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By Al, Steve & Vito
March 3, 2010
Massapequa Wrestling closed out a very successful 2009 – 2010 season on Saturday, February 27th when Senior and Team Captain James Ondris (152) placed fourth at the New York State Public High School Athletic Association Championships held in Albany. He also helped Nassau County achieve a second place finish in the State Tournament’s Sectional scoring format, as Long Island was once again a dominant force in NY wrestling. James exemplifies the hard work and dedication the Massapequa wrestling program fosters in its student athletes. Ondris became the thirty-second individual from Massapequa to place at the State Tournament since wrestling began at Massapequa in the 1950’s. James also broke the 100-career win mark and joins Ed Fiorvanti (1977), Walter Sosnowski (2002), Shane Strumwasser (2008), Michael Doria (2008) and Eric Kaufman (2009) on the all-time career win list.
For the first time since 1999 Massapequa captured the Nassau County Class A Dual Meet Championship by defeating MacArthur in the finals by a score of 34 – 15. The New York State Sports Writers Association just prior to the Dual Meet Championship ranked MacArthur #8 in New York State. MacArthur had won the Dual Meet Championship every year from 2001 to 2009 except for 2007 when East Meadow won. We finished the dual meet season with a 17 – 2 win/loss record.
Shortly after on February 8th, Massapequa won the Section 8 Qualifying tournament held at Massapequa. At the qualifier, the Chiefs put eleven wrestlers into the finals, crowned seven champions, and qualified twenty-one wrestlers for the Sectional Championships. The Section 8 Championships also know as the Nassau County Championships were held at Hofstra’s Mack Arena on February 13 - 14th. The chiefs ended up with two wildcards entrants bringing the total number of Massapequa wrestlers participating in the event to twenty-three. The Chiefs finished in 5th place with seven All County (Section 8) Place Winners: Fr. Joe Doria (96), Sr. Joe Harris (112), Jr. Matt Aleva (125), Jr. Nick Chicione (140), Jr. Chris Sarro (145), Sr. James Ondris (152), and Jr. Conor Wetzel (189).
Long Beach captured the County Championship Title followed by Wantagh, Syosset and Uniondale. During the season the Chiefs battled all four of the aforementioned teams in Dual meet competition and came away victorious in all, but the Dual against Wantagh, dropping a 34- 22 decision to the #10 ranked team in New York.
The season was also highlighted by Conor Wetzel breaking the school record for most pins in a single season. The record now stands at twenty-eight, but could fall next year as 2X County Place Winner Conor returns for his senior year. Next year the Chiefs will return seventeen Sectional qualifiers and five all County wrestlers including this years standouts Junior Chris Sarro (145) and Junior Nick Chicione (140).
In addition to James Ondris, also graduating this year are Team Captain and standout Patrick Morgan (145), Joe Harris (112), Branden Renda (130), Kyle Paradiso (135), Alex Hoffman (215) and Nelson Dominguez (Hwt). Their individual accomplishments and contributions to the program are to numerous to list. We wish them all well and will miss them next year.
The coaching staff of Joe Catalanotto, Ron Serrano, Kevin Shippos, Mike Labella, Mike Viola and Andrew Mundo are all to be congratulated, not just for the programs success this season, but for their continued commitment and dedication to the program and its student athletes.
The Board of Directors of the Friends of Massapequa Wrestling would like to thank the coaching staff, parents, Mat Mates, sponsors, alumni and student supporters for all their support of the program. We would also like to send a special thank you to John Piropato - District Director of Health, Athletics & Physical Education in Massapequa. Mr. Piropato has been a huge supporter of the program and we are most grateful.
Please visit the Friends of Massapequa Wrestling website to see the Lighthouse Wrestling video interview with Coach Catalanotto and James Ondris at the State Tournament.
Best Regards,
Al, Steve, Vito
FOMW Newsletter
By Al, Steve & Vito
January 19, 2010
The Massapequa Chiefs have been on a roll since the New Year began.
