Expectations rise for Seaford

With 13 seniors returning, the Seaford wrestling team is aiming high this winter.

Coach Dave Takseraas hopes the veteran experience will generate a conference and county title. Last season the Vikings just missed out on the Conference 4B title to Locust Valley and then placed fifth as a team in the Division 2 individual county championships.

“We have high hopes and expectations with so many returners back,” Takseraas said. “We want to win the conference and the DII counties.”

Seaford’s senior leadership is anchored by tri-captains John Cantwell, Jake Palmer and Dante Botti. Cantwell captured a county championship at 113 pounds last year and is slated to wrestle at 120 pounds this winter. Palmer, a third year starter, is slotted in at 138, with Botti representing the Vikings at 170.

“We’re looking at them for leadership,” Takseraas said of his three senior captains. “They work well with the underclassmen.”

Senior Louie Weissberg is hitting the mats for his fourth year on varsity after a stellar junior campaign. Weissberg wrestled at 145 last season and after putting on plenty of muscle is expected to compete in the 170 or 182 weight class as a senior. “The upper weights are a different style of wrestling, but I think he will be able to do well with it,” Takseraas said. “We’re looking for big things from him.”

Senior Tom Galinski is slotted in to fill Weissnberg’s spot at 145 after wrestling at 132 last season. Takseraas is also looking for senior Larry Wing to wrestle in the one of the lower weights.

Junior Andrew Schutzman will look to continue the momentum from his sophomore season that featured a second place finish in the counties at 120. Junior Tyler Volpi has continued his progression up the weight class and will be battling at either 145 or 152 this season. Volpi, who shined for the Seaford football team during the fall, wrestled at 126 as a freshman and 138 as a sophomore.

“He is a great athlete,” Takseraas said of Volpi. “We expect him to have a big season.”

Sophomore Joe Blasi leads a group of underclassmen stepping up. Blasi is wrestling at 132 this winter up from 106 last year and 99 during his eighth grade season when he went unbeaten.

Freshman Tom Lynch has shown promise early in the season at 106 pounds. Eighth grader Jake Murphy is excelling at 99 pounds and captured the Manhasset Invitational on Dec. 3. 

Seaford will host the annual Patrick Butler Duals this Saturday, Jan. 7, a tournament held in memory of former Vikings’ wrestler Patrick Butler, who was killed in a car accident as a sophomore in 2004 just hours after his team won a county title. Seaford’s final regular season duel mat on Jan. 20 against Oyster Bay will be part of the 23rd annual Bob Gerbino Night in honor of the late Viking coach, who founded the school’s wrestling program in 1956 and was inducted into the National Wrestling Hall of Fame in 2008.