All-County duo for Oceanside

Despite a solid runner-up finish in one of Nassau’s six qualifying tournaments, Dan Fishman was unseeded in the county’s 106-pound bracket at last weekend’s Division I wrestling championships at Hofstra.

That didn’t stop the Oceanside sophomore from making a big splash on the big stage at the Mack Sports Complex. Fishman ripped off three impressive wins on Saturday, including a 3-2 upset of Bellmore-JFK’s Brandon Mercado, the No. 2 seed, to reach the semifinals before he was stopped by eventual champion Joe Becker of Lynbrook.

Fishman went 3-3 and settled for sixth place and a spot on the All-County podium. “I was so hyped for the quarterfinals,” said Fishman, who started strong with back-to-back pins in the first two rounds Saturday morning to reach the quarterfinals in the afternoon. “I never wrestled Mercado before, but I was able to take him down early and that gave me confidence,” he added. “He’s a strong kid.”

Fishman needed less than three-and-a-half minutes of work to fend off his first two opponents. His tournament began with a pin of Cade Burns of Plainedge in 1:54, and continued with a pin of Long Beach’s Ty Yanowitch. That set up Fishman’s signature win of the season and so far in his young career, Sailors coach Julio Flores said.

“Dan was on fire Saturday,” Flores said. “You can’t take anything away from Becker. He’s a talented kid and won the whole thing. Being just a sophomore, Fishman has a lot to look forward to.”

Oceanside’s two qualifying champs, John Cannella (138 pounds) and Rob Espinal (152), had mixed results at Hofstra. Cannella went 1-2, while Espinal took four of six matches and placed fifth to earn All-County status. Espinal came painfully close to reaching the semifinals, as he lost a hard-fought quarterfinal to Plainedge’s Michael Minnici, 1-0. “I’m really proud of Rob,” Flores said of Espinal, who pinned MacArthur’s CJ Louie in 3:35 to win the qualifier hosted by the Generals on Feb. 4. “He battled back to get fifth, which was great.”

Twin brothers Maquie and Malique Hyde both made the county tournament in the 120-pound weight class, and the latter picked up an opening-round win with a quick pin (39 seconds) of Westbury’s Andil Salvador. Sam Burns also tasted victory at Hofstra, winning his opener at 126 pounds with a pin of Valley Stream North’s Rob Giuliante in 5:07.

Roman Aguirre made a nice run at 182, collecting two wins in four bouts. He opened with a 5-0 decision over MacArthur’s Dylan Young and then moved to the quarterfinals with a pin of Mepham’s Matt Hegi. In the quarters, Aguirre ran into defending county champion Tyreek Bromley of Long Beach.

Parker Jervis (145) and Jerry English (195) and Dylan Amiruddin (220) also qualified, giving the Sailors 10 representatives at counties.

“As a whole, we really peaked at the right time,” Flores said. “We were strong in tournaments late in the season. With all the young guys we have, it’s exciting.”