Northern Highlands outhinks Rampo on the scales

FRANKLIN LAKES – For most casual fans, wrestling is a sport that is bound by a large circle in the center of the gym floor for six minutes per bout.

But wrestling, particularly dual meets, is a chess match that begins days before in the coach’s office with a pile of box scores and a scale. And that never was more evident than Wednesday night.

Matt Mecca bumped up to 285 to post a first-period pin and BCCA champion Nick Gravina ended the topsy-turvy match with a 9-0 decision at 103 as Northern Highlands squeaked by Ramapo, 35-33.

"It’s all about the matchups," Highlands coach Rick Babitts said. "When I looked at this match, I thought we just didn’t match up well with them. Luckily it worked out for us tonight."

The Highlanders (5-2) played with their lineup Wednesday, weighing BCCA fourth-place finisher Dan Rehain up a weight class at 140 and pushing 160-pounder Zach Bascio up to 189 so he would be eligible to bump up to 215.

Rehain pinned Terek Molamusa in 4:32 at 140 to cut the Raiders’ lead to 15-13 after six bouts. Bascio, wrestling three classes up from his normal weight, stayed off his back, falling just 14-12 to Manny Alvarez to keep the score manageable at 33-25 for Highlanders’ aces Mecca and Gravina in the final two bouts.

"I had a lot of anxiety building up to my match," Mecca said. "But [Dan] Hurwitt was able to fight off his back at 189 [falling to Jack Bandazian, 5-2] and Bascio wrestled a tough match. So I knew if I could get the pin, we’d have our County champ in there just needing a decision, and he got the major."

"Our thought was to weigh him heavy and try to get him at the top of the lineup where we thought his speed would help us," Babitts said of Bascio, who after falling behind 5-1 early got more aggressive and fell by just two points.

The Highlanders also got a big win out of Paul Getto, who edged Joe Nacco, 7-6, in probably the most exciting bout of the night at 130, as well as a couple of big pins from Brandon Cocherl at 145 and Kyle Myers at 160.

"I thought the match turned in their favor in the Rehain match," Ramapo coach Drew Gibbs said. "As good as he is, I thought Terek could wrestle with him and he was able to get the pin. That match was the difference maker for him."

Gibbs had played with his lineup as well. But he admitted he got caught at the weigh-ins when Highlands bumped Getto up to 130 and bumped the rest of its middleweights up one as well.

"People don’t understand when you wrestle duals that the planning can start on Monday for a Wednesday match," Gibbs said.

This time, the planning worked in the Highlanders’ favor.

"It’s always the same when we wrestle Ramapo," Babitts said. "It’s always close."

Northern Highlands outhinks Rampo on the scales

FRANKLIN LAKES – For most casual fans, wrestling is a sport that is bound by a large circle in the center of the gym floor for six minutes per bout.

But wrestling, particularly dual meets, is a chess match that begins days before in the coach’s office with a pile of box scores and a scale. And that never was more evident than Wednesday night.

Matt Mecca bumped up to 285 to post a first-period pin and BCCA champion Nick Gravina ended the topsy-turvy match with a 9-0 decision at 103 as Northern Highlands squeaked by Ramapo, 35-33.

"It’s all about the matchups," Highlands coach Rick Babitts said. "When I looked at this match, I thought we just didn’t match up well with them. Luckily it worked out for us tonight."

The Highlanders (5-2) played with their lineup Wednesday, weighing BCCA fourth-place finisher Dan Rehain up a weight class at 140 and pushing 160-pounder Zach Bascio up to 189 so he would be eligible to bump up to 215.

Rehain pinned Terek Molamusa in 4:32 at 140 to cut the Raiders’ lead to 15-13 after six bouts. Bascio, wrestling three classes up from his normal weight, stayed off his back, falling just 14-12 to Manny Alvarez to keep the score manageable at 33-25 for Highlanders’ aces Mecca and Gravina in the final two bouts.

"I had a lot of anxiety building up to my match," Mecca said. "But [Dan] Hurwitt was able to fight off his back at 189 [falling to Jack Bandazian, 5-2] and Bascio wrestled a tough match. So I knew if I could get the pin, we’d have our County champ in there just needing a decision, and he got the major."

