By Steve Siniski
He broke a tie score late in his championship match with top-seeded Mike Pagano of Calhoun in the 140-pound weight class of the Nassau County Championships at C.W. Post last Sunday.
Seeded fifth in the weight class, Williams (36-4 overall), earned his first Nassau County Championship by scoring a two-point takedown just before the final buzzer against the previously undefeated Pagano (20-1) for a 3-1 victory.
"He was very aggressive on his feet and Pagano was great defensively," Baldwin coach Mike Robinson said. "There was a great flurry of wrestling [in the third period]. It was a great match for both kids. [Keron] stuck to the plan and did exactly what we wanted."
Williams now advances to the New York State Public High School Athletic Association Championship to be held at the Times Union Center in Albany on March 2 and 3.
"It takes a lot of mental toughness as well as physical toughness," coach Mike Robinson said of even reaching the championship round of the grueling two-day event at C.W. Post. "He's a hard worker and that's where his toughness comes from."
His title capped a banner weekend for the Bruins wrestling program as a whole. Backed by a dozen wrestlers who participated in all and four that finished with All-County honors, Baldwin ended the event tied for 11th place, achieving a team goal that was to crack the Top 15 by season's end.
"I'm so ecstatic about the performance this weekend," Robinson said. "It's momentum for next year."
Willie Quinn managed his second consecutive All-County finish by grabbing fourth place at 140 pounds. After overcoming injuries throughout the year, Quinn ran into the same buzz saw that Williams ultimately pulled the plug on Pagano. In a battle for third place,
Quinn dropped an 11-8 decision, with time more of an enemy than his opponent, Dan O'Leary of East Meadow.
Trailing 11-6 at one point, Quinn scrambled from his back for a two-point swing but couldn't get the final three points he needed before the match ended.
Sophomore Vinny Pecora (103-pound weight class) turned in one of the more surprising performances of the tournament, capturing third place. Seeded fifth at the start of the weekend, Pecora knocked off the fourth seed in the quarterfinals and eventually saw his bid for the title end with a pin at the 45-second mark by the No. 1 wrestler in the weight class, Plainedge's Matt Rich.
Pecora walked away with third place after winning a 4-2 decision over MacArthur's Sean Kempf.
"We looked at the bracket and saw he was in a great spot," Robinson said. "We were happy with the position. We knew he would place and next year he could go for it all. He's grown by leaps and bounds since last year in wrestling ability and maturity."
Senior Kwaku Boah (275) rounded out the Bruins' list of All County wrestlers with a sixth-place finish. Much like Quinn, Boah was saddled with injuries during the season but found his groove at the perfect time. Nick Krokowski (125) and Kyle Cohen (145) each won a pair of matches at C.W. Post, while Vinny Famularo (135) fell one victory shy of earning All-County honors.
"I was really surprised," Robinson said, his voice echoing the excitement of Baldwin's overall placement. "[After the first day] we were ninth. I was astounded."
