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Clarke gaining early experience
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Clarke's Kevin Schneider, left, opened the season with a strong showing for the Rams in the Battle at the Beach Tournament in Long Beach.
Claudio Papapietro/Herald
Clarke didn’t have the most experienced wrestling team heading into the start of the 2009-10 season, but careful planning by coach Mike Leonard is helping the young Rams quickly get up to speed on the mats.
Rather than taking part in individual tournaments, Leonard has scheduled Clarke for numerous dual meets tournaments and took a trip to Orlando in mid-December for the KSA Classic Wrestling Tournament where each of the Rams 22 competitors were guaranteed eight matches. The trip was the culmination of various fundraising events organized by Liz Gaynor that also helped build camaraderie among the wrestlers.
Junior Mike Leonard, now entering his fifth varsity campaign, is an All-County returnee who finished third last season and has already racked up a 22-2 mark. With 147 career wins under his belt, Leonard, a 125/130-pounder, is just 12 victories shy of the school’s all-time mark, held by former teammate Jordan Spirou. He finished up 7-1 in Orlando and earned the team’s Most Valuable Player award and also racked up a perfect 8-0 finish at the Uniondale duals on Dec, 30.
“He’s beating top of the line guys now,” coach Leonard said. “He’s starting to see all the sacrifices of the weekends and summer wrestling paying off.”
At the Sprig Gardner Tournament hosted by Calhoun and Mepham over two days in early December, Leonard knocked off Kennedy’s Richie Frank by a 10-2 majority decision for the 130-pound title. The two had previously needed overtime to decide the winner at last season’s county tournament. Leonard’s two losses have come against a two-time New York State champion, Syosset’s Nick Arujau, and an All-American wrestler at the KSA Classic.
Senior Chris Gaynor finished 7-3 in Orlando and has shuffled between 189 and 215 pounds during the early stages of the season. Senior Gus Cabrera (152 pounds), now in his third varsity campaign, combines strength with outstanding balance and continues to improve his technique. Junior Kevin Schneider (140/145), a second-year starter, is a tireless wrestler who only stops when the whistle blows.
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