Four Blue Devils Win Mat Titles
Four Huntington wrestlers won individual weight class championships and the Blue Devils finished second in an eight team field at last Saturday's 41st annual Huntington Holiday Wrestling Tournament.
Corey Jamison (112 lbs.), Nigel McNeil (125), Louis Puca (171) and Anthony Puca (285) all won titles. John Mallouk finished second at 145 lbs. after losing a 2-0 decision in the finals.
Louis Puca, who was second in the county and state tournaments last winter, was voted the tournament's most outstanding wrestler by the eight head coaches and also won an award for having the most falls in the least amount of time. The senior decked three opponents in 3:31.
"Louis was just great," said Kieran Mock, who is in his third year as Huntington's head coach. "He went through his moves well and had a good sense of where he was on the mat at all times. He had a great start to the season."
McNeil, a returning state champion, was never seriously threatened in the tournament, although he won a narrow 3-1 decision in the finals. Jamison, who took second in the league last year, looked strong in each of his matches and captured a 7-3 decision in the championship bout.
"Nigel and Corey looked good considering this were their first matches of the year," Mock said. "We were pushed out there and that's great. We want the competition."
Anthony Puca's 2-1 decision in the tournament's final match was perhaps the most exciting one of the entire day. Many in the crowd were on their feet for most of the bout. "Anthony hung is really tough and did a great job getting the win," Mock said about the wrestler who was third in the league last winter.
Several Huntington wrestlers suffered upsets, but enough won matches in the championship and consolation brackets to help the Blue Devils lock-up a secure hold on second place.
"We would have liked to win it all, but it was a good day for us and we had a good showing," Mock said.
Final Team Scores: 1. Massapequa-255.5; 2. Huntington-208.5; 3. Kings Park-193; 4. Northport-172.5; 5. Central Islip-129; 6. Center Moriches-96; 7. Port Jervis-86; 8. Grand Street Campus-79.