Glenn's Elijah Porpora returns to win 285-pound championship in Suffolk Division II wrestling

Elijah Porpora waited a long time for his shot at a second Suffolk wrestling title.

The Glenn senior won the 215-pound championship as a sophomore but missed last season after suffering a broken leg playing as a defensive lineman in the Knights’ 2023 homecoming football game.

“When I broke my leg, the first thing I said to the trainer was, ‘Am I gonna be back for wrestling?,’ ” Porpora said. “While I was out, I would just stand in the shower and shadow wrestle because I just wanted to get back on the mat.”

Porpora finally got his chance to become a two-time champion Friday night at the Suffolk Division II championships at Shoreham-Wading River. He didn’t waste it.

Top-seeded Porpora defeated No. 3 Alex Keilitz of Babylon by 10-4 decision to win the 285-pound title. Porpora led 4-0 in the third period, but Keilitz earned an escape and scored a takedown to tie the match at 4 with 11 seconds left. Porpora immediately used a wrist roll to score a reversal and get Keilitz on his back for four nearfall points as time expired.

“It’s euphoric. It doesn’t feel real at all,” Porpora said. “Ever since I was a freshman, I wanted to be on top of the podium. Sophomore year, I did it, and I said I’m gonna do it the rest of my career. Last year threw a wrench in there, but this means everything.”

Porpora (31-3) picked up two pins in a total of 40 seconds earlier in the tournament.

“To come back from what he dealt with and still be a county champion is unbelievable,” coach TJ Brocking said. “It’s impressive how goal-oriented he is and how hard he worked. He’s a great leader and role model for our team.”

Porpora was one of four Knights to win a county title. Tommy Aiello (116), Aidan Lee (124) and Carmine Gerbino (215) each took home gold as Glenn won the team competition with 358.5 points.

It was Aiello’s fourth straight county title, making him Glenn’s second wrestler to become a four-time winner (Mike Castellano, 2004-07). Aiello, who won last year’s 108-pound title, pinned Port Jefferson’s Chase Davis in 1:18. Davis was last year’s 116-pound champion.

Aiello improved to 37-3 on the season and will look for more success at the state tournament at MVP Arena in Albany beginning on Feb. 28. He won the 102-pound state title as a sophomore and took fourth at 108 pounds last year.

“He’s one of our all-time greats,” Brocking said. “He could run a practice by himself. He keeps the kids involved in the offseason and him and his family have played a big role in making wrestling really important in our entire community.”

Center Moriches sophomore Justin D’Arce was named the tournament’s Most Outstanding Wrestler. D’Arce, the No. 2 seed at 131 pounds, won a 7-5 decision over top-seeded Glenn senior KaRahn King with a takedown as time expired. D’Arce (37-5) picked up two technical falls and a major decision on his way to his first county title.

Babylon junior Erik Desmond was all smiles after winning his first county crown. Fourth-seeded Desmond won a 3-2 decision over No. 2 Chris Lotten for the 152-pound title.

Desmond trailed 2-0 but scored a takedown with 1:17 left in the third period to take a one-point lead. He remained strong on top the rest of the period for the win.

Lotten, a Port Jefferson senior, was last year’s 152-pound champion after pinning Desmond in the semifinals. Desmond went on to take sixth place last year.

“After last year, I was heartbroken,” Desmond said. “It fueled all my offseason work and it definitely paid off.”

Desmond (27-7) defeated top-seeded Shoreham-Wading River junior Jacob Conti by 4-1 decision in the semifinals. Desmond will be making his first appearance in the state tournament.

“I went there last year to support my friends, but I’ve never wrestled there before,” Desmond said. “I’m really excited for that atmosphere. It’s gonna be really fun.”