Ethan Pravato prevails in overtime to give Massapequa victory over Uniondale
Ethan Pravato of Massapequa reacts after his overtime victory by decision over Jaden Lewis-White of Uniondale (not pictured) at 285 pounds in a Nassau wrestling match at Uniondale on Friday. Credit: James Escher
With a conference title on the line in front of a rowdy crowd that included a former UFC champion, it all came down to the final match at 285 pounds. No pressure, right?
Ethan Pravato knew he had to rise to the occasion, and he did just that.
Pravato pinned Jaden Lewis-White in the first overtime period to give Massapequa a 36-32 win at Uniondale in a Nassau Conference I-A wrestling dual meet Friday night. Former UFC bantamweight champion and Uniondale graduate Aljamain Sterling was in attendance.
“This place was electric,’’ Pravato said. “Hearing my name, it just made me feel like I had to win.”
Pravato currently weighs 193 pounds and typically wrestles at 215 but also is certified for 285, giving coach Mike McCann more flexibility with his lineup. Wrestlers are allowed to compete one weight class up, and Pravato’s athleticism gave him an advantage over the 250-pound Lewis-White.
Lewis-White scored an early takedown in the first period but ran out of gas in the second period. He was penalized for stalling early in the third period and again with 10 seconds left to send the match to overtime with a 2-2 tie.
“I was fully confident . . . a little worried about his size because if he takes a bad shot and gets stuck under there, bad things can happen,” McCann said. “But if he stayed on the outside, he should out-athleticize him.”
Pravato outlasted Lewis-White and finally brought him down and secured the pin to end the dual meet.
“I was tired, but I knew that was my moment and I had to do something,” Pravato said. “To win with a pin is awesome.”
The meet turned at 190 pounds when Massapequa’s Ethan Kaminskey was awarded a win because of an illegal head butt. It gave Massapequa (10-6, 4-1) six points and a 30-26 lead with two matches remaining.
McCann went with Tristan Tarasi rather than Pravato against Uniondale’s Luis Lizama at 215 pounds. Lizama, who is the top-ranked wrestler in Nassau at 215 pounds, pinned Tarasi in 1:58 to regain the lead for Uniondale (12-6, 4-1).
“[Pravato] is just a little more athletic than Tristan and he has more experience, he’s a senior,” McCann said. “We went with the athleticism against the bigger kid rather than bull against bull.”
The win guarantees Massapequa a share of the conference championship. If Freeport defeats Syosset on Tuesday, there will be a three-way championship between Massapequa, Uniondale and Freeport. A win on Friday would’ve given Uniondale the title.
It was a bittersweet night for Sterling. He was happy to be back with several other alumni as Uniondale recognized its seniors but disappointed with the result.
“Conference finals, I was in town, so I figured I’d show some support and some Uniondale love,” Sterling said. “We had neck-and-neck matches with Massapequa when I was in high school, so it was cool to see that.”
