The Wantagh High School wrestling team made the trip to Union Endicott, N.Y. this past weekend to compete at the U/E Duals and try and defend their 2012 New York State Wrestling Championship. Mission accomplished.
The tournament was filled with 15 teams set up on four different mats. The winner of each mat advanced into a winners bracket while the losers went forward into a losers bracket with a chance to advance and wrestle for third and fourth place. The young men wrestled with heart, emotion and nerve ending suspense.
In the first match the black and gold defeated Chenango Forks 62-9. The second competition had Wantagh versus an old foe who defeated the Warriors in 2009, Spencerport. The Warriors came away with the win 50-15.
On the second day, the team pitted against Islip High School coached by Joe Patrovich, a Farmingdale High School graduate and a former county champion. This match was a nail bitter with Wantagh winning 28-27 to advance to the finals against Sachem East.
In the finals, Wantagh trailed 24-10 but rallied for 35-27 win and ending the day ranked number one in New York. Wantagh has a 33-match winning streak, which is the longest in the state. The team is wrestling this week vs Herricks followed by the Eastern States, which is scheduled for Jan. 11-12.
