Massapequa wrestling grabs top spot in Big 10 rankings
Chase Liardi of Massapequa ties up Jeremiah Echevarria of Long Beach during the 106 lb. final of the Massapequa Holiday Tournament on Friday, December 28, 2018. Credit: Peter Frutkoff
1. MASSAPEQUA WRESTLING The Chiefs recently won their own tournament over a stacked field. They crowned five champions, including Anthony Conetta (99 pounds), Chase Liardi (106), Mike Blando (132), John Casamassina (170), and Angelo Petrakis (182) and are 16-0 in dual meets.
2. WARD MELVILLE GIRLS FENCING Lauren Cappello went 3-0 in sabre in a 19-8 victory over Hills on Dec. 18. Cappello is 13-0 on the season for the Patriots (5-0). Ivanna Zavala-Arbelaez is 12-0 in foil, and Cat Cao (11-1) and Olivia Becchina (8-0) have been dominant in epee.
3. EAST ISLIP BOYS BOWLING The Redmen are poised to capture their third consecutive Suffolk team championship, and are 8-0 to begin the season. Last year’s Newsday Bowler of the Year, Aaron Rice, currently owns the best average in the county with a 240.96.
4. KELLENBERG GIRLS TRACK Coach Marty Brown was inducted into the Armory Coaches Hall of Fame in December and it looks like he has another winner on his hands. Maureen Lewin ran a 4:50.75 in the 1,500 meters at the Armory Coaches Hall of Fame Invitational, the fastest on Long Island.
5. WARD MELVILLE BOYS FENCING The Patriots improved to 5-0 and extended its regular-season winning streak to 167 games with a 25-2 win over Half Hollow Hills. Ben Rogak (7-1) and Will Lehr (8-2) lead the epee team.
6. ST. ANTHONY’S BOYS SWIMMING St. Anthony’s is 6-0 and led by Justin Meyn, who has the second-best time in the state in the 100-yard butterfly (47.28) and Michael Chang, who has the fourth-best time in the 100 breaststroke (59.84).
7. UNIONDALE BOYS TRACK Uniondale put together some impressive individual performances during the holiday break. Giordano Williams placed second in the 55 meters in 6.69 seconds at the North Shore Invitational and finished fifth in the 200 meters in 22.32 seconds at the Marine Corps Invitational. Asiel King was second in the 55 meter hurdles in 7.67 seconds at the North Shore.
8. EAST ISLIP GIRLS BOWLING East Islip’s Julianna Spina (235.33) and Julia Bocamazo (234.72) round out the top two averages on Long Island. Natalie Mavrich (220.39) is fifth in overall average.
9. LONG ISLAND LUTHERAN BOYS BASKETBALL Lutheran is off to a 6-0 start and features another talented, athletic group, led by Andre Curbelo (15.7 points per game), Zed Key (14.8) and Tyler Stephenson (14.0).
10. OCEANSIDE GIRLS GYMNASTICS Led by Lexi Kessler and Amanda Eidelman, the Sailors are opening the season on a roll and undefeated, going 4-0 in Nassau I and 5-0 overall. The Sailors most recent win against last season’s county champion, Plainview-Old Bethpage JFK, was a close contest, 164.45- 161.2. Kessler was first on floor (9.35) and vault (8.35), and Eidelman won the beam (9.0).
On the cusp: Baldwin girls basketball, Rocky Point wrestling, Baldwin boys basketball, Huntington boys track.
GIRLS BASKETBALL
1. Baldwin (4-1)
2. Longwood (6-1)
3. Long Island Lutheran (3-1)
4. Ward Melville (6-1)
5. Half Hollow Hills East (7-0)
6. Northport (6-2)
7. Island Trees (9-0)
8. North Babylon (6-0)
9. Westhampton (8-1)
10. Plainedge (7-1)
BOYS BASKETBALL
1. Long Island Lutheran (6-0)
2. Baldwin (7-0)
3. Brentwood (8-0)
4. North Babylon (9-0)
5. Uniondale (7-0)
6. Longwood (8-1)
7. Chaminade (4-2)
8. Bellport (5-1)
9. Deer Park (4-2)
10. Farmingdale (6-1)
BOYS TRACK
1. Uniondale
2. Huntington
3. St. Anthony’s
4. Mount Sinai
5. Massapequa
GIRLS TRACK
1. Kellenberg
2. Valley Stream South
3. Longwood
4. West Babylon
5. Uniondale
BOYS SWIMMING
1. St. Anthony’s (6-0)
2. Half Hollow Hills (5-0)
3. Chaminade (5-0)
4. Long Beach (5-0)
5. Syosset (3-0)
BOYS FENCING
1. Ward Melville (5-0)
2. Great Neck South (7-0)
3. Commack (7-0)
4. Jericho (4-1)
5. Garden City (3-1)
GIRLS FENCING
1. Ward Melville (5-0)
2. Great Neck South (8-0)
3. Commack (6-1)
4. Great Neck North (7-1)
5. Centereach (4-1)
WRESTLING
1. Massapequa (16-0)
2. Rocky Point (15-1)
3. Eastport-South Manor (14-0)
4. Hauppauge (4-0)
5. Wantagh (14-3)
6. Connetquot (7-1)
7. Sachem East (4-0)
8. Kings Park (6-1)
9. Bay Shore (10-2)
10. Lindenhurst (9-2)
GIRLS BOWLING
1. East Islip (6-0)
2. Middle Country (6-0)
3. Commack (7-0)
4. Port Washington (9-0)
5. Garden City (7-0)
BOYS BOWLING
1. East Islip (8-0)
2. Chaminade (4-0)
3. Patchogue-Medford (9-0)
4. Sachem (8-0)
5. Hewlett (7-0)
GIRLS GYMNASTICS
1. Oceanside (5-0)
2. Massapequa (5-0)
3. Port Washington
4. Syosset
5. South Side
Gregg Sarra is Newsday's high school sports editor and has been on the beat since the mid-1980s.
