Calhoun's Fitzsimmons a county champ

Calhoun senior Anthony Fitzsimmons raced his way to the finals at 170 pounds in the Nassau Division I Wrestling Championships at Hofstra University last Sunday night, racking up three wins and improving his record to 35-0.

To win his first-ever county crown and extend his unbeaten streak, Fitzsimmons would have to go through not only a familiar friend but a familiar foe in the title bout, Kennedy senior Danny Arkow. In a rematch of the Qualifier Tournament final at Massapequa just eight days earlier, Fitzsimmons came out on top again, 6-4. “It feels great,” Fitzsimmons said. “Arkow and I have been best friends since seventh grade. There’s a good rivalry between us. He’s a great wrestler. I caught him with a double-leg takedown and used everything I had to hold him off in the end.”

Coming out as the aggressor, Fitzsimmons jumped out to an early lead with a pair of takedowns and a reversal. But Arkow didn’t fold. After coming from behind to win his first four matches of the tournament, including one bout in the final 15 seconds and another on a pin while trailing, Arkow tried to mount his most impressive finish yet, cutting the deficit to just two points on several escapes. But Fitzsimmons managed to fight off Arkow’s late aggression for the championship.

“It was close at the end,” Calhoun coach Steven Romano said. “Arkow was shooting but Anthony has such strong hips. Against anyone else [Arkow] would have scored.”

Joining Fitzsimmons in the All-County honoree circle for the Colts were his brother, senior Thomas Fitzsimmons, who took third at 182 pounds with four wins in five bouts, and senior Matt Krause, who was sixth at 120. Krause upset a four-time All-County wrestler from Plainedge, Hector Guererro, as part of his 3-3 mark during the two-day tournament.

Kennedy was represented in the finals by not only Arkow, but also junior 152-pounder Matt Schwartz, who came up short against Great Neck South’s Elias Kokalis. Among Schwartz’s three wins were a stunning 10-8 decision in which he was once trailing, 8-2. “Dan and Matt were never leading but they both found ways to win,” Cougars coach Brian DeGaetano said. Sophomore Eric Brach also earned All-County honors with his fifth-place finish at 99 pounds. “We had 12 guys [compete] and we finished 11th [as a team],” DeGaetano said. “We had a great season and have 10 starters coming back.”

Mepham senior Joel Zambrano ran his record to 35-4 and finished second at 113, falling on the short end of a 4-0 decision to Wantagh’s Kyle Quinn. Pirates coach Rich Anderson is hopeful Zambrano, a three-time All-County honoree and also a finalist last season, can earn a wild-card slot in the upcoming New York State Tournament in Albany on Feb. 27-28, at the Times Union Center in Albany.

Arkow was also on the short list of wild-card hopefuls. Mepham juniors Greg Laupheimer and Matt Lambert dueled in the battle for fifth and sixth place at 145. As he did at the qualifier, Laupheimer came out on top. Both wrestlers earned All-County honors. “They are good for each other,” Anderson said. “They make each other better.”