Reigning state champion Gavin Mangano is at the forefront of that conversation having already won nearly every tournament he’s set foot in since he was a varsity wrestler. Last year, not only did he win the New York State championship but he also won the NHSCA High School Nationals, the most prestigious tournament in high school wrestling, later in the year. He’s won the Eastern States Classic title three years in a row, including this year in January.

But this year also brought new challenges. He stepped into a new weight division at 138 pounds. It’s hard to say it’s been much of a challenge to Mangano, though. He skated through the Suffolk County tournament, pinning every opponent along the way in 40 seconds or less. He’s posted an undefeated record this year and has lost only three times ever on a varsity stage — and that was before he even stepped into a high school hallway. The sophomore is poised to bring home another state championship.

“Mangano never leaves any question to who is the best wrestler on the mat,” Condon said. “He just dominates. Can’t say it any simpler than that. He is the best wrestler in the county and he’s continually proving he’s one of the best in nation.”

Shoreham-Wading River earned two other first-place medals back to back when Thomas Matias won at 101 pounds and Shane Cowan did the same at 108 pounds. 

Matias, who came in as the No. 2 seed in the tournament, ripped through the bracket and proved that he should have been seeded No. 1. After two pins to start out his bracket, he earned a technical fall (15-0) in the semifinal before shutting out Parker Menechino of Mt. Sinai, the No. 1 seed, 8-0 to hoist the trophy.

“We knew Matias had a shot to win it all,” Condon said. “He’s a very dedicated wrestler that’s committed to his craft. He’s put in his time to getting better every day and it showed on the mat.”

Cowan, who was one of Shoreham-Wading River’s 101-pound wrestlers last year, moved up to 108 and earned the No. 1 seed in the tournament. Cowan barely broke a sweat in the bracket, pinning every opponent in his way en route to the title.

“They both paid their dues,” Condon said. “They didn’t reach their goals in the tournament last year. It was a learning experience for them. Matias is a freshman and Cowan is an eighth-grader. They have the world ahead of them still.”

Rounding out the state-bound wrestlers was SWR’s 152-pounder Jacob Conti. Though he finished third in the tournament, the 152-pound weight division sent two wrestlers into the states and they hosted a “true second” match, where the second- and third-place wrestlers face off against each other. He pinned Chris Lotten of Port Jefferson in the third period to advance to states.

“Conti has had a great season so far; I believe he has gone 39-8 this year,” Condon said. “We knew he had it in him. He’s young as well but he’s made huge improvements year over year. We expect him to win every time he’s out there. He’s got that ability.”

With four representatives heading to Albany, Condon believes they can make some serious noise on the grand stage.

“I love that my whole team returns next year,” Condon said. “I have no seniors. But they have a chance now to wrestle with the best of the best in the state and get better. We have a lot of work to do in the lead-up. We want them all to place in Albany and build off what they did this year and bring it into next year. But I truly feel that we have a very good chance to do well up there, even with how young we are.”

The post Foursome of SWR wrestlers qualifies to compete in state tourney appeared first on Riverhead News Review.

SWR’s head coach, Joe Condon, did everything he could to get them to this place. He flooded the schedule with tournaments and meets against some of the best schools in the state. With virtually a brand-new team from last year and without a single senior, the team soared to a 19-5 overall record, beating two teams ranked ahead of them in New York State.

So when the Wildcats eventually lost to John Glenn, 43-29, in the Suffolk County championship at Bay Shore High School Saturday, Condon went immediately to the officials’ table hoping his team might still earn a wildcard bid based on their solid season record.

“No chance for it,” Condon said immediately after meeting with the tournament officials. “The wildcard entry is a joke. It’s only based on how many returning all-county wrestlers you have coming back. But we’re ranked 7th in the state and John Glenn is ranked second. Out of the 16 teams making it, we won’t be one of them. We beat the fourth-ranked team in the state, so head-to-head wins apparently don’t matter. The state has to change the formula and, unfortunately, they haven’t looked into doing it.”

