Hauppauge's Volpe saved his best for last in winning state title
Frankie Volpe Hauppauge celebrates the win with his coach after he defeats Donovan Smith of Elmira in the 152 lb division 1 finals match at the 2023 NYSPHSAA wrestling championships on Saturday, Feb. 25, 2023, at the MVP Arena in Albany, N.Y. Credit: Newsday/J. Conrad Williams Jr.
Salute To The Champs: Hauppauge's Frankie Volpe
Hauppauge senior Frankie Volpe earned the third seed in the state tournament partially because of three losses suffered during the middle of the season. But Volpe stormed through the Suffolk Division I tournament and then continued that momentum with four straight wins in the state tournament at 152 pounds. He earned the Division I state title with a 10-5 win over Elmira’s Donovan Smith to become the Eagles' 10th state champion.
Smith had closed the third period gap to 6-5 before Volpe scored his third takedown of the bout and added two near fall points for the final margin to seal the win. Volpe finished with a 40-3 record and a 145-32 career mark.
Volpe also beat second-seeded Casper Stewart of Attica-Batavia in the state semifinal, 5-2. The win enabled Volpe to avenge an earlier overtime defeat to Stewart in the Eastern States tournament final.
“I stayed aggressive and kept moving,” Volpe said. “I was leaving it all out there.”
Gregg Sarra is Newsday's high school sports editor and has been on the beat since the mid-1980s.
