NASSAU COUNTY D1 CHAMPIONSHIPS
We sent 13 wrestlers to the county tournament this past weekend (11 qualifiers and 2 wildcards) and came away with an 18th place finish. Scoring points for the Vikings and helping us achieve the 18th place finish were Anthony DiMonda (1 win), Matt Blasi (1 win), DJ Rome (1 win), Dan Colantonio (1 win), Donny Spurrell (1 win), John Lauretti (1 win), Matt Galinski (1 win), Ryan Gliganic (1 win), James O’Hagan (4 wins). Here are some highlights and lowlights from the tournament:
James O’Hagan Places 3rd at 285 lbs
Sophomore captain James O’Hagan capped off an impressive sophomore season by placing 3rd at 285 lbs. James was the second seed in the tournament so he had a bye the first round. In the second round James made quick work of his Glen Cove opponent. In the quarter-finals James faced Jeff Sciala from Bellmore JFK whom James had beaten in overtime during the season. This match was no different as James won in double overtime to advance to the semi-finals and become all-county for the first time after falling just short last year. In the semi’s James faced Dante Salkey from Uniondale whom James had beaten earlier in the year. However, James got taken down in overtime to lose 3-1. Salkey would go on to win the tournament. In the wrestle backs James pinned English from Wantagh and dominated Espinosa from Lynbrook to capture 3rd place.
James finished the season with a 31-3 record. Most of the wrestlers in his weight class are graduating this year so James is the favorite to be county champion next year. However, James knows that nothing is guaranteed and that he is going to have to work hard this off-season to capture that county title and reach his ultimate goal of being Seaford High School’s first state champion.
Great First Round
We had a great first round of the county tournament as 9 of our 13 qualifiers advanced to the second round of the tournament (8 wins and 1 bye). The two most notable wins in this round were by DJ Rome and Dan Colantonio. DJ Rome beat Wantagh’s Matt Langan 6-4 to avenge a loss last week at the qualifier. Dan Colantonio had an impressive win by beating Matt Jimenez of Island Trees 8-2. Jimenez was ranked for most of the year in the top 6 of the weight class.
Scoring bonus points for us in the first round were John Lauretti and Matt Galinski who both recorded pins. In addition, Anthony DiMonda recorded a major decision. After the first round I believe we were in the top 5 for team scoring. But then came the second round…
Not So Good Second Round
The only Viking to advance past the second round was James O’Hagan as we lost 8 straight matches before O’Hagan advanced to the quarters. There were some heartbreakers mixed in that made this round especially painful for the coaching staff. Three wrestlers had leads in the third period only to see it slip away. Anthony DiMonda wrestled a great match against Constantine from Clarke whom he lost to earlier in the year. Anthony was winning the match before getting turned in the third period. Dan Colantonio was beating the fourth seed 6-2 at one point but wound up losing in overtime. His opponent went on to place 4th in the county.
The most painful loss of the round was when Donny Spurrell got pinned in the third period leading 5-1 with about a minute left. Donny had wrestled a perfect match up to that point but got caught in a spladle and pinned. His opponent went on to be all-county. All 8 wrestlers that lost in the second round were eliminated from the tournament when their opponents lost the next round. In order to get wrestle backs the person that you lost to has to make it to the semi’s.
Shout out to Donny Spurrell, Matt Galinski, Ray Schaeffner, and DJ Rome
Despite falling short of their goals to become all-county I would like to congratulate these 4 seniors on a great season. All four had over 20 wins and were a pleasure to coach. Ray Schaeffner improved tremendously this year and had a great attitude all year. Matt Galinski was the iron-man as I can’t remember him ever sitting out a match. As a coach it is always nice having a guy that is going to go out there every match at whatever weight class we ask him to and give it everything he has. We had that with Matt. DJ Rome had his ups and downs this season but I believe that DJ would tell you that he learned a lot from wrestling and he grew as a person from it. Lastly, Donny Spurrell was one of the most underrated wrestlers in the county. It seems like almost every shot he took this year he scored. He finished the season with an impressive 26-4 record.