"Our thought was to weigh him heavy and try to get him at the top of the lineup where we thought his speed would help us," Babitts said of Bascio, who after falling behind 5-1 early got more aggressive and fell by just two points.

The Highlanders also got a big win out of Paul Getto, who edged Joe Nacco, 7-6, in probably the most exciting bout of the night at 130, as well as a couple of big pins from Brandon Cocherl at 145 and Kyle Myers at 160.

"I thought the match turned in their favor in the Rehain match," Ramapo coach Drew Gibbs said. "As good as he is, I thought Terek could wrestle with him and he was able to get the pin. That match was the difference maker for him."

Gibbs had played with his lineup as well. But he admitted he got caught at the weigh-ins when Highlands bumped Getto up to 130 and bumped the rest of its middleweights up one as well.

"People don’t understand when you wrestle duals that the planning can start on Monday for a Wednesday match," Gibbs said.

This time, the planning worked in the Highlanders’ favor.

"It’s always the same when we wrestle Ramapo," Babitts said. "It’s always close."

Girls Basketball: Ramapo Defeats Bayonne

RAMAPO 62, BAYONNE 39: The Green Raiders built a substantial early lead and were able to cruise the rest of the way.

Ramapo had three players in double figures with Erin O’Hagan and Deanna Devonshuk leading the way with 16 and 15 points, respectively.

Ramapo was able to keep control of the game by dominating the start of each half, outscoring the Bees 31-7 in the first and third quarters.

Ramapo improved to 6-2.

Girls Basketball: Ramapo Defeats Bayonne

RAMAPO 62, BAYONNE 39: The Green Raiders built a substantial early lead and were able to cruise the rest of the way.

Ramapo had three players in double figures with Erin O’Hagan and Deanna Devonshuk leading the way with 16 and 15 points, respectively.

Ramapo was able to keep control of the game by dominating the start of each half, outscoring the Bees 31-7 in the first and third quarters.

Ramapo improved to 6-2.

Top 10 Rankings

Only one week of lacrosse and what a week it was!  Number 1 ranked West Islip loses a thriller to Sachem North, but rebounds against Chaminade.  Action like this is what we've come to expect in for Suffolk County lacrosse.  Stay tuned for an exciting season.

Rankings for 2010

1. St. Anthony’s (2-0). Ranked No. 4 in the nation in Inside Lacrosse’s preseason poll, the Friars beat Westchester power Somers, 10-7, on Saturday. Princeton-bound Tom Schreiber scored three goals.

2. Ward Melville (2-0). Ranked No. 16 in the IL poll, the Patriots have beaten Smithtown East and Emmaus and welcome back 2008 All-County middie Jimmy Ryan, who missed last season with a back injury.

3. West Islip (1-1). Ranked No. 1 by IL, the Lions suffered a shocking 13-12 OT loss to Sachem North, but rebounded nicely to beat No. 11 Chaminade on Saturday, 10-7. Nicky Galasso has eight goals in two games.

4. Smithtown West (2-1). Ranked No. 23 by IL, West lost a tough one to Garden City on Saturday night, 6-5, but figure to be serious challengers in deep Division I, led by attackmen James Pannell and Kyle Keenan.

5. Sachem North (2-1). Very impressive in its victory over West Islip, rallying to tie it in regulation and win it in OT. Middie Mike Andreassi is one of the best players in the county.

6. Connetquot (3-0). Attack Kieran McArdle and defenseman Mike Pellegrino have the Thunderbirds off to a flying start.

7. East Islip (2-0). The leading goal scorer in Suffolk last season, Mike Rooney with 75, returns to make East Islip a dangerous team.

8. Comsewogue (2-0). Middies Alex Zomerfeld and Tom Cleary lead this feisty bunch, which figures to be near or at the top of Division II all season.

9. Shoreham-Wading River (1-0). The coach’s son, Tim Rotanz, is only a ninth-grade attack, but he’s one of the top players on this always-competitive team.

10. Rocky Point (3-0). Another traditional D-II power is off to a promising start.

Top 10 Rankings

Only one week of lacrosse and what a week it was!  Number 1 ranked West Islip loses a thriller to Sachem North, but rebounds against Chaminade.  Action like this is what we've come to expect in for Suffolk County lacrosse.  Stay tuned for an exciting season.

