Wrestler to watch: Brentwood's Carlos Toribio

Navigating the treacherous waters of Suffolk’s League I wrestling is no easy task, but that’s exactly what Brentwood's Carlos Toribio did as a junior last year.

The 170-pound champion topped the league and eventually finished third in the county. He’s back this year hoping to improve on that and leave his mark in Brentwood history.

“He’s right there with the best that we have had,” Brentwood coach Ralph Napolitano said. “He’s making a name for himself and stepping in a similar direction to a wrestler like [former Brentwood two-time county champion] Josue Mendez.”

That’s high praise from a coach that has been at the helm of one of the most successful programs in New York State.

Toribio combines his physical gifts — “he’s a physical specimen; he’s legit,” Napolitano said — with an ability to stay focused at all times.

“He is so mentally tough that nothing really bothers him,” Napolitano said. “He’s one of these strange athletes that doesn’t get rattled. He just wrestles and has fun.”

Wrestling Toribio isn’t much fun for opponents.

“Mentally he really believes he can’t lose, and not in a cocky or condescending way,” Napolitano said. “He’s just very confident in a really good way.”

And Napolitano is confident Toribio can lead Brentwood a long way in the postseason.

“If he keeps doing what he’s doing and working in the direction he’s going — and I see no doubt that he will — he can go a long way,” Napolitano said. “We’ll be riding him to Albany.”