The Wildcats had no chance because they mostly have first-year varsity wrestlers this year — aside from reigning New York State champion Gavin Mangano — as most of last year’s starting lineup graduated. They didn’t have enough all-county wrestlers because most of them were on JV last year. The only way SWR could make it to states as a team was to beat John Glenn — and they fought to do it.

After losing to John Glenn, 46-19, during the regular season, Condon moved some wrestlers around, having a few guys compete at a higher weight class to give them a better chance at winning the overall match. Mangano, Thomas Matias and Shane Cowan were among those to move up a weight class. 

Mangano wrestled at 145-pounds and still won handily with a pin in the first period. Matias, at 108 pounds, defeated his opponent by technical fall, 18-1. Cowan had the job of going against all-state John Glenn wrestler Tommy Aiello and got pinned but went down fighting. 

“Any of these guys will do what is best for the team,” Condon said. “They’ll wrestle anyone and that’s why I have such a great group of kids. They want what’s best for the team.”

This match was much closer than the first time around and, had a few bouts gone the other way, the result could have been much different. One of the closest matches of the night featured SWR’s Jer’Shawn Coffey and John Glenn’s David Rafiq in the 190-pound division. The score was tied 1-1 until literally the final second in the third period before Rafiq earned a takedown and the victory. There was some controversy about whether he got the takedown in time but after officials discussed it, the result stood. 

“I’m super proud of this team,” Condon said. “We’re just scratching the surface of what we’re going to be. Most of the guys out there were freshman and sophomores. They’re battling it out on the big stage against seasoned varsity senior wrestlers. Yes, we’re disappointed that we lost but this entire team returns next year. We’re only going to get better.”

The post SWR Wildcats wrestling team misses out on state tourney appeared first on Riverhead News Review.

Mangano took part in the National High School Coaches Association wrestling tournament in Virginia Beach from April 5 to 7. More than 800 wrestlers compete in the tournament every year, hailing from almost every state. 

“All the best kids in the country enter this tournament,” SWR head coach Joe Condon said. “There’s kids from all over the country, even as far as Hawaii, California and Arizona. Pennsylvania historically produces some of the top wrestlers in the country and they had a ton of kids there.”

Mangano entered the freshman bracket in the 126-pound weight class after wrestling mostly in the 131- or 133-pound division during the school season, when he won the Division II New York State Championship. 

“I figured most of these guys were going to cut [weight] so I did as well,” Mangano said. “I was about 136 to 138 before the tournament, so I felt like going down to 126 pounds was a smart choice given the high level of competition.”

More than 80 wrestlers were in Mangano’s weight class, but one stood above them all. Mangano defeated Zachary Murphy of Tennessee by pin in only 47 seconds after leading 5-0 in the first round of the tournament. After a pair of near falls in the opening period against Kai McKinney of Texas, Mangano sealed the deal with a pin early in the second period to start the tournament 2-0. The competition is technically double-elimination, but after a loss, the best a wrestler can place is third.

“He was smooth out there,” Condon said. “Nothing bothered him. He is confident in his technique and he just executes. It’s hard to believe how composed he is considering there’s nobody easy in that tournament.”

But Mangano did make it look easy. He pinned Christopher Greene of Florida in the first 30 seconds to make it to the quarterfinals before defeating Billy Hamilton of Georgia, 10-4, to advance to the semis. 

“I just kept wrestling,” Mangano said. “It’s a long grueling tournament. I was happy with how things were going at that point but you have to stay focused. Anyone can come out and beat you. But I always go into every tournament thinking I could win it.”

As the opponents got tougher, it only elevated Mangano’s game. He put forth perhaps his best performance in the semifinals against Kayden McDonald of West Virginia with a flawless 16-0 effort en route to a technical fall and a spot in the final match.

The championship would feature a match against one of the best talents in the country, Greyson Music of Pennsylvania.

“I watched as much film about him as I could before the match,” Mangano said. “I wanted to see any tendencies or any moves I should look out for. He was the only one I actually spent some time preparing for. I wanted to wrestle my style and stay on the offensive. I wasn’t going to let him dictate the match.”

