Shoreham-Wading River wrestling's Andrew Dolson wins Suffolk Division II title with Dad in his corner
Andrew Dolson of Shoreham-Wading River defeated Parker Menechino of Mount Sinai at 103 pounds via a 6-0 decision at the Suffolk Division II wrestling individual finals on Friday, Feb. 13, 2026, in Shoreham. Credit: Michael A. Rupolo Sr.
Wrestling has always been a family affair. When one sibling wrestles, they all wrestle.
The same can be said with fathers and sons that participate in the sport.
The Suffolk Division II tournament opened with a fantastic father-sons showdown for the 103-pound title at Shoreham-Wading River High School Friday night. Both wrestlers had their fathers as assistant coaches in their respective corners.
Shoreham-Wading River freshman Andrew Dolson, the top seed, squared off against No. 2 senior Parker Menechino of Mount Sinai in the opening bout of the Suffolk championships at 103 pounds.
Dolson (39-1) gained his first takedown in the first period for the 3-0 lead and added a second-period takedown to come away with a 6-0 win and his first Suffolk title. It was the third time Dolson had beaten Menechino (29-7), a three-time county runner-up, this season.
“I had the confidence to win, but it can be difficult to beat a good wrestler three times,” Dolson said. “I’ve made a lot of improvement since last year when I was third string. My goal is to win a state championship.”
Dolson was technically solid throughout the bout, never giving Menechino an opening to score.
“Menechino is a battle-tested senior,” Shoreham-Wading River assistant coach Cory Dolson said. “We didn’t change the game plan. Andrew just needed to execute the same way he did in the first two matches against him.”
For Menechino, the loss was disappointing, but an opportunity to go to the state tournament as wild card was still a possibility.
“My kid has made me so proud over the years,” said Ralph Menechino, the assistant coach at Mount Sinai. “He’s been in KID wrestling since he was 5 years old. He’s been at all the practices, camps, tournaments, all of it. Coach [Matt] Armstrong taught us when to lean on our kids and when to pull the reins back and let them just be kids. He learned that from his father, the legendary Port Jefferson coach Bob Armstrong. At the end of the day, he’s my son, and I love him win or lose.”
In other finals, at 126 pounds, senior Aidan Lee of Glenn decisioned sophomore Evan Seppe of Miller Place, 4-0, to return to the state tournament.
Shoreham-Wading River junior Gavin Mangano continued to march his way to the state tournament at the MVP Arena in Albany. Mangano beat senior Alex Southworth of Miller Place by technical fall, 18-2, in the first period at 144 pounds to win his fourth county title. Mangano (44-2) is a two-time state champion and four-time Eastern States winner.
Kings Park senior Kevin Vasquez had the fastest pin in the tournament to claim the 157-pound final. Vasquez hit a neat standing cradle on Ethan Katz of Glenn in 14 seconds for the pin and the title.
Senior Gage McKigney (30-5) of Kings Park, the No. 2 seed, met top-seeded Port Jefferson sophomore Samuel Fabian (33-2) for the third time this season — this one for the 190-pound county crown. McKigney came away with a hard fought 7-2 win.
“He pinned me in front of our hometown crowd early in the season,” McKigney said. “And I vowed to never let that happen again. I was going to come back and beat him when it mattered most.”
McKigney beat Fabian in overtime to win the title at the Syosset tournament. And then there was Friday night.
“My dream was to wear a Section XI singlet at the state tournament,” McKigney said. “Now I’ve earned that right.”
Miller Place crowned two champions in AJ Perrino at 150 pounds and Bradyn Ellis at 285 pounds and came away with the school’s first Suffolk team title, scoring 293.5 points. Shoreham-Wading River finished second with 261.5 points. The Panthers also had three second-place finishers.
“The tournament was won in the early rounds and the wrestlebacks,” said Miller Place coach Matt Kaszubski. “It was a total team effort. And having five guys in the finals certainly helped.”
Gregg Sarra is Newsday's high school sports editor and has been on the beat since the mid-1980s.
