| 2009 SUFFOLK LEAGUE TOURNAMENTS PREVIEW |
| A LOOK AT THE LEAGUES By Jim & Tony Nordland A glance at the upcoming Suffolk League Tournaments: League I-@ William Floyd Defending league and Suffolk champion Brentwood (17-4) will be hard pressed to defend their title against a young Longwood team. Longwood (19-0) nipped Brentwood, 27-26, in their dual battle and look to take home the tournament title this weekend. Brentwood will be paced by unbeaten state placer Josue Mendez (29-0) at 171 and sophomore Alex Gomez (26-2) at 119. Other Indians to watch are David Chevarra (103), Humberto Garcia (112), the Calderon brothers,Travis (130) and Mario (135), along with Jesse Cabrera at 152. Longwood has a lightweight corps that is the best on Long Island and are led by the Rasheed brothers, Corey (26-0) at 96 and Malik (103), along with 8th-grader Nicky Hall (112) and Casey Brice at 119. Other top Lions are all-county matmen, Pat Jennings (130) and William Parks (171), along with finalist Ernest Holmes (215) and Ben Lee at 285. Sachem East has the O'Malley brothers Dan (130) and Sean (135), as well as Mark Florian (96), Frank Merante (152) and junior Chris Dilorio at 160. William Floyd has Keith Nicholson (135), Mike Hartman (140) and potential champion Jon Goulding at 152. Ward Melville has Jackson Hoppy (96), tough Dan Gray, a senior at 112, all-county Nick Scotto (125) and Cody Ferraro at 215. Other teams are Patchogue-Medford and Lindenhurst with Keith Meisner (135) and junior Sean Walsh at 285 pounds. League II-@ Northport Here dual meet champion Sachem North (19-6) looks to dethrone defending tournament champion Connetquot. Both squads should battle into the championship finals. The Flaming Arrows have Ryan Gerondel (125), Mike Piro (130), Joe LaSala (145), Dan Pereira (189) and two-time legue placer, senior Nick Ciafone at 285. The Thunderbirds point to the McCabe brothers, Sean (96) and James (119), along James Cameron (125), Connor Gribbin (130), all-county senior James Corsitto (135) and senior Joe Pellegrino at 189. Central Islip will be led by returning Suffolk champion and NYS place-winner Andy Rodriguez (30-1), a junior at 140, along with Allen Gomez (103) and Santos Ariazza at 125. Commack has Anthony Cavallaro (140), Kyle Van Gelder (145) and Justin Constantatos at 171. Northport looks to senior Dan Gorman at 145, Rick Nardelli (160) and Nikita Federovat 189. Walt Whitman has county finalist Rob Troy, a junior at 125, along with Vin Punzone (112), Mike Meringolo (119) and Carlos Rodriquez at 125. Bay Shore has Ryan Cummings (26-1) at 160 and Adrian Mack at 189 pounds. League III-@ Smithtown East East Islip (12-2) won the dual-meet title and appears to be the tournament favorite. The Redmen are paced by Dave Dellavecchia (103), Nick Ventiere (119), Rob Rossi (125), Alex Brown (140), Nick Arma (171) and junior Andrew Slawson at 285. Smithtown East has Ryan Kopiske (140) and Kevin Cassidy at 215. Half Hollow Hills East will be led by all-county Anthony Abidin (112), Matt Genchi (125) and Victor Lazerus at 189. Copiague has Akeam Tyrell (119) and Ty Morrison at 160. West Islip has potential league champion with George Hatzel at 285, along with Matt Donovan (119), Peter Gonzales (130) and Anthony Caponelli at 215. Other teams are Newfield with Glenn Vogeli (140), Shaun Percoco (152) and Brandon Henry at 171, North Babylon with Steven Dellavecchia (112) and Centereach has Luke Noens (103) and Dan Walsh at 152 pounds. League IV-@ Half Hollow Hills West West Babylon defeated Riverhead and eked out the victory over Kings Park, 25-24, for the dual-meet crown, and all have formidable tournament teams that will vie for the championship. West Babylon has county bronze medalist Marvin Titus-Casseus (25-0) at 189, along with Dennis Scherback (145), Frank Speights (171) and junior John Wilkinson at 285. Riverhead is led by top prospect Edwin Perry, a junior at 135, along with sophomore Kevin Thomas (112), Travis Baskin (140), senior Ryan Rheame (152) and Myles Buhner at 160. Kings Park has the Soria brothers, Maxwell and Mike, both at 96 pounds and Mike Delvecchio (119), along with Louis Esposito (140) and Andrew Ventura at 145. Deer Park will be led Eric Wiener (112), along with Zach Lugo (96), Brandon Cauchi (135), Rich Lugo (152) and Joe Bilello at 285. Smithtown West has Mike Mattera (125) and potential league finalist with junior Jake Smith at 189. Other teams are Hills West with Devon Williams (130), Eastport-South Manor who looks to Maverick Passaro (112) and Jon Mercado (130), along with Bellport with Ed Carson at 125. League V-@ Harborfields Hauppauge (24-1), Huntington (7-1) and Rocky Point (9-4) finished in a three-way tie for the dual title. Look for that trio, along with a well balanced Islip (18-7) squad to be in the hunt for the tournament championship. Hauppauge has defending state champion junior Ken Collado (26-2) at 112, along with potential champion freshman Nick Mauriello (24-1) at 96, and all- county grapplers Adam Lepkowsky (119) and Scott Munro at 285. Other Eagle standouts are junior Jesse