Pleasantville Legend Bernarducci Earns Record-Setting 430th Win

By Tony Pinciaro

Pleasantville opened the 2022-23 varsity wrestling season by giving veteran Coach Bob Bernarducci a well-deserved honor. The Panthers defeated Putnam Valley, in the Section 1 Division II Dual-Meet semifinal, for Bernarducci’s Section 1 record-setting 430th win. This surpassed former Somers and Mahopac Coach Dennis DiSanto, who finished with 429, and also coached against Bernarducci.

“It takes a lot of hard work and support from school administrators, family, wrestlers and parents,” said Bernarducci, in his 33rd year at Pleasantville and 40th, overall. “I have been extremely lucky to have many outstanding assistants like Steve Tornambe, Michael Esteves, Joe Dovi, Tony Stewart and currently Len Balducci. I was also extremely honored to have so many former wrestlers present.

“When I came to Pleasantville in 1990, there was not a team for several years,” he added, “but thanks to Dick Rote’s support and guidance, we were able to get it going again. I love coaching in Pleasantville and I am proud of how far this program has come.”

Bernarducci began his coaching career at Irvington where his first sectional champion was Lenny Balducci, Len’s father. Senior Luke LaMagna has been in the program for a few other milestones, including winning a Section 1 Division II team title and also getting Bernarducci his 400th win.

“It’s just crazy that we were in high school during the time that coach got that win,” LaMagna said. “It means a lot, especially for the seniors, that we helped coach. We feel a lot better that we got him this win. It was an important match and winning it made it even more of a big deal.”

Even though Pearl River defeated Pleasantville in the championship match, it does not put a damper on the Panthers’ quick start.

Pleasantville is among the Section 1 elite, especially in Division II, annually. The Panthers will be a major force, once again, this year after a 23-1 record and third-place finish in sectionals last year.

“After last year, coach kind of used not placing as high to motivate the guys to be active in the summer by going to GPS,” said LaMagna, a sectional finalist last year. “By going to GPS, it has made everyone get better by working harder.”

The off-season work has resulted in Pleasantville winning nine of its first 12 matches, including a third-place finish at the high-caliber Tony Carlucci (Port Chester) Dual-Meet Tournament.

LaMagna headlines an experienced returning nucleus that features four other returning sectional place finishers and some promising newcomers. The fellow returning place finishers are freshman Ciaran Egan (sectional champion), juniors Grant Kelly, Asa Nunberg and Fredy Mejia. Sophomore Adriana Palumbo, a Fargo All-American, also returns, as do Sasha McGaffey and Chad Sarragonda.

Pleasantville suffered a major blow when two-time sectional champion and senior captain Christian Perlleshi suffered a season-ending injury in the football team’s state-title game.

“It’s very unfortunate for Christian,” LaMagna said. “He worked so hard in the offseason for his senior year and then it’s over.

“As his teammate and friend, it stinks because Christian was the most experienced guy on the team and he knew the most stuff. It makes us feel like we have another reason to win. It’s important to win for him.”

Freshmen Alex Wish and Jesse Straus are two varsity newcomers who have been impressive to date.

As Pleasantville finishes up December, LaMagna is pleased with the team’s progress even though it has three losses.

“From our first practice of the season, we wanted to make sure everyone would get better throughout the season,” LaMagna said. “Coach let us know it’s okay to lose in November and December when you are still learning, especially the new guys on the team. You learn from your losses.

“Even though we’ve lost some matches here in the beginning of the season, it’s humbling and shows what we really have to work on. As the season goes on, we will become a much better team, all-around. All the work we put in during the offseason so it pays off in February.”

BREWSTER BEARS

Coach: Tom Looby (19th year)

2021-22 record: 9-13

Graduated starters from the 2021-22 team: Two.

Top returning wrestlers: Andrew Pfeffer, Sr., 189 (captain); Ian Sutherland, Jr., 172 (captain); Nick DiFabbio, Sr., 145; Derek Karlsson, Jr., 215.

