By STEVE SINISKI
Kennedy wrestlers could have been satisfied with moral victories. They could have been content to merely give their all at last weekend's Nassau County Division I Wrestling Tournament at Nassau Community College. But a funny thing happened when the Cougars took the mat against the best the county had to offer. They dug deep on numerous occasions, unlocked an inner strength and pulled out some of the most dramatic matches of the two-day tournament.
It all started with senior Jared Plafker, a 160-pounder, whose second-place finish at the County Qualifier two weeks ago earned him a berth at the County Tournament. Forced to wrestle five matches on the first day alone, Plafker posted a 4-1 record that included a 6-5 double-overtime thriller in his opening bout. Trailing 5-4 in the second extra period, Plafker escaped from the bottom position for the two-point swing and a heart-stopping victory.
"Everything that we always expected him to do, he did," Kennedy Coach Brian DeGaetano said of his senior, who ended his career as an All-County wrestler. "He ended up sixth, losing [another] double-overtime match. He wrestled seven matches in two days and had the best tournament of his career."
Michael Maher posted the highest finish of any Cougar at the tournament, taking third place at 130 pounds, and appears primed to continue his ascent up the wrestling ladder. He gave eventual champion Andre Harrison of Freeport a run for his money before falling short 5-3 in decision. Maher also knocked off Mepham's Adam Starr, 3-0, in an opening round match that was a scoreless tie with 24 seconds left. The road to an All-County performance and a 4-1 mark last weekend wasn't an easy one, but the end result packs a long-lasting punch.
"Mike [Maher] didn't have the confidence [that he could be among the best]," DeGaetano said. "But I think the third-place finish got him over the hump. He had a great tournament."
Sophomore Michael Breman earned the Cougars' third All-County berth, bouncing back from a first-round defeat to win his next three matches. The exclamation mark came in the battle to get to the place round, as Breman pulled out an overtime decision to give himself an opportunity to wrestle for fifth place. He scored the decisive point with just two seconds remaining.
If there were an award given for the tournament's most inspiring performance, it would go to Dominic Russo, hands down. The 152-pounder suffered a swollen eye after being slammed to the mat in his first bout. During the two-day tournament, it grew so large that Russo could barely see out of it. Though he trailed at the time of the eye injury, Russo scored an escape and takedown in the final 40 seconds of the initial match to win a 5-4 decision. He would wrestle three more matches, losing a battle with eventual champion Santo Getz of Mepham, which ultimately knocked him from All-County contention.
"We used up all the injury time [when Russo was initially hurt]," DeGaetano said. "As the tournament went on it, just kept growing. [His effort and dedication] show how important the tournament is."
James Mills fell two points short in his bid for All-County honors, dropping an 8-6 decision to Yusuf Adkins of Freeport. The sophomore, who finished 2-2 at the two-day event, did make some big inroads against the quality competition.. Like so many of his teammates, Mills is gearing up for the long haul at Kennedy.
"All of our starters [except for] Plafker are returning, and every starter has been to the County Tournament," DeGaetano said. "We turned a lot of heads at the counties. It makes the off-season even more critical because the guys know how close they are."
