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Northport wrestler Kingston Strouse, right, wrestles against North Babylon’s Jack...

Northport wrestler Kingston Strouse, right, wrestles against North Babylon’s Jack Miller in the 152-pound final of the Suffolk League III finals at Smithtown East on Saturday. Credit: Newsday/John Paraskevas

Kingston Strouse was overcome with emotion. And who could blame him.

Three days ago, his dream of winning a Suffolk County wrestling championship was extinguished for unknowingly breaking a state eligibility rule.

The state competition rules only allow wrestlers to compete in a maximum of six tournaments per year. Strouse and five teammates wrestled in seven tournaments and were ruled ineligible for the Suffolk League III tournament.

A last-minute stay granted late Friday afternoon in Riverhead Supreme Court allowed the Northport six to wrestle at Smithtown East in the League III tournament Saturday afternoon.

The top-seeded Strouse seized the opportunity to qualify for the county tournament in grand fashion. He beat two opponents by technical fall and defeated North Babylon’s Jack Miller by major decision, 14-5, to capture the 152-pound crown.

“I’m extremely happy that this opportunity was made possible by all the people who supported us to get back on the mat,” said Strouse, with an ice pack on his left knee. “I'm so grateful for the opportunity. I’m going to work harder than ever this week. And I’m beyond excited to compete against the best kids in our county.”

Strouse, a senior and two-time league champion, had a 1-2 record in the county tournament last year and did not place.

The six Northport wrestlers who were ruled ineligible for the postseason earlier this week were allowed to compete after being granted a stay in a special court proceeding at the Riverhead courthouse late Friday afternoon.

The wrestlers -- Strouse, Ryan Muller, Sebastian Stabile, Tyler Naughton, Lucas Rivera and Peyton Hamada -- were ruled ineligible by Suffolk's governing body of interscholastic sports on Wednesday after competing in seven tournaments this season when the maximum number is six, according to the New York State Public High School Association handbook. The ruling would have forced the wrestlers to miss Saturday's Suffolk League III tournament thus eliminating the possibility of competing in the county and state tournaments.

“I felt for the kids because it wasn’t their fault,” said Smithtown East assistant coach Jack Truncale. “The overall feel when they got here was a bit of resentment for breaking the rules. We all know the rules and must follow them. We seeded the tournament Thursday night with the Northport wrestlers eligible and again with them out of the event, so we were ready either way.”

There was very little in the way of poor sportsmanship from the crowd throughout Saturday’s tournament. One or two negative comments were shouted at Northport’s wrestlers on the mat – but security was very strict throughout the gym.

“I thought the support from the wrestling community was amazing,” said Northport’s Lori Strouse, Kingston’s mother. “The boys were all happy to get the chance to wrestle today. We can’t thank our community and all our friends for the support to make this happen.”

The six wrestlers and their families said they raised $8,500 via a GoFundMe page to help pay for the legal expenses.

Jim Hoops, the director of athletics for the Huntington School District, said he understood why most people wanted to see the boys wrestle but added that the state takes action to try and ensure these situations don’t arise.

“There is a mandatory rules interpretation meeting that is a requirement for all athletic directors,” Hoops said. “The executive director of New York State, Dr. Robert Zayas, makes a three-hour presentation in every region to go over the state handbook. He goes over every rule, every guideline to avoid these problems. If you don’t attend and sign off on the meeting, your athletes district-wide are ineligible for the state competition.”

Hoops, whose Huntington team participated in the seven-team league tournament concluded with, “the court ruling Friday was a fair resolution and compromise. You never want to hurt kids.”

Northport coach Thad Alberti was suspended for the league tournament and assistant coach Chris Posillico guided the Tigers Saturday.

Three of the six wrestlers initially deemed ineligible, who were given a second chance, qualified for the Suffolk County tournament next weekend at Stony Brook University.

Strouse won at 152 pounds, Hamada went 2-1 and finished second at 160 and Lucas Rivera went 3-2 and finished fourth at 145 .

Northport teammate Justin Harvey, who was not involved in the lawsuit, finished fourth at 108 pounds and qualified for the county tournament.

“I’m very happy that the kids had the opportunity to decide their fate on the mat,” said attorney Anthony Camisa who, along with attorney James Pascarella, made all oral arguments in the judge’s chambers. “The schools were advised late Friday night that NYSPHSAA was temporarily suspending the wrestling tournament rule that limits students to six regular season tournaments. And for schools whose wrestlers exceeded the six-tournament limit, the head coaches were suspended for the remainder of the season and the wrestlers had to forfeit any matches beyond the six tournaments.”

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