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Mostly Cloudy Captains lead Lawrence on mat
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Lawrence senior captain Haras Chaudhry, top, is a two-time county tournament qualifier.
Jeff Wilson/Herald
Back in Conference III-A after winning two of five matches a year ago, Lawrence is set to tangle with one of the top wrestling teams in the county in Wantagh as well as Plainedge, Lynbrook, Glen Cove and Bethpage.
“We want to be competitive,” Golden Tornadoes coach Dominick DelVecchio said. “I don’t know if anyone in our conference can hang with Wantagh, but I think we’ll be right there with everyone else.”
A roster that runs 37-deep features senior tri-captains Ronnie Benarie, Glenn Monroy and Haras Chaudhry. Each of them is being counted on to provide leadership in the practice room and points every time they step on the mat.
Benarie, a returning starter at 135 pounds, is already reaping the benefits of offseason workouts. He won six of his first eight matches and placed third in both the MacArthur Tournament and the Sprig Gardner Tournament hosted by the Bellmore-Merrick district. “Ronnie put in a lot of summer work and came back a lot stronger,” DelVecchio said.
Monroy, a two-time county tournament qualifier who picked up a win in the event last season, starts at 160 pounds and placed third at MacArthur. He’s followed in the lineup by Chaudhry, another two-time county qualifier off to a promising start with runner-up finishes at MacArthur and the Sprig. DelVecchio said Chaudhry’s goal this season is to be All-County, an honor bestowed on only the top six wrestlers in each weight class.
Leading Lawrence in the lightweights is freshman Pankilo Chander, who will compete at 103 pounds in dual meets and drop down to 96 come tournament time, and junior Justin Surkes at 119.
Chander has already opened some eyes with a runner-up showing at MacArthur and third-place finish at the Sprig. “He can be an All-Conference wrestler as a ninth-grader,” DelVecchio said. “He’s wrestled a lot growing up. He’s scrappy and aggressive on his feet.”
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