The coaches truly enjoyed watching all of our seniors mature into fine young men. In some ways wrestling and life are very similar...life isn't always fair, things are not always easy, and things don't always go the way we envisioned it. However, we need to learn and grow from each experience and keep moving forward. The end results are not always the most important thing in life, sometimes it’s the journey that we took to get there.
One More Thing
It was a rough weekend, however, I believe that the Seaford Wrestling Program is heading in the right direction. We are committed to being one of the top teams in the county, if not the top team. We will be represented at states again soon and we will not be spectators at the county finals. Thanks for your support this year!
Nassau County Qualifying tournament at Wantagh High School on Saturday. Here are the highlights:
James O’Hagan Captures First Place
Sophomore captain James O’Hagan won the heavyweight division with a 10-1 major decision over highly ranked Steve English from Wantagh. James advanced to the finals after getting a last second takedown to break a 1-1 tie in the semi-finals against a Garden City opponent. In the finals, after a scoreless first period James scored an escape to start the scoring and then took his Wantagh opponent down to his back for a five-point move. James then used a tilt to score an additional set of back points in the second period. In the third period James got another takedown to get the major decision.
James will most likely be the #2 seed at 285 lbs in the county tournament. James has his eyes set on a county title and he has the ability and mind set to make it happen.
Donny Spurrell Takes 2nd Place
Senior captain Donny Spurrell advanced to the finals before losing a tough match to top ranked Matt Schmelzinger of Garden City. In the finals Donny was controlling the match and was leading 5-2 going into the third period. However, Schmelzinger is a tough competitor and used an escape and two takedowns in the third period to beat Donny 7-6. Even though Donny lost this match, he knows that he is right there with the top guys in his weight class and can do some serious damage next weekend at the county tournament.
Vikings Qualify 11 Wrestlers For the County Tournament
Last week I said that our goal was to qualify at least 10 wrestlers for the county tournament and we accomplished that goal. However, that goal was before we saw the brackets. I really believe we could have qualified more if things went a little better so in that aspect the coaches were a little disappointed. There were many highly ranked wrestlers in our qualifier so we were only able to have 1 champion.
Qualifying for the Vikings:
99 lbs. – Anthony DiMonda – 3rd place
106 lbs. – Kyle Mabey 4th place
132 lbs. – Ray Schaeffner – 3rd place
138 lbs. – Dan Colantonio – 4th place
145 lbs. – Donny Spurrell – 2nd place
160 lbs. – John Lauretti – 2nd place
170 lbs. – Matt Galinski – 3rd place
182 lbs. – Peter Bizzarro – 3rd place
195 lbs. – Ryan Gliganic – 3rd place
220 lbs. – Tom Flynn – 2nd place
285 lbs. – James O’Hagan – 1st place
There is Still a Chance for Some Wildcards
We are hoping to have a couple of wildcard entrants into the county tournament. DJ Rome has our best shot at a wildcard while Matt Blasi and Kevin Butler have outside shots at a wildcard. We will know on Thursday if we get any more Vikings into the tournament.
Shout Out to Kevin Butler
Despite not qualifying for the county tournament, the coaches felt that Kevin Butler showed a lot of heart on Saturday. We made a mistake and told Kevin prematurely that if he won his upcoming bout on Saturday that he would qualify for the county tournament. Down by 2 in the third period, we advised Kevin to choose bottom but Kevin believed that he could turn and pin his opponent so he chose top. About 30 seconds later Kevin had his opponent locked up in a cradle and pinned. We then got to have a great celebration. Kevin actually picked me up and fell backwards onto that mat with me in the air, which was rather humorous. Thanks for the memories Kevin…you are the showstopper.
Dual Meet Playoffs this past weekend and here is a recap:
Vikings Defeat Lawrence 45-26 In The First Round
In the first round of the Nassau County Dual Meet playoffs we had a nice victory over Lawrence. Winning for the Vikings were Anthony DiMonda, Kyle Mabey, Matt Blasi, Ray Schaeffner, Kevin Butler, Dan Colantonio, Donny Spurrell, Matt Galinski, and James O’Hagan. Ray Schaeffner and Matt Galinski recorded pins in under a minute. James O’Hagan defeated the #2 ranked wrestler at 220 who bumped up to wrestle James. Matt Blasi used a two point near fall in the third period to earn a nice victory at 120 lbs.
