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Bulletin Board
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Click on to visit the Living the Dream website
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Click here to read the FOMW News Letter, November 2009
I hope my letter finds you doing well and want to fill you in on whats been happening in Massapequa. Throughout 2009 the Friends of Massapequa Wrestling have continued to work to achieve the goals outlined in it's Mission Statement. This past year the Organization provided funding for:
1) a clinic with Olympic Gold Medallist Henry Cejudo at MHS
2) for the high school team to go away for one week of camp and compete in the 1000 Island Duals in upstate New York
3) assistance to the youth program for camp and other youth activities
4) financial assistance to MHS athletes competing at the USAW Nationals in Fargo, North Dakota
5) additional financial support for off-season events and other activities
The FOMW has three primary sources of revenue that enable it to provide the kind of financial support described above:
1) individual and corporate donations
2) specific program and event sponsorships
3) hosting of tournaments and other fundraising events
Volunteers have been a crucial component of our continued success in hosting and running events. This past year we hosted four events: the Massapequa Youth Wrestling Tournament, Clinic with Olympic Gold Medallist Henry Cejudo, the Long Island Schoolboy Championships and Friday Night Lights (a night time, outdoor, round robin takedown tournament). We graciously thank all our volunteers and supporters, for without their help, the FOMW could not have undertaken and operated these events. We are always looking for new volunteers on any level, so please don't be shy. Whatever you can do to help out will be greatly appreciated.
Website updates under "Current Results" and "News Headlines" will be continuously posted throughout the HS season and entire year. A separate "Bulletin Board" Tab was recently added to post Alumni Reports and other items of specific interest.
The FOMW strives to help continue the tradition where excellence never graduates. We wish the coaching staff, wrestlers, and their parent's the best of luck this coming season. Please enjoy the attached newsletter.
Regards,
Dan Wetzel
President, FOMW
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Alumni Report
by Al Bevilacqua
February 13, 2009
CHIEFS DOMINATE SECTION 8 QUALIFYING TOURNAMENT
Will Be Sending 18 Wrestlers to the Section 8 Championships.
The Chiefs once again won the Section 8 Qualifying Team Championships, its second under Coach Catalnotto and his staff. This was the Chiefs 31st Section 8 Qualifying Team Championship.
Under the leadership of Coach Mims, the Chiefs won every qualifying tournament team championships since its inception, 29 consecutive years.
Coach Joe Catalnotto and his staff should be congratulated manintaing the program of excellence at Massapequa HS winning their second qualifier in a row. Farmingdale HS was second and the rest of the field included Freeport, Island Trees, Valley Stream Central and Clarke HS.
The tremendous depth of Massapequa Wrestling is the result of the grass root levels where our Youth and Middle School Programs recruit and build the "passion" for the sport of wrestling in the Massapequa community. There are 247 students grade 3-12 that participate in wrestling throughout the year.
On March 28th- The Friends of Massapequa Wrestling Inc. will be hosting the 2009 Long Island Schoolboy Championships at Berner Middle School. If you would like to help or contribute to "Building the Passion" for Wrestling in the Massapequa Community please contact:
Vito Mundo- Treasurer CHIEFSWRESTLING@aol.com or
Dan Wetzel-President dwetz9@yahoo.com
The Friends of Massapequa Wrestling Inc. is a 501C3 not for profit organization under IRS Rules & Regulations. 100% of all income goes back into the wrestling program in equipment, summer camps, travel and scholarships.
Excellence Never Graduates...........
The Champions
103lbs. Rudy Lanzilotta -10th grade
135lbs. Anthony Evangelista-12th grade
152lbs. Josh Maddock-12th grade
160lbs. James Ondris-11th grade
189lbs. Connor Wetzel- 10th grade
Runner-ups
96lbs. P. Nash- 10th grade
112lbs. Joe Harris- 10th grade
130lbs. Chris Sarro-10th grade
140lbs. Luciano Loseto-12 grade
152lbs. Eric Kaufman-12th grade
171lbs. Rob Seckler-12th grade
215lbs. Alex Hoffman-11th grade
Third Places
103lbs. Donohue- 10 grade
145lbs. Patrick Morgan- 11th grade
171lbs. Brendan Monaghan-12th grade
Fourth Places
119lbs. Matt Alleva-10th grade
112lbs. Paradiso- 10th grade
130lbs. Nick Chicione-10th grade
Alumni Report
by Al Bevilacqua
February 9, 2009
Chiefs Go 16-3 & Runner-up in Sec. 8 Duals
The Massapequa Chiefs advanced to the finals with lopsided wins over Mepham and Calhoun and a great comeback victory over Long Beach in the semi-finals over the week-end.
The team made it to the finals with state ranked and defending Section 8 Team and Dual Champions Mac Arthur High School. The Chiefs ended their dual meet season with a 16-3 record losing only to MacArthur HS in Section 8 competition. Their other two losses were to East Islip (Sec.11) and Ward Melville (Sec.11) at the East Islip Duals last week-end.
