On Feb. 6, local wrestlers competed in the Section I qualifying meet, taking their first step toward potentially winning a sectional title and moving on to represent the area in the New York State Wrestling Championships on Feb. 26. For some schools, including Eastchester, the day was a runaway success that will allow the season to continue, at least for another week.
The qualifying meet was held at four different venues, including Carmel, John Jay, Horace Greeley and Sleepy Hollow high schools, from which the top four wrestlers in each weight division earned berths in the Feb. 13 sectional meet at Arlington High School.
Mamaroneck, which competed at John Jay High School, qualified four wrestlers for sectionals, led by Michael Murphy and Crew Fullerton, who came in second place in the 106- and 126-pound brackets, respectively. Fullerton earned a 9-6 decision win over Somers’ William DiBenedetto in the semifinals before falling to John Jay’s Louie Cree in the finals, while Murphy scored a technical fall over teammate Nahuel Rodriguez in the semis before being pinned by John Jay’s Jason Salton in the finals. Rodriguez took his third place bout with a forfeit, while Chris Sileo placed fourth at 145 pounds after falling to Clarkstown North’s Jacob Stern who won a low-scoring 2-0 match.
A number of other area wrestlers also made waves as they prepared for the sectional championships. Harrison’s Rob Donohue took first place in the 195-pound division at John Jay, while Eastchester’s Nunzio Crowley, who won the section at 170 pounds last winter, seems poised to repeat with a firstplace finish at Horace Greeley.
According to Crowley, his increased visibility within Section I has made for a tougher road in 2016.
“I had a pretty good year last year, and you always want to do better, so I kind of have a lot of pressure on me,” Crowley said on Saturday. “You know what’s coming up with sectionals and I’ve definitely felt like I’ve had a bit of a target on my back.”
As the wrestlers prepare for sectionals, which begin on Feb. 13 at Arlington High School and resume the following day at Clarkstown South, many teams will hold joint practices this week.
“Everyone kind of pulls together with the kids that are still around at this time of year,” said Harrison coach Vin Nicita. “These are some of the best practices of the season and it’s definitely a fun time.”
