Marines open with a bang
Posted
Long Beach sophomore Dylan Palacio, right, is a returning county champion.
Jeff Wilson/Herald
Long Beach coach Ray Adams couldn’t have scripted a better start to the 2009-10 wrestling season as the Marines captured the 13-team Battle at the Beach Tournament thanks in large part to five champions.
Senior Oliver Astone, junior Adam D’Auguste and sophomores Dylan Palacio, Matt Gray and Mark Raghunandan finished atop their respective weight classes as Long Beach totaled 277 points. Syosset was second with 239 points and New Rochelle a distant third with 167.5.
“We’re excited about the start,” Adams said. “Syosset’s a strong team with a bunch of All-County kids. It was a real good first tournament.”
Astone, who won a 3-2 decision over Evan Kappatos of Syosset in the 285-pound final, will compete at 215 in dual meets during the regular season and return to the top weight for the county tournament. “He has All-County potential,” Adams said of Astone, who lost to Kappatos in the final of the county qualifier last season.
D’Auguste, who won a tough 1-0 decision over Brandon Gustafeste to take the title at 152, seeks a second straight All-County finish after placing fifth in Nassau at 135 as a sophomore. “He’s wrestling great so far,” Adams said.
Palacio’s first-place finish at 145 (He pinned Vinny Rossi of Lynbrook in the final) was no surprise considering what he accomplished last winter as a freshman. He’s the reigning Nassau Division I champion at 119 pounds but a growth spurt will not allow him to defend the crown as he’ll contend at 140. “Dylan grew an awful lot,” Adams explained. “It’s not a big deal what weight he’s at. I thought he’d be 130 or 135, but he’s 140. He’s physically matured and he’s got a great shot to win another county title.”
In took Gray, who pinned two opponents in last year’s county tournament, one minute to pin Clarkstown South’s Brian McLiverity in the 103-pound final. Gray, however, suffered a broken foot in practice last week and probably won’t return to the lineup until the middle of January at the earliest.
Page 1 / 2
Report an inappropriate comment
Comments