Monday marked the start of practice for many winter sports in Section 1, which means that wrestling season is almost here. That‘s also an indicator that it‘s time to start thinking about the 2017-18 #lohudwrestling Mean 15.
For those who aren‘t familiar, the Mean 15 is our annual list of the top returning wrestlers from Westchester, Rockland and Putnam counties. Of course, that doesn‘t mean we forgot about the quality grapplers from Dutchess County. Those guys will be included in our weekly weight class rankings throughout the season.
To get the conversation going about which wrestlers should make the cut, we‘ve come up with a list of nearly 50 contenders. As you‘ll see, the list is composed of wrestlers who have previously placed at the Section 1 or state tournaments. One likely selection, Chris Perry of Yorktown, has transferred out of state, which is why you won‘t see his name below. We may hear news in the weeks to come that others have followed suit.
Surely some new names will emerge during the season, but these candidates have already earned strong reputations. If you think we missed anyone or want to share your opinion about which wrestlers deserve to make the final 15, shoot me an e-mail at or find me on Twitter . And stay tuned in the coming days as we begin to release team previews!
Contenders for the 2017-18 Mean 15
• Mark Acheson, Sr., Tappan Zee (third in section at 113)
• Len Balducci, So., Pleasantville (fourth in NYS at 106)
• Steven Bilali, Sr., Eastchester (fourth in section at 152)
• Mikey Bruno, Sr., Putnam Valley (section champ at 113)
• Pat Canty, Sr., Suffern (fifth in section, 2016)
• Michelangelo Caruncho, Sr., Clarkstown North (fifth in section at 170)
• Wilgens Charles, Sr., Clarkstown North (fifth in section at 138)
• Jack Chesman, Jr., Pearl River (third in NYS at 145)
• Chris Cook, Jr., John Jay (fourth in section at 106)
• Ryan Cox, Sr., Clarkstown North (fifth in section at 160)
• Grant Cuomo, Sr., Brewster (second in NYS at 160)
• Tyler DiLorenzo, Sr., Pearl River (second in section at 285)
• Luis Espinal, Sr., Sleepy Hollow (fifth in section at 220)
• Luca Errico, Jr., Byram Hills (section champ at 132)
• Jacob Ferreira, Sr., Horace Greeley (second in section at 170)
• Crew Fullerton, Sr., Mamaroneck (second in section at 132)
• Ivan Garcia, So., Port Chester (fifth in NYS at 99)
• Halil Gecaj, Sr., John Jay (section champ at 220)
• Nick Gjelaj, Jr., Tappan Zee (third in section at 120)
• Alex Goldberg, Jr., Brewster (sixth in section at 113)
• Matt Grippi, Sr., Fox Lane (second in NYS at 152)
• Fredy Guevara, Sr., Yonkers (third in section at 138)
• Nick Heller, Sr., Suffern (sixth in section at 138)
• Joe Henion, So., North Rockland (sixth in section at 99)
• Jhordyn Innocent, Jr., East Ramapo (fifth in section at 195)
• Tyler Joseph, Fr., Harrison (fifth in section at 99)
• Matt Kramer, Sr., John Jay (second in section at 126)
• Aidan Lilly, Sr., New Rochelle (fourth in section at 220)
• Jake Logan, Jr., New Rochelle (fourth in NYS at 170)
• CJ McMonegal, Jr., North Rockland (second in section at 106)
• Justin Moronta, Sr., North Rockland (fourth in section at 138)
• Eoghan Murphy, Jr., Hastings (section champ at 195)
• Diego Orellana, Sr., Ossining (sixth in section at 285)
• Pat Patierno, Sr., Yorktown (sixth in section at 145)
• Victor Perlleshi, Jr., Pleasantville (section champ at 120)
• Colin Realbuto, Sr., Iona Prep (second in CHSAA at 138)
• Amos Rivera, Jr., Fox Lane (sixth in section at 120)
• Ben Rivera, Jr., Carmel (third in section at 152)
• Kyle Sams, Jr., Putnam Valley (sixth in NYS at 132)
• Johnny Santos, Sr., Fox Lane (second in section at 195)
• Mathew Schreiber, Jr., Horace Greeley (fourth in section at 99)
• Seth Schulman, Sr., Scarsdale (fifth in section at 132)
• Najashi Sharpe, Sr., Mount Vernon (fourth in section at 126)
• Vlad Sidorenko, Jr., Pearl River (second in section at 126)
• Connor Thomas, Sr., Yorktown (fourth in section at 160)
• Steven Trombetta, So., Suffern (third in section at 106)
• Dylan Urban, Jr., Pearl River (third in section at 132)
• Aaron Wolk, Jr., Horace Greeley (second in section at 160)
https://www.lohud.com/story/sports/high-school/wrestling/2017/11/06/wrestling-contenders-2017-18-mean-15-featuring-best-grapplers-area/838101001/