The top three teams from all eight conferences qualify for the playoffs with the eight conference champions getting a first round bye. They rank the top 8 teams and after beating Lawrence we wrestled the #2 seed Long Beach.
Vikings Lose to Long Beach
We did not match up with Long Beach well at all and I guess almost all the teams in Nassau County don’t really match up with them well. The problem with Long Beach is that they have about 6 guys that not many teams have an answer for. Most teams find themselves in a huge hole before they even know what hit them and that was the case with us. The coaches felt we wrestled tough in this match but we were just overmatched in several matches. Winning for the Vikings were Dan Colantonio, Donny Spurrell, Matt Galinski, and Ryan Gliganic. This concluded our dual meet season and we finished with a 9-6-1 dual meet record for the season.
Final Results of the Dual Meet Playoffs
Wantagh wound up beating Long Beach in the finals of the dual meet playoffs. The only reason that I bring this up is because as I sat watching the finals I envisioned a day where the Seaford Vikings would win this tournament. I’m getting tired of watching the finals from the stands. We have to dream big and work to make it happen.
Vikings Lose to Plainedge
We came out flat on Wednesday against Plainedge and as a result we took a beating. Plainedge is a top ten team in the county, but I believe we are closer to them then what we showed on Wednesday. Winning for the Vikings were Dan Colantonio, Donny Spurrell, Ryan Gliganic, and James O’Hagan. I really think this loss was a blessing in disguise because I think it made us realize that we have to change some things to prevent this from happening again. The number one thing that has to be changed is the mindset of many people on the team. I think some guys were intimidated by wrestling a top ranked team in the county and that has to change. If you want to be great you have to do great things.
Vikings Rebound To Beat Highly Ranked Bellmore JFK 38-25
After a good practice and stern talk from coach LoStrappo, we came out on fire on Friday against Bellmore. Bellmore is actually ranked higher than Plainedge in the county and had only lost one match this year. Bellmore was also conference 2 champions. The main difference in this match is that we were tough. There were so many positions where we out toughed our opponent which was the exact opposite of Wednesday.
DJ Rome got the match going in the right direction with a hard fought 1-0 victory over his nemesis Levine from Bellmore JFK. At the end of the match DJ fought off a takedown in which he was in big trouble to preserve the win. Freshman John Falzarano followed that up with a hard fought loss and then things really started to roll for the Vikings. Kevin Butler, Donny Spurrell, Dan Colantonio, Paul Franco, and Matt Galinski reeled off 5 straight impressive victories. Ryan Gliganic picked up a pin at 195 and James O’Hagan won in overtime at heavyweight. Anthony DiMonda clinched the match for us with a 9-5 victory and Kyle Mabey added another win for good measure. Overall, we won 10 of the 15 matches. This was the highest ranked team that we have beaten in a dual meet in a long time.
Dual Meet Playoffs on Friday at Long Beach Middle School
We will be wrestling Lawrence in the first round of the Dual Meet Playoffs on Friday at Long Beach Middle School. If we beat Lawrence we face Long Beach who is the 2nd seed in this tournament. The matches will probably start at 4:30 but check our Facebook page for definite times. The top 3 teams from all eight conferences qualify for the playoffs. This is a very difficult format for us to succeed in but I love having the opportunity to win a county title by beating all the best teams in the county not just the teams in conference four. I believe that we can win it one of these days and if we wrestled like we did on Friday we could do some damage this weekend.
County Qualifier Tournament on Saturday February 4th at Wantagh
Our qualifying tournament will be at Wantagh on February 4th. The teams in our qualifier are Wantagh, Garden City, Roslyn, Sewanhaka East, Valley Stream South, and Great Neck South. The top four finishers in each weight class qualify for the county tournament.
