By STEVE SINISKI
The No. 1-ranked program in New York State, Islip, managed to rally in the finals against East Meadow at the Long Island Challenge, taking a 35-24 battle that was undecided heading into the final bout with Islip clinging to a five-point advantage. ³We went toe-to-toe with the best in the state,² East Meadow coach Tom Reynolds said. ³We hope we get that chance again.²
Another opportunity could come this weekend, as the Jets and Islip are both members of a 16-team field headed to the Union-Endicott Dual Meet Tournament, and the team that takes the championship will be ranked No. 1 in the state. The Jets enter with a ranking of No. 7 in New York, which was released earlier in the week. Last year¹s winner, Johnson City, as well as Islip, and 14 of the top 15 teams in the state will be in the field.
Sal Hanna¹s already posted a 20-4 mark overall and become one of the more electric wrestlers around. All four of his defeats have been to All-State wrestlers, including a pair to last year¹s state champion, and a third to Islip¹s Paul Vaeth, an 11-10 overtime decision last Friday.
³It was a great match,² Reynolds said. ³He¹s [Hanna] becoming known as one of the most exciting wrestlers and is very entertaining. The best thing for him to become better is to go after [the top wrestlers].²
Phil Thomas broke an earlier tie score between East Meadow and Islip with a pin at the 5:19 mark of his 171-pound bout in the championship round. And his first-round win by technical fall in an opening round battle with Sayville, a 31-30 win by the Jets, also paid dividends in the finals. At the time of his first win, East Meadow had opened a 13- point lead, clinching the team win. Knowing the type of tough road ahead the Jets forfeited the final two matches of the first round, allowing several wrestlers an opportunity for an early breather. One of the wrestlers held out at the time in the 189-pound class, Joe Lauri, won his championship bout, a hotly contested 7-5 decision.
³If he had a tough match earlier he may not have had the energy [in the finals],² Reynolds said, noting the grueling matches every wrestler faces in a tournament featuring the top teams on Long Island.
Prior to taking second place at the Long Island Challenge, East Meadow posted a strong showing in Orlando. Hanna (8-0 at 152 pounds), Tom Rispoli (7-0, 135) and Jimmy Pannullo (7-1 at 103 pounds) paved the way in a tournament whose benefits went far beyond the action on the mats. ³It was a tremendous experience and we hope to gain a lot of positive results from traveling together and the experience of getting to know each other,² Reynolds said.
Heading into this Saturday¹s tournament, the Jets boast a lineup that includes seven wrestlers who¹ve already won at least 14 matches. Hanna leads the way with 20, followed by Rispoli (19-3 at 135 pounds), Jimmy Mustakis (19-3, 125), Cory Krimmer (18-5, 112), Dan O¹Leary (18-5, 140), Rob Mancino (18-5, 112), Panullo (15-4,103) and Bobby Abbate (14-4, 140).
