Five Bonac wrestlers are heading to the Suffolk County championship meet at Stony Brook University this weekend. Bronco Campsey, Juan Espinoza, Caleb Mott, Orson O’Brien, and Franco Palombino each reached the podium at the Section XI Division I League V qualifying meet at West Islip Senior High School on Saturday, earning the right to move on.
“Saturday was filled with ups and downs,” said Ethan Mitchell, their head coach. “It’s bittersweet having some wrestlers move on and others have their careers end. We are proud of all the growth these young men have gone through. Eight Bonackers won matches at leagues, but five are moving on. Shout out to Frankie Barrientos, Brian Torres, and Ryes Fida.”
Campsey, a Pierson junior, took first place in the 126-pound weight class, receiving a bye in round one. He pinned Nicholas Acosta of West Islip in the quarterfinals and Franco Zimmardi of Smithtown in the semifinals. In the first-place match, Campsey defeated Ryder Smith of Hauppauge 15-0, winning with a technical fall. The three wins bring Campsey’s career win total to 118 — 16 matches over the previous school record of 102 victories. This is also his second league title and third time as a league finalist.
“At the seeding meeting, Bronco was nominated and voted on by the League V coaches to be League V’s Spartan M.V.P., which was given to him for pinning and ‘teching’ all six of his dual meet opponents. Only one made it out of the first period,” Mitchell said. “On Saturday during the opening ceremony, Bronco will carry the League V flag and lead out the county qualifiers from League V, like Adam Beckwith did last year. Two Bonackers in a row have earned this honor.”
Juan Espinoza, an East Hampton senior, placed second, at 215 pounds, and will advance to the county championship thanks to a win in the semifinal round. Espinoza received a bye in both the first round and the quarterfinals. He pinned Tristan McCue of Eastport-South Manor in the semifinals, before losing the first-place match to William Noto of Smithtown West in a 14-4 major decision. He is now a three-time league finalist.
Francesco Palombino, a senior, finished third in the 285-pound weight class, making him a two-time league finalist. He received a bye in both the first round and the quarterfinals. In the semifinals Palombino was pinned by Dominick Green of Hauppauge. He came back in the consolation semifinals, pinning Antonio Anastasia of West Islip. Palombino then pinned Robert Shershenovich of Comsewogue in the third-place match.
The team’s sophomores, Caleb Mott and Orson O’Brien, also had impressive performances, both finishing third, which Coach Mitchell called “awesome to see.”
At 144 pounds, Mott received a first-round bye. In the quarterfinals, Mott pinned Jack Edmundson of Comsewogue. In the semifinals, he lost to Benjamin Vallone of Hauppauge in a 14-2 major decision. Mott then defeated Jack Lella of West Islip with a 10-3 decision in the consolation semifinals and Ben Freudenberg of Comsewogue in a 4-2 decision to finish third.
O’Brien wrestled at 190 pounds and also received a bye in the first round, before pinning Samuel Riddick of Comsewogue in the quarterfinals. In the semifinals, he was pinned by Andrew Cohen of West Islip. O’Brien then received a bye in the consolation semifinals, and pinned James Maniscalco of Comsewogue to finish third.
“We are excited to see how far these five can go this weekend,” Mitchell said. “But we are focusing on one day at a time like we want them to focus on one match at a time, one period at a time, one move at a time.”
