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Sports

Wantagh Wrestlers Look For Improved Season

Head coach James Murphy says successes in recent upstate tourney suggest "drastic improvement"

With many freshmen on its roster the 2009/10 season was a transitional year for the wrestling program, according to head coach James Murphy. But with a year's growth under their belt, not to mention a successful trip upstate to a tourney in Shenedehowa, the 2010/11 season is looking up.

"We fared pretty well up there," said Murphy. "We lost a tough match to Shenendahowa by four points, but pretty much dominated the Fairfield team. The kids wrestled tough and we matched up well. We've seen some drastic improvement."  

Earlier this month, the Warriors took on and beat East Meadow by a decisive 58-15 margin. The upstate trip included wins against a number of upstate schools as well as defeating Suffolk County's Sachem East.  

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"It was a good showcase for us," said Murphy.

This is Murphy's fifth year as head coach at Wantagh, along with co-head coach and national athletic hall of famer Paul Gillespie, and he has reason to be excited about the prospects as the season develops.  

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Leading the way are four seniors. There's Harvard-bound Joe Barbato, who took second in the states last year, wrestling at 135 pounds. Hofstra-bound Joe Kavanagh at 189 pounds took second in the states last year. Two-time county place winner Tom Hall is back at 215 pounds, and Kenny Albert is expected to contribute senior team leadership as well.

As the season develops, watch for good mat work from James Corbett, Alex Wedel, Christopher Loew, Steve English and Matthew Kaufmann. There is also a core group of sophomores, back from last year, with that 2009-10 season under their belt including Chris Araoz, Dan McDevitt and Vinnie Turano.

"In a year or two we'll be able to compete for a state title," said Murphy. "Turano beat kids who finished in the county finals last year."

There is also a group of eighth graders coming up that Murphy says are 'sensational, including a very talented Jose Rodriguez at 96 pounds. Also showing promise are Blaise Cavanagh, Peter Corbett and Kyle Quinn.

"These kids are our future," said Murphy.  

The team has some gaps to fill in its weight classes, but according to Murphy, that's no surprise. "Everybody's got holes, but we've got guys we want to fill in," he said. "Some sophomores are there, they're plugging away."  

Wantagh has a tradition of wrestling schools that have historically good programs, and this year should be no exception. "We have a lot of pride, and we like to wrestle teams that have a lot of pride," said Murphy.

Conference 3A competition begins Dec 21, when the Warriors go the mat with South Side High School in Rockville Centre. After the New Year Wantagh will see action against Roslyn on Jan. 7, Division on Jan. 12, Plainedge on Jan. 19 and a tournament against Suffolk County teams Comsewogue and Hauppauge on Jan 22 and 23.

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