Sleepy Hollow Grapplers Ready for Sectionals

Wrestling is a grueling sport to participate in so there is a special feeling of accomplishment when all that hard work pays off and a grappler gets to take part in the sectionals.

That will be the case for nine Sleepy Hollow wrestlers who will participate in this weekend's Section 1 Division 1 Tournament.

The tournament will take place over two days. The first day will be Saturday, Feb. 13 at Clarkstown South High School and the second day will be at Pace University in Pleasantville on Sunday, Feb. 14. The action is scheduled to begin at 9 a.m on both days.

"It's a do or die situation," Sleepy Hollow coach Brian Tompkins said. "For some wrestlers, it could be the last match of their high school careers and for others, the last one of their academic year."

What is so appealing about that in wrestling is that a grappler only has themselves to rely on to continue his season or his career.

"It's not like basketball where there are four other guys on the court you can look to for help," Tompkins said. "When you are on the mat, you are on your own. You just prepare, go out there and hope for the best."

Sleepy Hollow's nine grapplers who will take part in the sectionals earned their way there by finishing in the top four of the divisional tournament. The divisional round, held Feb. 6, was split into four divisions, with Sleepy Hollow hosting the Division 1 bracket.

The Headless Horsemen were spurred on in the divisional round by 140-pound senior Edison Tenesaca, who won by decision in the finals against Brewster's Nick Grasso 7-5 and 171-pound junior Dondrey Sharrock, who also won in the finals by decision, 5-3, against Port Chester's James Mutino.

"We struggled in the beginning but as the day went on we wrestled back and showed some toughness to qualify nine wrestlers," Tompkins said.

Two other Sleepy Hollow wrestlers who performed well were 130-pound senior Jay Concepcion and 160-pound senior Pete DelMonaco, who each placed second after losing to the No. 1 seeds in the sectionals in their respective weight classes.

Concepcion was pinned by North Rockland's Mike Figueroa in 1:59 while DelMonaco lost by decision to John Jay's Scott Genovesi 6-3.

"They (Concepcion and DelMonaco) both faced tough competition in the finals and wrestled well," Tompkins said. "They are each looking forward to the sectionals."

Finishing third in the divisionals for Sleepy Hollow were sophomore 103-pounder Edgar Patino and freshman 119-pounder Steve Bencosme. For Patino, what made his achievement that much more impressive was that this is his first year of wrestling.

Bencosme, on the other hand, has been on the varsity since he was in seventh grade. His older brothers Dennis, who won a sectional crown and Ronnie, both wrestled for Sleepy Hollow.

They now attend Ithaca College, with Dennis wrestling for the No. 4 nationally ranked squad in Division III and Ronnie playing lacrosse.

Sleepy Hollow also had three other wrestlers qualify for the sectionals by placing fourth in 112-pounder Edwin Jiminez, 145-pounder Ben Hofling and 215-pounder Edwin Zhinin.