Sports
Hughes a Champion at Smithtown Wrestling Tournament
East and West combine for three finalists, 24 place winners.
Smithtown East and West placed a total of three wrestlers in the finals of the annual Smithtown Wrestling Tournament Saturday at Smithtown East High School, with West’s Michael Hughes winning a championship at 285 pounds.
It was the second tournament title of the season for Hughes, a sophomore, who helped West place fourth in the team standings with 185.5 points. East placed third overall with 202 points, led by Luke Outcault and Casey O’Malley, who each finished in second place in their respective weight classes.
Longwood had nine individual champions and edged out Connetquot for the team title by 4.5 points, finishing with 305.5.
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Hughes was one of 10 place winners for West and improved to 19-3 on the season by going 3-0 in the tournament, with three pins. Hughes, seeded third at 285, defeated top seed Rami Saad El-din of Half Hollow Hills East in the finals, pinning him in 2:55.
“A lot of people have helped me out this season,” said Hughes, who won a championship at the North Babylon Tournament in December. Hughes had not faced Saad El-din prior to Saturday’s tournament, but had a solid game plan nonetheless.
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“I knew he liked to do bear hugs and stuff, so I just tried to counteract him,” Hughes said.
“We’re pleased,” said West coach Ken Leverich of his team’s performance. “We avenged some losses from Wednesday [loss to East] and it’s always good to see improvement, taking a step forward.”
Outcault was the top seed at 135 pounds and met second-ranked Andrew Stock of Longwood in the finals. Outcault took a 1-0 lead in the second period, but Stock scored a takedown midway through the third and the score held, with Stock winning a 2-1 decision.
O’Malley, the third seed at 145 pounds, faced off against top seed Nick Hall of Longwood in the finals, and Hall won on a pin in 1:41. Hall is ranked No. 1 in Suffolk County Division I at 145.
East had 14 place winners in 11 weight classes. “We did okay,” said East coach Dave Cummings. “Longwood and Connetquot are two of the top teams in the county, but we did well. We lost some we should have won, but we probably won a couple we should have lost.”
East had two third-place finishers in Eric Binder (140) and Branson Berger (119). Darius Caporaso (96), Justin Burns (112), Nick Oliveri (160) and Jordan Alperin (285) each placed fourth. Sixth-place finishers included Jack Truncale (96), Dan Burns (119), Tyler Vigliarolo (125), Don Riordan (130), Scott Price (145) and Pat Falk (189).
West had four third-place finishers in Nicholas Hoffmann (96), Chris Ardizzone (103), Joe Giamis (112) and Joe Nappi (160). Joe Hunsucker placed fourth at 145. Patric Dudek (125), Victor Iacono (130), Justin Pardo (152) and Nick Dellepace (215) each placed fifth.
Anthony Abidin of Hills East was named the tournament’s Most Outstanding Wrestler.
The Smithtown tournament has been held for more than 20 years, and the East and West high schools share hosting duties, alternating each year. The tournament included participation by Grand Street Campus in Brooklyn, which placed seventh in the team standings. Grand Street is coached by Smithtown graduates John Zarcone (’96) and Sean Egan (’04).
Smithtown Wrestling Tournament
- Longwood 305.5
- Connetquot 301
- Smithtown East 202
- Smithtown West 185.5
- Calhoun 107.5
- Half Hollow Hills East 107
- Grand Street Campus 106
- Wingate 83