On January 6th they defeated Farmingdale 38-25, on the 8th they won the Hammer-Mims trophy with a dual-meet victory over rival East Meadow 32-22. The chiefs Followed up on Saturday, January 9th winning the Ted Petersen Tournament while advancing 8 wrestlers to the Finals. On Wednesday, January 13th the boys downed Freeport at home by a score of 61-6 followed by a 42-15 win on the road over Uniondale on Friday the 16th. This past Saturday the Chiefs where on the mats at the Seaford Duals where they defeated Seaford 36-23 and Calhoun 49-12. Currently ranked #26 in the state by the New York State Sportswriters Association, here’s how the team looks by weight:
Dual-meet line-up review:
103: Donahue (Soph) continues to improve and looks strong. Picked up a 50 second pin against Uniondale and the Silver Medal at the Ted Petersen tournament.
112: Harris (Sr) is back in the line-up after rehabbing from an injury and looks to be a force at the weight. Runner-up at the Ted Petersen, and pins against both Freeport and Seaford.
119: Returning County Place Winner Lanzilotta (Jr) took home the Gold at the Ted Petersen Tournament and a pin against Uniondale. Look for Rudy to capitalize on his outstanding technique as we head into the Dual-meet play-offs.
125: Aleva’s (Jr) hard work is paying big dividends! Although he dropped a tight 4-2 decision to Seaford’s very talented Anthony Locast, he knocked off Uniondale stud Marvin Amazon. Look for him to continue to improve and peak at the end of the season.
130: Renda (Sr) has shown he can get the job done for the Chiefs! A 14-5 Major decision against Farmingdale, a 9-2 upset of highly ranked Witlock from Uniondale and a third period pin against Seaford.
135: Paradiso (Sr) was the Runner-up at the Ted Petersen Tournament dropping a tight 3-2 decision to one of the top ranked wrestlers at the weight, Uniondale’s Montpeirous. Look for Kyle to bounce back from some recent losses and help keep the Chiefs rolling.
140: Chicoine has been solid as a rock! Quality wins against Farmingdale (pin) and East Meadow followed by an Eleven second pin vs. Freeport and a heart breaking 2-1 loss to Uniondale team standout Epps.
145, 152, & 160: Team Captains Sarro, Morgan and Ondris (Murders Row) have proven to be leaders by example on and off the mat. The three have combined to win every dual-meet match at 145-160 since the start of 2010. All three exemplify hard work and dedication. Look for them come time for the Dual-meet playoffs and Sectional Championships. Nassau’s top ranked 145 lber Maldarelli (Calhoun) bumped up to wrestle Ondris at the Seaford Duals. With the score 6-5 late in the third period, James came up big to hold on to his lead, winning the match 10-5.
171: Schaefer (Jr) has been tough at a very difficult weight class. He continues to stay determined and is looking to help the Chief’s squad capture the elusive Dual Meet Championship.
189: Wetzel (Jr) continues to be a pinning force and is currently ranked #3 in Nassau County. Conor dropped a tight 4-2 decision in the finals of the Ted Petersen Tournament to #2 ranked Sylvester from Uniondale. After that he went on a tear pinning all four of his dual-meet opponents following the tournament. Prior to the Ted Petersen Conor pinned both his opponents from East Meadow and Farmingdale as well as his opponent in the finals of the Massapequa Holiday Tournament.
215: Hoffman (Sr) pinned both his opponents at the Seaford Duals in the first period. He has been a solid performer for the Chiefs at this weight class and is capable of putting up 6 points for the Chiefs in every match.
To read more about Massapequa wrestling visit the FOMW website and click on the Bulletin Board Tab to find Coach Serrano’s 2009 – 2010 Blog.
