Hewlett dominant in early going

Hewlett wrestling is off to a rollicking start this season, winning all eight of its dual meets and taking first place in the Battle at the Harbor tournament in Cold Spring Harbor on Dec. 16.
In that tournament, Hewlett wrestlers soundly defeated their Rocky Point, Northport and Westbury counterparts in pool play to advance to the semifinals, where they defeated Shoreham-Wading River with 36 cumulative points to Shoreham’s 29. 
In the championship, they beat East Islip, 37-30, with seven individual victories – four by pinfall – compared to east Islip’s six. 
The victory capped a dominant week for Hewlett, who just a day earlier defeated Chaminade in a dual meet, 35-20, and handily polished off Mineola, 49-20, on Dec. 13.
According to Hewlett coach Stephen Jones, it was the second dual meet tournament championship in school history – the first coming last year. He added the team’s success is the result of many years of development of his student-athletes. 

“We have a group of kids that have been part of the program a long time, including our youth program and P.A.L. program,” he said. “They finally have gotten older and they’re all studs. Kids really want to be like them.”
A major part of their success is sophomore Jesse McMahon, who has been wrestling at 116 lbs. A conference champion last year, McMahon helped Hewlett secure the Battle at the Harbor championship by pinning his East Islip opponent in the final round in just under three minutes.
Undefeated so far this season, his success is driven by his pure ferocity on the mat. “He gets after it,” said Jones. “Fox six minutes, he comes at you and fights. He’s a super freakish athlete.”
Another youthful star is freshman Carlos Salazar (124), who Jones said has the potential to be a state finalist. While he nearly matches McMahon in toughness, his coach said what sets him apart is his technical skills on the mat.
Two senior captains who’ve also found success this year are Kirk Smith and Eric Gendlin. Smith, an All-County wrestler since eighth grade, has tallied more than 100 victories over his five-year Hewlett career. Gendlin, two-time All-County, has the potential to win a county championship too with a strong second half, said Jones.           
Another senior Captain, Oleg Daniloff, won first place at another tournament, King of the Mat at Hewlett High School on Dec. 2, for the 170-lb. weight class.
And junior heavyweight Jordan Sita helped secure the Dec. 16 tournament championship by pinning his East Islip opponent in 2 minutes and 24 seconds. Sita, who Jones said had started the season as a backup, “Has stepped up. That next-guy-up kind of mentality.”
Hewlett had a tough matchup with conference 3B opponent Wantagh Dec. 22, falling 41-17. “These kids are dedicated,” said the coach. “They’re battle tested. We’ve wrestled one of the toughest schedules in the state. They’re ready to peak at the right time.”