Thursday, October 1, 2026
Valley Stream North senior Ahkil Champagne got some redemption in the 195-pound final of the Nassau qualifying tournament, avenging an earlier loss to Ben Chase of Herricks, and led a contingency of eight Spartans at the Division I championships last weekend at Hofstra.
Champagne, who dropped his first bout of the season to Chase, needed just 1:40 to produce a title-winning pin at the qualifier hosted by Massapequa on Feb. 4. He followed up with an impressive run to the county semifinals, thanks to a huge 6-4 win over Wantagh’s Larry Baker in the quarters, and went 4-1 to take third place.
“The qualifier was redemption for him,” VSN coach Tom Maddock said of Champagne, who compiled a record of 18-5. “He was very excited. He’s improved and makes the most of a couple of really nice moves,” he added. “He didn’t have a lot of Nassau opponents this season, so he came into the county tournament as a bit of an unknown. He had a great run.”
While Champagne, who earned All-County honors, led North’s upper weights, junior Mike Winslow and sophomore Adam Amin set the tone in the lower weights. Winslow and Amin both reached the semifinals in the qualifier and finished runner-up and third, respectively at 106 pounds. Winslow had three wins, falling only to Kennedy’s Brandon Mercado in the finals, and Amin picked up four victories. During the regular season, they were workout partners and alternated at 106 and 113 in dual meets.
“Mike quietly had a nice season,” Maddock said of Winslow, who compiled a record of 17-6. “He got stronger and competed in his appropriate weight class.”
Senior Nick Romano (152) took third in the qualifier and racked up 16 wins on the campaign, the majority coming by pin. “Nick made his best move work,” Maddock said. “We’re really going to miss his leadership next year.”
The work ethic of Anthan Rajeev paid off with a third-place finish for the senior in the qualifier at 138. “He worked extremely hard and was on a mission,” Maddock said. “He’s as determined as anyone.”
Senior Rob Giuliante was North’s primary leader and managed to finish fourth in a stacked 126-pound class to punch his ticket to the county tournament. Senior Mike Veltri (145) was the Spartans’ biggest surprise and “always competed with heart,” the coach said, while senior Abdul Siddiqui benefitted from wrestling up a weight class and placed fourth at 120.
“I was real pleased with the qualifier,” Maddock said. “We had a great day.”
Qualifying champs for Central, South
It was a difficult season on the mats for Valley Stream Central, but senior Dimitry Pettaway proved a bright spot for the Eagles. Pettaway emerged as the 138-pound champion in the qualifying tournament hosted by powerhouse Long Beach and defeated Bryant Dingle of the Marines in the finals, 10-8. In the county tournament last weekend, Pettaway finished sixth, earning All-County honors, and teammate Joel Rosario (170) won three matches on Saturday and advanced to the semifinals. Rosario finished fourth.
Valley Stream South’s Tua Spigner (160) was victorious in the Plainedge qualifier, defeating Sewanhaka West’s Bayo Damolekan in the finals, 11-3.