Vikings Lose Very Exciting Match to Island Trees
In a battle for the conference title we came up just short on Wednesday in our dual meet with Island Trees. This was one of the craziest dual meets that I have ever been a part of since very few things went according to plan. Sophomore Anthony DiMonda got the dual meet off to a wild start with a 15-10 victory at 99 lbs. Freshman Pat Bizzarro kept the momentum going with a 14-2 major decision at 106 lbs. After some set backs, Ray Schaeffner got the team going in the right direction again by gutting out a 1-0 victory. At 145, sophomore Dan Colantonio had the highlight match of the night. He used a reversal into a spladle in the second period to beat highly regarded Lucas Panebianco of Island Trees 10-6. After a major decision by captain Donny Spurrell, Paul Franco pulled off an upset victory over a tough Island Trees opponent at 160 lbs. Captain Matt Galinski got a much-needed pin at 182 lbs to put the Vikings ahead with three matches to go. However, James O’Hagan was the only Viking to win in those three matches as we lost 36-29.
The coaches were so proud of the 8 wrestlers that won their matches against Island Trees. We had some huge setbacks in that match and to come back and almost pull off the victory showed a lot of heart. One of the main things that our wrestlers learned from this match is that they need to make better decisions when they are on the mat. Good decision-making is a part of mental toughness that Coach LoStrappo stresses all the time. We will learn from it and get better from this loss. Our conference championship run is officially over after winning it for 8 straight years. It is time to start a new streak next year!!!
Match With Clarke on Gerbino Night Was Officially a 33-33 Tie
I inadvertently said that we lost our match to Clarke on Gerbino Night due to a tie-breaking criteria. However, tie-breaking criteria’s are only used in the dual meet playoffs so we officially tied Clarke.
Vikings Defeat North Shore 42-18
We finished off our conference schedule with a 42-18 victory over North Shore. In this match, freshman Tom Flynn recorded his first ever varsity win at 220 lbs. We finished with a 3-1-1 record in the conference and tied for second place with Clarke.
Kevin Butler Named a Captain
Coaches named Kevin Butler a captain this past week at practice. Kevin has been working very hard every day in practice, has done all that we have asked of him, and has shown tremendous improvement. He has also shown great passion in all of his matches. For these reasons, Kevin earned the right to be a captain of the Vikings.
Patrick J. Butler Duals A Success
On Saturday Massapequa, Calhoun, Uniondale, and Mt. Sinai joined us for the annual Patrick J. Butler Duals. We beat Calhoun and Mt. Sinai and lost to Uniondale and Massapequa. Donny Spurrell sat out the day due to sickness, however our other four captains carried the team. James O’Hagan went 3-0 on the day while DJ Rome and Matt Galinski went 3-1 on the day. Newly appointed captain, Kevin Butler wrestled tough all day and finshed 2-2. We also had a touching ceremony to pause and remember Patrick J. Butler who lost his life in a tragic car accident on the same night he became an all-county wrestler in 2004. Ryan Harding performed a flawless rendition of Amazing Grace on the bagpipes to close the ceremony. 7 of the 9 past recipients of the Patrick J. Butler scholarship were on hand to show their support. These 7 were: Stephen Van Leer, Chris McElroy, John Olsen, Daniel Harding, Blake Fisher, Kevin Goldstein, and Ryan Harding.
Kevin Butler Named Most Outstanding Wrestler of the PJB Duals
Senior captain Kevin Butler was named the MOW of the PJB duals after wrestling with heart and determination the whole day. Kevin pinned his Calhoun opponent and then won 9-3 against Uniondale. He then dropped an overtime match against Mt. Sinai and a close match against Massapequa. He wrestled in a way that would have made Patrick proud and it was only fitting that he earned the Most Outstanding Wrestler award. I attached a picture of him receiving the award.
GERBINO NIGHT
We lost a very exciting match to Clarke Saturday night at Gerbino Night. In front of a packed and loud gym, Ryan Gliganic used a dramatic takedown as time expired to win at 195 lbs to tie the bout at 27-27 heading into the last two matches. At 220 lbs we put out freshmen Tom Flynn who we had only planned to use in case of an emergency. Well that emergency came up and Tom fought bravely knowing that if he didn’t get pinned we would win the dual meet. Unfortunately, Tom wound up getting pinned in the second period. James O’Hagan then received a forfeit in the last weight class to tie the match at 33-33, but we lost on the tie breaking criteria. The first tie-breaking criteria is bouts won and they won 8 matches while we won 7.
