Forfeited Matches Give Eagles Wrestling Victory Over Huntington

The much anticipated meet of Hauppauge Eagles wrestling versus their longtime rivals Huntington Blue Devils in League V was short and sweet. In an unprecedented move, Blue Devils forfeited seven of the 15 weight classes at Wednesday's meet.  

"This is going to be the first time I've walked into a Huntington versus Hauppauge wrestling match with no excitement," said Blue Devils head coach Kieran Mock.

Mock said that due to "wrestling injuries" he had removed eight wrestlers from his line-up, but would not further comment. These forfeits put the Blue Devils down by 42 points before the match began.

"I have never gone into a match knowing we had the match lost, no matter what we did," Mock said.

Of those wrestlers who made it to the mat, Huntington freshman Corey Jamison showed youthful strength and skill, pinning Eagles' Connor Kelly.

It was followed by Hauppauge's Nick Mauriello, who took control of the mat against Kevin Mendez despite stepping up several weight classes. Mauriello won by a  major decision, 13-2.

The most heated contest of the night was between the Eagles' Brendan Ehlinger and Huntington's Thomas Wilson in the 152-pound weight class. Wilson came out strong, nearly pinning Ehlinger before he managed to reverse the hold. Ehlinger threw Wilson to the mat for a 2 points, the only points of the match.

Hauppauge head coach Chris Messina said he spoke for his team in saying he players had a perspective of their rivals.

"We have a lot of respect for them, giving it their best," Messina said.

The win puts Hauppauge up to 4-0, as Huntington falls 1-1-1 in league competition.

Mock said that the teams' best wrestlers still have three opportunities to compete against one another: league, county and states.

Hauppauge travels to take on Kings Park, the third team expected to be in contention for League V title, this Friday at 5:30 p.m.

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