Key new wrestlers: Thomas Looby Jr., Fr., 102; Eduardo Crisostomo, So., 126; Dillon Ramirez, So., 126; Liam Ford, So., 132; Jack Harrison, Sr., 138; Erik Jacobsen, Jr., 160.

Team strengths: We have a good mix of experienced and young wrestlers this season. They are a hard-working group.

Coach’s outlook on the season: As a team we are looking to improve throughout the season and with every competition.

Noteworthy: Brewster went 4-1 to finish third in the Bernie Miller (Rye) Dual-Meet Tournament. … The Bears went 1-1 in the Section 1 Division I Dual-Meet Tournament. … Former Brewster wrestler Grant Cuomo, a Section 1 and New York State Wrestling Champion, is a senior and wrestling at 165 pounds for Princeton.

CARMEL RAMS

Coach: Seth Harrison (10th year)

Sectional favorite (Division I): Mahopac always has a solid squad and Fox Lane is always formidable.

Graduated starters from the 2021-22 team: One

Top returning wrestlers: Leo Venables, Sr., 172 (2022 Section 1 Champion); Chris Frisco, Sr., 160/172; Josh Rubin, Sr., 132.

Key new wrestlers: Nikkita Rusnak, 138; Ken Kelto, 110; Gilberto Abzun, 126; Hudson Butler, 126.

Team strengths: We have a pretty balanced group of hard-working wrestlers.

Noteworthy: Harrison was a sectional champion for Carmel. He was a Carmel assistant before he became the head coach. … The Carmel-Mahopac match is scheduled for 1/3. … Joe Clement and Ryan Dufflemyer, both 2021 graduates, are wrestling at The Citadel and Noah Orser, also a 2020 grad, currently wrestling at Cortland. … Carmel went 1-1 in the Section 1 Division I Dual Meet Tournament.

FOX LANE FOXES

Coach: Anthony Rodrigues (10th year, 22nd overall at Fox Lane)

2021-22 record: 15-4 record

2022 Section finish: Second (Division I)

Graduating seniors from the 2021-22 team: Five

Top returning wrestlers: Justin Gierum, Sr., (2022 Section 1 Division I champ); Alex Berisha, So., (2022 4th-place section finisher).

Team strengths: Young team showing to be resilient.

Coach’s outlook on the season: We have a young team with little varsity experience, but they are working hard. Time will tell because it’s a long season.

Noteworthy: Fox Lane could be wrestling for its fifth consecutive Section 1 Division I Dual-Meet title, Tuesday. Fox Lane faces North Rockland and Mahopac wrestles Yorktown. The two semi-final winners then wrestle for title. … Fox Lane graduated five all-section wrestlers with the following wrestling in college: Amos Rivera (Cortland), Nino Prisco (Oneonta), RJ Gierum and Marc Berisha, both at Sacred Heart. … Fox Lane finished second at the Tony Carlucci (Port Chester) Dual-Meet Tournament, losing to state-ranked Monroe-Woodbury (Section 9). … Rodrigues was legendary Fox Lane coach Joe Amuso’s assistant. Rodrigues is assisted by former Woodlands’ three-time Section 1 champ/NYS fifth-place finisher Jason Parker and former Fox Lane sectional champ and state place finisher Johnny Santos.

HEN HUD SAILORS

Coach: Shane Turrone (sixth season)

2021-22 record: 1-17

Sectional favorite (Division II): Pearl River

Graduated starters from the 2021-22 team: None

Top returning wrestlers: Kevin Skelly, Sr., 145/152; Ismael Andrade, Jr., 152/160 (2022 Section 1 Division II third place); Kyle Peske, Jr., 172; Giovanni Gioio, Jr., 132/138; David Perez, Jr., 285; Mason Dietz, So., 285; Eric Selvaggi, Fr., 118 (2022 Section 1 Division II second place); Shawn Omara, Fr., 126.

Key new wrestlers: Mohamed Mbareck, Sr., 160; Brandon Sumpter, Jr., 215; Ben Kushnir, Fr., 132.

Team strengths: The middle of the lineup is pretty tough, but that goes for a lot of teams this season. The team is also fairly young as we are only graduating two varsity starters this year.

