By Tom Jordan
That same evening the wrestling team downed Lynbrook, 38-24, thus winning the Mayor's Trophy Cup for the first time in the seven-year history of the event. The boys' basketball team used some narrow non-conference losses as a springboard to a very successful season. In fact, South Side's basketball teams flaunted a combined 18-3 record -- 9-1 for the girls and 9-2 for the boys -- in league games heading into Feb. 11. And all Mike Davey's wrestlers did was win their first six matches on their way to a 11-3 overall mark.
With Nassau County wrestling qualifying meets scheduled for Sat., Feb. 15, and the basketball playoffs nearing, the most crucial portion of the season is at hand.
A look at where the South Side teams stand, and what's on the horizon:
Wrestling
Matt Beck's pin of his opponent in the 103-pound weight class locked up the Cyclones win in the Mayor's Trophy Cup. Beck, a freshman, is just one of the keys to South Side's success. He followed his impressive debut with another victory in a Dec. 17 win over Mepham, a notoriously strong team. He won his third straight match with a pin in a Dec. 28 victory over Wantagh.
"He can be a good one," Davey said. "He's tough and he's not afraid."
South Side went on to beat Valley Stream Central, Westbury and Great Neck South before losing to Port Washington on Jan. 15. They followed with wins over Herricks, Hicksville, Carle Place, Valley Stream North and Garden City before losing to Massapequa and Freeport.
Beck, Jeff Stein, Matt Morgan, Phil Garry, Pete Garry and Eric Roehrig were dependable grapplers.
At the qualifying tournament, the top four finishers in each weight class at each of six locations -- MacArthur, Massapequa, Mineola, Locust Valley and Long Beach -- advance to the Nassau Tournament.
Girls Basketball
With tremendous energy on defense and balanced scoring, Walter Denton's Lady Cyclones have raced out to a 9-1 record in Conference II. And they will have a chance to avenge their only defeat, a 51-49 loss to Valley Stream Central, when the two teams square off in the final regular-season game at the South Side Gymnasium on Feb. 13. The Cyclones have road games with Lawrence and Garden City this week.
After their opening win over Baldwin, the Cyclones wrapped up the Lady Cyclones Holiday Tournament with a 47-33 win over Sewanhaka. The outlasted Hewlett in the league opener before winning the Lady Devils Tournament in early January with triumphs over host Freeport and Wantagh.
On Jan. 10, the Cyclones beat Carey, 65-36, to give Denton his 300th career coaching victory, making him one of only five coaches in Nassau County girls basketball to accomplish 300 victories.
Since falling short in the wild game at Valley Stream Central, the Cyclones have won three straight as they set their sights on the playoffs. Christine Abrams, Brittani Payton, Candyce Payton, Loreen Lawrence, Brittany Morrissey, Katherine Stritzl, Jackie Goldstein and Kelly Arnone have all played important roles.
Boys Basketball
Jerry D'Angelo didn't panic when his Cyclones started their season with losses to Holy Trinity, Lawrence Woodmere and Farmingdale. In fact, he was encouraged by the way his young and smallish team hustled. That hustle, along with some clutch shooting and strong defense, has been on display all season.
The Cyclones got their first win over Garden City on Dec. 26, 63-22. They knew they'd turned the corner when they used a 31-21 second-half advantage to outlast Calhoun on Jan. 3. After a loss to Baldwin on Jan. 6, they won five straight before dropping a rematch with the Bruins on Jan. 24. They've since beaten Hempstead, East Meadow and Garden City. They'll face Mepham in the season finale on Feb. 12.
Nassau County playoffs are scheduled to begin on Thurs., Feb. 13.
As is the case with the girls squad, D'Angelo's Cyclones are deep. Their frenetic style of defense mandates a deep bench, and D'Angelo shows no reluctance to go nine and sometimes 10 deep. Matt Simoneschi, Kevin Coughlan, Nate Smith, Alex Anderson, Mike Cove, Kevin Riley and Tommy Walsh are regulars in the rotation. The team is comprised of two seniors and 12 juniors, and none is taller than 6-4. While their lack of experience and size may hurt them in the end, the Cyclones have shown enough heart and hustle to enter the playoffs with confidence.
It's been a great season, but now it's crunch time for South Side sports.
