Solid qualifier for South Side

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South Side sophomore Kyle Mosher appears well on his way to a fourth consecutive All-State wrestling campaign as he takes a record of 33-4 into the Nassau Division I individual championships this weekend at Hofstra.

Mosher and junior teammate Jacob Rubin captured qualifying tournament titles last Saturday at Massapequa and will lead a contingency of eight Cyclones at the county meet. Mosher cruised to the 138-pound crown and is ranked second in the county behind Syosset standout Vito Arujau, while Rubin (113) squeaked by sophomore teammate Nick Shimkin, 1-0 on an escape, in the finals.

“Overall we had a pretty good day,” South Side/East Rockaway coach Mike Robinson said.

Mosher, who went 4-0 in the qualifier, could be on a crash course to meet Arujau, who seeks a fourth straight state title, in the county finals on Sunday evening. The two met earlier this season and Mosher held his own in a 10-6 defeat. “It was a great match and I can’t remember the last time Vito was put on his back,” Robinson said. “Kyle is in the right spot in terms of weight and he’s looking to get to the finals and see what happens. At the least, he’ll definitely get a wild card to the state tournament.”

The coach believes Rubin and Shimkin both have a strong chance to reach the All-County (top six) podium at Hofstra. They were the top two seeds in the qualifier and dominated on their way to the finals. “They’re workout partners and know each other well,” Robinson said. “Jacob has more of a defensive and funky style, and he just found a way to escape and didn’t allow Nick to go on the offensive. They’re both tough and talented.”

Senior Cliff Cornell is headed back to the county tournament for a fourth time and his experience should help him make some noise, Robinson said. Cornell, who’s recorded 20 wins on the season, bumped up a weight class for the qualifier and placed third at 126 pounds. 

Austin Halak, a junior at East Rockaway, which joined forces with South Side to form a combined squad that went 8-12 in dual meets, has presented plenty of headaches for the competition. He reached the 152-pound finals at the qualifier. “He’s a first-year wrestler at the high school level and he’s kind of flown under the radar because nobody knows much about him,” Robinson said. “He’s shown he’s capable of placing at counties.”

Junior Tygah Scott (285) was the team’s biggest surprise in the qualifier, although he’s wrestled well all winter. He avenged two losses to Kennedy’s Gurkamal Dadra in the semifinals.

Senior Dan Schwartz (195) and sophomore Greg Lethbridge (170) earned wild cards to the county championships after placing fifth in the qualifier. Both are returning qualifiers, though Schwartz missed last year’s county meet with an injury.

Completing a big campaign last Saturday was senior Marc Marasco, who won some important matches at 126 and 132 among his 19 victories but suffered an upset loss in the qualifier’s opening round.