This coming Saturday the Chiefs will be participate in the East Islip Duals. The other squads at the duals will be Copiague, East Islip (#9 Dual-meet team in Section 11), Grand Street Campus (PSAL), Ward Melville and John Glenn (#1 Dual-meet team in NYS). A dual against John Glenn would match-up many of the two squad’s outstanding wrestlers.
Potential match-ups against John Glenn (Section 11 Ranking denoted, Section 8 Rankings have not been updated recently):
JG Chiefs
103: Donohue vs. Massa
112: Punzone (#3) vs. Harris
119: Dekrone vs. Lanzilotta
125: Sewell vs. Aleva
130: Meinsen (#1) vs. Renda
135: Gannon vs. Paridiso
140: Meinsen vs. Chicoine
145: Fusaro (#2) vs. Sarro
152: Terdick (#1) vs. Morgan or Ondris
160: Bosco (#1) vs. Morgan or Ondris
171: Cheatham (#3) vs. Schaefer
189: Giaramita (#2) vs. Wetzel
215: Kohout vs. Hoffman
If you know anyone who would also like to receive email updates on the Chiefs, tell them to visit our website and join our Email list.
Regards,
Al, Steve & Vito
Alumni Report
by Al Bevilacqua
December 9, 2009
Chiefs- 54th Season
1955-2009
The 2009-10 wrestling season began last weekend with the annual Herricks Wrestling Tournament. The tournament is very unique in that all the participants are able to wrestle 4 or 5 times, providing every wrestler in the program an opportunity to compete.
Individual results and team scores are kept. Our program, where our numbers have remained high, helps to maintain the consistency that helps build the depth that has made our program competitive every year.
This year squad, many of whom have gained experience last year recording a 16-3 dual meet record, runner-up's in the Section 8 Team Dual Meet Championships, winning the Herricks and Huntington Tournaments, Conference Championships and for the 29th year out of the last 30, winning the Conference Section 8 Qualifying Tournament.
The team is poised for a run at the Section 8 Dual & County Championships with many young men who has done everything possible over the summer to prepare for the season.
The entire squad went upstate for a two week training camp and competition with 34 other top NYS teams.
The coaching staff has 'dragged" many of them all over the Island, New Jersey, PA & CT and any other place during the spring, summer and fall for competition. Several wrestled in the national Jr. Championships for NYS in Fargo, ND.
As it was for many of you, the real season always begins with the Huntington Tournament with many of Suffolk County's top programs entered. We are the defending team champions.
The first home dual meet is scheduled on Tuesday, Dec. 22nd with league rival, Syosset High School.
A week later, Tuesday Dec. 29th, is the 45th annual Massapequa Christmas Tournament with some of the top teams in New York State competing in the oldest Holiday Tournament on Long Island.
Almost every former wrestler reading this newsletter has participated in the tournament that began with 4 teams at McKenna Jr. High School in 1964. In those days, we were not able to use the high school gym because of basketball practice. Things have changed a little since then.
The 2009-10 Massapequa wrestling program has registered 154 youth wrestlers- ages 6-12, 72 middle school wrestler grades 7-8 and 61 high school wrestlers grades 9-12.
Long Island has many schools with the Indian logo but there is only 1 Chief'...............
GO CHIEFS!
FOMW News Letter
by Steve Strumwasser
November 10, 2009
The Tradition Continues
The Massapequa High School (MHS) wrestling program enjoyed tremendous success under the leadership of former Coaches Al Bevilacqua and Gary Mims. Current Head Coach Joe Catalanatto looks to build on that tradition as he begins his fourth year at the helm with the same enthusiasm and excitement he had when he first took over the program in 2006.
Since 1956, MHS has had 171 individual place winners at the Section 8 Championships commonly referred to as the “Counties” or “Nassau County Championships”. Many of those individuals were multi year place winners’ and combined for a total of 259 place finishes over the course of the programs fifty-three years of existence. During this time MHS has also had 38 student athletes win a total of 51 individual Section 8 Championships, 38 New York State place finishes and 3 State Championship crowns.
