Clarke enjoys solid finish

Clarke made the most of its chances at last weekend's Nassau Division I wrestling championships at Hofstra, finishing 15th among the 45-team field despite having just seven participants.

"It turned out to be a great season," Rams coach Mike Leonard said of pushing seven to Hofstra and posting a second consecutive Top 15 finish. "We were in a tough qualifier. There were five eventual county champions and 17 All-County [wrestlers]."

Junior Mike Leonard, a third-place finisher at 125 pounds, had a big hand in Clarke's 53.5-point total, generating double points in each of his first three matches, all won by major decision. He outscored his first three opponents by a combined 48-1, including an 8-0 victory over Kennedy's Bobby Krug, who had knocked Leonard out of the winner's bracket at Clarke when the two met in the qualifying tournament on Feb. 5.

Leonard's run for a county title ended in the semifinals, when Syosset's Nick Arujau scored a pinfall 23 seconds into their bout. Arujau, a four-time county champion and two-time state champion, led the tournament with four pins in a total of 4:15 and has won 120 consecutive matches. After winning in the wrestlebacks, Leonard pinned Uniondale's Denvol Haye at the 4:11 mark in the placing round to extend his school-record for victories (165). With one year of eligibility still remaining,

Leonard is already six wins ahead of the previous record set by Jordan Spirou.

FIve of Leonard's six teammates who earned berths to Hofstra all won at least one match, led by seniors Tom Randazzo (160 pounds), Chris Gaynor (189) and Clint Morano (215). All three won at least two bouts, while seniors Gus Cabrera (152) and Ryan Lopez (130) each won once. Freshman Endy Nunez (189) dropped his only bout, but came on strong down the stretch and finished fourth in the qualifier.

"It's good experience to get as a ninth-grader," coach Leonard said. "He was a backup to Gaynor [most of the season] and didn't get a lot of experience."