Wantagh and Seaford Hit the Mat at County Championships

Hofstra University hosted the Nassau County Wrestling Championships this weekend, with 390 total wrestlers vying for an opportunity to earn a trip to the state tournament at the end of February. Fifteen of those wrestlers can now call themselves true champions.

The Wantagh Warriors took the team title with an overall score of 214 points and eight All-County wrestlers, including two champions. MacArthur finished in second with 192.50 points, nine All-County wrestlers and two champions. Plainedge (158 points), Long Beach (153.50 points) and Massapequa (145.50 points) rounded out the top five teams.

A total of 33 schools in Nassau County claimed at least one All-County wrestler. Here is how Wantagh and Seaford fared on the weekend.

Wantagh:

Team Points: 214 (1^st), All-County: 8, Champions: 2- Joe Kavanagh (189), Tom Hall (215)

Wantagh had a successful weekend with Kavanagh and Hall each winning by decisions. Kavanagh held off Conner Wetzel of Massapequa in the final seconds, 4-2. Hall followed his teammate in the next finals match with a 12-8 win over previously undefeated Andrew Danzinger of East Meadow. Danny McDevitt was the runner-up at 125 pounds after falling to champion Johnny Pellegrino of Levittown Division.

“It is exciting to win. It’ll be my third time heading to States,” Kavanagh said. “If I keep my head on straight I think I can continue to do well, taking it one match at a time and do what I can.”

Seaford:

Team Points: 66 (12^th), All-County: 2, Champions: 1- Will Montgomery (119)

Seaford placed two wrestlers, including top-seeded Will Montgomery who took down Mike Lofrese of Garden City in the 119-pound final, 10-4. Montgomery took second place at 112 pounds last year and won at 96 pounds two years ago. This will be his third trip to the State Tournament as last year he qualified as a wild card selection.

Ryan Harding finished in third place at 160 pounds after winning four of his five matches.

“He [Lofrese] caught me a little off-guard in the first period but I woke up and pulled away,” Montgomery said. “The first two times I was at States, I didn’t wrestle the way I wanted to, but hopefully this year I will get it.”

The New York State Championships will take place at the Times Union Center on February 25-26 in Albany, New York.

Final Results:

96- Person (BJFK) D. Candela (Oceanside), 8-5.

103- Sewkumar (Long Beach) P. Raghunandan (Long Beach), 5:32.

112- Singh (Herricks) D. Lanzillotti (Roslyn), 7-3.

119- Montgomery (Seaford) D. Lofrese (Garden City), 10-4.

125- Pellegrino (Division) McDevitt (Wantagh), 4-2.

130- Perez (MacArthur) MD. Lanzillotta (Massapequa), 9-1.

135- Dluginski (Sewanhaka East) D. Rella (MacArthur), 3-2.

140- Conrad (MacArthur) D. Nigro (Plainedge), 6-5.

145- Palacio (Long Beach) D. Sarro (Massapequa), 7-3.

152- DeJesus (Long Beach) D. Bader (Calhoun), 4-1.

160- John (Bethpage) D. Cataldo (MacArthur), 9-1.

171- Jones (Plainedge) D. Diaz (Division), 7-2.

189- Kavanagh (Wantagh) D. Wetzel (Massapequa), 4-2.

215- Hall (Wantagh) D. Danziger (East Meadow), 12-8.

285- Ng D. Manna (Island Trees), 7-3.