Blue Devils Push Eight into Kohl Tournament Finals
It was all Huntington in the Kohl wrestling tournament at Suffern High School as the Blue Devils crowned four champions en route to the team title for the second consecutive year.
Huntington’s Damon McQueen (96 lbs.), Nigel McNeil (112), Francisco Pereira (119) and Dashaun Thomas (215) each captured weight class championships. Jose Vasquez (103), Omar Santiago (130), Guillermo Dominguez (135) and Ryan Fox (145) all placed second.
This year’s tournament saw the Blue Devils score 30 points more than they did last January. “There were some tough matches, but we really wrestled great,” head coach Lou Giani said. “This is always a tough tournament, but our goal is always to win first place. We come here for the competition and we got what we were looking for.”
The only surprise came when Huntington’s All-State star Jose Vasquez lost in the finals. “Jose is a hard worker and he’ll bounce back,” Giani said. Vasquez finished second in Suffolk last winter and was third in the state tournament.
Two of the most exciting matches of the day came when McNeil (6-4) and Thomas (11-6) both won decisions in overtime in the finals. “Their conditioning kicked in,” Giani said “Both of them stayed focused. Those were great matches.”
Huntington will travel to Albany High School for its final invitational tournament of the year on Saturday, January 26. The Blue Devils won last year’s tournament with 216 points.
Final team scoring: Huntington 215, Monroe-Woodbury 182, Port Jervis 154, Warwick 105, North Rockland 91.5, Cornwall 89.5, Suffern 87, Woodbridge (NJ) 66, Sleepy Howell 60, Nyack 57, East Ramapo 43.5, Pearl River 43, Roundout Valley 26.5.
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