By Steve Siniski
Although they¹re only sophomores in class status, the two wrestlers each earned All County honors last Sunday by finishing within the top six of their respective weight classes.
Quinn, a 135-pounder, walked away with fourth-place for his first All-County nomination. Left with a tough draw that included a bout with the No. 2 seed in the class in his second match on Saturday, Quinn fought his way back from the defeat through the wrestle-backs. He fell just short of third place in a 7-4 decision to Dan Eberlein of Island Trees.
Williams, meanwhile, was right on Quinn¹s heels. He took fifth place with a 4-3 decision over Seaford¹s Brian Fisher in his final match of the weekend. _
³Both sophomores [hoped] to do well,² Baldwin coach Mike Robinson said. ³I¹m glad they finished All County and happy with their performance. It gives them a good base for next year.²
More importantly, the Bruins get a huge boost based on the return of all seven wrestlers who qualified for last weekend¹s season-ending tournament. Joining Quinn and Williams were Vinny Pecora (96 pounds), Nick Krokowski (103), Gerard Quinn (112), Vinny Famularo (119), and Kwaku Boah (215). All will be back on the mats next year and its clear that Baldwin¹s strength currently lies in the lower weight classes.
Simply gaining the experience of a week of practice much different from the norm ‹ coupled with wrestling under intense game-day conditions while being surrounded by the best the county has to offer ‹ can keep the competitive juices flowing well into the off-season.
³We practiced intensely,² Robinson said of the week leading up to the championships. ³We went to Calhoun and Wantagh [for scrimmages] to try and see the top [wrestlers] before the county tournament.²
Famularo, an All-County performer last season, just missed out on earning the honor a second time. The 119-pounder came up one victory shy of the placing round.
³He had a great match in the quarterfinals,² Robinson said of the bout. ³It came down to a 30-second ride-out and [Famularo] won the match. It was an exciting victory, and every match was great.²
Boah, who was one of two Bruins to take home an individual championship at the Nassau County Qualifiers on February 11, continued to open eyes at C.W. Post. He kicked off his first-ever appearance with a match against the eventual County Champion at 215 pounds, Uniondale¹s Eric Burnett. Despite coming up on the losing end in the battle, Boah bounced back with a victory the next time out, before dropping out in the third round.
³From day one he was young and raw but gotten better and better,² Robinson said. ³He sees he¹s getting better and is excited about winning [the Qualifiers]. That¹s going to motivate him.²
The final two weeks of the season served as a measuring stick for the Bruins, who aged considerably in terms of mat experience. If success is built one brick at a time, Baldwin has two pillars in Williams and Quinn, along with a solid foundation anchored by its five other Nassau County Championship performers.
³It was a great weekend,² Robinson said. ³We¹re young, but when we come back we¹re not really young anymore. The experience is the difference for next year. We¹ll have different expectations and goals.²