In the early 1980’s Massapequa demonstrated the dominance and depth of its wrestling program as it produced a combined 18 county place winners in just two years, 10 in 1981 & 8 in 1982. In the 1990’s the program once again displayed its dominance in the county with 9 place winners in 1996, 13 in 1997, 10 in 1998 and 11 in 1999. Massapequa’s 1997-98 wrestling team was considered by most coaches at that time to be the best Chiefs squad ever. The Chiefs had a stunning ten returning County place-winners, including 96 lb Champion Jerold Limongelli and four runners-up -- Joe Allen (112), Luke Palmisano (125), Wes Blauberg (145) and Damien Armella (152). Massapequa went on to win the Nassau County (Section 8) Tournament crowning four Champions -- Jerold Limongelli (103), Ryan Kelly (112), Wes Blauberg (140) and Tom Katsigiorgis (189). Katsigiorgis went on to become a State Champion and the New York State Sports Writers Association crowned the Chiefs squad the NYS Dual Meet Champions.
As time passed MHS continued to be one of the premier high school wrestling programs in Nassau County, 2001 yielded 8 place winners followed by 9 in 2002, and 8 in 2006. During this time rival MacArthur high school moved into the spotlight winning the Sectional tournament consecutively for a number of years. MacArthur High School also began to dominate the Dual Meet Class A play-offs, emerging champions over MHS in 2005 & 2006, over Uniondale in 2007, Baldwin in 2008 and MHS again in 2009. During this same time period Wantagh and Plainedge battled for the Class B championship with Wantagh coming out on top the last two years.
After defeating MHS 43-18 in a regular conference match on January 4th 2008, Uniondale squeaked by MHS 28-26 in the Dual Meet Championship semi-finals on February 9th. That loss prevented MHS from meeting MacArthur in the Class A final, but demonstrated how far the team had come from their earlier defeat that season. Massapequa closed out 2008 by dominating at the Sectional qualifier, placing 18 wrestlers into the County Championship, and crowning 2 County Champions that both went on to place in the NY State Championships. The 2008 – 2009 season was also highlighted by 18 wrestlers qualifying for the Sectional (County) Championships where 5 of them attained “All County” honors. The team also finished as runners-up in the Class A Dual Meet Championship, falling again to Big Mac in the finals after a thrilling 28-25 semi final win over Long Beach.
Massapequa has also had it share of champions in the classroom, as it has been the recipients of the New York State Team Scholar athlete award in wrestling for six of the last seven years. An accomplishment shared by the students, teachers, coaches, parents, school administration and supporters of the program who all take great pride in our student athletes.
With the 2009 – 2010 season about to get under way Coach Joe Catalanatto is looking to build on the team’s most recent success. Lighthouse Wrestling’s 2009 - 2010 preseason rankings for Nassau has MHS ranked 6th for Tournaments behind Wantagh, Long Beach, MacArthur, Syosset and Uniondale & 5th for Dual Meets. The first scheduled competition for the Chiefs is the Herrick Tournament on December 5th. Later in the month the Chiefs will host the second oldest Holiday wrestling tournament in New York State on Tuesday, December 22, 2009 at MHS. The Chief’s entire schedule and results can be found on the Friends of Massapequa Wrestling (FOMW) website at: http://www.leaguelineup.com/massapequawrestling
Youth Wrestling Continues to Excel
The Massapequa Youth Wrestling Team (grades 1 – 6) is perhaps one of the largest youth teams in New York State. The program has grown tremendously over the last 5 years with a record high 155 participants in 2008-09. Last season the team entered 24 of its advanced wrestlers into the Nassau County Youth Tournament; 4 Champions were crowned and 21 wrestlers earned “All County” honors. 10 of the 21 made the trip up to Binghamton for the New York State Youth Championships. They combined for a total of 36 wins and 14 losses, 2 won State Championships and 6 earned “All State” honors. In addition to hosting the 7th Annual Al Bevilacqua Massapequa Youth Tournament on Sunday, January 10th 2010, the Club’s Tournament schedule includes weekly trips to NJ, CT and upstate NY. Registration for this coming season is almost completed with 133 registered to date. Tommy Kalinoglu and the other youth Coaches are committed to working with our young wrestlers in order to help prepare them for the future, both on and off the Mats.