Mangano recorded a takedown in the first period and another in the second after giving away a point on an escape. Leading 4-1 going into the third period, Mangano earned an escape point in the final minute to win the championship, 5-1.

“It’s an unbelievable feeling,” Mangano said. “It was really similar to how it was winning the state championship this year but on a bigger stage. It was the hardest tournament I have been in during my high school career.”

Although previous SWR wrestlers have won the nationals in Virginia Beach before, none have won it as a freshman — and none have ever won it twice. With three years of high school wrestling left — barring an injury — it’s hard to imagine Mangano doesn’t set a new standard.

“I really want to be considered one of the greatest from New York,” Mangano said, after rescheduling an initial interview to make time for more wrestling practice. “You can’t not put the work in and expect to be the best. Even if that means wrestling the day after winning a huge tournament.”

The post Freshman Wildcat Mangano wins national tourney appeared first on Riverhead News Review.

On the biggest stage, under the brightest lights, in front of thousands of spectators, Mangano brought home a Division II New York State title Saturday night at MVP Arena in Albany. One year removed from losing in the finals by a mere point, Mangano, in a new weight class, dominated the field and left no doubt that he could be the man of the mat for the years to come.

Entering into the tournament as the No. 1 seed in the 131-pound division, the pressure was on. But for Mangano, this was just another tournament. He’s been wrestling since kindergarten and he’s won major titles before, including the Eastern States tournament twice.

“This is the only sport where you can literally show that you’re better than the other person,” Mangano said. “I like the ability to dominate on an individual level. I like to win and be in control of my own destiny.”

Mangano opened up the tournament with a 15-0 technical fall victory against Port Jefferson’s Frankie D’elia (39-4) just two minutes into the match. Then he defeated Abdul-Ja Zaggout (39-13) from Unatego/Unadilla Valley with a 6-4 decision in a match where Mangano ended up hurting his wrist.

“I wouldn’t really call it an injury,” Mangano said. “I jammed it a little bit. It affected me somewhat but I just wanted it more than everyone else.”

Mangano then took down Justin Mullis (42-11) of Hudson Valley with a 12-2 majority decision to cement a spot in the finals against Jayden Duncanson (31-2) of Tioga. 

“Duncanson won most of his matches by first round pin during the season,” SWR head coach Joe Condon said. “He’s a dangerous wrestler. His brother is a three-time state champ and he comes from the best team in the state. So we knew he would be tough.”

Until he met the man. Mangano got offensive early and kept scoring points. He was in complete control. Takedown after takedown, with some near falls mixed in, Mangano jumped ahead 14-3 going into the final minute of the third round where he finished the victory with a pin in the waning seconds. 

“This was my second time on such a big stage,” Mangano said. “I lived in the moment. I wasn’t nervous like I was last year. I had confidence that I could get it done. I know I belong here. It felt good to end the match with a pin.”

“Mangano’s one of those rare wrestlers that just continues to score points throughout the match,” Condon said. “He can score points in all positions: top, bottom, neutral, it doesn’t matter. There’s not a lot of things you can do against him to score. And not only that, the 131-pound weight division is one of the most talented divisions in the nation.”

When the referee called the match, Mangano got up and made a bow and arrow sign with his arms, shooting two imaginary arrows into the stands.

“Those were for my parents,” he said. “They’ve believed in me and pushed me to the point that I am now. I owe it all to them.”

Only four SWR wrestlers have won state titles in the school’s history, and Mangano’s win as a freshman puts him on an historic career trajectory. Jesse Jantzen is the only SWR wrestler to win four New York state titles, and was the first to accomplish that feat on Long Island. Jantzen posted high school career record was 221-3, and Mangano is currently 117-3. Jantzen, who graduated from SWR in 2000, went on to win the 149-pound NCAA crown for Harvard in 2004.

“Mangano is absolutely in the conversation for one of the best to ever wrestle here,” Condon said. “I don’t like comparing wrestlers, but Jantzen was the best to ever do it. Can Mangano get there? He definitely has the talent. He still has three years left to prove himself.”

The post Wildcats freshman Mangano wins state wrestling title appeared first on Riverhead News Review.