Long Beach's Teemer wins title

The rich tradition of Long Beach wrestling continued last weekend at the Nassau County Division I championships at Hofstra’s Mack Sports Complex with eighth-grader Jacori Teemer leading the way for the Marines by capturing the 99-pound title in convincing fashion.

Teemer, who a week earlier won the Qualifying Tournament crown, lived up to the No. 1 seed on the big stage to become the 62nd county champ in Long Beach High School history. He built an early lead against Wantagh’s Jonathan Loew in last Sunday night’s final and emerged victorious with a 7-3 decision.

“Jacori is so quick and athletic, and has great agility,” Marines coach Ray Adams said. “I thought he had a great chance to win it. When he doesn’t sit back and wrestles the way he can wrestle, he’s really tough to beat. I’m really proud of him.”

Teemer went 4-0 in the county tournament after receiving a first-round bye. He’ll represent Long Beach at the New York State Championships on Feb. 28 and March 1 at the Times Union Center in Albany. “Jacori came through our youth Gladiator program under coach Miguel Rodriguez,” Adams said. “He’s a student of the game and wrestles smart. Both of his losses came in the Eastern States Tournament, which is the toughest in the state, and great things are possible for him in Albany.”

Teemer raised his record to 38-2. He opened the county tournament last Saturday by pinning Great Neck South’s Rubin Smith in 1:52 in the second round. He then won a 5-0 decision over Ivan Gallardo of Roslyn in the quarterfinals to advance to the next day. In the semis the following morning, he defeated Shane Gibbons of Garden City, 9-3.

Teemer was one of 21 Marines to qualify. Two others reached the semifinals and earned All-County honors.

Freshman Matt Maquet enjoyed a big Saturday, winning decisions over Farmingdale’s Jeisson Reyes, 7-1, and Glen Cove’s Eduardo Montecer, 7-0, but came up a little short in the semifinals at 106. Mepham’s Joel Zambrano edged Maquet, 5-3, in the semis. Maquet split a pair of wrestlebacks, beating Lynbrook’s Matt Swanson 5-3 in overtime while losing to Division’s Chris Ponce, 8-3, in the third/fourth-place bout. “Matt had a great season,” Adams said of Maquet. “To finish All-County as a freshman is nothing to sneeze at. He showed a lot of guts and has a bright future.”

Senior Keith Wildstein took fifth at 160 after pinning his way to the semifinals. Wildstein dropped Calhoun’s Isaiah Arroyo in 2:53, and Manhasset’s Max Zhitnik in 3:57, before losing a 17-10 decision to Freeport’s Julius Diaz in the semis. Wildstein beat Zhitnik a second time, 4-1, in a wrestleback for fifth/sixth. “Keith was the leader of a very young team,” Adams said. “I’m very proud of him. He finished strong in his last match, so that was a good way to end his high school career.”