All four of our captains came up with wins as DJ Rome won by pin at 126 lbs, Donny Spurrell won by decision at 152 lbs, and Matt Galinski and James O’Hagan both received forfeits. Kyle Mabey recorded a big pin at 113 lbs, while Dan Colantonio and Ryan Gliganic also got nice wins for the Vikings.
One of the things the coaches stressed before the match is that win or lose we had to go out there and wrestle with passion and I believe we did that. We certainly made some very costly mistakes, but we can fix those things. In addition, the guys needed experience wrestling in high-pressure situations like Gerbino night. I believe the entertainment factor of the night was high and that those in attendance enjoyed a great night of wrestling. Losing heartbreaking matches like we did at Gerbino Night makes winning so much better and makes us hungrier. Losing is a part of competing and a part of life, and it’s how you learn and grow from it that makes champions.
I would like to thank the many people who worked tirelessly to make Gerbino Night a success. Mike DiSilvio leads a group called “Friends of Seaford Wrestling,” who organized the event. Correne Gerbino put many hours into preparing the programs, pictures and banners. Special thanks to Laura Montgomery, Elaine Tamsen, James Pollin, Cissie Butler, and Tom Condon who were responsible for many of the behind the scenes aspects of the night. There were also several parents that stepped up to help out with raffles, donations, and working admissions and raffles. Lastly, thanks to all who came out to support the team. The Seaford High School gym was rocking at Gerbino night. It was great to see many alumni and supporters of the program.
Recap of Valley Stream North and Great Neck North Matches
We dominated Valley Stream North and Great Neck North this past week at home. Ray Schaeffner beat a Division 2 county champ and avenged a loss that he had earlier in the year. On Thursday Kevin Butler had a nice pin and followed it up with one of the best celebrations I’ve seen in a long time. It’s nice to see kids get excited after a win
Vikings Win The Tournament For The First Time Ever
We have wrestled in the East Meadow Holiday Tournament many times, but on Thursday we won the tournament for the first time. This marked the second tournament in a row that we came home with the championship. In order to win this tournament we had to beat Conference 1 East Meadow who is ranked as the 8th best tournament team in the county in the latest rankings. More importantly, we showed improvement in this tournament from the previous tournament.
Donny Spurrell, Paul Franco, Ryan Gliganic, and James O’Hagan Are Champions
Senior captain Donny Spurrell had another great tournament and increased his season record to 13-2. This was his second tournament title of the year. Paul Franco and Ryan Gliganic both captured their first ever tournament titles. Hopefully, this will be the first of many. Sophomore captain James O’Hagan breezed through the tournament with 3 pins en route to the title. His record is now 13-1 on the season. This was James’ third tournament win on the season and he is currently ranked 3rd in the county.
Placing Top 4 For the Vikings Were:
99 lbs. – Anthony DiMonda – 2nd place
106 lbs. – Pat Bizzarro – 2nd place
106 lbs. – Kyle Mabey – 3rd place
126 lbs. – DJ Rome – 4th place
132 lbs. – Ray Schaeffner – 2nd place
138 lbs. – Dan Colantonio – 3rd place
145 lbs. – Donny Spurrell – 1st place
152 lbs. – Paul Franco – 1st place
160 lbs. – John Lauretti – 3rd place
170 lbs. – Matt Galinski – 4th place
182 lbs. – Peter Bizzarro – 4th place
195 lbs. – Ryan Gliganic – 1st place
285 lbs. – James O’Hagan – 1st place
Ralph Jansson tournament at Valley Stream North:
Vikings Win The Tournament For The Second Year In a Row
For the second year in a row we won the Ralph Jansson tournament at Valley Stream North beating 8 other teams to capture the title. Normally the coaches would be very excited about this, however, quite honestly we didn’t wrestle that great. The good news is that it is still early in the season and we are working hard everyday to correct our mistakes and get better.
