Promising start for Lawrence

Solid showings at the Sprig Gardner and Ralph Jansson Tournaments in December has Lawrence wrestling coach Dom DelVecchio excited about the team’s potential to challenge for the Conference 3B title.

“We’ve got a chance to win it,” DelVecchio said of the conference, which includes Bethpage, Lynbrook, Valley Stream South, Great Neck North and Glen Cove. “We’ve got a nice mix of seniors and underclassmen, and we’ll have a full lineup, which always helps.”

The Golden Tornadoes boast plenty of Nassau County Tournament qualifiers, including 285-pound senior Jason Delgrosso who is off to a torrid start with 11 straight wins out of the gate. Delgrosso, a three-time All-Conference performer who won two matches at the county event last season, has pinned all but one of his opponents so far and captured the Sprig (hosted by Bellmore-Merrick Dec. 10-11) and Jansson (hosted by Valley Stream North Dec. 18) tournaments. “He’s a very strong kid and a county contender for sure,” DelVecchio said of Delgrosso, who is quickly moving up the rankings after starting the year at No. 5.

Sophomore Pankil Chander (103) also has two tournament crowns under his belt already this season. He’s off to a 16-2 start and is looking to get back to counties after getting a taste of the big stage as a freshman. “He’s tearing it up so far,” DelVecchio said.

Seniors Michael Egan (125) and Justin Surkes (130) are likely to qualify for the county tournament for the fourth time in as many varsity campaigns. Both earned All-Conference honors a year ago. 

Egan, who won two matches at the county tournament as a junior, has won six of eight bouts so far this winter. He missed the Sprig and Jansson events while nursing a laceration that required stitches. “Michael throws a lot of funky stuff at opponents and often gets the job done in a unique way,” DelVecchio said.

Surkes, who was runner-up at the Jansson and third in the Sprig, is aggressive on his feet and takes down an opponent in the midst of a flurry. “Justin gets a lot of pins,” DelVecchio said. “He’ll be one of our keys in dual meets.”

The offseason dedication of senior Sahill Assarwal began to pay off right away. Competing at either 160 or 171 pounds, he placed second in the Jansson and third in the Sprig. “It’s good to see,” DelVecchio said of Assarwal’s results. “His goal is to make it to the county tournament.”

Junior Isiah Batts (215) has impressed so far, finishing second in both tournaments, and eyes a third consecutive county tournament appearance. And if senior Bastian Valenzuela (135) can stay healthy after missing most of the past two seasons due to injury, the Golden Tornadoes will be that much tougher in dual meets. Valenzuela is off to a promising start with third-place finishes in both tournaments.