Mepham wins Sprig Gardner Tournament

Mepham powered its way to a team victory at the annual Sprig Gardner Tournament on Dec. 10-11, and along the way had two individuals crowned champions of their weight class. With a dozen placewinners in all, the Pirates scored 278 points and outdistanced the 10-team field that also featured district rivals Kennedy (third place, 239 points) and Calhoun (eighth, 140.5). “To win it at home, it was huge,” said Mepham coach Rich Anderson, whose team came back to win the South Side Tournament last Saturday. “It was Alumni Day for us.”

What the former Pirates in attendance saw on the mats was a well-balanced team featuring both veterans and a strong nucleus of underclassmen. Freshman Louis Hernandez had perhaps the biggest win of the tournament for Mepham, as he knocked off South Side’s James Rodriguez, a returning All-County wrestler, 14-6, in the final at 140 pounds. The match was tied 6-6 after the first period, but Hernandez ripped off the final eight points for the victory. “He made a name for himself and beat a real good [wrestler],” Anderson said.

Senior Mike Paccione captured the Mepham Alumni Award and won the title at 145 pounds with a 12-1 decision over sophomore teammate Danny Tracy in the finals.

Kennedy placed three wrestlers into the winners circle, led by senior Bobby Krug (135), who pinned Patchogue-Medford’s Eddie Gomez at the 3:56 mark, while sophomore All-County returnee Robert Person defeated Pirates sophomore All-County returnee Jamie Dunn, 4-0, in the finals at 103 pounds. Junior John Luxmore took a 5-3 decision from senior teammate Mike Pizzirusso in the finals at 152 pounds, scoring early on a takedown. The championships were the first-ever for both Luxmore and Krug.

“The rivalry, that’s what makes it fun,” Cougars coach Brian DeGaetano said. “It’s the only event where all three [Bellmore] schools are competing against each other besides the County Tournament.”

With the start of the Conference II-B schedule only days away, Kennedy was banking on the healthy return of junior Mark Levine, who can take the mat at 103 or 112 pounds, and sophomore Rich Luxmore (119) to help boost the lineup in dual meets.

Calhoun had a pair of champions, led by senior Jesse Bader at 160 pounds, who recorded four pins in a span of just 9:18. Senior Sam Gorinsky won by disqualification at 171 pounds and continued his run of victories with another in the Colts’ dual meet victory over Port Washington last Friday that came down to a tiebreaker. Joining Bader and Gorinsky in the winner’s circle against the Vikings were classmates Brandon Drexler (119 pounds) and Danny Piccirillo (152), a showing that wasn’t lost on new coach Rich Bury. “It shows their hard work and definitely sets the tone for the kids in the weight room,” Bury said. “They’re great leaders.”