Question marks, if any: The 102- and 110-pound weight classes. We can’t seem to find smaller kids in the school that want to wrestle. Also, injuries and kids getting sick during the season is always a concern.

Coach’s outlook on the season: I’m pretty excited for the season, but it has been a tough start due to the flu taking out much of the team. But, we are making due and hopefully by January our guys start coming into form and getting healthy. I have a few wrestlers I am excited to watch this season and see what this year brings for them come February.

Noteworthy: Beckett Herman (2020 graduate) is wrestling for the UMASS Club Wrestling team. … Turrone was a Division I all-section wrestler for Hen Hud. … Hen Hud will wrestle at the Eric D’Agnese (Somers, 1/4) and Westchester County (1/21) Tournaments. Hen Hud will host its tournament, 1/14. … Hen Hud finished fourth at the John Jay-East Fishkill Patriot Tournament. Peske and Dietz were champions and Gioio placed second.

HORACE GREELEY QUAKERS

Coach: Anthony Tortora (5th year)

2021-22 record: 7-6

Sectional favorite (Division I): Fox Lane, North Rockland, Suffern, Yorktown, Mahopac, Greeley.

Graduated starters from the 2021-22 team: Two

Top returning wrestlers: Vinny Sasso, Sr., 189 (2022 Section 1 Division I third place); Josh Hametz, 132; Andreas Gowdie, 172; Kai Lueckerath, 118; Corey Fitzsimmons; Jonathan Kang; Zach Haber; Tommy Antes.

Key new wrestlers: Chris Nocca, Fr., 145; Quinn Carpenter, Fr., 102.

Team strengths: We have a mix of experience and young talent.

Coach’s outlook on the season: We are looking to have a steady climb, all-season long, and be in the conversion in February for sectionals.

Noteworthy: Former Greeley wrestlers Jacob Ferreira (Hofstra) Aaron Wolk (Brown) and Matt Schreiber (Binghamton) are wrestling at the Division I level. Wolk and Ferreira are starters. … Fox Lane and Greeley wrestle in a league match, 1/10. Fox Lane defeated Greeley by one point in a Section 1 Division I Dual-Meet Tournament quarterfinal. … Greeley will compete in the Oswego Tournament. … Tortora was a two-time Section 1 Division I champion and a state placefinisher for Greeley.

LAKELAND/PANAS REBELS

Coach: Dave Bergen (sixth year, 25th overall)

2021-22 record: 16-8

Sectional favorite (Division I): Not sure yet. It’s a really long season.

Graduated starters from the 2021-22 team: Six

Top returning wrestlers: Alex Russo, 126; Josh Frogel, 145; Cooper Schmidt, 152; 160 Stephen Carroll, 160; Evan Salazar, 172; Alex Ryzy, 172; Dom Parente, 215.

Key new wrestlers: Dan Horowitz, 7th-grade, 102; Alex Macias, So., 132; Matt Clyman, Fr., 132; Thomas Mekuto, Fr., 138; Dan Hurley, So., 285.

Team strengths: We have excellent overall numbers this year, with 45 wrestlers on the team and multiple guys in each weight class. We also have a lot of youth. While we have seniors that will get wins for us our young guys will learn a lot by being in the same room as the experienced wrestlers. This will pay off for the future of the program.

Coach’s outlook on the season: I think we are going to have a great season. December has been about settling people into weight classes and shaking off some of the off-season rust. We have won a number of dual meets and lost a few close ones. We are learning and growing every day. I am hopeful that along with success on the mat this group will have a good time competing and growing as a team.

Noteworthy: Gio Russo (2021) is wrestling at SUNY-Oneonta, Connor McGannon (2022) is wrestling at the University of Buffalo, Spencer Maja (2022) is wrestling at SUNY-Brockport. … Lakeland/Panas finished second at the Clarkstown North Dual-Meet Tournament and fifth at the Yorktown Dual-Meet Tournament. … Prior to coaching at Lakeland/Panas, Bergen was the White Plains varsity wrestling coach.

MAHOPAC INDIANS

Coach: Steve Tornambe (third year)

2021-22 record: 12-5

2022 Section 1 Division I finish: Third

Graduated starters from the 2021-22 team: One.