Locast Family Presents The Fred Locast Outstanding Wrestler Award
Fred Locast’s wife, Melissa, and two children, Anthony and Alanna, were on hand to present the Fred Locast outstanding wrestler award. Fred was a state champion for Valley Stream North high school and his memory lives on in the hearts of those who knew him.
Anthony DiMonda, Kyle Mabey, and James O’Hagan Are Champions
Anthony DiMonda won the 99 pound weight class by default. I think the other 99 pounders were scared of Anthony and scratched from the tournament. Anthony’s points for coming in first were crucial to the team coming in first place. Junior Kyle Mabey captured the 106 pound title and wrestled great the whole tournament. In the finals he pinned his Mineola opponent. This was Kyle’s second tournament title this year. Sophomore James O’Hagan dominated the heavyweight division making quick work of all his opponents.
DJ Rome, Kevin Butler, and Donny Spurrell Place Second
DJ Rome and Kevin Butler wrestled great before losing in the finals. This was Kevin Butler’s first time ever advancing to the finals of a tournament and wearing the white finalist singlet. Kevin is working hard in practice and improving everyday. Donny Spurrell lost a heart breaker in the finals to a very tough Mineola opponent. Donny was winning by 3 with about 30 seconds left before losing in overtime. Donny will do what champions do and learn from that loss so that it doesn’t happen again. Sometimes losing a tough match early in the season is a blessing because now Donny will better know how to handle a tight situation like the one he was in on Saturday.
Placing Top 4 For the Vikings Were:
99 lbs. – Anthony DiMonda – 1st place
106 lbs. – Kyle Mabey – 1st place
106 lbs. – Kyle Mabey – 1st place
106 lbs. – Matt Blasi – 3rd place
126 lbs. – DJ Rome – 2nd place
126 lbs. – DJ Rome – 2nd place
132 lbs. – Ray Schaeffner – 3rd place
138 lbs. – Kevin Butler – 2nd place
145 lbs. – Donny Spurrell – 2nd place
182 lbs. – Matt Galinski – 3rd place
285 lbs. – James O’Hagan – 1st place
DJ Rome and James O’Hagan Named Captains
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Up Next
Vikings Travel off Long Island For The First Time Other Than States
In the Spring coaches were looking for a way to get everybody more matches and we came across this tournament that we thought would best fit our current team. The format of this tournament was one that we had never participated in, but seemed interesting. There was an 8 team field separated into two pools. We had a dual meet against the other three teams in our pool, which we went 2-1 in. Then the top two records in each weight class from each pool would wrestle for the top 4 places and the bottom two wrestlers in each weight class from both pools would wrestle for the bottom 4 places. Most guys on the team got 4 or 5 matches in.
Team Finishes 2-1 in Dual Meets and 3rd Place in The Tournament
We wrestled Brewster B in the first round and won the dual 74-0. There were several forfeits by Brewster B mixed in there. In the second round we lost to Nanuet High School by a score of 45-28. The team rebounded and beat Tappenzee in the third round by a score of 49-28. Overall, we placed 3rd out of the 8 teams there. North Rockland had some very talented wrestlers so it was a good experience for us.
Matt Galinski Goes 5-0 and Brings Home The Gold
Senior captain Matt Galinski led the Vikings with by going 5-0 including a very impressive come from behind win in the finals. Matt got thrown to his back early in the match, but stayed composed and battled back to score 10 unanswered points to win the match 10-5. Matt executed a perfect game plan after falling behind early and showed a lot of heart doing it.
Other Top Performers For The Vikings
Donny Spurrell, James O’Hagan, and Pat Bizzarro went 4-1 on the day. Spurrell wrestled great all day before running into one of the top ranked wrestlers in the state in the finals. O’Hagan lost for the first time this year after falling behind early in the finals but looked great in his other matches. Pat Bizzarro rebounded nicely from last weekend and his only loss came to a kid who took 2nd in the Division II states last year. Ryan Gliganic also wrestled great for the Vikings and advanced to the finals of a tournament for the first time. Ryan had a very exciting overtime win in the semi’s where he wrestled a very smart match to pull out the victory.
