He said he wanted to go to Post to follow in the footsteps of his sister, but the school did not have wrestling when he graduated from Wantagh. A year later, the program was back, and the new coach just happened to be Joe Patrovich, whom his father, Mark, had coached and who was a family friend. “I’ll always work hard for a guy like that,” Grillo said.

Of coming to Post, with a familiar coach and a familiar teammate in Turano, who is also his roommate this year, Grillo said it was “the easiest transition ever.”

He said he got his start wrestling in second grade, when his dad coached a program for children at Wantagh High School that was run by a group of fathers. After winning his first ever match, he was hooked.

“All three of them wrestled for a great program, obviously, and we wanted guys who knew how to wrestle, win and go about it the right way,” Patrovich said. “Bringing the program back was huge, and we needed good people and good wrestlers, and those three guys represent that. Two of them start for us right now and the other helps out a lot. It’s all about people and working hard, and those guys do that all the time.”

Wantagh isn’t the only high school with three graduates on the team: Patchogue-Medford shares that distinction. On the roster of 21, all but two are from Long Island.

Grillo is majoring in psychology with a minor in journalism, Langan hopes to become a physical therapist and Turano is studying information technology.

The three Wantagh grads say they are pleased with the direction of the program, and all are looking to do their part to build its reputation. They know that while wrestling is about individual matches, it still takes a team effort to succeed.

“I really like it because I feel really close to my teammates,” said Turano, whose goal is to be a national champion. “The coaching we have is awesome. It just feels like a family here.”

Post’s next match is this Thursday against American International College at the Pratt Recreation Center in Brookville, and the season ends with the NCAA Super Region 1 Tournament on Feb. 26 and 27 in Erie, Pa.