Thursday, October 1, 2026
Wantagh qualified a county record 27 wrestlers for the Nassau Division I championships at Hofstra last weekend, but only one of the youthful Warriors managed to advance to the finals.
Justin Vines, who last season as a freshman helped Wantagh capture a fifth consecutive team crown by finishing runner-up at 99 pounds, kept his perfect sophomore campaign going Sunday night and capped a title run with a 9-8 decision over Farmingdale’s Kevin DePalma in the finals at 113.
“I’m very excited,” said Vines, who upped his record to 39-0 and is set to represent Wantagh at the state championships Feb. 26-27 at the Times Union Center in Albany. “I wrestled DePalma earlier in the season and beat him 3-1,” he added. “I was expecting the same type of defensive struggle, but it didn’t turn out that way. I just did what I needed to do to get one more point than him.”
Seeded No. 1, Vines cruised through the second round and quarterfinals after getting an opening-round bye. He pinned Freeport’s Chad Elder in his first match last Saturday, then pinned Long Beach’s Dylan Martinsen in the quarters. In Sunday afternoon’s semifinals, Vines prevailed over Michael Nihas of Port Washington by pin with 15 seconds left.
“I never take anyone for granted,” Vines said. “Last year’s experience helped me 100 percent. I didn’t want to let anyone down. We’ve got a great team and a lot of guys finished All-County, and I wanted to win this for my teammates too.”
Wantagh coach Paul Gillespie thought Vines controlled the action against DePalma, who was seeded No. 2. “It got a little hairy when Justin didn’t keep the pressure on, but he had the lead most of the way,” Gillespie said. “He’s a tremendous competitor, and he’s got great confidence. I really believe he can be All-State.”
The Warriors had eight others finish in the top six of their respective weight classes to reach the All-County podium, including sophomore Charles Maier who won an impressive six bouts, giving Wantagh first and fourth at 113. Maier won four straight after falling to DePalma in the quarters. Junior Michael Killard (120) placed third in arguably the toughest bracket in the county, sophomore James Langan was fifth at 132, sophomore Jonathan Loew was sixth at 138, junior Robert Marshall was sixth at 152, junior Nick Coppola was fifth at 182, and junior Pat Smith took sixth at 285.
“It’s exciting,” Gillespie said. “Everyone we placed is coming back next season.”
