Pair of semifinalists for Kennedy

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A week after Kennedy produced six finalists and four champions at the Nassau Division I wrestling qualifying tournament hosted by Massapequa, the Cougars had mixed results last weekend at the county championships at Hofstra.

While three Cougars came up short in their bids to earn All-County status (top six) for a second straight season, juniors Jack Krug (170 pounds) and Boaz Smart (220) worked their way to the podium.

Krug, who on Feb. 4 earned Most Outstanding Wrestler honors at the qualifier, which he capped with a 3-0 victory over Michael Chase of Herricks in the finals, reached the county semifinals and settled for a sixth-place finish. He completed the season with 29 victories.

“Jack’s been great all season,” coach Brian DeGaetano said. “He’s been on varsity since seventh grade and everything is clicking for him now. He’s shown patience and he’s cut down on mistakes.”

Like Krug, Smart got to the county semifinals. He won two tough decisions on Saturday, 2-1 and 4-2, and was stopped by Long Beach’s Mark Rivera on Sunday. Smart worked past Francisco Cabrera of Herricks, 4-2, in the 220-pound final of the qualifier, and racked up 33 wins. “Boaz is really athletic for a heavyweight,” DeGaetano said.

Junior Brandon Mercado (106 pounds) racked up 32 wins on the season, including two at Hofstra. His 30th win of the campaign came in the finals of the qualifier when he topped Valley Stream North’s Mike Winslow, 6-2.

Senior Jack Jones, who battled a rib injury throughout the season, was finally healthy down the stretch and it showed in the results. He cruised through the qualifier and pinned Massapequa’s Dan Hamilton in the finals at 182.

Senior Eric Brach (120) was runner-up in the qualifier, as was his younger brother, sophomore Greg Brach at 99.

The Cougars’ biggest surprise this season, the coach noted, was junior Dan Shafran at 195. Though he competed mostly in JV matches, Shafran had plenty of success at the varsity level as well. He made it to the big stage at Hofstra with a third-place finish in the qualifier, joining Jake Redaelli (113), Lev Bergfeld (132) and Gurkamal Dadra (285.)

 

Qualifying champs for Mepham, Calhoun

Mepham competed at the qualifier hosted by Plainedge on Feb. 4 and had 10 wrestlers finish in the top four, including champs Griffon Karp (106), Jack Molloy (120) and Kyle Althenn (126.) Althenn, a sophomore, kept his momentum going into the county tournament and reached the semifinals, eventually placing fifth.

Freshman Matt Hegi had an impressive qualifier and placed third at 182, while four Pirates managed to grab fourth.

Calhoun competed at the qualifier hosted by Farmingdale and earned a pair of titles in exciting fashion. At 126 pounds, teammates Dylan Jainchill and Jake Marine battled hard all the way and it was Jainchill taking a 5-3 decision. They both earned All-County status at Hofstra, finishing third and fourth, respectively.

At 132, Matt Defelice made it two qualifying wins in a row for the Colts when he won a 1-0 decision over Nolan Carey of East Meadow. Defelice wrestled tough at Hofstra, winning one of three bouts.

Tobias Harrington also had a strong qualifier with a runner-up finish at 152, while Finn Campbell took third at 170.