 80 1/2 points. Suffolk last won the team title in 1989.

The Suffolk sectional team put on a clinic at the state wrestling championships at the Onondaga War Memorial. They were so good the other sectional teams should have taken notes as Suffolk crowned eight individual champions and scored 242 1/2 points to win its first team title since 1989, falling just four points shy of its own state record set in 1986.

Longwood crowned three champions to tie a state record, shared by Brentwood (1971) and Mepham (1964). “It was nothing less than awesome,” Longwood coach Mike Picozzi said. “And all three kids finished undefeated.”

Longwood‘s Kerry McCoy forced a smile after he captured the 177-pound title with a 5-2 win over Ryan Hammersmith of Clarence.

“I settled for less than perfect again,” said McCoy, who lost in the state final as a junior. “I wasn’t satisfied with my performance.”

McCoy’s expectations and guidance as captain of the sectional was a major factor in the team’s performance.

“The kid is a real leader,” West Islip coach Tony Mellino said. “He kept the kids focused and ready.”