“We haven’t had numbers like this since like 2019,” Mr. Benedetto said. “Now, there’s three to four guys competing for a varsity spot. The last few years, it was, if you fit the weight class, the spot was yours. You can’t breed competition until you have numbers.”

That competition and drive directly translated to results on Saturday, Dec. 6, at the Andrew Peers Memorial tournament at Walt Whitman High School. After a non-league match against Rocky Point on Friday, Dec. 5, didn’t go as well as they hoped, Riverhead dominated on Saturday.

“Great bounce back from Friday,” Benedetto said. “They wrestled through positions and wrestled to win. Need to keep the momentum going.”

The Blue Waves won the entire event, totaling 270 team points. The win featured five champions, including Jayden Glennerster (110-lbs), Kamel Coaxum (132), Luis Manuel Delacruz (150), Colby Baran (165) and William Stackevicius (190). Riverhead had nine total finalists.

“These kids are hungry,” Benedetto said. “They really want to do well. Before, maybe we had two or three guys that wanted to do well. Now the whole team wants it. They’re all pushing each other and it’s a great sight to see.”

Many wrestlers came back to the program after taking time off. Baran, who has mainly focused on golf, is back after taking a year off. Kevonte Newsom is back for his senior year after taking two years off. 

“I think part of it is seeing the success of all the other sports like basketball, softball and baseball,” Benedetto said. “Once kids see that attention, they want it too. Wrestling is one of those only sports that you can shine on an individual stage. Winning in wrestling is unmatched.”

Another major part of the wrestling resurgence, Benedetto said, is the recruitment at the middle school level. There are talks of reviving the Riverhead kids’ wrestling program. 

“It’s a great effort by middle school coaches,” he said. “We have a ton of freshmen in the program. Joe Gianotti is relentless at Pulaski Street as a phys-ed teacher, just breaking kids down and not leaving them alone until they sign up to wrestle.”

The current struggles in wrestling at Riverhead are directly related to the numbers. It’s hard to argue otherwise. Riverhead has a rich history of wrestling, having produced eight all-state wrestlers and dozens of county champions over the years.  

“If we have to forfeit every other match because we don’t have someone at that weight class, it’s tough to win,” Benedetto said. “It’s tough to keep the kids motivated knowing we don’t have a chance every night. We’re ahead on the scoreboard and then we have to forfeit three weight classes, and all of a sudden we’re behind.”

Now there are wrestle-offs in practice constantly. Spots are decided by what’s shown in practice. Every weight class is earned. Two of the best wrestlers in the program, Zach Gevinski and Christopher Ramos, are in the same weight division.

“Those guys are going to make themselves better every day in practice,” Benedetto said. “Let them decide who is the better wrestler for that starting spot. It’s only making them better and our program better, seeing competition like that. There’s nothing wrong with Riverhead taking first and second in the county for a given weight class.”

With the numbers hopefully on the up-and-up for the years to come, Benedetto has one main focus this season. 

“Get everyone a few tough, hard-fought wins,” Benedetto said. “Once they realize that the hard work translates to success, the sky is the limit. Wrestling is a slow, grinding progression. Winning a tough, 5-4 decision when the stakes are the highest is something everyone needs to feel. It’s a feeling that can’t be replicated. If we get them to feel like a few times, they’ll be chasing that feeling for the rest of their career.”

The post Riverhead wrestling numbers are back, results will follow appeared first on Riverhead News Review.

On June 10th, long-time Riverhead wrestling coach Walter Stewart passed away peacefully in his Aquebogue home. He was 98 years old. Stewart was Riverhead’s coach from 1950 to 1985 and was an avid supporter of the program until his passing.

“He was Old Hickory,” current Riverhead coach Jake Benedetto said. “He was as tough as they come but he had a heart of gold.”

The auxiliary gym at Riverhead High School was named in his honor Wednesday. Stewart coached 82 All-County wrestlers and 19 Suffolk County champions during his tenure. Riverhead won 242 dual meets, four dual meet titles, six league tournament titles and the 1963 Suffolk County tournament. In 2002, he was inducted into the National Wrestling Hall of Fame.

Stewart’s family and many alumni were present Wednesday night as Riverhead fell to Hampton Bays, 45-30 in a non-league match at Riverhead High School.

Though Riverhead’s season didn’t turn out as planned as a team, two wrestlers have as good a shot as anyone to place in the league tournament and even potentially in the county tournament. 

Zachary Gevinksi, a freshman who wrestles at 101 pounds, put together an impressive season even with his limited varsity experience. Gevinski wrestled to a record of 16-8 on the season and has been only getting stronger as the season progresses. Against Hampton Bays, Gevinski pinned his opponent in 22 seconds, starting off the meet with a bang.

“Gevinski’s year is going to be defined by the league tournament,” Benedetto said. “It doesn’t matter if you win or lose anything during the season. This is when it matters. This is when you have to put your best performances together. He only had one league loss so I’d love to see him avenge that one. Even though he’s young, he’s been wrestling for a very long time. This is nothing new to him. Just a different gym.”

Colby Baran, a sophomore in the 160-pound weight class, unfortunately was unable to wrestle against Hampton Bays because of the flu but has also elevated his game over the course of the season. Benedetto expects Baran to be very competitive in the Suffolk County tournament should he place in leagues. He finished 18-8.

Jared Knight, one of the team’s only seniors, figures also to be right in the thick of things. Knight pinned his opponent in the third round on Wednesday after jumping out to a commanding 10-0 lead after the first round.

“We get a fresh start in the league tournament,” Knight said, who wrestles at 131 pounds. “For me personally it was always about having confidence and believing in your ability. The team season is over but there’s still time for us to perfect our craft in the individual tournaments.”

In order to make the Suffolk County tournament, the wrestler needs to finish in the top 4 of the league tournament. Each school can send up to two wrestlers per weight class so there could be as many as 12 to face off against. There are no wrestlebacks in the league tournament, meaning if you lose in the first two rounds, you’re out. So if you happen to get a tough draw in the first round, there’s no fighting back in the loser’s bracket like other tournaments. The only way to advance to the County tournament is to make the semi-finals. There is no random draw, either. The matchups will be determined by a seeding decision. The better record the wrestler produced, the higher the seed.

The League I tournament will take place Feb. 3 at Patchogue-Medford High School. 

There’s always surprises in every tournament and Coach Stewart will undoubtedly be looking down in spirit, cheering on the team that he always loved.

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