Thursday, October 1, 2026
It was only fitting the Bellmore-Merrick wrestling teams enjoyed a great deal of success in the 50th annual Sprig Gardner Tournament held Dec. 12-13.
Held in honor of the iconic National Wrestling Hall of Fame coach who led Mepham from 1936 to 1958 and won an incredible 100 straight meets or tournaments culminating in 1946, Massapequa captured the half-century old version of the event whilst Kennedy (second place), Calhoun (fourth) and Mepham (fifth) produced its share of strong performances.
“Just an outstanding weekend,” said Kennedy coach Brian DeGaetano, who has coached the Cougars since 1994-95 season and earned his 400th dual meet victory Dec. 11. “The tournament was probably the best in terms of competitiveness since I’ve been here.”
The Cougars crowned three champions, Calhoun two and Mepham one.
“I believe this team has potential to be the best I’ve ever had,” DeGaetano said.
Kennedy junior Jared Eisenberg recorded the only pin of the finals, taking down Bellport’s Jason Tyson in 5:49 to capture the 138-pound title. He also earned the John Walters Most Falls in Least Time Award, recording four falls in 11:29.
At 157, Kennedy’s Harlan Chugerman, who last season as a sophomore was county runner up and a state qualifier, outlasted Massapequa’s Joseph Brooks in a thrilling 4-1 overtime victory, earning the George Munnich Outstanding Wrestler Award in the process.
“Jared and Harlan’s finals were just unreal,” DeGaetano said. “Those guys know how to get out of tough spots. Both were very poised in the finals and that was the difference.”
Now a sophomore, Peter Mikedis added to his rich history in the Sprig with a 15-0 tech fall victory over East Meadow’s Matthew Amy in the 175-pound final. Mikedis, a state qualifier, is still the only seventh-grader to win the Sprig, doing so in December of 2022 at 126 pounds. “Peter’s the real deal,” DeGaetano said.
The Cougars also had a pair of runners-up with sophomore Jason Brodack, a returning All-County finisher, coming up just short to Calhoun’s Zachary Gubba, 4-2, at 118, and junior Hendrick Capo battling Massapequa’s Kai Tiringer to a 9-6 bout at 150.
Calhoun’s Colin Gallagher captured the 103-pound crown with a win over Mepham’s Daniel Corcoran in the finals. The Colts also had Matteo Dowling in the finals at 110. Mepham’s champ was at 190 with Jason Martin. The Pirates’ Christopher Notti was runner-up at 144.
“Barring any injuries or illness, the sky’s the limit for us,” DeGaetano said.
Sprig Gardner’s legacy
Dubbed “The father of New York State Wrestling,” Gardner compiled a stunning overall record of 254-5-1 with 40 tournament titles and 106 individual sectional champions in 22 seasons. The Pirates won 18 consecutive South Shore titles and 17 Sectional championships.
In his final season, 1958, Mepham finished 20-0 and had nine sectional champs out of 12 weight classes totaling 186 points — more than the combined total of the next 10 teams.
None of these records have come close to being equaled.