Marro (135), Kevin Panebianco (145) and Eric Wooley at 215. Huntington will be paced by returning Suffolk champion and state placer Damon McQueen (27-0), a junior at 103 and top-seeded sophomore Nigel McNeil at 112. Other Blue Devils to watch are Omar Santiago (130), Lou Puca (160), Ryan Fox (171) and Anthony Lupi at 189. Rocky Point has two-time Suffolk champion Stephen Dutton (28-0) at 135 and a trio of all-county matmen, including county runner-up Matt Ross (112), Anthony Volpe (145) and tough Billy Coggins at 160, along with Jerry Ceccio at 152. Islip has county bronze medalist sophomore Kyle Wade (26-2) at 130, Dan Gregg (112), Troy Mashkow (119), and JP Sala at 145. Other Bucs that will be in the mix are Joe Cannone (171) and potential finalist Cody Hinrichs at 285. Sayville has junior Travis Pitre (101 career wins) at 135 and tough Jody Haas at 130. Other Golden Flashes to watch are Mike Payne (112), Steve Leshinger (130), TJ Slevin (135) and junior Dan Mellynchuck at 160. Harborfields has possible champion with junior Andrew Colamussi (27-1) at 125, along with other standouts Alex Boccard (119), senior Greg Acker (22-7) at 125 and Kyle DelMuro (22-5) at 160. Other top challengers will be senior Kyle Phillips (30-3) at 171 and Mason Burgess (26-6) at 215. Other teams are East Hampton and Comsewogue with Gerard Mistretta at 140 pounds. League VI-@ Shoreham-Wading River John Glenn (24-0) is the league and county front-runner, they will be tough to beat. The Knights are led by Suffolk finalist Nick Meinsen (27-0), a junior at 125, along with a trio of all-county stars,Tyler Sinisgalli (125), Matt Fusaro (135) and unbeaten Nick Terdick (28-0) at 140. Other potential league placers are Matt Gannon (119), Mike Bosco (145) and Chris Carlucci (24-1) at 152. Shoreham-Wading River returns 2007 state king Steven Keith (31-0) at 119, along with state medalist TJ Neidhart at 160. Others that will be in contention are TJ Fabian (96), John Keck (103), Dave Flynn (130) and junior Cory Schweitzer at 215. Mt.Sinai has highly-regarded Mike Powers (152) and Jon Hoeg at 130. Other Mustangs to watch are Eric Kogel (112) and Anthony Powers (119). Westhampton Beach has two all-county matmen, Peter Detore (112) and sophomore Conner Bass (103), along with his brother Zach at 119. Bayport will be led by 8th- grader Ryan Hake (20-5) at 103, Kyle Underwood (112) and Lucas McCoy at 189 pounds. Miller Place has Suffolk champion Zach Buonaiuto (34-1) a NYS placer at 189, along with John Steigler (96) and Chris Fox at 215 pounds. Amityville has Mark Jerrick (135) and potential champion with Jermaine Jacobs at 145. Greenport/Southold/ Mattituck has a top county prospect with Ryan Connell (24-2) at 140, along with potential placer Sean Heaney at 171 pounds. League VII-@ Center Moriches (Division II)-Friday, February 13th at 4:00 pm Defending team champion Babylon will be led by Colin Coffey (112), Drew Alaggio (160) and Greg Griffo at 171. Center Moriches has Eric DeAngelis (125) and Sal Spitaleri at 145. Port Jefferson points to returning champion Chris Bourgugnon (103) and Mike Lucks at 112. Southampton has NYS placer and top-ranked Julius Anglickas at 215, along with Eric Simmons at 145. Anglickas, who is originally from Lithuania, is the only returning Division II place-winner in the county and could be Long Island's first Division II state champion. Hampton Bays has Juan Ramirez (112) and Ben Tarpey at 171. Other teams in competition are Stony Brook and Mercy. NSCHSAA League Tournament-@ Holy Trinity-Sunday, Feb. 8th at 10:00 am. Look for a close team race between dual champion St.Anthony's and perennial tournament stalwart Chaminade. Chaminade will be paced by junior Troy Sampson (26-3, 104-16) at 125, Ryan Neugerbauer (20-5) at 119, Alex Erickson (16-2) at 189 and Brendan Fowler (26-3) at 215 pounds. All four are capable of winning league crowns. The Flyers will also rely on their depth to score valuable team points. St. Anthony's has returning champion Chris Brienza at 96, along with state placer Grant Greene at 112. The Friars also look to Brandon Meisner (145), Rick Randazzo (152) and tough Nick Auriemma, the favorite at 285 pounds. Kellenberg has state meet qualifier Andrew Pappas (26-2), a senior at 140 and Joe Fiore at 152. Other teams are St. John the Baptist and host Holy Trinity with Matt DeLuca at 171. Mat Notes... All Suffolk League Tournaments are scheduled for Saturday, February 7th at 9:30 AM, with the Semi-Finals slated for 2:00 PM, the consolations at 4:30 PM and the Championship Finals at 6:00 PM. Best of Luck to all the wrestlers... |
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| Josue Mendez |
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| Andy Rodriguez |
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| Nick Ventiere |
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| Rich Lugo |
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| Ken Collado |
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| Steven Keith |
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| Troy Sampson |