Top returning wrestlers: Nick Greco, Jr., (2022 Section 1 Division I second place); Joe Ramirez, Sr.; Christopher Morris, Sr.;

Robert DeMaurro; Mike Cuozzo, 138; Lucas Kilker, 160; Justin Mucciolo.

Key new wrestlers: Charles Pryzmylski, Fr., 102; Henry Ramirez, Fr., 110; Pace Zieler, 8th-grade, 118.

Noteworthy: Mahopac is wrestling Yorktown, Tuesday, in a Section 1 Division I Dual-Meet Tournament semifinal. The other semifinal is North Rockland-Fox Lane. The semifinal winners wrestle for the title immediately following the semis. … 2022 graduate, Angelo Centrone, a three-time all-state wrestler, is wrestling for Cortland. …2022 state-qualifier George Johnson transferred to Iona Prep. … Tornambe was a two-time Section 1 champion and placed fifth in the state his senior year. … Former Mahopac Section 1 champion Anthony Esposito is the Hillcrest HS (SC) Varsity Wrestling coach.

OSSINING PRIDE

Coach: Tom Larm (fourth season, 14th season overall)

2021-22 record: 15-12

Sectional favorite (Division I): Yorktown, North Rockland, Horace Greeley, Tappan Zee, Clarkstown North.

Graduated starters from the 2021-22 team: Three

Top returning wrestlers: Tristan Robinson-July, Sr., 160 (2022 Division I Section runner-up, Wild card state-qualifier); Anthony Lofaro, Sr., 152 (2022 Section 1 Division I third place); Devin Almodovar, Sr., 189 (2022 Section 1 Division I fourth place); Colin Liebertz, 102; McKlaime Matos, 132.

Key new wrestlers: Wildes Santiago, 110; Matty Cascione, 138; Kayvon Ray, 145; Matt Keneally, 126; Zach Reyes, 126; Jordan Brown, 126; Chris Morocho, 215.

Team strengths: I think our team strength this year is the good mix of experience and the willingness to learn.

Question marks, if any: Like any season the biggest question mark is being healthy all season.

Coach’s outlook on the season: I’m very pleased, so far, with the daily improvement of everyone on the team. Both the kids and coaches are working hard each day to bring out the best in each other and it’s clear that the kids have bought into our expectations and are holding themselves to a higher standard than we’ve seen in a while. Our younger guys are learning a lot each day and applying it right away. Our more experienced wrestlers are working to perfect what they have been doing well and accomplish their individual goals while helping the team along the way.

Noteworthy: Ossining went 4-1 to finish third in the Yorktown Dual-Meet Tournament. … The Pride open its league schedule with Horace Greeley, Jan. 2, and will face archrival Sleepy Hollow, 1/24. Robinson-July and Almodovar will wrestle in the Eastern States Classic 1/13-1/14. … Larm was an all-section wrestler for Brewster.

PUTNAM VALLEY TIGERS

Coach: Will Carano (23rd year)

2022 Section 1 finish: Third (Division II)

Top returning wrestlers: Travis Appell, Sr., (returns after being out for two years with injuries); Chris Maroulis, Sr., 126 (2022 Section 1 Division II third place); Jr. Esuar Ordonez, Jr., 132 (2022 Section 1 Division II third place); Albert McDonald Sr., 145 (2022 Section 1 Division II third place); Nick Dichele, Jr., 145; Christian Nolan, Sr., 160; Michael Yurcho., Sr., 132; Alex Gecaj, Jr., 189; Jaden Tesher, So., 215; Jack Runk, Fr., Nick Paonessa, Fr., 126.

Key new wrestlers: Max Fuca, Sr. 170; Joan Demetroules, Sr., 132; Stefano Paonessa, Jr., 152; Taylor Rogers, Jr., 112; Myloh Deprima, So., 160; Jojo Espositio, So., 285; Kieran Deprima, 8th-grade, 102.

