Long Beach sets qualifier record

The juggernaut that’s the state No. 1-ranked Long Beach wrestling team continued to build on a remarkable season last Saturday by winning one of six Nassau qualifying tournaments in dominant fashion.

The Marines, who on Jan. 30 repeated as county dual meet champions by winning 11 of 15 bouts against Massapequa, followed up with some serious home cooking in the seven-team event held right in their own backyard. They crowned a county qualifier record 12 individual champs with seven runners-up. All but one of Long Beach’s second-place finishers lost to a teammate in the finals.

“We’ve got a great group of kids and a coaching staff that works extremely hard,” coach Ray Adams said. “They work so hard every day and have each other’s back. It’s a real family atmosphere.” 

Sophomore Jacori Teemer, a two-time defending state and county champion, tops a list of 26 Marines headed to Hofstra University for this weekend’s Nassau Division I championships. Teemer remained undefeated this season (42-0) by ripping through the qualifier, including a 7-5 decision in the 126-pound finals against Syosset’s Alex Vargas, a defending county champ, on the way to earning the Most Outstanding Wrestler award. “It was a tight match,” Adams explained.

Long Beach took first in all nine weight classes between 138 and 285 pounds, starting with junior John Colletti and ending with junior Jeffrey Alvarez. “We have a lot of depth,” Adams said. “The competition in the practice room pushes everyone to a higher level.”

Colletti defeated teammate Andrew Garcia, a senior, in the finals. The Marines also saw sophomore Alex Michaelman finish third in the same weight class. They also had the top three finishers at 145, with junior Charlie Spada capturing the crown, senior Marc Paez in second, and junior Bryant Dingle placing third.

At 152, junior Tyrese Byron, a Nassau runner-up last season, defeated a tough customer in Kennedy’s Matt Schwartz in the finals. At 160, Long Beach juniors Greg Wildstein and Brandon DeVivio hooked up in the finals with the former taking the title in overtime. 

“A lot of the matches we had both kids in the finals were toss-ups,” Adams said.

Junior Joe Giorlando (170 pounds) has been feasting on opponents all winter, Adams said, and could be poised for a deep run at Hofstra after beating Kennedy’s Jack Jones in the finals of the qualifier.  

Like Byron, junior Tyreek Bromley is looking to take the next step at the county tournament after placing second last season while earning a wild-card spot to the state meet. Bromley downed sophomore teammate Elijah Rodriguez in the 182-pound qualifier title bout in OT.

Juniors Tom Rutherig (195), Mark Rivera (220) and Alvarez won the last three weights, while juniors Pablo Martinez (99) and Matt Maquet (120) also finished on top. Eighth-grader Max Maquet was runner-up to Martinez, senior Josh Bourne was second to the elder Maquet, and freshman Dylan Martinsen reached the finals at 113 where he came up short against Kennedy’s Eric Brach.

“Our goal is to win the county title and qualify as many kids for the state tournament,” Adams said.

Long Beach won the last five bouts against Massapequa in the dual meet finals, including pins by Byron, Giorlando, Rodriguez and Bromley to finish off the Chiefs, 46-15.