Wrestler to watch: Jackson Mordente of Sachem East

Sachem East had the second- and third-place finishers in Suffolk County at 145 pounds in 2012. For a team such as the Flaming Arrows, there is no such thing as rebuilding -- it’s all about reloading.

Enter Jackson Mordente. The fifth-place finisher in Suffolk at 138 pounds last year is looking to secure a state championship at 145 in 2013.

“Jackson is wrestling with a lot of confidence,” Sachem East coach Sean O’Hara said. “He goes out there with a job to do and he’s really been doing it recently.’’

The key for Mordente, a senior, is staying even-keeled and wrestling to his strengths, even if he did admit that he wanted to send a message in a decisive victory over Floyd’s Tom Gerle, one of the top 145-pound wrestlers in Suffolk, on Dec. 18.

Mordente credits the work he puts in with his teammates on a daily basis for his development.

“They say iron sharpens iron – we have a room with all these good guys who work out every day and it means a lot to me to lead this team, arguably one of the best in New York State,” he said. “It really helps me a lot and it shows.”

Anything less than a trip to Albany in February would leave Mordente disappointed.

“I want to be a county champion and a state champion this year,” he said. “I’ve been working for it a long time. I think I’ll have everything together by state time.”