Ashton Presti and Carmine Gerbino's bookend pins lift Glenn to a Suffolk Division II dual meet wrestling championship
Glenn's Carmine Gerbino Jr. reacts after pinning Shoreham-Wading River's Wes Hadun for the win in the 285-pound match of the Suffolk Division II dual meet finals on Saturday at Bay Shore. Credit: George A Faella
Freshman Ashton Presti was the starter. And junior Carmine Gerbino, the finisher.
The two Glenn wrestlers keyed a wildly entertaining Suffolk Division II dual meet championship showdown with Shoreham-Wading River on Saturday.
Presti opened the championship with an improbable pin at 101 pounds and Gerbino sealed the Knights' title with a first period pin at 285 in a 42-34 win over the Wildcats to claim the Division II crown at Bay Shore High School.
It was the second straight dual meet title for third seeded Glenn, which improved to 10-2. Top-seeded Shoreham-Wading River, which won the Division II crown in 2021 and 2022, fell to 18-5.
The march to defending the title started with Presti, who avenged an early season loss to Shoreham’s highly-regarded Shane Cowan with a pin at the 5:56 mark, setting the tone for the rest of the final.
“He beat me 11-6 during the season but my coaches and teammates had me pumped all week for the rematch,” Presti said. “They were counting on me to get us started.”
Presti’s pin with four seconds left in the third period ignited the packed house. And the atmosphere intensified with first period pins from Keith King at 108 and defending state champion Tommy Aiello at 116 to extend the Knights lead to 18-0.
“The key to the title was at 101 pounds,” said Glenn coach TJ Brocking. "It was a huge 12-point swing our way and set the tone for the day. Ashton had the right mindset for the rematch and went out and got it done.”
The teams reeled off nine consecutive pins to start the meet, and Shoreham-Wading River did not go quietly. Trailing 18-0, the Wildcats sent the team's two hammers in back-to-back weight classes to record two pins and draw within 18-12. State place-winner Chris Colon pinned David Futerin in 2:22 at 124 and state runner-up Gavin Mangano pinned Aidan Lee in 3:01 at 131.
Glenn’s Karahn King pinned Shane Hall in 38 seconds at 138 and Dylan Bulger pinned John O’Neil in 2:23 at 145 to restore the 18-point lead at 30-12.
Shoreham won four of the next five bouts and Zack Wilson’s pin of David Rafiq in 5:31 at 215 got the Wildcats within 36-34 with one bout remaining.
Brocking had bumped the top-ranked Gerbino up to 285 pounds to finish the dual and secure the crown. Gerbino rewarded Brocking’s confidence in him with a first period pin of Wes Hodun in 1:18.
“My mindset was secure the win,” Gerbino said. “He attempted a headlock and missed the move. And I countered with a cradle for the win.”
Presti and Gerbino credited their success to Brocking and assistants Justin Vega and Ryan Patrovich.
“We’re nowhere without these coaches,” Presti said. “We’re champions with them.”
Gregg Sarra is Newsday's high school sports editor and has been on the beat since the mid-1980s.