Four Long Island schools go on deep runs at the state dual meet wrestling championships
Glenn poses with their second-place medals after the 2024 NYSPHSAA Dual Meet Wrestling Championship at the SRC Arena and Events Center on Saturday in Syracuse, N.Y. Credit: /Kayla Bartkowski
SYRACUSE — Long Island Strong for sure!
Three Long Island schools pounded their way into the New York State Division I dual meet semifinals on Saturday at the SRC Arena and Events Center at Onondaga CC.
Very impressive performances through the qualifying rounds had Wantagh and Plainedge advance with two dominant wins in their respective groups before Plainedge captured the Division I state championship. Gritty North Babylon pulled out two close wins, including a nail biter in an upset of top-seeded Niagara-Wheatfield to also advance, before falling to Minisink Valley.
And for good measure Glenn advanced to the state’s Division II final for the second year in a row, where they fell to Tioga.
Unseeded North Babylon (18-2) advanced to the state semifinal on the strength of an exciting 35-24 win over top-seeded Niagara-Wheatfield. With the lead at 29-24, North Babylon heavyweight Alex Seger made quick work of Peter Sheehan and pinned the Niagara wrestler at 1:49 of the first period to seal the win.
“I went out there fully confident after Coach [Anthony] Ciolino fired me up,” Seger said. “We were in a position to make a statement on our first trip to the state tournament and it was in my hands.”
Seger used a power half to turn the Niagara wrestler to his back for the clinching win.
“It’s amazing to get that pin and take out the one seed,” Seger said.
The Bulldogs advanced to the semifinal round when they edged Cicero-North Syracuse, 29-27. It didn’t come easy.
In the pivotal and final bout at 101 pounds, North Babylon led 29-24, but eighth-grader Xavier Seabury suffered a hard slam in the middle of the second period. The officials stopped the bout and after a consultation with the tournament’s athletic trainer, Seabury passed the concussion protocol, and continued. Had Seabury been disqualified for an injury default, North Babylon would have lost, 30-29, and not advanced to the semifinals.
Instead, Seabury, who trailed 4-2 at the time of the injury, battled back to tie the score at 4, before losing a hard fought 6-4 decision to Kasey Kalfass and securing the Bulldogs win.
“He battled his butt off for the final two periods after taking a hard head shot,” said North Babylon coach Vin Innes. “He was cleared to wrestle and really came through or we were going home early.”
North Babylon advanced to meet Minisink Valley, which had won two state titles in the past three years. Minisink Valley ended North Babylon’s title quest, 40-18.
The Bulldogs won the first bout of the semis behind James Figueroa at 124 pounds before Minisink Valley reeled off six straight wins, to build a 25-3 lead. Joel Lomax ended the streak when he decisioned Zachary Filip 7-4 at 190 pounds.
“We ran into a buzzsaw in the semifinals,” said Innes. “But we’ve had a great season and I am so proud of our guys and the way we battled throughout the season.”
In Division II, Glenn achieved its goal of facing Tioga, the winners of the previous two state titles.
It came with a price, as the Knights suffered a 56-12 loss in the finals. It was Tioga’s third state title in a row.
“It was our plan to reach the state finals against Tioga, the best team in the state,” Glenn coach T.J. Brocking said. “We wanted to see them this year and come back motivated to beat them next year. We’ve had a great year.”
In the semifinals, sixth-seeded Glenn knocked off No. 2 and last year’s runner-up Central Valley Academy with a 35-30 win that came down to the final match at 116 pounds. David Futeran notched a 17-2 technical fall over Matt Osley to send Glenn to the finals.
Glenn won six of the last seven matches to erase a 24-6 deficit. Ashton Presti pinned Christian Sanchez in 2:29 at 101 pounds and defending state champion Tommy Aiello pinned Joshua Tubia in 1:37 at 108 pounds to tie the match at 30. It was Glenn’s second straight appearance in the tournament. Last year, Glenn won its first match but lost its second and failed to advance to the semifinals.
Carmine Gerbino sealed Glenn’s 30-29 win against Port Jervis with a 7-1 decision at 285 pounds in the state semifinal.
“Coach Brocking always says, ‘Someone has got to be a hero and you only get a few opportunities to be great.’ I was just grateful to have another opportunity like that today and lock it up,” Gerbino said.
Earlier in pool play, Glenn (13-3) fell behind Gouverneur, 26-15, in its second match, but won each of the final four bouts to earn a 39-26 win and advance to the semifinal round. Ashton Presti pinned Tuffy Griffith in 45 seconds at 101 pounds to seal it.
“I always get nervous. Those pins add up points so quickly,” Brocking said. “Those 12-point swings are drastic, but I knew we had the matchups we wanted in the last four matches.”
Gregg Sarra is Newsday's high school sports editor and has been on the beat since the mid-1980s.