Rankings for 2010

1. St. Anthony’s (2-0). Ranked No. 4 in the nation in Inside Lacrosse’s preseason poll, the Friars beat Westchester power Somers, 10-7, on Saturday. Princeton-bound Tom Schreiber scored three goals.

2. Ward Melville (2-0). Ranked No. 16 in the IL poll, the Patriots have beaten Smithtown East and Emmaus and welcome back 2008 All-County middie Jimmy Ryan, who missed last season with a back injury.

3. West Islip (1-1). Ranked No. 1 by IL, the Lions suffered a shocking 13-12 OT loss to Sachem North, but rebounded nicely to beat No. 11 Chaminade on Saturday, 10-7. Nicky Galasso has eight goals in two games.

4. Smithtown West (2-1). Ranked No. 23 by IL, West lost a tough one to Garden City on Saturday night, 6-5, but figure to be serious challengers in deep Division I, led by attackmen James Pannell and Kyle Keenan.

5. Sachem North (2-1). Very impressive in its victory over West Islip, rallying to tie it in regulation and win it in OT. Middie Mike Andreassi is one of the best players in the county.

6. Connetquot (3-0). Attack Kieran McArdle and defenseman Mike Pellegrino have the Thunderbirds off to a flying start.

7. East Islip (2-0). The leading goal scorer in Suffolk last season, Mike Rooney with 75, returns to make East Islip a dangerous team.

8. Comsewogue (2-0). Middies Alex Zomerfeld and Tom Cleary lead this feisty bunch, which figures to be near or at the top of Division II all season.

9. Shoreham-Wading River (1-0). The coach’s son, Tim Rotanz, is only a ninth-grade attack, but he’s one of the top players on this always-competitive team.

10. Rocky Point (3-0). Another traditional D-II power is off to a promising start.

West Islip Rebounds, Beats Chaminade

A crowd of more than 1,500 lacrosse fans at West Islip was buzzing about the end-to-end dash goalie Kyle Turri made late in the fourth quarter after a save. His attempt at a rare goalie goal hit the pipe, but Chaminade had already felt his sting.

Turri, a junior starting his second varsity game, made 12 saves, several in crucial situations, as both he and his defending state-champion teammates rebounded from an overtime loss to Sachem North on Wednesday with a 10-7 victory over Chaminade Saturday.

"It was his first varsity game and he had some jitters," Lions coach Scott Craig said of Turri. "But he did a great job today, especially at crunch time. We feel he'll be a Division I kid."

There were plenty of D-I players on the field, part of the reason the game attracted such a large crowd. Everyone, it seemed, was curious about this non-league matchup between the Lions (1-1), ranked No. 1 nationally in Inside Lacrosse's preseason poll, and the Flyers (2-1), ranked No. 11.

North Carolina-bound Nicky Galasso (three goals, four assists) led West Islip. Teammates Mike Sagl (Quinnipiac) and Drew Federico (Penn State) each scored twice. Will Himler (Princeton) had two goals and two assists for Chaminade.

"Every year, this game is on MSG and every year, it's one of the biggest games we play," Galasso said. "Kyle was great. He stepped up when we needed him."

That included much of the third quarter, when Chaminade rallied from a two-goal deficit to tie it at 6 with 6:46 left and controlled the ball so much that West Islip managed only one shot on goal for the rest of the period. At that point, entering the fourth quarter tied was like a win.

"Without a doubt, that was huge," Craig said. "We couldn't get a shot, but our goalie and our 6-on-6 defense, especially Eddie Ryan, was outstanding."

After Galasso squeezed the ball onto the stick of a cutting Mike Sagl for a goal that broke a tie at 7 and Rob Moore scored unassisted, Turri had his biggest test. With about four minutes left, the Lions were down a man when Turri turned away a point-blank shot. Twenty-five seconds later, he made his solo clear and attempt on goal. "I saw open space and I was taught at a young age to go all the way," Turri said. "I definitely felt more comfortable today. I knew I had to bounce back and I did."

By BOB HERZOG

Photo credit: Photo by Joe Rogate

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