Mepham Wrestling Takes Down Westbury in Final League Match

The Mepham wrestling team took down Westbury at home on Friday night, just one day after falling to conference-leading Garden City on the road.

The Pirates stayed in control for the extent of the match against the Green Dragons to win 54-27. Three of Mephams’ top wrestlers: Louis Hernandez, Mike Paccione and Jamie Dunn, were not in attendance as they headed upstate to compete in the Eastern State Tournament at Sullivan Community College in Monticello, New York.

John Sherlock got the match started with a second-period pin over Kelby Then at 96 pounds. Westbury picked up a minor decision win at 103 pounds, but lost major ground after having to forfeit the next three weight classes to Mepham.

Kieran Bell got an opportunity to wrestle varsity at 130 pounds in the absence of a few teammates, but fell to Oscar Nunez by way of a second-period pin. Nahun Ramirez also won his match over Gary Dubovick to bring Westbury within 12 points of tying.

However, Steve Lambert (140 pounds), Dan Tracy (145 pounds) and Zach Hoffman (152 pounds) all beat their opponents by pins to open up a 30-point advantage for Mepham. Westbury gained back some ground by winning three of the next four matches, but it was too late of a push as Mepham held on for the big league win.

Heroes: Steve Lambert made the most of his chance to wrestle in place of Mike Paccione at 140 pounds. He pinned Edwin Madrid in just 34 seconds, the quickest decision of the match.

Turning Point: When Westbury won two consecutive matches at 130 and 135 pounds, Mepham responded strong by winning the next three to put the match out of reach. The Pirates’ middleweight group has the depth and talent to have some success when it comes time for the Nassau County tournament.

Quotable: “There were a couple of guys who got varsity matches that normally don’t, like Lambert and Bell, so it was tough, but it went well overall,” Mepham assistant coach Mike Muscara said. “We are looking forward to the qualifying tournament soon, looking to place at least 10 or 12 kids in the county tournament.”

Bottom Line: Mepham has had their up’s and down’s so far this year, but with the win over Westbury, they are hoping it is a start of a strong finish to the season. With Garden City and Kennedy ahead of them in the conference standings, the team figures to be challenged early on in the Dual Meet Tournament in late January.

Key Stat: Mepham collected six big pins in just the 11 classes that wrestled due to four combined forfeits.

Who’s Next: Dual Meet Tournament, Jan. 28 & 29 vs. TBA

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