Suffolk's Brayden Fahrbach, Tommy Aiello and Gavin Mangano advance to state semifinals
Brayden Fahrbach of Mt. Sinai defeats Leo Tansey of Collegiate School in the second round of the Division II 132-pound bracket during the 2023 NYSPHSAA wrestling championships on Friday at the MVP Arena in Albany, N.Y. Credit: Newsday/William Perlman
ALBANY — Brayden Fahrbach is hungry.
The 132-pound wrestler from Mount Sinai wants to win, and he wants to eat.
Fahrbach won his matches in the round of 16 and the quarterfinals at the wrestling state championships at MVP Arena on Friday to improve to 32-0 this season.
“I didn’t really wrestle my best today, kind of out of energy with having to make weight tomorrow,” Fahrbach said. “I don’t want to get too heavy, so I’m not eating as much. Hopefully, tomorrow I’ll feel a lot better that I can eat what I want and drink what I want.”
The junior will wrestle in Saturday's semifinals, eyeing a spot in the Division II 132-pound final later that day.
As the No. 1 seed in the state tournament, Fahrbach earned a bye through Friday’s opening round. He recorded a 16-0 win in the round of 16 and a 11-3 win in the quarterfinals.
“He’s a perfectionist,” Mount Sinai coach Matt Armstrong said. “The kid wrestles seven days a week almost year-round. I think that just makes you a little more laser-focused as to what your goal is and how you’re going to obtain that.”
The goal this year is a state championship, a title he narrowly missed at last year’s state tournament. Fahrbach lost in the Division I final at 126 pounds as the No. 2 seed.
“Losing in the finals was a terrible feeling,” Fahrbach said. “It makes me hungry to win and get atop the podium.”
This year is different for Fahrbach. He's up a weight class from last season, he’s the undefeated top seed, and knows he can beat the best wrestlers after winning the Eastern States Classic earlier this season.
“He is somebody that is always in control no matter where he is on the mat,” Armstrong said.
Two other undefeated wrestlers will represent Suffolk in Saturday’s Division II semifinals.
Glenn sophomore Tommy Aiello only needed two minutes and six seconds to improve to 34-0 and advance to the 102-pound final four. Aiello, the No. 4 seed, earned a bye through the first round, then recorded a pin in 1:37 in the round of 16 and another 29 seconds into his quarterfinal match.
Shoreham-Wading River eighth-grader Gavin Mangano, the No. 3 seed at 110 pounds, improved to 48-0 this season after a 15-0 win in the round of 16 and a 5-0 win in the quarterfinals.
