Calhoun pins down conference title
As expected, based on preseason rankings, the battle for the Nassau Conference 3A wrestling title came down to the regular-season finale between neighboring Calhoun and Kennedy.
Kennedy won three of the first five weight classes in the Jan. 12 showdown before a packed house at home, but the Colts came storming back and took six of the last eight bouts to capture their first conference championship since 1991 with a 42-23 victory.
Senior Jordan Burr (160 pounds) recorded the first of four consecutive pins to ignite Calhoun, which had six pins on the night while the Cougars produced two. Both teams qualified for the county dual meet playoffs.
“The program has come a long way in four years, going from the 38th-ranked team in the county to 10th,” Calhoun coach Pete Marques said. “It was pretty exciting to win the conference. It was such an awesome environment.”
Seniors John Bernhardi (172), Michael Patti (189) and Max Smith (215) followed Burr’s pin with pins of their own to put the Colts in command. Burr was leading Thomas Osborne by a slim margin when he finished the back-and-forth match at 3:37. “Everyone went crazy after Jordan won,” Marques said. “From 160 to 215, we really count on those seniors for points and bonus points. They all came up big.”
Sophomore Dan Fauci (110) and junior Ray Adams (126) also had pins, and seniors Bo Brady (138) and Joe Scandaglia (152) won hard-fought decisions. Juniors Jefferson Cruz (102) and Brian Shindel (132), and sophomores JJ Pizzirusso (118) and Brandon Goldstein (285) won matches for Kennedy.
“We’ve been checking off our goals and now we’ve got the biggest tests coming up,” Marques said.
After falling to Long Beach in the dual meet playoffs, the Colts (13-4 in dual meets) will look to make noise at the county qualifying tournament this Saturday at Kennedy. In addition to Calhoun and the Cougars, the event includes dual meet champion Wantagh, Farmingdale, Westbury, Garden City, Hicksville and Valley Stream South. The top five finishers in each weight class advances to the county tournament Feb. 12-13 at Nassau Community College.
“If we can somehow get 20 kids through, that would be great,” Marques said. “It’s a high estimate but something within our reach.”
Calhoun has five wrestlers ranked in Nassau’s top six of their respective weight classes, led by Adams and Patti at No. 2. Adams, who will compete at 118, has a record of 24-2, with one of those defeats coming against top-ranked Joseph Clem of Wantagh. “There’s a small gap between them that keeps getting closer,” Marques said. “I feel it’s a one-takedown difference. There’s a good chance they’ll meet in the qualifier final.”
Patti, ranked behind only Eric Carlson of Manhasset, has 22 wins in 26 matches. “Michael is the hardest-working kid in our room and he’s beaten some of the top-ranked guys but hasn’t faced Carlson,” Marques said.
