Hewlett impressive in tournaments

Though their first official match isn’t until Jan. 8, when they’re scheduled to host South Side, the Hewlett Bulldogs have been plenty busy on the wrestling mats. Led by Lucas Pincus, captains Matt Kaminer and Oran Revivo, and returning county champion Owen Bachelder, they won the Sprig Gardner Tournament Dec. 14 with 262.5 team points. Earlier in the month, the team competed in the Farmingdale Tri-Meet, and before that, in the Long Beach Tournament. The team’s first practice was way back on Nov. 8, and weight certifications were completed on the last day of November.

A wrestler’s work is never done.

And before they grapple with the Cyclones, the Bulldogs had plenty more to keep them occupied. On Dec. 21, they participated in the Wantagh Duals, and on the day after Christmas they headed up to Arlington High School where they competed in the Mid-Hudson Tournament. This Saturday, they’ll head upstate again to play in the New Rochelle Tournament. The Bulldogs finished second in Arlington a year ago, and that success helped to springboard them to a big season.

Nobody had a bigger season than Bachelder, who in February became Hewlett’s first county champion when he outpointed Manhasset’s Mike Fera, 4-1, at Nassau County’s Division I wrestling tournament. Bachelder, who was a freshman at the time and wrestling at 126 pounds, pinned Wantagh’s Chris Araoz, the No. 1 seed, in the semifinals before defeating Fera. In fact, Bachelder won all five of is matches and was named the tournament’s Most Outstanding Wrestler. Now he’s back to do it again, this time in the 132-pound division.

Bachelder won the Battle at the Beach Tournament in Long Beach, winning a major decision over the Marines’ Tyrese Byron in the finals at 132. Bachelder then reached the finals in the Sprig and lost a hard-fought 7-4 decision to Adam Smith of East Meadow.

Hewlett coach Steve Jones is certainly excited to see what Bachelder will do for an encore. He also knows he has a strong team.

“We’ve got some solid guys,” he said, noting that the Bulldogs were ranked sixth in Nassau County in a preseason coaches’ poll.

Pincus will be one of Jones’s main contributors. He was steady as an eighth-grader last year, wrestling at 106. He’s at 120 this season and won the Sprig Tournament. Jones is also excited about junior Paul Lane and senior Mike Curiel, a first-time wrestler who won the Sprig Tournaments heavyweight division. Most of all, Jones knows his team is nowhere without his co-captains, seniors Revivo, who wrestles at 138, and Kaminer (220). Revivo and Kaminer, captains even as juniors, were part of a young team that went up to Arlington early last season and showed all kinds of potential. Kaminer won both the Battle at the Beach and Sprig events.

“Those guys are great leaders,” Jones said.

Jones likes his current team, but he’s not averse to looking for the Hewlett wrestling stars of tomorrow either. That’s why he runs a wrestling clinic for kids every Tuesday and Friday night. Call 516 220-3773 for information.