Encouraging signs for Valley Stream Central

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In his seventh season coaching in Valley Stream Central’s wrestling program and fourth guiding the varsity, Chris Carbajal is encouraged about inflated participation numbers he credits in large part to the building’s new athletic director Tom Schiavo.

The Eagles started with 50 kids in November and are holding strong in the low 40s.

“Since Covid our numbers have bounced back, but this season we saw a big change,” Carbajal said. “Tom has been very supportive and helped recruit some kids to wrestle. It’s a great situation because we have a lot of freshmen in the room. The whole environment is better. There’s more competition every day at practice because guys are battling for starting jobs.”

Although Central has its work cut out facing a grueling dual meet schedule, Carbajal was encouraged by a third-place finish at the Paul Grammatico Tournament hosted by Valley Stream South on Dec. 10. “We had 20 kids enter and 10 placed,” he said. “It’s a performance we’re looking to build off.”

Senior captains Adrian Alvarado and Arthur Brown are veterans in the program and leading the way, Carbajal said.

Alvarado (138 pounds) has been competing for five years, while Brown (145) is in his sixth year in the program.

“Adrian didn’t get the results he wanted last season and he’s been working really hard since it ended,” Carbajal said of Alvarado, who took third at the Valley Stream South tournament. “He competed in tournaments and attended clinics, and I’m thrilled to see how far he can go as a senior. He sets a good example for the younger guys.”

Brown earned All-Conference honors last winter and qualified for the Nassau Division I tournament where he split four matches on the big stage. He was one of the Eagles’ three finalists in the Grammatico tournament. “Arthur is a strong kid and had a big growth spurt from his sophomore to junior year,” Carbajal said. “He added muscle and his goal is to be All-County.”

Back on the mat for the first time since they were freshmen, seniors Johansson Ramos and Siris St. Victor are filling the 172- and 189-pound spots, respectively. “They enjoy the sport and wanted to give it one more shot,” Carbajal explained. “They understand what’s expected of them and are dedicated to get better every day.”

Of the more than a dozen freshmen in the program, Emmanuel Alvarado has stood out so far, Carbajal noted. Alvarado is competing in varsity matches and doing more than holding his own. He placed third at VSS. “He can handle it and I wouldn’t be surprised if he makes All-Conference,” the coach said.

Freshman Jaiden Custodia (118) and junior Johan Roldan (215) were both finalists at the Grammatico tournament. Sulayman Hassan (118), Zion Phillips (132), Badar Khawar (138), Brian Donahue (152) and Matt Howard (285) all took fourth in the eight-team event to help the Eagles total 168 points.

Carbajal said he’s also excited about the youngest member of the program, eighth-grader Zakai Phillips, who’s fine tuning his skills in JV matches.