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Mostly Cloudy Nice start for Sewanhaka West
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Sewanhaka West's Miguel Ponce, top, was runner-up at 171 pounds in the Battle at the Beach Tournament in Long Beach to start the season.
Jeff Wilson/Herald
Fourth-year head coach Rocco Sorace continues to build the Sewanhaka West wrestling program. Over 50 young men took to the mats for tryouts, including quite a few first- and second-year participants, so the interest in the sport continues to grow.
The team started the season on a high note with a 48-16 win in its first dual meet with Great Neck South, and strong showings in tournaments at Long Beach and Garden City.
Sorace likes the enthusiasm in the gym. “Wrestling is a sport that takes tremendous work,” Sorace said. “The boys who are a part of the program put in a lot of time and commitment. We should have a good season.” Sewanhaka West wrestling is composed of athletes from Sewanhaka, Elmont and Floral Park high schools.
Unfortunately, the team was hit hard by the injury bug, especially in the lower weight classes. The team will be without seniors Jesse Velez, Carlo Perez and Joe Haneman in 2009-10. Sorace believed that all three were set to have strong senior seasons. “I’m so disappointed for the guys,” Sorace said. “They worked so hard, and had so much potential. I’m not one to make excuses, but this makes things tough for us in the lightweights.”
Looking to take advantage of the opportunity to wrestle at the varsity level is freshman Anthony Casso. He provides hope at the 112-pound weight class. At 140 pounds, senior Chris DeJesus, a visually-impaired athlete, provides teammates and opponents with inspiration through his will to compete. Junior Roberto Francis also competes at 140.
Vastly improved captain Craig Barry will compete in the 145-pound class, with junior Danny Cedeno handling the responsibilities at the 152-pound level. A solid wrestler at 160 is Nick Roberts, a sophomore from Elmont. Roberts was the champion of the six-team meet at Garden City. Kellenberg, Suffern, Scarsdale, Garden City and Great Neck North also competed.
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