By TONY BELLISSIMO
A year after finishing runner-up to Long Beach's Tom Moriarty for the Nassau wrestling 140-pound championship, victories over two of the county's best 145-pounders allowed Lynbrook senior Matt Giordano to claim a long-awaited title on Sunday evening at Nassau Community College.
Giordano, who was seeded fourth after winning a qualifying tournament the previous weekend, upset No. 1-ranked Maurice Stona of Uniondale in the semis, 10-4, then edged Sal Hanna of East Meadow in the final, 5-4 in double overtime.
"Last year's tournament feels like it took place yesterday and that's what drove me all season long," said Giordano, who advanced to compete in the state championships in Albany's Pepsi Center on March 4-5. "Coming in second was such a disappointment and I didn't want it to happen again. This weekend was nerve-racking and tiring, but I knew if I went out there and wrestled at my own tempo that I'd have a good shot."
Giordano lost to Stona earlier this season by a 12-9 count and had beaten Hanna 9-7 on Feb. 12 in the final of the East Meadow qualifier.
"The game plan for Matt was to be aggressive and that's exactly what he did," Owls Coach Bob Bennett said. "He had some big takedowns against Stona right away and it put him in control of the bout. In the championship, he took bottom to start the second overtime and escaped to win it. It's a huge accomplishment."
Giordano, who went 4-0 over the weekend, knew he still had another hurdle after knocking off Stona. "I knew I'd be in for a dogfight [with Hanna]," he said. "Being that we just wrestled the previous week, we knew each other well and that usually means a close match. He's a strong kid, especially for a sophomore."
Giordano will spend the next week-and-a-half practicing with the other 14 county champions in preparation for states. He said playing on the big stage in lacrosse and football should help him cope with the capacity crowd expected in Albany.
All told, six Lynbrook wrestlers competed in the county championships. Aside from Giordano, freshman Matt Gill had an impressive showing at 171 pounds by winning two matches. "He has a bright future," Bennett said of Gill. Senior Brian Vacchio (140), junior Harry Sollog (160) and sophomores Nick Scaglione (112) and Chris Kuchta (215) also qualified.
