Lynbrook wrestlers win big at holiday tournament

Two Lynbrook High School wrestlers won their weight classes at the annual South Side High School holiday wrestling tournament in Rockville Centre on Dec. 17.

In the finals of the 138-pound weight class, two of the best wrestlers in New York State went head-to-head when Lynbrook High School senior Matt Swanson pinned South Side’s Kyle Mosher to win it all.

“The whole gym erupted into screams and cheers,” said Richie Renz, the Lynbrook High School varsity wrestling head coach. “It was unbelievable. It was like winning the Olympics.”

Swanson had lost to Mosher two weeks earlier at a tournament in Long Beach, but was able to avenge his defeat. Mosher, a two-time All-State wrestler who finished fourth overall in his weight class in the state last year, had only been pinned once previously in his career. Swanson was down 3-2 heading into the third period when he scored the pin.

Vengeance was a theme of the day for Lynbrook as junior Joe Becker also gained a measure of revenge to win his weight class. Becker fell to Southside’s Nick Shimkin at the Long Beach tournament, but shut him out, 10-0, when they faced-off in the finals at 113 pounds in Rockville Centre.

“He’s very determined,” Renz said of Becker. “He worked really hard to come back and try to beat the kid the second time around. He was very dedicated, very focused and he wanted another shot at that wrestler. He got it and did really well.”

Swanson and Becker had to go through multiple matches before winning their respective weight classes.

“These tournaments are always a great challenge and require a great deal of training and mental toughness,” Becker said. “Nick’s a tough wrestler, and I’ve got a lot of respect for him, and all of my opponents.  But Nick's really improved a lot over the past year, and it was a good feeling to pick up the win after the loss in Long Beach.” 

The holiday tournament has been going on for nearly three decades and featured 10 different schools. Lynbrook placed fifth overall as a team.

“I thought they wrestled very well,” Renz said of his team. “I thought they worked very hard. It’s a very hard-working team. We don’t have a lot in numbers, but the wrestlers we have are very good. They all fought hard and no one gave up. They wrestled their best and I was very pleased with the results.”