Excitement builds for Lynbrook

There’s plenty of excitement surrounding Lynbrook’s wrestling program, which features an interesting mix of proven returnees along with some promising newcomers.

“We’re pretty pumped up,” Owls coach Rich Renz said. “We brought back a lot of good, tough wrestlers and have some strong young kids on the roster as well.”

Sophomore Matt Swanson qualifies as a top returnee and a young talent. He earned All-County honors last season, finishing fifth in Nassau at 106 pounds as a freshman, and picked up where he left off with a tremendous performance in the Battle at the Beach Tournament on Dec. 6 in Long Beach. Swanson won the 126-pound title and was named the event’s Most Outstanding Wrestler. 

“Everything is clicking for him,” Renz said of Swanson. “He’s fully committed and focused. He wrestles year-round and is technically sound. The sky’s the limit.”

Renz has high hopes for junior Anthony Arena, a county qualifier last season who’s looking to take the next step. “He puts a lot of effort into the sport,” Renz said of Arena, who competes at 145 pounds and placed fifth in the Battle at the Beach.

At 160 pounds, sophomore Zachary Kornberg is another returning county qualifier who Renz believes can make more noise this season. “He’s serious about wrestling and has very good technique,” Renz said. “He looks pretty strong so far.” Kornberg tied for fourth in the Battle at the Beach.

Seeing junior Anthony Salamone reach the finals in the Long Beach event was exciting, Renz said. After making the county tournament as a freshman in the 2012-13 campaign, Salamone was forced to miss all of last season’s action due to a knee injury. “It was very difficult him to sit out and watch last year,” Renz noted. “For him to start like this is unbelievable. It’s a big confidence builder.”

Salamone, who lost a hard-fought 5-2 decision to Long Beach’s Marc Paez in the finals, beat top-seeded Nick Rogers of Wantagh in the semis.

In the leadership department, the Owls are led by senior captains Matt Ligouri, Mike McGuire and Frank Capobianco. Ligouri, who competes at 132 pounds, bulked up during the offseason, Renz said, and is off to a strong start and looking to make the county tournament. Senior David McCarthy is another key contributor.

Sophomores James Barbato and Justin Baeyans, and freshmen Matthew Renz and Joe Becker are serving notice as well, the coach said. Becker was fourth at 99 pounds at Long Beach, winning his first varsity match along the way, and Renz, the coach’s son, placed fifth at 285. 

The coach is looking for the Owls to challenge for the top spot in Conference 4A, which includes Island Trees, Seaford, Roosevelt, Valley Stream North, and Valley Stream South. “I think we have a shot at the conference title,” Renz said. “We’ll see. It’s a new group of teams and we’ll have to work for everything we get. I think Island Trees and Seaford will be the biggest challenges.”