Newsday's All-Long Island boys fencing team 2025

Newsday Boys Fencer of the Year: Justin Guo, Syosset, Foil, Jr.

Guo is the type of fencer who will show exactly what you’ll get from him without saying a word.

That doesn’t just mean accolades, of which Guo has plenty. Not only did he win gold at the Nassau Individuals, but he also went 21-1 for Syosset and 5-1 through the playoffs en route to a Long Island title. The junior’s only regular-season loss came in part to equipment issues he had against Jericho.

“When I was talking to him at the finals, he was just trying to stay focused and concentrated,” coach Robert Moon said. “He didn’t want the background noise, he just wanted to do what he needed to do to fence his best.”

But that’s what you get with Guo; reliable wins on the strip matched by level-headed leadership off it. Moon described him as a “natural leader,” whether he is coaching a fellow foilist, recruiting a prospective fencer or simply lifting a fist in the air to celebrate a teammate’s win.

There’s always a sense of camaraderie that cuts both ways. When Syosset’s sabre team competed at Huntington’s Alan Kuver Memorial Relays in January, the squad was named after him as “Syosset’s Guoats.” He lived up to the moniker, winning 19 of the 22 touches in his three bouts against Great Neck South in the tournament’s championship as Syosset took gold.

“This year he wanted to be a leader and make everyone a better fencer,” Moon said. “Everyone called him an MVP. When everyone calls you an MVP, without it even coming from me, it just tells you how important he was to the team.”

FIRST TEAM

Charles Pedersen, Centereach/Longwood/SWR, Foil, Sr.

There’s a new champion foilist in Suffolk for the first time since February 2022, and that’s Pedersen. He went 33-3 for his senior season, leaving with a gold at the Suffolk Individuals after winning 16 of his 17 bouts. He also tied for bronze at the Brentwood Holiday Tournament.

Luke Kugler, Oyster Bay, Epee, Soph.

The sophomore went 16-2 and should enter next year as the epeeist to beat on Long Island. Kugler won gold at the Brentwood Holiday Tournament with a dominant plus-43 touch differential across five direct elimination bouts. He also nearly defended his Nassau epee title in a one-touch loss at the county individual tournament, placing second as a result.

Sohan Shah, Syosset, Sabre, Soph.

There should be no shortage of pride in the Shah household this year as both Sohan and his older brother, Sajan, boasted the same 18-0 record on the way toward helping Syosset winning a Long Island title. Sohan won gold at the Brentwood Holiday Tournament and added a silver medal at the Nassau Individuals. He also helped Syosset’s sabre team take gold at Huntington’s Alan Kuver Memorial Relays.

William Wei, Herricks, Sabre, Soph.

Wei battled his way through a strong year for Nassau sabriests to claim gold at the county individual tournament. The sophomore went 26-4 this winter and went 2-1 against Syosset’s sabriests in the Nassau semifinals.

Jerry Wu, Half Hollow Hills, Epee, Soph.

Not only did Wu boast a stellar 35-1 regular-season record, but he also held a 51-4 overall record across tournaments, individuals and playoffs. He claimed gold at the Suffolk Individuals and took silver at the Brentwood Holiday Tournament.

Coach of the Year: Steven Ferrantello, Half Hollow Hills

Hills completed the program’s first undefeated season by going 13-0, with five different fencers winning at least 70% of their overall bouts. Ferrantello’s squad took the top seed into the Suffolk championship meet and competed for the county title for the first time since 2016.

SECOND TEAM

William Dreyer, Ward Melville, Sabre, Jr.

Dreyer went undefeated at Suffolk Individuals, winning 15 consecutive bouts on the way to winning gold. He also tied for bronze at the Brentwood Holiday Tournament and topped off a terrific winter with a 31-6 regular-season record.

Nicholas Giordano, Ward Melville, Sabre, Sr.

No Suffolk boys sabreist had a better record than Giordano’s 31-5 this winter. He added a silver medal at the Brentwood Holiday Tournament and helped Ward Melville’s sabre team take silver at Huntington’s Alan Kuver Memorial Relays.

Marc Lindemann, Newfield/Miller Place, Foil, Jr.

Every time Lindemann steps on the strip it feels like must-watch television. With a 26-3 record and a silver medal at the Suffolk Individuals, he helped Newfield/Miller Place claim its fifth consecutive Suffolk County title. He also took gold at the Brentwood Holiday Tournament, with an impressive plus-46 touch differential across six direct elimination bouts.

Trey Plastaras, Garden City, Foil, Sr.

Plastaras went 25-2 this winter and notched his 100th career win in January. He added a 10-1 record at the Brentwood Holiday Tournament in pool and elimination play on the way to winning silver among 53 competing foilists. The Sacred Heart commit also placed third at the Nassau Individuals, winning a thrilling 15-13 fence-off at Garden City for bronze over Great Neck North’s Jicheng Xie.

Om Thakur, Herricks, Epee, Sr.

Thakur’s 17-4 record helped Herricks reach the county semifinals for the second consecutive season. He also ended up on top of a stellar group of Nassau epeeists at the individual tournament, recapturing the county’s epee title in February in dramatic fashion after winning it previously in 2023.

Jason Sun, Oyster Bay, Epee, Sr.

The senior didn’t lose a single regular-season bout, going 24-0. He also captured bronze at both the Brentwood Holiday Tournament and won a fence-off for third at the Nassau Individuals, going 9-1 and 5-2 at each tournament, respectively.