Lawrence wrestlers edge Hewlett

While everyone else in the world is imagining ways to drop five or ten pounds so they look better on the beach, Lawrence wrestler Pankil Chander knows that sometimes bigger is better.

Chander, who wrestled part of the season at 113 pounds, bulked up to 120 in time for Lawrence’s Jan. 19 match with Hewlett. It turns out that the extra seven pounds was just more of him to love, as Chander’s 8-2 decision over Aaron Weinberg helped the Golden Tornadoes defeat the Bulldogs, 41-36.

Chander’s team-first approach regarding his weight allowed James Schneider to compete at 113, and the move paid dividends when Schneider pinned his opponent, giving Lawrence the swing points it needed in a closely contested match. Mohammad Chaudry (126), Frederick Thomas (145), Nick Turco (152), Kenney Perez (170), Karl Ravilus (195) and Isiah Batts (220) also earned key wins for the Golden Tornadoes. Simon Greebel (106), Andrew Regen-Tuero (132), Robert Rosenberg (138), Troy Smith (160), Habner Sanchez (182) and Lester Enriquez (285) were victorious for the Bulldogs, who dominated previous matches against Roslyn, Lynbrook, and South Side. Thomas won, 9-6, after being down 5-0 early.

“It was a good match, as it always is against them,” Lawrence coach Dom DelVecchio said. “We were able to take some of the big swing matches, so it was a good way to finish our regular season. Our seniors really stepped up.”

Lawrence has only three seniors (Chaudry, Ravilus and Batts) but all played a role in the team’s 4-2 conference season. In addition to winning at Hewlett, Chaudry won matches against Bethpage, Glen Cove and Lynbrook twice. Ravilus won three matches and Batts four. All three won in Lawrence’s 54-26 victory over Lynbrook on Jan. 11, and victories by Chaudry and Batts helped Lawrence to a 42-31 decision over Bethpage on Jan. 13. Chaudry started his season with a pin over his Lynbrook opponent, helping the Tornadoes to a 46-41 win over Lynbrook on Dec. 22.

“All three of those guys are hard workers and they did the job for us all season,” DelVecchio said. “They’re good leaders and we’ll miss them [when they graduate].”

Chander started the year at 120, pinning his Lynbrook opponent in Lawrence’s first match. He then moved down to 113 for Lawrence’s Dec. 27 meeting with Uniondale, and was the only Tornado to earn a win, 7-2. He was back up to 120 on Jan. 5, pinning his opponent from Glen Cove, though the Golden Tornadoes suffered a 40-38 defeat. Back to 113 on Jan. 11, Chander pinned his Lynbrook opponent. He is ranked sixth in the county in the weight class.

For Hewlett, Greebel and Smith have their sights set on county titles next month after enjoying huge seasons under new coach Stephen Jones. Greebel is ranked No. 2 at 106 behind MacArthur’s Justin Cooksey, while Smith, who recorded his 100th career victory recently, is ranked fourth at 152.