Cold Spring Harbor's Greyson Meak makes dreams come true
Greyson Meak of Cold Spring Harbor defeats Chris Howatt of Pioneer in the 215lb Div 2 finals match at the 2025 NYSPHSAA Boys Wrestling Individual Championships on March 1, 2025, at the MVP Arena in Albany, N.Y. Credit: Newsday/J. Conrad Williams Jr.
ALBANY — All season, Greyson Meak’s goal has been to prove that he is in fact a dominant wrestler and that last year’s state final was no fluke.
The Cold Spring Harbor senior made sure to leave no doubt.
Top-seeded Meak defeated No. 2 Chris Howatt (Pioneer), 18-3, by technical fall in 2:17 to claim the Division II state title at 215 pounds Saturday night at MVP Arena.
He pinned Drew Giblin (Arkport) in 49 seconds in the semifinals earlier in the day. The Penn commit totaled two pins in 1:55 and two technical falls in 4:08 as he bulldozed through the tournament.
“I think at this tournament, I definitely showed that I’m the best at the weight,” Meak said. “None of my matches were very close. I definitely showed what I wanted to show here.”
One of Meak’s goals this season was to become the Seahawks’ first Eastern States Classic champion. He fell a bit short, taking third in the prestigious tournament held in January. It only made him push harder the rest of the season.
Meak, who won last year’s 190-pound title, is Cold Spring Harbor’s first two-time state champion.
“Knowing that I’m gonna be recognized as one of the greatest wrestlers from my school means a lot,” Meak said. “I’m gonna be memorialized in the wrestling room and kids are gonna be looking up at my picture for years to come . . . it means so much.”
Meak (43-3) ends his career as a three-time county champion with a 198-30 record.
“He’s going down as the GOAT of Cold Spring Harbor right now,” coach Mike Ferrugiari said. “He’s two matches away from 200, he’s almost at 150 pins, he’s going to UPenn as a two-time state champion. I may never have that again as a coach.”
Aiello back on top
Tommy Aiello, right. Credit: Newsday/William Perlman
After Glenn won the state dual meet title a month ago, senior Tommy Aiello said his goal for this season was to win gold at two state tournaments. He completed that goal on Saturday.
Top-seeded Aiello won a 7-4 decision in sudden victory over No. 3 Drayton Dekay (Waverly) to claim the 116-pound title.
Aiello trailed 4-0 entering the third period, but he earned an escape with 1:18 left and a takedown 13 seconds later to tie the match at 4. He wasted no time in overtime, immediately scoring a takedown to secure the title.
“It was literally everything I had left,” Aiello said. “That’s what I was telling myself. I had one last shot. Everything I had left.”
The LIU commit pinned No. 5 Reece Senske (Medina) in 1:35 in the semifinals.
Aiello won the 102-pound title as a sophomore and took fourth at 108 pounds last year after suffering a loss in the semifinals. He refused to end his high school career anywhere other than the top of the podium.
“To experience the highs and the lows . . . I feel like if I didn’t experience last year, I wouldn’t be here right now,” Aiello said.
He is Glenn’s first two-time state champion. Aiello (40-3) sports a career record of 151-15 and is a four-time Suffolk County champion.
“He’s been the best goal-setting kid I’ve ever had,” coach TJ Brocking said. “After that loss last year, he set that goal of winning two gold medals this year and he did it the right way.”
Mangano guts out second straight title
Gavin Mangano of Shoreham-Wading River, right. Credit: Newsday/William Perlman
Gavin Mangano scored a takedown in the first period of the 138-pound final and rode out No. 2 Ashten Haley (Cobleskill-Richmondville) for the rest of the period. When he got up, his ankle gave out.
Mangano went down to the mat in pain and was briefly evaluated by trainer Dave Smith before having his ankle taped up.
The top-seeded Shoreham-Wading River sophomore wrestled the rest of the match with what Smith believes to be a broken right ankle. But it didn’t stop him from winning a 6-3 decision for his second straight state title.
Mangano was named the Division II tournament’s most outstanding wrestler.
“When I went to stand up, my leg gave out and I was like, ‘Oh my God, this is bad.’ I couldn’t turn my ankle at all,” Mangano said. “I was thinking to myself, ‘As bad as this hurts, losing a state title is gonna hurt way more.’ I’ve already lost one, and especially if this injury is bad, I wouldn’t be able to handle losing this one.”
Mangano was the runner-up at 110 pounds as an eighth-grader before winning last year’s 131-pound title. He’ll undergo testing and X-rays Sunday morning to determine the severity of the injury.
“Most kids would’ve just bailed out. To him, it’s not an option,” coach Joe Condon said. “He was not gonna stop. You’d have to kill Gavin to get him out of a match like that.”
Mangano defeated No. 5 Hunter Lines (Homer), 21-2, by technical fall in 4:32 to advance to the final. He finished the season 50-0 and improved his career record to a remarkable 167-3.
Said Mangano: “The feeling of winning is masking some of the pain, along with the adrenaline and some Tylenol.”