The highlight in the semi-finals comeback win over Long Beach where the coaching staff had to juggle the line-up the last two weeks due to the loss of All-County Wrestler and Lacrosse Player Nick Isnardi. After practice while walking home he fell on the ice and broke his foot. The fall resulted in a fracture that needed surgery. The shame of the accident is Nicky is also in jeopardy of missing his final lacrosse season where he is one of the top players on the Island.
In covering the hole in the lineup the coaches chose to move Connor Wetzel, a promising sophomore with great potential, up to heavyweight. The coaches were unaware that the night before Conor's grandfather passed away after a lengthy illness. Wrestling is a big part of the Wetzel family as his Dad is a former Sectional place winner for Berner HS and president of the Friends of Massapequa Wrestling.
Connor won and it was left up to 103lbs. Rudy Lanzatella, also a very promising sophomore. He closed the deal with a decision over his Long Beach wrestler. The Chiefs made it to the finals their first since 2006.
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Alumni Report
by Al Bevilacqua
December 15, 2008
The Massapequa Chiefs made a very big statement over the weekend by winning the Team Championship at the Huntington Tournament. The very competitive 34th Annual Huntington HS Tournament was once again loaded with talent. Every wrestler who ever wrestled for the CHIEFS participated in the Tournament during their career. Massapequa won the team championships in their inaugural year and until this day are the only team that ever won the tournament being invited back. Coach Giani built an unbelievable program and his record during his coaching tenure led to him being selected as a Distinguish Member of the National Wrestling Hall of Fame. The Chiefs showed tremendous depth at every weight class with several of the weights having two place winners. When winter comes every Chief wrestler throughout the 55 years of wrestling, were always asked a simple question " what did you do last summer to become a champion? ". These kids answered the question...they have built themselves physically and most importantly mentally, to compete at the highest level in Long Island and New York State wrestling. Support these kids and make plans to be at the Annual Berner-Massapequa Alumni Reunion on Saturday, Dec. 27th.
Massapequa
Connetquot
Hauppauge- Top Ranked Team in Sec.11- 8th in NYS
Long Beach
Monroe-Woodbury- Sec. 9 Champions- 6th NYS
Bethpage
Wantagh HS- 2nd Ranked Sec. 8-11th NYS
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Alumni Report
by Al Bevilacqua
December 9, 2008
The Massapequa HS Wrestling Program has kicked off its 53rd season with a great turnout on all levels. The Varsity and JV team have over 70 wrestlers and the Youth team has 134 kids wrestling. The Middle School program will begin the first week in January and usually draws well over 80 wrestlers.
The Inaugural Summer Reunion Beach Party at Tobay Beach was a huge success as Coaches Nordland, Mims and Bevilacqua were on hand to greet over 50 former "Chiefs' & Bisons' and their families. Well over 250 people attended the barbecue on the decks of Tobay Beach and special thanks to Jim Nordland in helping with the coordination of the facility and the barbeque.
The Annual Alumni Berner-Masapequa Wrestling Reunion is scheduled for Saturday December 27th. The 44th Annual Christmas Tournament and Reunion Party is all set. The Holiday Tournament is the oldest on Long Island and the second oldest in New York State behind the Windsor HS Tournament that began 1 year before ours.
For the "out of Towner's" who may have relatives in the area, it would be great time to bring your family back to Massapequa. The tournament always has the highest caliber of competition and this years is the same. Three of the top teams in New York State will be battling for the coveted championships. Hauppauge HS, last year team champions are loaded once again. Wantagh HS who last year had 3 state champions in their line-up, return two of them this season. Monroe Woodbury (Sec.9) already has established itself as one of the top teams winning the Section 9 team Duals and the Johnson City Dual Tournament.
An example of the competition, three wrestlers from the tournament went on to win the NYS State Championships later on. Two of them did not win the Massapequa Christmas Tournament.
The Chiefs worked their butts off during the Spring and Summer competing throughout the off-season. The entire varsity team, through your contributions and donations attended a two week summer intensive camp and participated in several upstate well respected tournaments. The entire coaching staff attended the event with the 35 varsity wrestlers.
The 2008-09 team has a well balanced team with depth at every weight class. Section 8, finished in 2nd place at the states last year and is making a big resurgence into the top tier of NYS. Many young and passionate coaches have taken over the reigns and the responsibility of making Section 8 win their 11 NYS Team Championship.
Hope to see you at the reunion and on behalf of the Friends of Massapequa Wrestling Inc. we wish you a terrific holiday season.
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Alumni Report
by Al Bevilacqua
November 7, 2007
I thought you all would like to hear a report of your Massapequa High School Team. As most of you should know, Coach Gary Mims has retired from Coaching and I continue to volunteer on all levels. I still have some “juice” left..
The program we all built together from 1962 has been turned over to a complete new coaching staff last season.
A solid program as Mepham High School use to have, was one that would be competitive every year. Massapequa HS has been competitive for the last 50 years winning more Sectional Titles and place winners than any other school in Nassau County.
