By STEVE SINISKI
The Rams hosted a dual meet tournament on Dec. 20 and finished 2-2 as a team.
"The [new wrestlers] get an opportunity to get in the varsity lineup and see what the competition is about," coach Mike Leonard said.
Palmer, an All-County returnee, has already taken first place at the Battle of the Beach Tournament at Long Beach on Dec. 6, and more recently earned Most Outstanding Wrestler at the two-day Sprig Gardner Tournament hosted by Calhoun and Mepham on Dec. 12 and 13.
Palmer's 4-0 performance at the Sprig Gardner featured three pins and a thrilling 8-6 win over Kennedy's Mike Snow in triple overtime. In a match without a single takedown after regulation, Palmer scored the winning points on a turn in the final 30 seconds of the third extra session. "It was a close match," Leonard said. "An escape tied it up in the third [period]."
Clarke posted seven placewinners in the tournament, including Pereira's second place finish and third place honors for both Leonard, Jr. and sophomore Brandon Constantine (112). Juniors Gus Cabrera (152) and Chris Gaynor (189) along with freshman David Amann (103) all finished fifth.
In his third varsity season, Leonard, Jr., has already topped the 100-win mark and is rapidly closing in on the top three totals in school history. Third place is currently held by assistant coach Brett Pilgrim (112 wins), while former teammates Matt Gaynor (154) and Jordan Spirou (159) set the benchmarks just one year ago.
After starting out as a 96-pound seventh-grader, Leonard, Jr., is slowly moving up weight classes, now hitting the mats at 125 pounds, and the transitions have been seamless thanks to constant, year-round work in the weight room. He and Pereria, also a year-round wrestler, have been working with freshman John Aries, who took third at Long Beach and looks to be the next in a line of successful wrestlers for Clarke.
"He's real physical, listens and works hard," Leonard said of Aries, who benefits from working with the experienced Palmer, Leonard Jr. and Pereria on a daily basis. "He's buying into the Clarke system that we're trying to institute."
Senior Drew Goldstein (140) didn't start last season but had a strong showing at Long Beach in a fourth place finish, one of five placewinners for a Clarke team that entered only nine wrestlers. Junior Tom Randazzo has packed 20 pounds onto his frame and jumps up to 160 pounds and coach Leonard expects him to have a big impact in the new class. Ryan Lopez, also a junior, figures into the mix at 125 and 130 pounds for the Rams, who remain in Conference IV-A during the dual meet season where they'll face the likes of Seaford (four returning All-County wrestlers), Manhasset and newcomer Island Trees.
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