With Wantagh trailing MacArthur by one point with two matches remaining in the Division 1 Dual Meet Tournament Jan. 22, Luke Janosko and Ben Rogers brought home the program's first team championship in four years.
Janosko pinned MacArthur's Mark Napoli in the 160-pound match and Rogers sealed the championship with a technical fall win against Allan Fernanzes at 172 pounds.
“My confidence level was high with those boys,” said 11th-year Wantagh head coach Paul Gillespie of Janosko and Rogers. “They stepped up.”
The 38-28 win at Jericho High School sent the Warriors into the Dual Meet State Championships at SRC Arena and Events Center in Syracuse last Saturday where it finished second after falling to defending champion Minisink Valley in the finals.
During the county championship showdown, Wantagh jumped out to a 27-13 lead before the Generals stormed back with three straight wins by James Jennison, Killian Foy and Paul Lichter to take a 28-27 lead. Janosko then stepped up in the clutch when Wantagh needed a victory with a pin just 1:49 into the match for a 33-28 lead. Rogers' technical fall victory then sealed the title.
After Wantagh fell behind 11-6 early, the Warriors captured the next four matches with wins by sophomore twin brothers Anthony Clem (110 pounds) and juniors Joseph Clem (118) and Ryan Arbeit (126) and Thomas Bonasera (132). Junior Noah Corwin gave Wantagh a 6-0 lead after the first match with a technical fall victory just 58 seconds in.
“I'm very proud of this group,” Gillespie said. “I'm very excited about this team because they are so young.”
The Warriors advanced to the county finals against their crosstown rivals after defeating Massapequa 36-26 in the semifinals. Wantagh handily defeated Hewlett 47-17 in the quarterfinal round.
Leading into the dual meet championships, Wantagh was riding plenty of momentum after capturing the league title with a 43-23 home win against Plainedge on Jan. 12 during senior night festivities. The Warriors also shined during Seaford High School's annual Patrick Butler Memorials Duals event with commanding victories against Long Beach, Uniondale and Seaford.
The state trip gave Wantagh a chance to bond as a team for a long bus ride upstate to compete on the big stage, which Gillespie said was extra meaningful after working so hard in the offseason.
“We have spent a lot of time in the wrestling room and tournaments in the summer going tournaments all over the place from New Jersey, Pennsylvania to upstate New York and this is their payback,” said Gillespie of the Syracuse trip. “They love representing Nassau County upstate in the dual meet championship.”
Gillespie hopes the experience competing with the state's best will prepare his team for the Nassau County individual championships slated for Feb. 12-13 at Nassau Community College in East Garden City. Those who qualify will head back upstate to compete in the individual New York State Championships at the Times-Union Center in Albany Feb. 25-26.
