The Hauppauge High School wrestling team left no stone unturned at the League V Wrestling Tournament held Saturday at West Islip High School, capturing the team championship with 317 points. Comsewogue finished second with 179.5 points, while Smithtown West placed third with 143.5 points.
Hauppauge advanced 10 wrestlers to the finals, crowned five individual champions, and qualified 16 wrestlers for next weekend’s Suffolk County Tournament.
The Eagles’ success began at 103 pounds, where sophomore Jacob Messina captured his first league title. Messina recorded two falls on the day, including a pin in 2:45 over Cole Burstein of Eastport-South Manor in the finals. At 138 pounds, senior Alex Spano earned his first league championship with a 2:59 pin over Matt Beardsley of Eastport-South Manor. Spano also recorded four falls during the tournament, earning the Most Falls in the Least Amount of Time award.
At 144 pounds, Hauppauge placed two wrestlers in the finals. Senior James Moccia was declared champion by medical forfeit over teammate Ben Vallone, who finished as runner-up. Moccia reached the final with two first-period pins in just :33 and :49 seconds, while Vallone, returning from injury, won three matches — including two major decisions and a technical fall — to advance.
Senior Carter Dolan captured the 190-pound title, recording a 2:37 pin in the semifinals and a 19–4 technical fall in the finals. The most exciting bout of the day came at 285 pounds, where sophomore Dominick Green, in only his second year of wrestling, claimed his first league championship. Green avenged two early-season losses by pinning Tristin-Xa Bailey of Comsewogue and Francesco Palombino of East Hampton, electrifying the Hauppauge crowd with a :35 semifinal pin and a 1:13 fall in the championship match.
Hauppauge also produced several strong runner-up finishes, including sophomores Giovanni La Spina (110 lbs.) and Ryder Smith (126 lbs.), senior Malik Manigat (132 lbs.), and sophomore Ryckie Tyrrell (165 lbs.). Tyrrell recorded two pins in the quarterfinals and semifinals to reach the finals, while Manigat rebounded from a semifinal loss to pin highly regarded Paul Vasaturo of West Islip.
In the consolation rounds, sophomore James Aversa (118 lbs.) earned third place with an exciting 12–11 decision over Caden Vair of West Islip, avenging an earlier loss. Senior Lex Ortiz (138 lbs.) and sophomore Chris Strazzeri (150 lbs.) also placed third. Fourth-place finishes went to sophomore Nathan Masaitis (103 lbs.), freshman Nathan Alver (150 lbs.), and junior Andrew Solomon (177 lbs.).
Assistant varsity coach Michael Messina praised the team’s effort, noting, “The team believed in the process and wrestled a terrific tournament. Many of the wins came in the closing seconds of the matches by pins.”
Head coach Chris Messina credited the program’s success to the coaching staff and community support, including assistant coach Michael Messina, junior varsity coach Dominick Messina, and the Hauppauge families who consistently support the team.
“Winning the title is a team effort; however, when you surround yourself with families that buy into the process, it becomes a family and the result is endless.”
The Eagles now turn their focus to the Suffolk County Tournament, scheduled for this weekend at Stony Brook University.