Placing Top 4 For the Vikings Were:
99 lbs. – Anthony DiMonda – 4th place
106 lbs. – Kyle Mabey – 4th place
106 lbs. – Kyle Mabey – 4th place
113 lbs. – Pat Bizzarro – 3rd place
126 lbs. – DJ Rome – 3rd place
126 lbs. – DJ Rome – 3rd place
132 lbs. – Ray Schaeffner – 4th place
138 lbs. – Kevin Butler – 4th place
145 lbs. – Donny Spurrell – 2nd place
160 lbs. – John Lauretti – 4th place
170 lbs. – Matt Galinski – 1st place
195 lbs. – Ryan Gliganic – 2nd place
285 lbs. – James O’Hagan – 2nd place
Matt Galinski and James O’Hagan Ranked 3rd In The County
Senior Matt Galinski is currently ranked 3rd in the county at 182 lbs and sophomore James O’Hagan is ranked 3rd at 285 lbs. Here is a link to the Nassau County rankings:
http://longislandwrestling.org/liwa/hs/rank12/s8D1_120511.htm
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Please “like” Seaford Viking Wrestling on Facebook. There are some great interviews as well as live updates on there. Kerry O’Hagan also has some great pictures that can be seen on the Facebook page as well as our website. Our website address is www.seafordwrestling.com
Up Next
We wrestle in the annual Ralph Jannson Memorial Tournament at Valley Stream North on Saturday December 17th. We are looking for another first place finish at this tournament as we captured the title last year. Hopefully a Viking can win the Fred Locast Outstanding Wrestler award at this tournament as well.
Uniondale Knight Classic Tournament held on Saturday 12/3:
Kyle Mabey, Donny Spurrell, and James O’Hagan Bring Home The Gold!
Junior Kyle Mabey was the first seed at 106 lbs and for the second year in a row he won the tournament. Kyle controlled his opponents the whole tournament and joins a select few as multiple time winners of this tournament. Senior captain Donny Spurrell was the third seed and knocked off the #2 seed in the semis and the #1 seed in the finals. This was a great start to the season for Donny. James O’Hagan knocked off one of the top ranked wrestlers in his weight class by beating Dante Salkey of Uniondale in a thrilling 5-4 match. James got an escape with only a few seconds left to win the match in exciting fashion.
Paul Franco and Anthony DiMonda Win Exciting Semi-Finals Matches
Junior Paul Franco won on a stalling point in overtime in a drama filled semi finals match against his Uniondale opponent. In the third period with the tie scored Franco was sent out of bounds landing hard on the gym floor. After appearing dazed, Franco battled through it and pushed the action to get a stalling call to end the match in overtime. Sophomore Anthony DiMonda used a three point near fall at the end of regulation to pull out the victory and earn his first ever finals appearance.
Viking Finish in Third Place
As a team we finished in third place finishing only two points behind second place Island Trees. The coaches were very pleased on how tough the team wrestled, but we still have a lot of work to do. We put 7 wrestlers into the finals, which I believe is the most we have ever had. We also scored more points in the tournament than we have in the past few years.
Place Winners For the Vikings
99 lbs. – Anthony DiMonda – 2nd place
99 lbs. – Adam Weissberg – 2nd place
106 lbs. – Kyle Mabey – 1st place
126 lbs. – DJ Rome – 3rd place
99 lbs. – Adam Weissberg – 2nd place
106 lbs. – Kyle Mabey – 1st place
126 lbs. – DJ Rome – 3rd place
132 lbs. – Ray Schaeffner – 2nd place
138 lbs. – Kevin Butler – 3rd place
145 lbs. – Donny Spurrell – 1st place
152 lbs. – Paul Franco – 2nd place
160 lbs. – John Lauretti – 4th place
182 lbs. – Matt Galinski – 2nd place
182 lbs. – Peter Bizzarro – 4th place
195 lbs. – Ryan Gliganic – 4th place
285 lbs. – James O’Hagan – 1st place
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Please “like” Seaford Viking Wrestling on Facebook. I will be posting interviews with the champions on there as well as updates from tournaments.
Up Next
We make our first ever trip out of Long Island to the North Rockland Duals. All the varsity starters will get 5 matches each so this will be a great opportunity for them.