By:Tony Bellissimo
Senior Jon Solis (275 pounds) and sophomore Dan Giuliante (171) were nothing short of spectacular in winning their respective weight classes. The duo went on to represent the Spartans and Section VIII at the New York State Championships last weekend at the University of Buffalo. Solis, who has competed since seventh grade, earned All-State honors by finishing fifth with a 3-2 record.
Jon ended the season on a great note, Maddock said. He put on a dominating performance to win the county and held his own at the states. He gave me a hug when it was all over, and I could tell how happy he was. He-s come a long way, and I couldn-t be happier for him.
Giuliante went up against more experienced wrestlers both in the county and state tournaments, and put himself on the map by going 3-0 to claim the Nassau title at a weight few underclassmen have claimed in the past. He was pinned by both of his opponents at the state tournament last weekend.
Just to get a taste of states was a positive for Dan, Maddock said. It-s only going to motivate him more.
Giuliante-s road to the county title went through Andrew Predon of Cold Spring Harbor (whom he pinned in 2 minutes, 16 seconds), Will Romero of Oyster Bay (pinned in 3:04) and finally Chris McElroy of Seaford (5-3 decision). Giuliante finished the season at 16-5.
Solis was 22-4 overall and collected a pair of pins at the county tournament as well as in Buffalo. He took care of Friends Academy-s Mike Negron in 1:26 and North Shore-s Andrew Stern in 58 seconds to win the Nassau championship, then recovered from an opening loss at states to register back-to-back pins and secure his spot on the All-State podium.
All told, six Spartans wrestlers earned All-County honors. A top-four finish was required to achieve such status.
Junior Chris Zappia was runner-up at 135 pounds, losing to North Shore-s Eddie Murray in the final, while sophomore Mustafa Telab was second at 125, falling to Kyle Simensky of Locust Valley. Sophomore Phil Pepe took second at 160, coming up short in the title bout against Tom Reinwald of Friends Academy. Sophomore Ilan Leas was third at 140.
All the kids put up a pretty good fight, Maddock said. I-m pleased with how they competed in the qualifier and the counties. I thought there might be a sense of satisfaction with the qualifier, but there wasn-t. Even the guys that lost went down fighting.
It was a great year for our program, and we-ll look to use it as a springboard.
