Arceri Paces Blue Devils at County
Mat Championships
As John Arceri stepped on the mat before a crowd of 2,500 at Hofstra University’s David S, Mack Arena the teenager wore a look of steely determination. The junior turned in a classic display of controlled wrestling, besting Half Hollow Hills East’s Joe Spadafora, 1-0 to become only the sixth Huntington High School wrestler ever to win three Suffolk championships.
Brandon Mendez (160 lbs.) and Joe Puca (170 lbs.) both took third place in the tournament for the Blue Devils. Kyle Mock (120 lbs.) placed sixth. Huntington finished eighth in the Suffolk Division I team standings with 86.5 points.
Arceri is headed to the state championships in Albany along with Mendez and Puca, who both earned wildcard berths. The trio will compete at the Times Union Center this coming Friday and Saturday, February 27-28.
Arceri’s performance over the two-day county tournament was remarkable. The mat veteran held all four of his opponents scoreless. “John wrestled the best kids in the county and didn’t surrender a single point; that’s pretty impressive,” said Travis Smith, Huntington’s head coach.
The Blue Devil star doesn’t get butterflies in his stomach before big matches. Arceri’s nerves have been tested many times over. The teenager never doubts himself. He’s been wrestling since he could walk, thanks to his father, also named John, who was an undefeated state mat champion as a senior at Ward Melville High School.
“The match played out as I planned,” said Arceri, still pumped following his big win in the county finals. “He was very strong and he got me off balance once, but I managed to recover. It feels great.”
Arceri (38-1) is headed to the state intersectional tournament in Albany for the third time. He was stymied in his first two trips there, but is more determined than ever to notch a breakthrough performance. Asked if he thought he could win the state championship he didn’t hesitate: “I think that I can,” the teenager said.
Arceri and Spadafora engaged in a closely fought battle in the finals. Neither could gain a takedown in the first two minute period. Arceri then rode out his Hills East foe in the second frame. The Huntington great escaped seconds into the third period to take a 1-0 lead, which he made stand-up the rest of the way.
In earlier rounds, Arceri pinned Bellport’s Austin Gross in 0:48, overwhelmed Smithtown West’s Andrew Desousa with a 16-0 technical fall and edged Smithtown East’s James Trezza in the semi-finals, 2-0.
“John wrestled the perfect tournament,” Smith said. “He was physically and mentally ready for every match. No one works harder. We couldn’t have asked for more from him.”
Mendez and Puca Take Third Place
Mendez (37-1) pinned Westhampton Beach’s Alex Kravitz in 1:51 and then topped Patchogue-Medford’s Peter Pasqualino before falling in the semi-finals to top seeded Chris Mauriello of Hauppauge, 9-4.
Mendez rebounded in the consolation bracket by grabbing a 7-4 decision over Sachem East’s Joe Eiden and then edging Connetquot’s John Lepak for third place, 11-1.
Puca pinned Sachem East’s Austin Serra in the opening round in 2:39 before falling to eventual 170 lb. champion Francisco Bisono of Hauppauge, 9-4. The Huntington junior then reeled off four straight victories in the consolation bracket.
Puca overwhelmed East Hampton’s Luciano Escobar by technical fall, 15-0, nipped Islip’s Joe Demasi, 3-1 and edged Ward Melville’s Donny Donnelly, 9-4. In the battle for third place, Puca topped William Floyd’s Ryan Gerena by technical fall, 19-4.
Mock Reaches Semi-finals
Mock (36-4) reached the 120 lb. semi-finals, where he fell to top seeded Ben Tepperman of Hauppauge, 7-3. The Huntington junior earlier grappled to a 15-2 decision over Patchogue-Medford’s Mike Figurowski and nipped Newfield’s Kyle Scully, 8-7.
After dropping a decision in the semi-finals, Mock lost back-to-back bouts in the consolation bracket to finish sixth.
Dwyer Comes Close
Ethan Dwyer (33-6) came close to earning All-County honors after opening the tournament with a pair of victories at 106 lbs. The Huntington junior pinned Smithtown East’s Josh Klein-Valente in 2:44 and then defeated John H. Glenn’s Sean Wieck in the ultimate tie-breaker (three overtimes).
Dwyer fell in the quarterfinals to Lindenhurst’s Marc Traficante, 8-4. He was knocked from the tournament when he dropped a 2-0 decision to Brentwood’s Jesse Telles.
In other action for the Blue Devils:
Oscar Romero (21-10) captured a 16-6 decision over Centereach’s James Wahl in his first bout at 195 lbs. He then lost a 15-0 technical fall to top seeded and eventual champion Christian Araneo of Ward Melville. The senior was eliminated from the tournament when he lost a 7-3 decision to East Hampton’s Axel Alanis.
At 285 lbs., Khari McNeil (24-13) was eliminated from further competition after he was pinned in 3:44 by Longwood’s Ryan Kamer.
Ryan Mock (31-9) dropped a 9-2 decision to Westhampton Beach’s Dane Mendoza at 99 lbs., knocking him out of the tournament.