On the heels of a fourth-place country finish last season, fifth-year Freeport wrestling coach Matt Cellan is looking to continue to move the needle this winter.
Cellan said with a few wrestlers capable of high podium finishes, the Red Devils have the chance to place among the top three team scores during the Nassau County Division I wrestling championships at Hofstra’s Mack Sports Complex in February.
“Last year we took fourth in the county and 'd like to get higher than that and place in the top three,” Cellan said. “We’re trying to win individual county championships and state championships and that's always the expectation.”
Freeport qualified 14 wrestlers for the individual county championships last year and will look to exceed that total this season with a number of returners who gained experience on the big stage at Hofstra.
Freshman Christian Mccravey shined as an eighth grader at 101 pounds with a third place showing in the counties. Mccravey will compete in the 116-pound weight class this season and look to reach the New York State Championships in Albany after just missing out on a trip upstate in first varsity campaign.
Senior Jahari Lloyd at 124 pounds also has potential for a county championship run after placing fifth at 116 last season.
“He is an absolute stud and got so much better putting in a great offseason of lifting and wrestling,” said Cellan of Lloyd. “We're looking for him to hopefully maybe win the tournament and then go upstate.”
Anthony Velasquez is another veteran looking to make a big splash as a senior following an All-County performance where he placed fifth at 170 during his junior season.
The Red Devils boast two strong heavyweights with the ability to go deep into the county championships in Edwin Aracena and John Saraldi. The teammates often faced each other in tournaments last season, splitting six matches.
“They're gonna wrestle each other a bunch of times this year,” said Cellan of his heavyweight duo. “They are both guys who could be right up there with anyone.”
Junior Kerry Ellis will also look to reach the podium at 138 this season. He won a county qualifier at 131 as a sophomore.
Sophomore Noah Rowe brings leadership to the team as one of four captains along with Lloyd, Aracena and Velasquez.
“All four of them have matured throughout the years and they're totally different kids from when they were ninth graders and they took on a leadership role with the younger kids,” Cellan said of his captains. “They've done a really good job of taking the younger guys and teaching them how to practice and how to do things the right way.”
Junior Kelvin Abreu is another wrestler making strides this season at 145 and Cellan hopes he gets rewarded with some big wins on the mat.
Cellan pieced together a challenging schedule to prepare his wrestlers for the postseason which includes a tournament at Cold Spring Harbor. The county qualifiers are scheduled for Feb. 8 followed by the individual county championships at Hofstra on Feb. 15-16.