Coaching Staff:
Head Coach- Joe Catalnotto- former Sec. 8 Champion for East Meadow HS and 3rd in NYS- CAA Champion for Hofstra University and a NCAA Qualifier
Assistant- Kevin Shippos- former NYS and National HS Champion from Baldwin HS- Penn State University team member
Assistant- Ron Serrano- former Section 8 and 3rd in NYS for MacArthur HS- NYS Collegiate Champion for Cortland State
Assistant- Mike Labella- former NYS Champion for Massapequa HS and wrestled at Edinboro University
Assistant- Ray Tutku-former Section 8 runner-up for Massapequa HS- Oneonta State wrestler
Volunteers-
Mike Amoroso- Section 8 Champion and 4th in NYS- wrestled at Hofstra University
Tom- Katsiorgis- Section 8 and NYS Champion
Walter Sosnowski- 3 time Sec. 8 Champion and a two time NYS place winner
Al Bevilacqua- former Coach
Youth Wrestling:
Lindsay Biagini- 3 time Section 8 Champion and a 2X NYS runner-up
Dan Wetzel- 3rd in Section 8 for Berner HS
Tony Bocchiaro- former MHS Wrestler
Tom Kalinoglu- former Calhoun Wrestler
Howie Greenblatt- Head Coach at MacArthur HS 6 time Sec. 8 Team Champion lives in Massapequa and a parent
Tom Reynolds- 2007 Team Champions East Meadow coach recently retired lives in Massapequa and a parent
Friends of Massapequa Wrestling Inc:
Vito Mundo- parent of 3 Massapequa Wrestlers
Steve Strumwasser- parent of Shane, Sec. 8 Champion and 4th NYS returning nationally ranked wrestler
Tom Malone- parent
Massapequ may have the largest roster of wrestlers in the United States. Each year the numbers continue to grow while the rest of the country is losing kids, we are growing. The Non-Profit we created will make it possible to sustain these numbers and provide kids of our community an opportunity to wrestle.
If you would like to contribute, please let me know and I will provide you the information.
Youth Wrestling- Registration is completed- 125 kids grades 1-6
Berner Middle School- 75 kids
Massapequa HS- 70 kids
Gary Mims and myself helped to build a great high school wrestling program and all of you receiving this e-mail should be proud of your alma mater. We certainly are proud of all of you.
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1999
Massapequa Takes Title, 1999
By Gregg Sarra. STAFF WRITER NEWSDAY
It was the feature bout of the night: Massapequa's Tom Katsigiorgis and Freeport's Terry Brown at 189 pounds. It was the pivotal match in what was a terrific dual meet for the Nassau County Conference I-A wrestling championship last night at Berner Junior High School in Massapequa.
Who would have thought Freeport, with only one starting senior, could take powerful Massapequa to the brink of defeat? After all, the Chiefs drubbed Freeport by 27 points for the Conference I regular-season dual-meet title a week ago. Katsigiorgis used two takedowns and a third-period uncontested escape to edge Brown, 5-4, and give Massapequa a 28-19 lead in its 31-19 victory and the overall county Conference I-A dual-meet title. Massapequa (13-1) unseats Long Beach as the county champion. "I was disappointed that I didn't get to wrestle him last week," Katsigiorgis said, referring to Freeport coach Terry Haise electing not to wrestle Brown after Massapequa had already sealed the win. "I knew I had to go out hard because he's so tough. I was definitely ready for him." Katsigiorgis' victory snapped a personal two-match losing streak to Brown. Katsigiorgis lost to Brown in the final of the both the Massapequa and Freeport tournaments this season, once by a point and the other in overtime. Both wrestlers are favorites for the 189-pound crown in the county individual tournament Feb. 15-16. The two seemed ready for overtime again last night, but Katsigiorgis held off Brown. The significance of the bout was not lost on Katsigiorgis. "I needed to beat him before the county tournament," Katsigiorgis said. "I was mentally ready and that made a difference." Brown, who allowed an uncontested escape with 1:11 left in the third period to give Katsigiorgis a 5-3 lead, was disappointed but believes the two will meet again. "Hopefully, we both make it to the county final," he said. "He wrestled well today. It wasn't one of my better matches."
Freeport (12-2) wrestled exceptionally well. The Red Devils erased the memory of a 39-12 loss last week to Massapequa and stayed with the Chiefs until the end. The momentum that Massapequa built early quickly disappeared as Freeport made a charge through the middleweights. Massapequa won five consecutive bouts to open the meet to take a commanding 18-0 lead before Freeport reeled off four straight wins to take a 19-18 lead. Suddenly, the Red Devils were on the verge of a spectacular turnaround in a week's time.
"I'm very pleased with our performance," said Haise, who has 12 underclassmen in the starting lineup. "We still made some young mistakes, but we saw a lot of improvement." Massapequa sophomore Pat Callahan used a third-period escape and then held off sophomore Kwamdar Warren to pull out a 4-3 win in the 160-pound class. Warren narrowly missed taking a 5-3 lead at the end of the second period when it looked like he gained a takedown just before time expired. After a short visit to the scorer's table referee Marc Piven ruled the points off. The win gave the Chiefs a 21-19 lead and Walter Chomicki's 15-5 victory over Tim Jeffries at 171 made it 25-19.
"Freeport wrestled much better," Massapequa coach Gary Mims said. "I expected it to be a good dual meet."
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