Majority of All-County Wrestlers Return for Southampton, Fueling Optimism

There’s positivity and excitement surrounding the Southampton wrestling room this winter.

While one of its top wrestlers, Hudson Fox — a county finalist and state qualifier last season — graduated, along with another All-County wrestler, Jackson Garcia, the majority of the Mariners who earned the same honors last season have returned with an extra year of experience that could catapult them this season. That group includes seniors David Lewin and Liam Squires and sophomores Cruz Espinosa and Edward Gaspariano.

Many of those wrestlers placed at the season-opening Sprig Gardner Tournament at East Hampton High School on Saturday. Both Lewin and Squires placed third while Espinosa and sophomore Luke Schmidt, a key returning wrestler for the Mariners this season, both placed fourth.

“David is ready to have a great season,” head coach Lester Ware said. “He worked all summer, worked out in the weight room, worked out with him. He’s ready to have a breakout season.

“Liam looked good except for one small tactical mistake that, if I have any say over, he won’t make again this season,” Ware continued. “Liam finished second in the county as a sophomore, lost to the eventual county champion at last year’s county tournament with less than 5 seconds left in the match, so he’s hungry to do better.”

Southampton senior Oliver Edson is also returning this season. Due to not being a returning All-County wrestler, Edson had a tough seed this past weekend and had to face one of the top wrestlers in his weight class early on. Ware said he held his own and should fare well this season.

The Mariners were a little light this past weekend for myriad reasons but Ware is expecting to have a full team relatively soon. Twins David and Steven Morales took SATs on Saturday; both look to have strong rebound seasons, Ware said. Steven was in line to be All-County last season before he broke his ankle at the county tournament, but Ware said he’s completely healthy now. Ernesto Morales, David and Steven’s cousin, is working his way back from an ACL injury he suffered during the summer. Ware said if he makes it back it would be toward the end of the season but he could quickly put himself in the conversation for going All-County if he comes back strong.

Ware was expecting big things from Demetrious Lazarakis, and still is, but the senior broke his hand last week and is expected to miss the first few weeks of the season. The aforementioned Gaspariano and returning junior Tyler Olivieri missed this past weekend’s tournament as well, but Ware is expecting both back as early as this week.

Newcomers to the team who Ware is high on this season include sophomore Oliver Chacon and freshmen Emdigo “Metro” Nava and Johan Ramirez-Diaz. And James Dudley is a first-year senior wrestler who Ware wouldn’t be surprised if he goes All-County this season.

Both Kings Park and Miller Place, two longtime Division I programs, have moved down to Division II this season, though Southampton will not compete in dual meets against those two teams since they will be in League VII and the Mariners will compete in League VIII, which will comprise Babylon, Bayport-Blue Point, Center Moriches, Mattituck and Port Jefferson.

Southampton had off all of this week in the leadup to its first two League VIII dual meets of the season on December 16 and 17 at Center Moriches and Bayport, respectively. It will also compete at the Rick Hermann Memorial Tournament at Bellport High School on Saturday, December 20. The Mariners will then have most of the holiday break off before competing at the Herricks Tournament on January 3.