Thursday, October 1, 2026
Hewlett crowned six champions at the Nassau wrestling qualifier hosted by Long Beach last Saturday and is preparing to send between 11 and 13 representatives to the Division I individual county championship tournament this weekend at Nassau Community College.
Eric Gendlin (110 pounds), Kirk Smith (118), Jonathan Zenny (152), Josh Gendlin (160), Ryan Goodman (172) and Jacob Maiorano (285) brought home qualifier crowns for the Bulldogs, who placed second behind the host Marines in the nine-team event.
“We went 6-for-6 in the finals, which was amazing,” Hewlett coach Stephen Jones said. “I always stress peaking at the right time and I think we’re there.”
Maiorano, a senior who placed third in the county as a sophomore in the 2019-20 campaign, is ranked at the top of his weight class and looking to win a county title and advance to the state tournament Feb. 25-26 in Albany. He holds a record of 26-2 after winning all four of his qualifier bouts, including a hard-fought 4-3 decision over Lawrence’s Andres Valle, who is ranked No. 2 in the county, in the final.
“Jacob could compete at 215, but I think 285 fits his style better,” Jones said of Maiorano.
Zenny and Josh Gendlin, also seniors, are both ranked second in the county in their respective weight classes.
Zenny was a force last Saturday, Jones noted, as he recorded three pins at the qualifier leading up to a 14-4 major decision over Long Beach’s Davila Oscar in the final. Zenny has 34 wins in 41 matches on the season.
Josh Gendlin went one better than Zenny in terms of finishing off his opponents early. Gendlin was nothing short of dominant and pinned each of his four opponents in less than 10 minutes of total work. He closed a perfect day by pinning Long Beach’s Luke Anfossi in 3:46 in the finals and carries a record of 35-4 into the county tournament.
Josh’s younger brother, sophomore Eric Gendlin, earned two pins and two wins by decision in the qualifier. He’s 28-7 this winter. In the qualifier finals, he worked past South Side/East Rockaway’s Joe Souto by an 8-5 count.
Like the older Gendlin, another sophomore, Smith, pinned his way throughout the qualifier to the crown. Smith has an All-County campaign under his belt as a sixth-place finisher two seasons ago and has loftier goals, Jones noted. Smith’s 32nd win of the season was a pin of Long Beach’s Konner Rosensweig in 3:57 in the qualifier finals.
A pair of byes limited Goodman’s action in the qualifier to three matches, and the junior came through with all pins en route to the title. He’s 22-7 following a victory in 4:32 over Oceanside’s Jared Marine in the final.
Of Hewlett’s other county qualifiers, junior Ariel Waldman will be one to watch on the big stage next weekend, Jones said. Waldman entered the qualifier ranked first in the county at 126 pounds but was picked off in the semis by Long Beach’s Michael Berube, 7-4, and placed third.
