East Islip wrestling's Christopher Coleman helps program earn third straight Suffolk League IV title
East Islip’s Christopher Coleman defeats Hauppauge’s Andrew Solomon in the 170-pound weight class during a Suffolk wrestling dual meet on Wednesday at East Islip. Credit: Bob Sorensen
It was a moment Christopher Coleman will cherish for a lifetime.
The East Islip senior captain jogged to the center of the wrestling mat with first place and the Suffolk League IV dual meet title on the line.
East Islip, the winner of two straight league titles, was attempting to make it a three-peat. It trailed by three and Coleman was the last man standing.
Coleman wasted little time in helping East Islip capture its third straight dual meet crown when he pinned Hauppauge’s Andrew Solomon in 1:46. The fall helped East Islip secure a 33-30 victory in Islip Terrace.
Coleman, a four-year starter and the linchpin of a loaded East Islip wrestling team, was ready for the moment.
“He’s the right guy in that spot,” East Islip coach Mike Longobardi said. “He’s consistent, a leader and the guy our team knows will come through in the clutch.”
Coleman took Solomon down midway through the first period and worked his way into a headlock as the East Islip bench stood in anticipation of the win. When he finally turned Solomon to his back, all that was left was for the referee to punctuate the win with an emphatic slap of the mat.
The packed house exploded in cheer as Coleman’s hand was raised.
“We needed a major [decision] or a pin to win the league title,” said Coleman, who improved to 27-1. “I didn’t want to force a move and make a mistake and get caught. It felt great when I hit the headlock and turned him.”
East Islip won the first three bouts and led 12-0 before Hauppauge won the next six and took a 30-12 lead. It went exactly how Hauppauge coach Chris Messina laid it out before the match.
“We have a powerful lineup from 101 to 138 and we needed to win all of those weight classes to be in this one,” Messina said. “The strength of the East Islip team is in the middleweights through the heavyweights. And we must avoid the bonus points.”
The much-anticipated bout between the top two seeds in the county came at 116 pounds, where Hauppauge’s top-seeded Connor Sheridan and East Islip's second-seeded Rocco DeStefano squared off. Sheridan gained the first takedown at 1:32 of the first period for the 3-0 lead, and scored a reversal midway through the second period to open a 5-1 lead.
But DeStefano battled back, cutting the deficit to 5-4 with 31 seconds left. But Sheridan got in deep on a single leg takedown attempt and ran out the clock for the one-point win.
East Islip answered Hauppauge's stretch by winning the final five bouts to earn the comeback.
The pivotal victory came at 152 pounds. Sophomore Gryffin Alfalla, wrestling up a weight from 145 pounds, trailed 9-2 against Hauppauge's Elijah Infante. But following a timeout for a bloody nose, Alfalla took time to regroup.
“I felt weak from cutting weight this week and I made a few mistakes early in the match,” he said. “The blood timeout gave me a chance to catch my breath and figure it out. The coaches were supportive and I went out and hit my move.”
Alfalla worked his way back into the match with a takedown and trailed 9-8 with 1:33 left. He hit a cradle and locked up Infante for the pin at 4:56.
“He knows how to win and can hit that cradle at any time,” Longobardi said.
Just in time for a league crown.
Gregg Sarra is Newsday's high school sports editor and has been on the beat since the mid-1980s.
