Bonsu leads Baldwin wrestlers

Fielding a full dual meet lineup wasn’t in the cards for Baldwin’s wrestling program this winter for a myriad of reasons, but many of those who’ve taken the mat for the Bruins are enjoying success.

“We started the season with 40 kids, but with Covid and everything else we’ve run into, we sent 16 to the qualifier,” coach Jim Murphy said after last Saturday’s Nassau Division I qualifier tournament hosted by Long Beach. “We’re hoping to build things back up starting next season,” he said. “We had to forfeit a bunch of weights in dual meets, but individually there’s been a lot of positive stories.”

Junior Kwasi Bonsu has been a catalyst for the Bruins and enters next weekend’s county championship tournament at Nassau Community College as a serious contender in the 189-pound weight class. He holds a record of 33-1, with his only loss coming in the semifinals of the Massapequa Tournament to Josh Cordio of Nashoba, N.H.

“He doesn’t have a loss to anyone in New York yet this season,” Murphy said of Bonsu, who won the Bruins’ host tournament and also the Hank Parris tourney hosted by Plainedge. “He’s the type of kid who takes care of his school work first and is a tremendous student,” he said. “He’s also one of those once every 20 years athletes that comes along. He does everything in his power to get the job done, and I’m hoping he can get to the state tournament and place.”

In the most recent Nassau DI rankings, posted Jan. 16, Bonsu was listed fourth behind Eric Carlson of Manhasset, Michael Patti of Calhoun and Steven Edwards of East Meadow.

In the qualifier, Bonsu was Baldwin’s lone champion. He won four matches on the day, capped by a pin over Plainview’s Jake Glickman in the finals.

Junior Jayson Rivera is one of the hardest workers in the room, Murphy said, and never seems to be out of a match. The 172-pounder placed third in the qualifier with a 4-1 mark and is headed to the county tournament. “He has a lot of grit,” Murphy said. “He’s battled from behind in quite a few matches to win this season. He’s really done a bang-up job.”

Sophomore Rodney Mills made his presence felt at 215 and learned a lot along the way in some narrow defeats, Murphy said. Mills was fourth in the qualifier, good enough to punch his ticket to the county tournament. “He’s gone toe-to-toe with some top-ranked kids,” the coach explained. “It’s just a matter of a takedown here or there to get him over the hump.”

Another sophomore, John Wornian, has made steady progress at 152 while experiencing some of the same growing pains as Mills. Wornian placed third in the qualifier with four wins and one loss. “I’m really happy with how Wornian is developing,” Murphy said.

Leading Baldwin in the lower weights is eighth-grader Devonte Young. He’s holding his own at 110. “Once he realized he can compete at the varsity level and built some confidence, he’s been right there,” Murphy said.