Wrestling: Four local wrestlers advance into semifinals
Three Shoreham-Wading River wrestlers and one Riverhead wrestler advanced Friday into the semifinals of the Section XI Tournament.
All four will be vying for their first county title Sunday when the tournament resumes at Hofstra University.
Shoreham junior James Szymanski will face East Islip’s Jesse Dellavecchia in the 120-pound semifinal. Szymanski defeated Dellavecchia once this season, an 8-5 decision in late December. The winner will most likely face Ward Melville’s Nick Piccininni in the finals. Piccininni is 37-0 this season and a two-time defending state champion.
A win in the semifinals would put Szymanski in a prime position to earn an at-large bid to the state tournament if he were to lose in the finals.
At 132, Shoreham’s Jack Taddeo will face Hauppauge’s Chris Mauriello, the top seed, in the semifinals.
At 182, Shoreham’s Dominic Pirraglia will face David Hamil of Deer Park in the semifinals.
All three Shoreham wrestlers won league titles last weekend.
Riverhead sophomore Ed Matyka will face top-seeded John Arceri of Huntington. Matyka will be vying to become the first Riverhead wrestler to reach the county finals since Edwin Perry in 2010. Riverhead’s last county champ was Ryan Rheaume in 2009.
The semifinals are scheduled for 10 a.m. Sunday. The consolation semifinals are at 1:15 and the consolation finals at 2:15 p.m. The finals begin at 6 p.m. A separate $6 admission is required for the morning session and the finals.
Shoreham is in seventh place in team scoring with 62 points. Riverhead has 17 1/2 points. John Glenn is leading the tournament with 81.
