Lawrence built for tournaments

Graduation was tough on the Lawrence wrestling program leaving the Golden Tornadoes with a lack of depth. Throw in the fact many of the Lawrence wrestlers were still on the gridiron while most of their competitors were honing their craft on the mats, and you have a team that expected to get off to a slow start.

Despite these obstacles, Lawrence performed well at the annual Sprig Gardner Tournament held at Bellmore-JFK and Mepham high schools. Junior Hamza Ramza went undefeated to capture the championship at 195 pounds. Ramza, who earned a trip to the Nassau County qualifier as a sophomore, defeated East Meadow’s Chris Santos 8-3 in the final.

Lawrence head coach Dom DelVecchio believes his team will have some difficulty in dual meets, but has high hopes for many of his wrestlers. “We don’t have the numbers, so from a team standpoint we’ll struggle in a lot of weight classes,” DelVecchio said. “However, I think we will be much better at tournament time. We have a bunch of wrestlers who should more than hold their own in the tournaments.”

Junior Osqur Puk, who wrestles at 145 pounds, went 4-1 at the Sprig Gardner and finished in third place. As a sophomore, Puk competed in the county qualifier. He should be very competitive in one of the county’s toughest weight classes.

Jessie Nacht also went 4-1 to finish in third place. The 120-pound junior has been to the county qualifier in back-to-back years, and is expected to return again. 

Senior Jason Webber (220 pounds), who missed last season with an injury, also finished third with a record of 4-1, losing only to meet champion Matt Kaminer of Hewlett. Junior Robert McHale, who also competes at 220, is a first-year varsity wrestler who is opening some eyes.

DelVecchio thinks Ramza’s success at the Sprig Gardner could be a harbinger. “Hamza had a great tournament,” DelVecchio said. “The county is wide open at 195. He should be an All-County wrestler this season.”

Junior Dimitri Samuels finished in third place at the tournament at 285. Samuels earned a trip to the qualifier as a sophomore and won a match. DelVecchio believes he’ll be in every match and should be an All-County wrestler. Junior Robert Doll and senior Francisco Benitez will both hold their own at 160 and 138, respectively.

DelVellchio expects gradual improvement. “We’re a little rusty in the early-going, but I expect to improve as the season goes along,” DelVecchio said. “By the end of the year, and at tournament time, we should be in position to do well in many of the weight classes.”