Four All-State wrestlers for Long Beach

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All four Long Beach representatives at the New York State Public High School wrestling championships last weekend came home with medals from Albany as the Marines impressed with a fifth-place finish in the Division I team standings.

Senior Adam DeJesus and juniors Mark Raghunandan, Dylan Palacio and Krishna Sewkumar combined for 12 victories and finished in the top six of their respective weight classes to earn All-State honors. It’s the first time since 1982 Long Beach had four All-State wrestlers.

“I am extremely proud of the boys,” coach Ray Adams said. “They peaked at the right time. There wasn’t a match upstate they couldn’t have won.”

Raghunandan, a wild-card entry, was 20 seconds away from a state championship before Jimmy Duckham (Arlington High School, Section I) pulled out a 10-8 win in the 103-pound title bout. “Mark did everything he needed to do to put himself in a situation to be a state champ,” Adams said. “Unfortunately it didn’t happen.”

Raghunandan posted a 32-5 record and won his first three matches at the Times Union Center in impressive fashion. He opened with a pin of Joe Ginley (Warwick Valley, Section IX), won a 9-2 quarterfinal decision against Vincent Deprez (Hilton, Section V), and handled Brandon Lapi (Amsterdam, Section II) in the semifinals, 8-2.  

Sewkumar, Raghunandan’s cousin and Nassau County champion, placed fifth at 103 with three wins on the weekend. Sewkumar (35-5 record) was stopped in the semifinals by Duckham, falling 9-5, and split a pair of wrestleback matches. His biggest win came over Mike Parise (Brewster, Section I), 6-5, in the second round. “I’ve been saying all year Mark and Krishna were the best 103 pounders in the state,” Adams said. “I still believe that to be the case. Krishna’s last match was a good one. He beat Patrick Skinner [of Kellenberg], who defeated him in the first tournament of the season.”

Palacio entered the state championships undefeated and left with four more wins in addition to his only loss. A two-time county champ, Palacio (38-1) was edged by Matt Ross (Rocky Point, Section XI) in the 145-pound semifinals, 2-1. “Dylan’s goal was a state title,” Adams said. “I know he fell short of that, but he wrestled well. I am most proud of how he pulled himself together after his semifinal loss and battled back to place third. That showed what a true champion he is.”

DeJesus was on target to reach the state final at 152 before a concussion ended his tournament prematurely in the semis. He settled for sixth place. DeJesus (32-5) trailed Irvin Buck (Niagara Falls, Section VI) by a point when he had to injury default.

“Adam won his first two matches convincingly and was looking great,” Adams said. “It was clear he couldn’t continue in the semifinals. Safety is paramount. He has nothing to hang his head about.”

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