Kennedy Wrestling Team Named Conference Champs

BELLMORE, NY — The John F. Kennedy High School wrestling team pinned down the conference II championship Feb. 27 after defeating W. T. Clarke High School, 51-19.

The Cougars finished the season, 8-0, going undefeated for the first time in 48 years.

“The spirit and support each wrestler gave the team was incredible,” said coach Brian DeGaetano, who is also a physical education teacher at Kennedy. “I am so proud of our seniors who created a fun environment during an incredibly stressful situation. My hope is our seniors take away the skill set that they learned this year and get bigger wins later in life.”

DeGaetano said a combination of “luck, grit and determination of the wrestler who doesn’t let anything get in their way to victory.”

Several wrestlers went undefeated in all of their matches, including Jefferson Cruz, Dan DeFilippo and AJ and JJ Pizzirusso. DeGaetano was assisted by coaches Peter Barros, Joe Vanmanen and Jack Magnani.