THE BIG TEN: Wantagh wrestling still on top
Wantagh's Jose Rodriguez wins against Jaemon Connelly of Long Beach by a pin at 1:33 to advance to the semi finals during the Nassau High School Division I wrestling quarterfinals. (Feb. 11, 2012) Credit: Alan J Schaefer
1. WANTAGH WRESTLING. The Warriors won the Nassau sectional tournament for the third time in four years. Freshman Jose Rodriguez (43-0) advanced to the state tournament where he won three straight bouts to charge into the final at 99 pounds. He lost to Kyle Kelly of (Chenango Forks), 6-3, Saturday night before a sellout crowd at the Times Union Center in Albany.
2. EAST ISLIP GIRLS BOWLING. The Redmen were flawless throughout the regular season and that dominance carried into the Suffolk Tournament, where they dropped 6,469 pins to win the county crown. East Islip, led by Lena Sorrentino, will compete in the state tournament on March 3 in Waverly.
3. WARD MELVILLE GIRLS FENCING. The Patriots won their 10th straight Long Island championship with a 14-5 win over Manhasset. Alexa Anitpas went on to win a national junior title. Ward Melville has 159 straight wins in the past 11 years, the third-longest winning streak in Long Island history.
4. ST. ANTHONY'S HOCKEY. The Friars (19-0) beat St. Joseph's in Game 1 of the CHSHL Class A Division championship series. St. Anthony's forward Chris Wallace scored the hat trick in the 6-1 victory.
5. UNIONDALE BOYS BASKETBALL. Top-seeded Uniondale beat No. 8 Freeport in the Class AA quarterfinal, 76-63, as Terrance Brown scored 11 points and grabbed 17 rebounds. The Knights will meet Farmingdale Monday in the semifinal at 7 p.m. at SUNY-Old Westbury.
6. GREAT NECK SOUTH BOYS SWIMMING. The Rebels, led by Sam Mo, defeated Jericho, 122-64, to complete their fourth straight undefeated season in Nassau competition.
7. WARD MELVILLE BOYS FENCING. Ward Melville won its fifth straight Long Island championship with a win over Oyster Bay. Senior Jay Petrie, who went 2-0 in foil, and junior Travis Quinn, who went 3-0 in sabre, led the Patriots to the big finish.
8. ST. ANTHONY'S GIRLS BASKETBALL. The Friars completed their second consecutive undefeated regular season in the CHSAA. They will host No. 8 St. Dominic in the quarterfinals. With wins over St. Dominic and Kellenberg, the Friars extended their regular season league winning streak to 31 games. The Friars are ranked No. 24 by USA Today.
9. GARDEN CITY GIRLS TRACK. With a week left until the state meet, the Lady Trojans currently own the fastest 4 x 800 time in the U.S. (9:00.92) and the fastest 4 x 400 in New York (3:50.03). Senior Molly Josephs is New York's top in the walk (7:04.08).
10. BRENTWOOD WRESTLING. The Indians earned the Suffolk team title with 151 points. They also captured the League I dual meet and tournament title. Alexis Blanco at 138 pounds qualified for the state tournament as a wild card and won three bouts in a row to reach the finals.
On the outside looking in: Plainview girls gymnastics, Garden City girls track, Bethpage girls gymnastics, Long Island Lutheran girls basketball, Harborfields boys basketball, Long Island Lutheran boys basketball.
