Bayport-Blue Point's Max Gallagher, Joe Sparacio capture Suffolk D-II wrestling titles
Max Gallagher and Joe Sparacio are inseparable. Where you find one of them you can usually find the other. The workout partners spend countless hours in the Bayport-Blue Point wrestling room.
The time spent perfecting technique and conditioning has paid big dividends for the young wrestlers.
Gallagher posted a 17-2 win by technical fall over Port Jefferson’s Anthony D’Elia at 113 pounds and Sparacio followed with an 8-3 decision over Shoreham-Wading River’s Connor Pearce at 120 pounds on Friday night in the finals of the Suffolk Division II wrestling championships at Center Moriches High School.
Gallagher, only a freshman, earned his second Suffolk title. Sparacio, a sophomore, won his third straight Suffolk crown. Sparacio was also named the Most Outstanding Wrestler for the tournament.
“Our work ethic is what separates us from the competition,” Gallagher said. “We do everything together. We push each other. When Coach says to do three reps, we do as many as we can until the whistle blows.”
Gallagher improved to 37-1 this season, his lone loss in the semifinals at the Eastern States.
“He’s a special wrestler who’s really taken his wrestling to the next level,” Bayport-Blue Point coach Dave Cruz said. “His work ethic is impeccable on and off the mat. He’s become a leader and a captain in our room. He’s the complete package. He takes everything seriously from running to weightlifting to nutrition.”
Gallagher credits Sparacio for the duo’s rise to the top of their respective weight classes.
“They’re best friends off the mat,” Cruz said. “They’re highly competitive in our workouts and motivate each other. Having a great workout partner is crucial.”
Junior Jordan Titus of Center Moriches, the Division II defending state champion at 120 pounds, improved to 39-0 with an 18-3 win by technical fall over Mount Sinai’s Jack Tyrrell at 126 pounds. Titus has a career record of 163-5.
One of the more entertaining bouts of the championship round came at 160 pounds. Mattituck-Greenport-Southold teammates Jackson Cantelmo, a junior, and Malachi Boisseau, a senior, battled through three tight periods before Cantelmo’s third period escape was the difference in the 5-3 win.
“Any time you put two guys in the same final it’s pretty good,” Mattituck coach Cory Dolson said. “They know each other so well and they both wrestled smart. That match could have gone either way. I’m proud of both of them and Malachi has come a really long way in the sport. He’s a success story.”
Mattituck crowned three champs, including senior Colby Suglia at 220 and senior Tyler Marlborough at 285.
Mount Sinai crowned five individual champions, Brayden Fahrbach (99), Brenden Goodrich (132), Mike O’Brien (138), Matt Campo (170) and Joe Goodrich (182), to capture the Suffolk team title for the third year in a row. The Mustangs trailed Shoreham-Wading River, 244-236, heading into the championship round.
Brenden Goodrich, who upset top-seeded Jake Jablonski of Shoreham-Wading River at 132 pounds, 6-2, was named the tournament’s Champion of Champions. Goodrich finished with three pins and a win by decision.
Perhaps the most impressive performance came from Campo, the pinning machine. Campo, who won his fourth straight Suffolk title, made quick work of his four opponents in a total of 2:07. He won the most pins in the least time award.
Gregg Sarra is Newsday's high school sports editor and has been on the beat since the mid-1980s.