Noteworthy: Former sectional champ Will Carano is wrestling at 174 pounds for the University of Iowa. … Jacob Cassidy (2022) is wrestling at Alfred State. … Carano, a Section 1 champion for Mahopac, created the Putnam Valley wrestling program and has been its only head coach. … Former Mahopac coach Joe Mahoney, who guided Mahopac to a Section 1 team title (before the two division setup), has returned to coaching for the Putnam Valley modified team.

SOMERS TUSKERS

Coach: Ron DiSanto, Jr. (ninth year)

2021-22 record: 9-13

Graduated starters from the 2021-22 team: None.

Top returning wrestlers: Mike Aquilino, Sr., 145 (captain); Anthony Tucci, Sr., 152 (captain); Luca D’Orazio, Sr., 160 (captain); Nate Traver, Sr., 189 (captain); Matt Cascio, Sr., 138; John Spatola, Jr., 118; Dalton Baloy, Jr., 118; Liam Dwyer, Jr., 138; Robert Vrabel, Jr., 138; Ethan Burns, Jr., 145; Justin Daniyan, Jr., 172; Ryan Ball, Fr., 110.

Key new wrestlers: Ethan Steuber, Fr., 102.

Team strengths: Lightweights, middleweights and overall depth.

Coach’s outlook on the season: We are returning our entire starting varsity lineup from last season. Our starters are showing great leadership and confidence. Our depth is improved, as last year’s JV kids and some new freshmen will become varsity-quality wrestlers. Our mentality is to have fun, be optimistic and work hard.

Noteworthy: Somers won the Bernie Miller Dual-Meet Tournament. … Ball, whose dad, Chris, wrestled for Peekskill, finished fifth in the Section 1 Division I Championship last year. … The 42nd Annual Eric D’Agnese Memorial Tournament will be 1/7. … DiSanto wrestled for his uncle, Dennis DiSanto, at Somers.

WHITE PLAINS TIGERS

Coach: Ben Karol (first year at White Plains, 10th year overall)

2021-22 record: 3-6

Top returning wrestlers: Carlos Rivera, Sr., 132 (2022 Section 1 Division I, sixth place).

Key new wrestlers: Matteo Gutierrez, So., 145; Jamaal Wells, Fr., 102; Marcelino Chico, So., 110.

Team strengths: We have a young team that is eager to learn.

Coach’s outlook on the season: We have a large team with a lot of youth on our team so this will be a developing year for White Plains.

Noteworthy: Prior to White Plains, Karol coached at Irvington where he was an assistant for five years before being the head coach the last four years. Karol is assisted by former R.C. Ketcham all-section wrestler Andrew Cabibbo and modified coach Mike Taino, all-section at Pleasantville. … White Plains opens the league portion of its schedule, ⅕, against Fox Lane. … Former White Plains’ wrestler Sebastian Garibaldi is wrestling for Princeton.

YORKTOWN CORNHUSKERS

Coach: Jimmy Kaishian (second year)

2021-22 record: 12-8

Graduated starters from the 2021-22 team: Two

Top returning wrestlers: Joe Tornambe, Jr., 106 (2022 Section 1 champion, 7th at the state); Nick Bucello, Jr., 126; Jason Glicksman, Sr., 134; Ronan Forde, Jr., 172.

Key new wrestlers: Gio Tornambe, 8th-grader, 102; Frank Ofrias, 8th-grader, 110; George Gjerigi, Jr., 285.

Team strengths: Depth at the lightweights.

Question marks, if any: Middle and upper weights.

Coach’s outlook on the season: Our focus has been building a culture of wrestling in Yorktown. We knew if we focused on the right things, attitude and effort, the winning would take care of itself. We had no idea we would win as much as we have this early in the year. We are just trying to stay humble and hungry and keep fanning the flames of wrestling in Yorktown.

Noteworthy: Yorktown is currently 11-1 with the loss to Catholic High School power Iona Prep. … Yorktown wrestles Mahopac, Tuesday, in a semifinal of the Section 1 Division I Dual-Meet Tournament. The winner wrestles the North Rockland-Fox Lane victor in the final, immediately following. … Kaishian was an all-section wrestler for Yorktown and coached by John Tornambe, father of Joe and Gio Tornambe.