The Hewlett Bulldogs kicked off its dual season this past Friday, Dec. 14, with a resounding 55-18 thumping of Great Neck North at the Woodmere Middle School.
The Bulldogs, lead by senior captains Simon Greebel (126), Robert Rosenberg (145), Aaron Weinberg (138) and Lester Enriquez (285), won every match other than at 99, 106 and 113. On Saturday, the Bulldogs traveled to Wantagh for the Annual David Bloom Memorial Duals with seven other teams (including host Wantagh) in attendance.
Unfortunately, the Bulldogs got off to a slow start for the day. Other than Rosenberg, Tredd Smith (170) and Enriquez, the team lost the rest of its matches and was outscored by their powerful opponents, Sachem North High School, 60-15. When asked to comment about his team's effort, Coach Stephen Jones did not hold back his feelings.
“I was not happy with our performance against Sachem North. I felt that many of the boys were flat and not ready to wrestle," he said. "A lot of that falls on the coaching staff. It is our job to make sure they are ready to go.”
Apparently, whatever Coach Jones said to his team lit a fire in their collective bellies. In their next match against New Rochelle, the Bulldogs won 57-24, as Greebel, rebounding from a tough loss in his first match, went on to his first of three consecutive pins of his opponents the rest of the afternoon. Following Greebel in the winners bracket were Owen Bachelder (132), Oran Revivo (138), Andrew Kevelson (145) Rosenberg (who continues to dominant and went 4-0 on the day), Alex Gordon (160), Tredd Smith (who went 4-0 on the day), Justin Ciraolo (195), Matthew Kaminer (220) and Lester Enriquez (285), who also went 4-0 on the day.
After evening up their record at the duals at 1-1, Hewlett faced Fox Lane, the defending Section 1 champion, and continued their winning ways. Once again, Greebel got the team on track with another pin as the Bulldogs won 51-30. After dropping a 1-0 match at 132, Revivo put the Bulldogs on the board again, followed by Rosenberg, Gordon, Smith (170), Ciraolo, Kaminer and Enriquez, who won a gutsy overtime match.
In their last match of the day, the Bulldogs faced Kellenberg Memorial High School and were simply on too strong a roll to be denied, as they clobbered the Firebirds, 63-23. After dropping a tough match at 120, Greebel recorded his third pin of the day to get the Bulldogs on the scoreboard. Matt Kevelson (132) continued the Bulldogs match streak followed by Weinberg, Rosenberg and Charles Tsakh (152).
After dropping the match at 160, Smith, Anthony Cancellarich (182), Ciraolo, Kaminer, Enriquez and Fang (113) all won their matches. After the matches, Coach Jones was in a far better mood as the team pushed it’s dual record to 4-1 for the season.
“I was happy with our performances for the rest of the day. We had a real nice win over Fox Lane (Section 1)," he said. "They are one of the top teams in section 1 (2012 Section 1 champions), and we really beat them up. Everyone did their job. It was a great team effort.”
When discussing the fact that a couple of his wrestlers were wrestling at higher weight classes than anticipated, Coach Jones was quick to heap accolades on his wrestlers.
“Tredd Smith is absolutely rolling. He is a 10th grader who is dominating a very difficult weight class," he said. "I expect him to get better and stronger as the season continues.”
Coach Jones went further when discussing the senior leaders on his team: “Our captains Simon Greebel, Rob Rosenberg, Aaron Weinberg and Lester Enriquez continue to do their part. Each of them always put forth solid efforts every time they step onto the mat. Enriquez continued his undefeated streak with four nice wins to push his season's record to 11-0. The most impressive win was a big one over New Rochelle heavyweight 5-3 in overtime.”
The Hewlett Bulldogs are off until the Mid-Hudson Tournament up in Arlington, NY, during the winter recess and then return home to wrestle Garden City at the First Annual Hewlett Bulldog Alumni Evening on Jan. 3 at 6:30 p.m. at the high school.
