John Casamassina's win locks up Division I title for Massapequa
Mike Blando of Massapequa, right, gets congratulated after pinning Bob Moore of Wantagh (not in picture) in 22 seconds at 132 pounds in the Nassau Division I wrestling dual meetchampionship at Clarke on Saturday. Credit: James Escher
The Massapequa wrestling team doesn’t like wasting time.
The top-seeded Chiefs rolled to a 54-21 victory over Wantagh in the Nassau County Division I dual meet championship at Clarke High School on Saturday, winning 10 of 15 matches, including three, first-period pins.
Massapequa will advance to the state tournament at Onondaga Community College in Syracuse on Jan. 26.
“A win’s a win, but when you can get it early like that and get the pin, that gets everyone going and it’s a great feeling,” said John Casamassina, who clinched the victory with a technical fall at 170 pounds. “It’s great for our momentum.”
The teams, who also faced each other in the county championship last year where Wantagh took the title, exchanged wins in the first few matches, but Massapequa (26-0) seized some much-needed control at 132 pounds as Michael Blando pinned Bob Moore in 22 seconds.
It was a quick victory for Blando.
“I went into my bag of tricks and I pulled something out,” Blando said. “It was a bang of confidence. As soon as I felt him go, I knew the win was coming.”
Wantagh (20-7) did its best to rally after that, with Joe Moore defeating Nick Antoniello at 138 pounds, but the Warriors struggled to find any rhythm. The Chiefs recorded four straight victories from 145 to 170 pounds, including three straight pins, and with each win the squad grew more and more confident.
“We’ve been confident all season, but coming in here we knew we had a job to do,” Massapequa coach Ron Serrano said. “As soon as that whistle blows, we were focused. We went at it today.”
Serrano added that Massapequa came into the dual looking for a little revenge and the memory of last year’s loss has fueled the Chief’s throughout the season.
“It was time to flip the script,” he said. “We pretty much thought about this for the last 364 days and I was glad we were able to erase that loss because we don’t like losing.”
Massapequa is determined to keep its confidence high heading into Syracuse. The Chiefs are hoping for more quick victories at states, looking to set the tone early in each match and, most importantly, record another victory.
“When we’re rolling, I don’t think anyone can stop us,” Blando said. “The support we get and we give each other, it’s incredible, and that’s going to continue.”
