Senior group leads Glen Cove

For the past few seasons, if one were to pay attention to the Glen Cove wrestling program and it’s successes, one would see many of the same names pop up over and over again. Starting with Isaiah Jackson, R.J. Alma, Phil Aguilar, Edson Murillo, Eder Leiva and Brandon Rivera-Varella, this core of the Big Red have been the foundation of multiple successful seasons over the past few years.
That veteran group is comprised of all seniors, with the exception of Aguilar. They have all been mainstays in coach Chris McDonald’s wrestling room at Glen Cove High School.
“These kids have had some success in the past and they are all coming back to compete at the same weight class they have done well in,” McDonald said. “They are still drilling really hard, and they are adding to their game a bit. They are confident at what they do and are trying to evolve their games everyday.”
Jackson, Alma and Aguilar all placed at the county meet last season. Murillo, Leiva and Rivera-Varella were all in the top ten in Nassau County at their respective weight classes.
This year, the mostly-senior group will have one last opportunity to capture a county championship both as a team and individually — and McDonald believes 106-pound Jackson is a legitimate threat to take first in the county finals.

“Last year, he took third at the county meet,” McDonald said. “He’s ranked first in the county at his weight right now and he’s got a good shot.”
Jackson has been a standout at Glen Cove dating back to his freshmen year, where he qualified for the Nassau County meet at the conclusion of the regular season. Jackson’s successful career at Glen Cove led to a commitment to wrestle at SUNY Brockport in 2020.
Jackson’s teammate Alma has been a big part of the Big Red as well. Last year, Alma finished third in the county at 195 pounds. So far in the 2019-20 season, he has kept form. At the William Floyd dual meet tournament, Alma earned the most pins in the least amount of time. He accumulated five pins over the course of 5:18.
Although the senior group of wrestlers will undoubtedly be some of the more successful ones on the roster, McDonald has a group of underclassmen that will look to match the energy of their more experienced teammates in the wrestling room.
Rounding out the roster will be 99-pound Chris Gielbeta, 126-pound David Portillo, 138-pound, Victor Vaughan, 143-pound Sal Lorenti, 152-pound Genalie Prezeau and 160-pound Andrew Glaviano.
“The younger kids are picking up how to drill correctly, and the seniors are showing them the right way,” McDonald said.
McDonald has a certain trust in his upperclassmen to finish their wrestling careers out in strong fashion, but he understands the gravity of the situation.
“It is tough,” McDonald said. “A lot of these guys are in the top ten in wins for Glen Cove. Some of these guys have over 50 wins; some are closer to 100 for us. They’ve been holding down spots and been leaders for us for years.”