Glenn wrestling team’s reversal of fortune at state championships

The Glenn wrestling team called its stay in Syracuse a business trip.

The Knights still had a bitter taste in their mouths from last season, when they reached the state Division II dual meet final and were met with an unstoppable force. Glenn suffered a 56-12 loss to Tioga (Section IV), which won its third straight state title.

Returning to SRC Arena at Onondaga Community College with a mostly similar team from the previous season, Glenn had its sights set on a championship.

“That was the plan. Last year, we knew we ran into a top, top-level team,” coach TJ Brocking said. “But I also knew that with the returners we had this year, we were going to have a good chance to be in the mix again.”

The Knights delivered.

Top-seeded Glenn met No. 3 Plainedge — last season’s state Division I champions — in the final on Feb. 1, and the all-Long Island matchup didn’t disappoint.

It came down to the final match at 124 pounds, in which Glenn sophomore Ashton Presti defeated Plainedge’s Jon Luca Frucci by a 19-4 technical fall in 4:15 to propel Glenn to a 38-29 victory and its first state dual meet championship.

Senior Tommy Aiello gave Glenn a 33-29 lead with a 15-0 technical fall over Nick Gerbasi in 2:00 at 116 pounds.

“I always say in the room that I am the most clutch. I don’t lose in clutch moments,” Presti added. “My teammates are huge, especially Tommy. He’s always pushing me and teaching me tips to get better.”

“I wasn’t worried at all. I was confident that Ashton would win,” Aiello said. “I knew I needed to get a pin or at bare minimum, a tech. I ended up getting the tech and it was good enough.”

Glenn trailed Unatego-Unadilla Valley/Franklin, 24-4, in the semifinals before winning seven straight matches to earn a 39-24 victory. In pool play, Glenn defeated Peru, 54-6, and Chautauqua Lake, 46-28.

This season the Knights (14-2) also won their third straight Suffolk dual meet title. Despite missing four starters in the county final, Glenn defeated Shoreham-Wading River, 42-29.

The Knights were led by a strong senior class comprised of Aiello, KaRahn King, Carmine Gerbino, Elijah Porpora, Dylan Bulger and David Rafiq. Aiello won his second state championship this season and Gerbino and Porpora each won their second Suffolk titles.

“We’ve put so much time into them and this was the vision all along, to win that state title,” Brocking said. “I had a lot of them as their gym teacher in elementary school. To put the time and effort in and to see them set that goal and work to achieve it, it worked out well.”

Glenn will return several impactful juniors next season, led by Aidan Lee, Peter Bell, Niko Drakopoulos and David Futeran.

“We’re losing a great senior class, but the good thing is that they set the tone for our junior class that is returning. A bunch of kids got good experience these last couple of years,” Brocking said. “We have a real good freshman class that no one knows about yet. The plan is to reload and strive to be as good as we were this season.”