Massapequa wins Nassau dual meet championships
Massapequa's Chris Sarro goes for the pin on Wantagh's James Corbett in the 160-pound match at the Nassau dual meet championship. (Jan. 29, 2011) Credit: George A. Faella
There is always a touch of irony when the littlest guys are called upon in the biggest moments.
Massapequa 103-pounder Joe Doria strode to the mat intent on extending his team's eight-point lead with only three matches left in the finals of the Nassau wrestling dual meet championships Saturday at Clarke High School.
His 5-1 win over Gary Sidoti was an exercise in efficiency.
Doria's win gave the Chiefs an 11-point cushion with two matches to go in its 31-21 win against Wantagh.
Only two Warriors pins could foil an exceptional Massapequa effort.
Tom Donahue's 3-2 decision at 112 finished what Doria had started: The Chiefs were county champs for the second straight year.
As for Doria, he was the calmest guy in the gym.
"I just went out there normal, being mellow and not stressed out," Doria said. "I just did what I had to do."
For the first time since 2003, Nassau crowned an overall team champion. The past seven seasons, Nassau spread out into separate Class A and B tournaments. This year, every team competed for one county title.
Massapequa almost didn't advance to the finals, as the Chiefs eked out a 32-30 win over Plainedge in Saturday morning's semifinals.
And despite being the defending champion, Massapequa was the underdog heading into the tournament.
"This was the goal the whole season, and the kids knew they could do it," Chiefs coach Joe Catalanotto said.
The finals opened with a competitive match at 125 pounds, as Massapequa's Justin Paradiso took a 7-2 decision from Joe Barbato.
In the match's final minute, Paradiso was holding on to a 3-2 lead. But a two-point takedown in the waning seconds extended Paradiso's margin and gave the Chiefs an early 3-0 lead.
That would be an omen for the early-meet proceedings, as the Chiefs won six of the first seven matches via decision to go up 19-3.
At 152 pounds, Massapequa's Frank Falcone held on for an 8-7 win against Alex Wedel. Wedel thought he had the go-ahead two-point takedown with about 40 seconds left, when he took down Falcone near the out-of-bounds marker.
But the referees overturned the call, and Falcone held on for the crucial single-point victory.
"I just had to keep working," Falcone said. "Everyone wanted me to win, and I knew that if I won, maybe that would help us."
Added Catalanotto: "We knew that it would be a tight match. He scored when he could and didn't try to do too much."
The Warriors narrowed the lead to 19-13 on 189-pounder Joe Kavanagh's pin of T.J. Ragusa in 1:05. Kavanagh's win followed teammate James Corbett's major decision at 171. In the span of two matches, a 16-point Massapequa cushion turned into a six-point advantage.
But the Chiefs responded, as natural 189-pounder Connor Wetzel moved up to 215 and beat Tom Hall, one of the county's best at that weight, 5-1.
Then, with the repeat close enough to touch, a couple of little guys named Doria and Donahue went out and grabbed it.
