MacArthur wrestlers eyeing states

The MacArthur wrestling program sent four wrestlers to the New York State Championships in Albany last winter and is looking to once again have a presence in MVP Arena this season.
Two of those state championship qualifiers have graduated in county champions Benjamin Velasquez (215 pounds) and Paul Lichter (152), but 15th-year MacArthur coach Rob Paletta still brings back plenty of firepower capable of producing on the big stage.
Sophomore Vincent Orandello was one of the four who reached states last year after placing second in the Nassau County individual championships with a 1-0 defeat in the 102-pound finals to Long Beach’s Ethan Andreula. Orandello was ranked second in the county at 101 pounds behind Andreula in mid-December. 
Senior Charles Bergonzi also qualified for states last year with third place county finish at 102 and is looking for another high podium finish this winter competing in either the 108 or 101 weight classes. Bergonzi is ranked third in the county at 101 early in the season.
Junior Jonathan Fox also has a solid chance to reach the states after placing fourth in the county at 126 as a sophomore. Fox was ranked second at 124 in December and is expected to compete at either 131 or 138 come championship time in February,. 

Paletta also has high hopes for junior Matthew Lichter,  the younger brother of Paul, who is coming off a fifth place finish placed fifth at 118 to earn All-County honors. Another part of the successful family who could emerge as an All-County wrestler is freshman Andy Lichter, who is competing at 101. 
Senior Luke Burke is another wrestler who could reach the podium at counties at 145. He was ranked fifth in the county in December. 
“He should be an All County kid this year,” said Paletta of Burke. “He’s put his time in and he had a good offseason.”
Sophomore Jack Healy (152) and junior Thomas Bennett (190) are also showing strides with potential to reach the podium. 
To prepare for the big championship deciding matches, Paletta has pieced together a challenging dual meet schedule that included December tournaments at Hewlett, Cold Spring, Sachem North and Plainedge, which is ranked as the top team in the county. MacArthur defeated Manhasset and tied Suffolk County power East Islip. 
The Generals will compete in the Eastern State Duals on Jan. 12-13 at Sullivan Community in Loch Sheldrake, N.Y. against the state’s best teams just before the county dual meet championships on Jan. 20 at Clarke High School in Westbury. 
“We try to prepare our guys with good stiff competition,” said Paletta, who placed second in the counties in 1991 while wrestling for MacArthur. “Hopefully we have two or three county champions, four or five All-County guys and another solid season.”
The Nassau County individual championships are set for Feb. 10-11 at Hofstra University’s Mack Sports Complex. The New York State Championships will be back at MVP Arena in Albany on Feb. 23-24.