What a Weekend for Huntington Mat Coach
Kieran Mock, Huntington’s head wrestling coach, spent last Saturday coaching the Blue Devils to a runner-up finish in the 20-team Big 10 Invitational in Albany. He arrived back home at 2 a.m., grabbed a few hours sleep and then jumped on an early morning flight from Islip’s MacArthur Airport to Tampa and the Super Bowl.
Mock is a football fanatic and is known to fly around the country to watch games. The 1982 state mat champion leads an active lifestyle, including owning and operating a full service landscaping company and substitute teaching in Huntington during the winter months.
Besides the Super Bowl, Mock traveled to out of town games in Miami, New England, Buffalo and Green Bay this season. He has attended seven Super Bowl games over the years, accompanied many times by his college roommates. “We had a great time,” Mock said about last weekend’s experience. “It was a lot of fun.”
The coach was back home by noon on Monday to lead that afternoon’s Blue Devil wrestling practice. “We are working hard getting ready for the league tournament this weekend and getting everyone down to weight,” he said in reference to Saturday’s competition at Harborfields High School.
Last Saturday in Albany, the Blue Devils finished a distant second in the team standings to powerful Wantagh. Huntington’s champions included Damon McQueen (103 lbs.) and Nigel McNeil (112). Omar Santiago (130) and Anthony Lupi (189) finished second and Marco Lagone (140), Louis Puca (160) and Ryan Fox (171) placed third in the daylong competition.
In the finals, McQueen cruised past Whitehall’s Ty White, 12-0 and McNeil turned back Burnt Hills’ Max Miller, 9-3. Santiago dropped a 9-3 decision to Guilderland’s Matt Cubillos and Lupi fell to Wantagh’s Matt Loew, 10-5.
In consolation bouts for third place, Lagone topped Wantagh’s Anthony Bartilucci, 8-2, Puca edged Guilderland’s Eugene Sellie, 8-3 and Fox bested Amsterdam’s Dan McNamara, 8-3.
Final team scores: 1. Wantagh – 194.5, 2. Huntington – 179, 3. Burnt Hills-Ballston Spa – 163.5, 4. Guilderland – 139, 5. Averill Park – 124, 6. Whitehall – 122.5, 7. Amsterdam – 94.5, 8. Johnstown – 88.5, 9. Albany – 85.5, 10. New Rochelle – 84.5, 11. Watervliet – 73.5, 12. Schenectady – 70.5, 13. Middletown – 61.5, 14. Ravena-Coeymans-Selkirk – 57, 15. Bethlehem – 56, 16. Warrensburg – 52, 17. Niskayuna – 41, 18. Cobleskill-Richmondville – 24, 19. Christian Brothers Academy – 23.5, 20. Albany Academy – 4.
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