South Side's Mosher a county champ

Though he’s yet to walk the halls at South Side High School, Kyle Mosher has already etched himself into the wrestling program’s record book. 

On Feb. 15, Mosher became the Cyclones’ first Nassau County champion in almost 20 years when he defeated top-seeded Justin Vines of Wantagh in the 99-pound final, by a 10-1 major decision, before a packed house of 4,500 at Hofstra’s Mack Sports Complex. Mosher lost four of five previous tussles with Vines, including a 5-2 decision earlier this season.

“I had a good feeling coming into the match,” said Mosher, an eighth-grader at South Side Middle School. “Starting off as strong as I did gave me a lot of confidence,” he added.

Mosher, the program’s first county champ since Ian Kaplan accomplished the feat as a senior in the 1995-96 season, will compete in the New York State Championships this Friday and Saturday at the Times Union Center in Albany. Kaplan was a state finalist at 145 pounds.

“It’s just awesome,” Cyclones coach Mike Robinson said. “Kyle has wrestled great all season. He’s been on a tear since the loss he had to Vines earlier. He came into the finals on a roll.” 

Mosher, who placed sixth in Nassau last season to earn All-County honors, was the aggressor in the finals and built a stunning 5-0 lead on Vines within the first 30 seconds. “It’s the first five-point throw I hit on him,” said Mosher, who raised his career record in varsity matches to 66-11, including 36-4 this season. “Coach told me to stick to my moves and keep calm.

“When you have a big lead, you have to be ready for something big to be thrown at you,” Mosher added. “Vines tried to jack me up when we were on our feet, but I was ready for it.”

Vines, a freshman who beat Mosher to finish fifth a year ago, couldn’t get anything going in their rematch at Hofstra after registering two pins and a technical fall victory to reach the final. “Kyle’s really tough when he gets the first takedown in a match,” Robinson said. “I wanted him to stay aggressive tonight and keep getting points. You can’t let your guard down against a kid like Vines.”

The No. 3 seed in the county after winning the Qualifier Tournament hosted by Hewlett a week earlier, Mosher received a first-round bye. In his first action, in the second round on Feb. 13, he pinned Plainedge’s Jared Altan in 42 seconds. Then in the quarterfinals he took a 12-0 major decision over Wantagh’s Michael Killard to advance to the semifinals that Sunday morning.

In the semis, against second-seeded Kevin Depalma of Farmingdale, Mosher was nothing short of dominant in posting a 9-0 major decision. With about six hours between the semis and finals, Mosher said he went home, relaxed and took a short nap. “Last year’s experience at counties helped me prepare for this year,” Mosher said.