North Wrestlers Still Alive At States

Two Sachem North wrestlers, Gio Santiago and Steven Mills, have advanced to the semifinals in the New York State Wrestling tournament in Albany. 

Reporting live on all the action, Sachem's Communications Director Chris Vaccaro said Santiago and Mills won their respective quarterfinal matches to advance.

From his recap on The Sachem Report:

Santiago, wrestling at 182 pounds, trailed 6-4 in the third period against Thomas Murray out of Section I’s Yorktown. After scoring two points on a take down to make it 6-6, he threw together a combination of moves that put him ahead, 9-6, before he ended the match with a pin at 5:50.

“He went in on a shot and I did a foot trick where you step over the guy’s back and you reverse crotch lift him and he goes on his back from there,” Santiago said. “I’m going into the semis in states now and I’m proud.”

“Gio went after him,” said Sachem North coach Ray Pickersgill. “With Gio I never feel like he’s out of a match. I knew he had something left.”

Mills’ quarterfinal match at 220 pounds moved slower. He walked away with a 1-0 victory, but controlled the pace and tone of the bout from the onset against Ossining’s (Section I) Trent Lofaro.

“I don’t like relying on my ability to ride,” Mills said. “We were going at it, banging heads and trying to tire each other out and I got the best of him and it showed in the last period when I was able to tire him out. I wish I could have sored more points, but a win is a win.”

Mills and Santiago are now in a position to bring home state championships for Sachem, something the school hasn't done since Jason Kraft and John Carvalheira brought home championships in 1992.