Bulldogs scrappy at qualifier

Seventh-grader Owen Bachelder of Hewlett continues to make his presence felt on the varsity wrestling scene and will be one of at least six Bulldogs to participate in the Nassau Division I championships this weekend at Hofstra.

Bachelder won the 96-pound title at the qualifying tournament hosted by Wantagh last Saturday and carries a record of 29-4 into the county championships. He beat two quality opponents from the host Warriors. “It’s an incredible story,” Hewlett coach Mike Jiminez said. “Owen never gets intimidated and I’m interested to see how he’ll do at Hofstra. He’s had a great season.”

Seniors Mike Piri (130 pounds), Matt Appelbaum (171) and Simon Turkin (215), junior Troy Smith (160), and sophomore Simon Greebel (103) all finished in the top four of their respective weight classes to advance to Hofstra. Senior Jordan Browdy (189) and sophomore Rob Rosenberg (125) are looking to join them as wild cards after finishing fifth.

“We accomplished our goal of getting more kids into the county tournament than last season,” Jiminez said. “I’m proud of the way everyone performed.”

Smith, who leads Hewlett in wins with 34 and developed a knack for pins, won two matches at the qualifier before settling for runner-up status to Wantagh’s James Corbett, who won a 14-10 decision in the finals. “He’s a pin machine,” Jiminez said of Smith. “He scored a lot of points for us all season.”

Piri, Appelbaum and Turkin all took third place, while Greebel placed fourth.

During the regular season, the Bulldogs were impressive in winning 15 of 22 dual meets. They were part of a strong Conference 3A that included Wantagh, Plainedge and Division. “Our guys have faced a lot of tough competition,” Jiminez said. “