The Mineola varsity wrestling team finished a surprisingly successful year as they finished with a final record of 12-6 losses including a 4-1 mark in league competition. Such success was not expected at the beginning of the season as the team used three and sometimes only two seniors in the line-up.

Only two of four juniors on the team were used for various matches. A regular varsity match requires each team to compete in 13 weight classes, so in most of the matches the Mustangs were wrestling with 7 to 9 freshman and sophomores. Wrestling with this young lineup was not easy for the Mustang wrestlers but they did a great job all year.

As the season progressed, the boys improved and they beat some teams they were not expected to beat. The team opened up the season with a 72-6 victory over cross-town rival Carle Place. The next big victory came when the Mustangs defeated the number one seeded-team in their league, Cold Spring Harbor, by a score of 45-29. They then followed that up with a win over third-seeded Oyster Bay by a score of 48-29. The guys could not keep it going though and finally lost to the eventual league champs Valley Stream North. Mineola also had some nice victories over teams like Oceanside, Wheatley, and Hicksville.

The varsity lineup featured the following wrestlers and their respective weight classes:

103 lbs. - Freshman Nick Fabiano (16 wins), 112 lbs. sophomore Nick Grimaldi (20 wins), 119 lbs. freshman Zack Rachell (10 wins), 125 lbs. sophomore Tyler Cashin (21 wins), 130 lbs. sophomore Billy Gerstner, 135 lbs. junior Troy Kearney (six wins), 140 lbs. junior Mike Goldstein (18 wins), freshman Steve O Conner (17 wins) also filled in at 135 and 140 lbs. during the year. Senior Mike Granath, 145 lbs. (17 wins), 152 lbs. senior Helder Santiago (22 wins), 160 lbs. senior Bob Barcos (17 wins), 171 lbs. junior Leonard Dul (27 wins), 189 lbs. sophomore Arnold Gomez (17 wins), and finally at 215 lbs. Patrick Martorella (11 wins)

The season culminated with sophomore Arnold Gomez (189 lbs.) and Martorella receiving All-Conference honors and competing in the county tournament. Junior Leonard Dul had a great end of the year as he received All-County honors at 171 lbs. and also had a team leading 27 victories and 21 pins. The varsity "Strive for Excellence" winners were Grimaldi (most takedowns with 44), Cashin, and Gerstner.

The junior varsity wrestlers also had a fine year. They included; freshman Joe Barcos 103 lbs. (eight wins), freshman Chris Euell (one win) (Chris also had an injury that kept him out most of the year), freshman Nick Fiore, 135 lbs. (seven wins), first-year senior Andrew Leno, freshman Tom Redmond 145 lbs. (nine wins), first-year junior Brian Langone 171 lbs. (14 wins), freshman Nick Vale 189 lbs. (four wins), and freshman Mike Cerqueira, 285 lbs. (seven wins).

Eighth grader Dylan Dombroski 125 lbs. (17 wins) filled in on the varsity team at the end of the year a few times and did a great job. The junior varsity "Strive for Excellence" winners were Nick Fabiano, Steve O'Connor, and Brian Langone.

It was a very successful year and we hope for continued improvement and success in the future.