Photos courtesy of East Islip School District
East Islip High School’s varsity wrestling team recently captured the Suffolk County Division I Dual Meet Championship in front of over 1,500 spectators at Bay Shore High School. Led by captains Stephen Coleman, Sebastian Regis, Justin Shayew and James Sturek, The Redmen were able to defeat William Floyd, Northport and Connetquot before facing the tough defending champions Brentwood in the finals.
The final match was highlighted by wins from Anthony Avitabile, Coleman, Rocco DeStefano, Regis, Shayew and Chris Trahey. East Islip (25-0) went down early but made a tremendous comeback, erasing a 12-point deficit and winning four straight matches in order to take the title, 29-27. Shayew began the winning streak with a 5-1 decision, followed by an exciting overtime victory by Trahey. Avitabile was then able to defeat his opponent by technical fall, 18-3. Coleman then came through with a pin in the first period to put the Redmen ahead for good.
“This was the first time in school history that the Redmen were crowned as Suffolk’s best Dual Meet team,” coach Michael Longobardi said. “The excitement of the event was felt by all in attendance as many spectators said the final match was the best they have seen in years.”
East Islip High School’s varsity wrestling team finished in the top four in the NYSPHSAA Dual Meet Championships on Jan. 28
This performance qualified East Islip for the NYSPHSAA Dual Meet Championships on Jan. 28 at Arena at Onondaga Community College in Syracuse. After losing a close match to Ballston Spa in the first round, the Redmen rebounded with a big victory over Hilton High School. East Islip’s wrestlers were able to advance to the final four due to criteria that put them ahead of their previous opponents. Unfortunately, they lost in the semifinals to eventual second-place finishers Minisink Valley.
“When all was said and done, we were one of the top four teams in New York State out of over 500 programs,” said Longobardi, now in his eighth year as head coach. “This was a tremendous accomplishment, as the wrestling program had never reached these heights before, raising the bar for all future teams. It was a huge accomplishment by all involved in the program as everyone on the starting team was once part of the East Islip Kid Wrestling program.”
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