Positive start for South Side

South Side produced many memorable moments on the mats last season and finished 14th in the 41-school Nassau Division I wrestling championship field thanks in large part to All-County performances by Kyle Mosher (runner-up at 120 pounds) and 2016 graduate Paulo Carre (third at 160.)

Mosher, who won the county title at 99 pounds as an eighth-grader and has made three straight appearances in the state tournament, including last winter as a wild card, opened his sophomore season in style with a first-place finish at 145 in the Battle at the Beach Tournament hosted by Long Beach on Dec. 3. Mosher was fifth in the state last season. 

“His technique is far and above a lot of kids he wrestles,” Cyclones coach Mike Robinson said of Mosher, who pinned a high quality opponent, Lynbrook’s Matt Swanson, also a county runner-up last season, in the Battle at the Beach finals. “He’s hitting his growth spurt and he can excel out of any position,” he added. “He’s looking forward to another successful season.”

Mosher also had a key win in South Side’s first dual meet of the season, a thrilling 37-36 victory over Oceanside. The match featured nine pins in 13 contested weight classes, four for the Cyclones and five for the Sailors. The one-point difference was junior Austin Halik’s major decision win at 160 pounds.

Halik is one of a handful of new additions to South Side’s program from neighboring East Rockaway High School. “It’s great to have a relationship with East Rockaway,” Robinson said. “We had a lot of holes in our lineup last year and forfeited a bunch of weights. Hopefully now that won’t be the case.”

East Rockaway senior Logan Cicero also made a difference in the Cyclones’ win over Oceanside with a pin at 182 pounds. “He’s aggressive and I think he’ll be pretty successful,” Robinson said.

The coach is expecting a breakout season from senior Marc Marasco, a captain and returning county tournament qualifier. Marasco (132 pounds) took third at the Long Beach event and pinned his opponent in the Oceanside match. Senior Dan Schwartz spent a lot of time in the weight room during the offseason and is already seeing positive results. He clinched the win over Oceanside with a pin of Roman Aguirre at 220 pounds. Come the county tournament in February, Robinson said he expects Schwartz to make some noise at 195.

Junior Jacob Rubin, who reeled off a 10-match win streak last season and was a county qualifier, got off to a nice start with a third-place finish at 120 pounds in the Battle at the Beach. “He’s one of the hardest workers in the room,” Robinson said.

Sophomore Greg Lethbridge is a returning county qualifier and will compete at either 170 or 182, and the coach believes sophomore Nick Shimkin (113) will open some eyes. Sophomore Daniel Devalle of East Rockaway can go at 138 or 145.

The Cyclones face a stiff challenge in Conference 2B, which includes MacArthur, Kennedy, Mepham, Manhasset and Great Neck South.