Events
The FOMW once again hosted one of the best youth wrestling events held on Long Island. There were 375 participants, the morning session was completed at 11:45 a.m. and the afternoon session concluded at 3:15 p.m. The 2010 tournament will take place on Sunday, January 10th and has been renamed the 7th Annual Al Bevilacqua Massapequa Youth Wrestling Tournament in honor of Coach Bev. On May 16th the FOMW sponsored a clinic with Olympic Gold Medallist Henry Cejudo. To read about the clinic visit The Mat Slap at: http://www.thematslap.com/CejudoClinic09.htmlTo see Jim Nordland interview Henry Cejudo, visit Lighthouse Wrestling at:
http://lighthousewrestling.com/lhw/2009/05/17/henry-cejudo-interview/
The FOMW also hosted the Long Island Schoolboy Championships at Berner Junior high school. There were approximately two hundred participants at this year’s event. The event of the year was a take down tournament on the John Burns football field at night, outdoor, under the lights. We called it “Friday Night Lights” and it drew over four hundred participants. Getting the mats there wasn’t easy, but the coaching staff and HS team made it happen. To read all about the event and see video of it in progress visit the FOMW website and click on the Tab labeled “Friday Night Lights” or use the link:http://lighthousewrestling.com/2009/07/13/friday-night-lights/
John Hamilton Honored
The FOMW would like to congratulate former Massapequa Assistant Coach and Clinician John Hamilton on his induction into the National Wrestling Hall of Fame. John was instrumental in helping the Massapequa program attain success in the 1990’s. A Calhoun graduate coached by the legendary Hall of Fame Coach Bob Bury, John went on to wrestle at Central Connecticut State where he was an All-American. John was both a Physical Education Teacher and Athletic Director at East Meadow High School (EMHS). Also the Head Wrestling and Soccer coach at EMHS for a number of years, John was recognized as a Nassau County coach of the year in each sport. John has inspired many former student athletes to become teachers and coaches. John, along with his wife Sue and their two children Chris and Jessica have been long time residents of Massapequa Park. An avid runner, John has participated in more than thirty marathons all over the country. Currently a Nassau County Wrestling Official, John has generously donated his time to help the efforts of the FOMW and the Long Island Wrestling Community.
Pete Hausrath Honored
Reprinted from the National Wrestling Hall of Fame
Former Massapequa HS wrestler Pete Hausrath (1959) has been selected by the National Wrestling Hall of Fame in Stillwater, OK as one of the recipients of the Lifetime Service Award for the NYS Upstate Chapter. Pete was a graduate of Iowa State University and was a member of the team at Iowa State that won a NCAA Team Championship. He was the wrestling coach at Sherburne-Earlville HS (Sec. 3) with stints coaching HS in Iowa and Minnesota. He helped to organize the New York State Wrestling Federation and was one of the inaugural state coaches at the 1972 National Jr. Championships. He will join two other Massapequa High School graduates that were previous award winners, Al Bevilacqua in 1996 and Gary Mims in 2007.
The Friends of Massapequa Wrestling, Inc. (FOMW) is a voluntary, not-for-profit organization dedicated to fostering, promoting and encouraging the sport of amateur wrestling in Massapequa as a means of building character, physical health and well-being, sportsmanship, self-confidence, self-esteem and positive attitudes about dedication, persistence, intensity and hard work among the younger generation in order to fit them more adequately for their future role in society.
Letter to the FOMW
from Dan Wetzel
November 10, 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
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.
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
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.
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.
