Wrestling: Bonus points don’t go SWR’s way
HURRICANES 39, WILDCATS 35
Sometimes it’s not how many wrestling matches you win, but how you win them that counts.
Such was the case Friday. Shoreham-Wading River won most of the individual bouts, but Westhampton Beach took the bulk of the bonus points — and the contest.
Westhampton Beach recorded five pins and helped itself to a 39-35 triumph at Shoreham-Wading River High School. Alex Kravitz, Matt Tobin, Dan McClur, Connor Glynn and Brandon Elroumy all put their opponents’ shoulders to the mat for the Hurricanes (3-3, 3-2 Suffolk County League VI).
Kravitz was trailing by 4-2 when he pinned Will Loper 3 minutes 24 seconds into their match at 160 pounds. Tobin needed only 47 seconds to stop Christian Clarkin at 170. McClur’s pin of his opponent at 195, Dalton Stolzer, at 2:58 gave the Hurricanes a 27-9 lead. Glynn finished his 106-pound match against Jake Del Duca at 5:07. Elroumy, wrestling at 120, stopped Cooper Cummings at 3:56, giving the Hurricanes what proved to be the decisive points.
The only bout Westhampton Beach didn’t win by pin or forfeit (at 182 pounds) was Billy Campbell’s 6-1 decision against Joe Miller at 152.
It was Senior Day in Shoreham. The team honored its seniors in a ceremony before the match, with the 12th graders presenting flowers to their parents. Eight of the team’s nine seniors were present, including James Suarez, who has sacrificed his senior season so he can be a bone marrow donor for his older sister, Kaitlyn, who is battling Hodgkin’s lymphoma.
“It’s the most unselfish thing I ever heard of,” said Wildcats coach Joe Condon, who called Suarez a “hero.”
Four Shoreham seniors came up winners on the day in their honor: James Wood took the first match of the day at 138 with his pin of Oliver Batchellor at 2:23; Bobby Puckey pinned Peter Sulzinski in 31 seconds at 285; Chris Meloni scored a 14-0 defeat of Justin Kretsos at 126; and James Szymanski won by pin at 132 over Liam McIntyre in 65 seconds in the final contest to pull the Wildcats to within 4 points of the visitors.
Kevin Meloni was a 12-0 winner at 99, defeating Dane Mendoza. The Wildcats (2-3, 2-3) also received wins by Jack Del Duca (7-2 over Casey Hughes at 113), Jack Taddeo (2-0 over Hunter Hulse at 145) and Brandon Frances (3-2 over Chris Chomicki at 220).
