Strong finish for MacArthur

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In what turned out to be a neighborhood title match, MacArthur freshman Jake Schneider had a chance to go toe-to-toe with Wantagh’s Josiah Encarnacion in the 106-pound wrestling finals last Sunday night.

Schneider ultimately fell to Encarnacion, his training partner at Vougar’s Honor’s Wrestling, but proved under the bright lights at Hofstra’s Mack Sports Complex that he has a bright future ahead of him. The hard-fought defeat to a defending county champion earned Schneider a second place showing in the individual county championships highlighted a big day for the Generals, who placed fourth in the team standings with 148.5 points with five earning All-County accolades.

“The second half of the season he really turned it on,” MacArthur coach Rob Paletta of Schneider, who made varsity as an eighth-grader. “He really went on a roll.”

Senior Dan Steinmann placed third in the counties at 120 pounds a year after just missing qualifying for the championships while battling flu symptoms. Paletta said last season’s disappointment provided an extra drive for Steinmann to leave everything out on the mats in his final season of high school wrestling.

“He went strong from day one,” said Paletta of Steinmann, who defeated Wantagh’s Christian Encarnacion in the third-place match.  “He had a very good year.”

Steinman along with returning All-County seniors CJ Louie and Jake Hunter provided strong veteran leadership throughout the winter. Hunter placed fifth at 195 while Louie’s county run ended with a second round defeat to eventual semifinalist Brandon Lopez of Great Neck South

“They all worked their butts off,” Paletta said of his senior trio. “They were great leaders.”

Senior Christian Dougherty (145) also closed his MacArthur career on a strong note with a third place following a 14-3 consolation round victory against William Portella of Plainedge. Senior Steven Powell (145) also made a strong run for All-County accolades before dropping a 7-2 decision to eventual fourth place finisher William Portella of Plainedge.

Freshman Michael Randazzo provided a spark for the Generals in his first season on the mats. Randazzo finished in sixth place at 106 at Hofstra after a strong early showing in the tournament.

MacArthur positioned itself for a strong county showing when 21 earned spots to compete on the Hofstra stage during a Feb. 3 qualifying event held at Hewlett. Five Generals placed first in the qualifier including TJ Mauro (132), Louie (152), Steinmann (120), Schneider (106) and Hunter (195). Three of the championship finals featured bouts between MacArthur teammates with Schneider defeating Randazzo, Mauro besting Steven Tamborello and Louie knocking off Joseph Misuraca.

“As coaches we just watch and don’t coach one or the other,” Paletta said of the MacArthur vs. MacArthur matches. “It’s tough on the kids.”

MacArthur shined during the dual meet schedule leading up to qualifiers with a 19-2 record that included 17 straight wins to open the season. The Generals reached the semifinals of the county dual meet championships before falling to Massapequa.