Espinosa pins way to All-County

To say Jon Espinosa is a pin machine wouldn’t do him justice.

Lynbrook’s senior heavyweight wrestler never met an opponent he didn’t beat with a pin this season, including three in last weekend’s Nassau Division I championships at Hofstra University. It added up to a fourth-place finish in the 285-pound weight class and a spot on the All-County podium.

“Jon went 23-3 this season and every one of those 23 wins was a pin,” Owls coach Rich Renz said. “He’s been in the program for four years, and now he can say he’s an All-County football player and an All-County wrestler. It’s a great accomplishment for a great kid.”

A week after winning the qualifier tournament hosted by MacArthur, Espinosa made quick work of South Side’s Harry Dantona in the second round last Saturday with a pin in 37 seconds. Espinosa then advanced to Sunday’s semifinals with a pin of Wantagh’s Steven English, in 2:43, in the quarterfinals.

“Jon’s combination of size and strength is too much for a lot of kids to handle,” Renz said. “I knew when he came to the team in ninth grade he was destined for big things. He’s a hard worker, too.”

In the semis, top-seeded Evan Kappatos of Syosset pinned Espinosa in 3:18. Espinosa bounced back to pin Long Beach’s Pete Amabile in 2:43 in a wrestleback, then lost a hard-fought 9-5 decision to Seaford’s James O’Hagan in the third/fourth place match.

Espinosa was one of eight Owls to advance to the big stage. Lynbrook’s other qualifying tournament champions, senior Matt Trotta and junior Matt Mott, didn’t have the best of weekends at Hofstra but still had tremendous seasons, Renz said.

Trotta, voted the Most Outstanding Wrestler of the qualifier after capping a huge day with a 9-8 decision over top-seeded Carlos Torres of Westbury in the 170-pound title bout, dropped his only match in the county tournament to Nick Gonzalez of Valley Stream North. Mott, who was part of an extremely talented 195-pound class, was upset by Lawrence’s Karl Ravilus in the second round and was forced out of the wrestlebacks due to a hand injury.

“Matt’s going to have an unbelievable senior year,” Renz predicted. “He’s already a force to be reckoned with and he’s only going to get better and stronger.”

Junior Charlie Curcio (126) came within one win of All-County (top six in each weight class) honors. He beat Hewlett’s Oran Revivo, 11-6, in the first round and was nipped by Conor Sullivan of Plainedge, 7-6, in the second round. “Charlie has a lot of talent and toughness,” Renz said. “He’s going to be back next year and in the mix to make All-County.” Senior Eddie Ferrall, a runner-up in the qualifying tournament at 138 pounds, won his first-round bout at Hofstra, 7-3 over Ryan Wu of Jericho, before falling to Mepham’s Steve Wray.

“The past few seasons we didn’t peak at the right time,” Renz said. “This time we did.”