Candela leads Oceanside wrestlers

With a team of just 11 wrestlers, and a dearth of representation in the heavier weight classes, it was improbable to think Oceanside would come out on top of many dual meets in a difficult Nassau Conference 1B. Despite a rocky season on the mats in dual competition, the Sailors appear to have a bright future ahead of them.

At last Saturday’s Nassau Division I qualifying tournament at Farmingdale High School, sophomore Rocco Candela had an outstanding performance and qualified for this weekend’s county championship meet at Hofstra.

Candela, who wrestles in the 96-pound weight class, defeated two competitors before advancing to the finals where he lost to the top wrestler in his class, Robert Person of Bellmore-JFK. With the two victories, Candela improved his record to 29-3 on the season. Candela will compete in the county meet for the second consecutive season. Earlier in the season, Candela took third place at the prestigious Battle at the Beach Tournament in Long Beach.

First-year head coach Joe Pumo was happy with Candela’s performance. “Rocco did a terrific job, and gave the champion a very good match,” Pumo said. “He’ll likely see him in again in the county meet. Rocco is a very technically sound wrestler, and has a whole arsenal of moves. He reads his opponent well, and figures out the best way to compete against him the next time they meet.”

Pumo also had expectations for sophomore Zach Strandberg in the 119-pound class, but a concussion suffered in practice forced Strandberg to miss the qualifying meet after registering 12 victories during the regular season. 

Despite a strong season, Louis Catalanotto, the team’s only senior, failed to qualify in what was a very competitive 130-pound weight class. Freshman Dan Grossman went deep into the wrestlebacks in the 112-pound class only to fall two matches away from qualifying.