Marines in hunt for title
Set to battle MacArthur at Hofstra
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Long Beach junior Nick Khoury celebrates after pinning Division's Eric Brouillet last Friday.
Kathy Leistner/Herald
Long Beach set the stage for a showdown with MacArthur for the Conference 2A wrestling title by knocking off Calhoun and Division last week.
The Marines and Generals, both 4-0 against conference foes, meet on Friday at Hofstra at 9 p.m. to determine first place. Prior to their match, the teams will watch Hofstra take on Missouri.
“We’re a slight underdog,” Long Beach coach Ray Adams said. “MacArthur is the defending dual meet champion, and it’s going to take an outstanding effort to beat them. Wrestling at Hofstra is a great opportunity for our kids. The conference title up for grabs adds a little flavor.”
At home against Division last Friday, Long Beach won eight of 12 contested bouts to slay the Dragons 35-22. Sophomore Mark Raghunandan (103 pounds), junior Nick Khoury (135) and sophomore Dylan Palacio (152) had pins, while junior Edisson Tigre (130), junior Adam D’Auguste (145), senior Dequan Simmons (171), sophomore Joe Bosco (189) and senior Oliver Astone (215) won by decision.
“Nick got us going,” Adams said of Khoury, who needed 3-minutes, 40-seconds to pin Eric Brouillet. “We were behind when he got on the mat. We were a little flat, but he ignited things.”
The coach also lauded the efforts of upper weights Simmons, Bosco and Astone, who won 9-6, 3-2 and 5-3, respectively. “They all toughed it out,” Adams said. “Bosco pulled an upset. He was down two points and ended up winning with a takedown right before the buzzer.”
The Marines (12-2 overall) were coming off their best match of the season, according to Adams. They topped Calhoun, 47-21, on Jan. 13, again capturing eight of 12 bouts. “We wrestled great,” Adams said. “Calhoun’s a solid team.”
Sophomore Oral Allen and junior Mike Faraglia blanked their opponents at 112 and 125 pounds, respectively, and there were enough pins to hang a load of laundry. Tigre, Khoury, Palacio, Simmons and Astone all recorded a pin, and D’Auguste came close before settling for a dominant 16-3 decision. “It was the best we’ve competed all season,” Adams said.
Long Beach’s other conference victories came against Bellmore-JFK and Garden City. Pins made the difference in the Marines’ 37-24 win over Bellmore on Jan. 6. Sophomore Anthony Posada (119) made quick work of Richard Luxmore, needing just 29 seconds, and Palacio, who takes a record of 25-1 into the MacArthur match, pinned Brian Smith in 4:59. “Dylan has been dominant and is ranked sixth in the state,” Adams said of Palacio, who last season became the 53rd Nassau County champion in school history.
The highlights of a 33-30 triumph over Garden City on Dec. 22 were pins by D’Auguste and Posada and junior Marvin McMoore’s 8-2 decision over Nick Fasano at 171.
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