Suffolk captures sectional title at state wrestling tournament
Camryn Howard of Bellport defeats George Johnson of Iona Prep, 21-6, in the 157-pound Division I final match at the state boys wrestling championships on Feb. 28, 2026, at the MVP Arena in Albany. Credit: Newsday/Thomas A. Ferrara
Long Island has long been a hotbed for wrestling. This year was no different, especially in Suffolk.
Section XI won the Division I sectional title at the state wrestling championships at MVP Arena in Albany this weekend. Suffolk won the competition with 248.5 points, edging out the CHSAA with 240.5 points. Nassau (Section VIII) took third with 191.5 points.
It is Section XI’s 27th title, a state record, and first since 2018. Each year since then, Suffolk has finished in the top three of the Division I tournament. Last year, Section XI took second, falling short of Section IX by nine points.
“We’ve been pretty consistent for a very long time,” Section XI wrestling chairperson Matteo DeVincenzo said. “We knew that we were going to have a super strong team. Out of 14 weight classes, we had 13 Suffolk champions place in the state tournament. We knew we would do well, but the wrestlers far exceeded our expectations.”
Only sectional champions are allowed to score points toward each section’s score. Suffolk was led by North Babylon’s Xavier Seabury and Bellport’s Camryn Howard. Seabury won the 110-pound state title and Howard claimed the 157-pound crown.
The top three finishers in the Suffolk Division I tournament advanced to the state tournament. Each year, two sections are given three allocations, while the remaining sections receive two. The determination is based on each section’s performance in the state tournament in the previous three years. The two sections with the highest three-year scoring average are allocated three wrestlers.
“Two years ago, we dropped down to only two allocations,” DeVincenzo said. “It’s not official yet, but I’m pretty confident we’ll be holding on to our three allocations in Division I. Even in Division II, we were a pretty strong sixth place. Overall, I’m very happy with the way our wrestlers performed this weekend.”
Matt Lindsay is a high school sports reporter who joined Newsday in 2022 after graduating from Stony Brook University.
