Wrestling beat: EM's Danziger covets county

East Meadow senior Andrew Danziger has been on Nassau's wrestling radar for quite some time. The 215-pounder placed fourth at the county championships two years running.

This year, Danziger is aiming higher. At 23-0, he is the favorite to win his coveted county title. With a tournament win at the Knights Classic and a 2-0 mark over Uniondale's formidable Elijah Shabaaz, Danziger has separated himself from the rest of Nassau's 215-pound pack.

"Winning a county title would mean a lot because, two years in a row, I had a really tough weight class," Danziger said. "Fourth place is kind of disappointing."

Danziger attributes much of his success to the addition of East Meadow alum Matt DeLuca to the coaching staff. DeLuca won three county championships during his Jets tenure, and Danziger hopes some of that championship magic rubs off.

"That would mean everything," Danziger said of winning a county title. "I work hard all year round, my whole life, actually. To be a state champ . . . that would be amazing. A county championship would be awesome, too."