Arceri Seeks State Wrestling Championship
John Arceri is going to Albany with one thing on his mind. The Huntington High School sophomore’s goal is to win the state wrestling championship this weekend. Considering his dedication and work ethic, it would be foolish not to believe he has a very good chance of returning with a gold medal.
The teenager has been training for the past two weeks with fellow Suffolk wrestlers who have also qualified for this year’s state intersectional tournament at the Times Union Center in Albany. Arceri won the 113 lb. Section XI title at Hofstra University on Sunday, February 16. Since then he has been entirely focused on the state championships.
“My goal is to be a state champion,” Arceri says with determination. The teenager has been around wrestling his whole life. His father, also named John was an undefeated (35-0) state champion for Ward Melville High School in 1981. The Huntington star’s uncle, Gerard Arceri captured the Section XI title in 1982 at 177 lbs. He went on to finish third in the state tournament that same year.
The greatest Blue Devil wrestlers have been state champions. Every Huntington matman learns this on the first day they step into the practice room. “It’s the goal of everyone on the team to be the best in the state,” head coach Travis Smith said. “The Blue Devils always sets their sights high.”
Arceri is 35-1 this winter. His only loss came amid some degree of controversy during an upstate tournament. The sophomore has shown an ability to focus laser-like on his goals, making enormous sacrifices along the way and devoting untold hours to training. In the off-season, he is known to travel far-and-wide to seek out weekend tournament competitions all with an eye toward improving and taking another step toward his goals.
“John puts in the time and effort required to be a champion,” Smith said. “The state tournament is a grueling two-day competition. But, John is very tough. He doesn’t let his imagination run wild. He has an ability to concentrate and block out all the distractions. We’re excited to be going back to the state tournament with him.”
Arceri went 28-12 on varsity as an eighth grader and was 38-4 last year when he became the first freshman in Huntington wrestling history to win the Suffolk title. His lifetime mark with the Blue Devils is 101-17, with the 100th victory coming in this year’s county semi-finals. “My future goal is to be a national champion,” Arceri said.
In addition to his father, who never misses a match, Arceri’s close-knit family includes his mother, Julie, older sister Molly and eighth grade sister Patricia. Molly won three straight Suffolk diving championships at Huntington High School and finished second in the state. She’s now a sophomore at Towson University, diving on the NCAA Division I team there on a scholarship. Patricia is one of Suffolk’s best young divers and was All-County last fall.
The Huntington wrestler will weigh in on Friday at 7:30 a.m. and participate in the state tournament’s Parade of Champions at 9:30 a.m. Preliminary round action starts at 10 a.m. sharp and continues throughout the day. The semi-finals are slated for 10 a.m. on Saturday, followed by wrestle-back and consolation rounds. The finals are scheduled for 6:30 p.m.