Repalone, Beal help Connetquot wrestling stay unbeaten
Lindenhurst's Liam Delgado wrestles against Connetquot's Chris Beal at Lindenhurst High School. (Jan. 28, 2014) Credit: Steven Ryan
Connetquot's Tom Repalone secured a takedown with 12 seconds left in the third period to come back for a 5-4 win over Lindenhurst's Rocky Falsitta. Repalone, a sophomore, erased a 4-2 third-period deficit and scored three unanswered points to give the Thunderbirds a 24-point lead en route to a 48-12 win over Lindenhurst in a Suffolk League II battle of unbeatens.
The win Tuesday night earned Connetquot (12-0) the school's eighth dual-meet league championship. The top-ranked T-Birds finished the League II season at 6-0 in the winner-take-all dual meet.
"I hit a duck under and got by him for the last takedown," said Repalone, who won the 126-pound bout to cap a 6-0 league season. "We push hard in our conditioning and that helps deep in matches. We know we have to go hard for six minutes. And we wanted this league title so badly."
Connetquot's Chris Beal moved up to 182 pounds to meet Liam Delgado. The two battled through two periods with Beal holding a 3-1 lead until Delgado hit a single leg takedown to tie the score at 3 with 58 seconds left. Beal escaped immediately and pushed the action over the final minute for the 4-3 win.
"We've had a lot of success but we hadn't won the league dual-meet title," said three-year starter and team captain Greg Chery, who opened the dual with a major decision over Rob Cozzetta. "We've had an excellent focus in the practice room and everyone brings it every day and it shows in our dual meets."
Matt Giannelli and Jon Solorzano gave Lindenhurst life with two big wins in the heavyweights. Giannelli decisioned Brian Henn, 4-0, at 220 pounds and Solorzano hit a third-period reversal for a 2-0 win over Josh Gutierrez at 285 pounds. Lindenhurst drew within 18-6 as the meet turned to the lightweights.
They never got any closer as Connetquot reeled off seven wins in the next eight weights. "They have the whole package at Connetquot," Lindenhurst coach Ron Frole said. "We needed a perfect night to pull this one out. Our guys wrestled their hearts out."
