'How did you beat me?': Section 1 wrestlers go from rivals to teammates in state tourney

After spending nearly three months trying to rip each other's heads off through grueling competition on the mat, the tone has drastically shifted as Section 1's representatives finalize their preparations ahead of their trip to Albany.

They've turned from rivals to teammates united under the Columbia blue and white singlets given to those who will represent Section 1 at the NYSPHSAA championships on Friday and Saturday.

"The past is in the past, now it's time to get each other better," Scarsdale's two-time section champ Thomas Iasiello said. "We're like a whole team in Section 1, so we have to do things together here. If we want to help someone with a skill or something like that, you have to put the past in the past.

"Maybe you beat a guy early in the season, and he'll say, 'How did you beat me? Can you help me with that?' It helps building those relationships."

In some ways, this year's connection between the 32 Section 1 wrestlers feels even tighter than in years past, since they all have a united cause to prove.

Due to the downward trend of recent performances at the state tournament, Section 1 lost its auto-qualifier bid in Division I and entered this season with the second-fewest number of power points — a metric used to measure each individual section's strength.

Only Section 10 measured below Section 1 in the large-school division, but that section only contains one school.

Last season, there were only six Section 1 all-state finishers, four in Division I and two in Division II (small-school). In 2022, Section 1 had 11 wrestlers medal at states.

This year, Section 1 is eager to make a statement and get even more wrestlers on the podium.

"I definitely think this year is our year, I don't think (the rest of the state) is going to know what's going to hit them," Fox Lane's two-time section champ Alex Berisha said. "A lot of kids are back at states. Since last season, a lot of kids have improved. I feel like this year is going to be a lot more different for Section 1 than it was last year."

Even the coaches mirror that section-wide camaraderie,  probably moreso than the wrestlers themselves.

"A lot of the coaches are friends outside of competition, so when we go up there, we want their kids to do well," Ossining coach Tom Larm said. "At the end of the day, they're just kids who work just as hard as our kids, so we want them to go up there and achieve their goals just like we do, and it's a plus when you don't have to wrestle them up there.

"When we go out there as a team, we want everybody that's wearing a Section 1 singlet to do well. This year's team reminds me of some teams in the past. There's a lot of guys that we're sending up that could get on the podium and get real high up there."

The final countdown

The two-week gap in between the crowning of sectional champions and the opening ceremonies of the NYSPHSAA championships at the MVP Arena in Albany can be a wait that feels longer than the entire offseason, at times.

"It's pretty anxiety-ridden, I guess, but it's also just a good time to improve and recover," said Nyack's Sam Szerlip, who took third in last year's state tournament. "States is a tournament like any other and right before is the best time to focus in and improve on what you know."

Of the six that earned all-state status last season, four remain, while Pearl River's Kevin O'Sullivan and Ossining's Tristan Robinson-July have graduated.

Szerlip, Arlington's Dillon Arrick, Carmel's Leo Venables, and Putnam Valley's Esuar Ordonez are ready for a return trip.

"This (state team practice) is definitely a better room than normal high school practices, it's more like a club atmosphere since these are all the best kids in Section 1," Arrick said. "We get different feels on the mat. I think we're all just getting better and getting great practices."

While those four landed on the podium last season, in total, 13 of the 32 Section 1 representatives have past experience competing under the bright lights of MVP Arena.

"It's also important to pace ourselves and not get too amped up for states this early on," said Somers/North Salem coach Ron DiSanto, who will be in the corner of Tuskers' two-time section champ Ryan Ball. "It's about the preparation, taking our time and getting good reps and good technique. We'll get a little bit of live (action), but try to prevent injuries and just try to stay healthy and prepare mentally, too."

Mental preparation is just as important as executing drills.

"Being in that arena can shell-shock the kids, seeing how many fans are in the stands, how many mats and the lights," DiSanto said. "Last year was my first time coaching there and they say, 'Oh the lights are brighter on the big stage,' and they are literally brighter. You could feel the warmth from the lights. To prepare them, I like to help visualize and show them pictures and walk them through the routine. ... That mental preparation and visualization helps ease their nerves about being in that arena and they can focus more on just wrestling on the mat."

How to make it at MVP Arena

For 19 Section 1 wrestlers, this year will mark their first trip to Albany.

With an arena that has ongoing action across 10 mats and more fans in attendance than any high school gymnasium or tournament in the Lower Hudson Valley, it's an experience unlike any other.

"Before sectionals, I told my team not to change anything that they've done all year," Pleasantville coach Bob Bernarducci said. "I used a line from the movie Hoosiers, where he measures the side of the basket. When you go into the County Center, and it's the same way at states — that circle on the mat is the same as it is in a high school gym, so just go out there and keep doing what you're doing."

Sometimes it's easier said than done, but overcoming mental hurdles is just as important as any given opponent.

"Last year, my nerves got to me," admitted Berisha, reflecting on his first experience at states last year. "I looked around the arena and I just got caught up in all that. I learned to focus more on myself and my wrestling, and I think this year is going to be a lot different than it was last year.

"My advice (to wrestlers competing at states for the first time), I'd say don't get caught up in the crowd and everything. If you get caught up in all that, you'll be all in your head, too nervous, and then, you just won't wrestle your best."

Even wrestlers preparing to make their third trip back to Albany have learned valuable lessons from each year at MVP Arena.

"It's just another match," Arrick said. "Don't make it bigger than it is, just go in there and win every match. Don't think ahead. You have to win your first match to win a state title, so I just take every match one at a time and just have fun. It's really a great experience, and I'm really lucky to be in this situation to go up to Albany again."

With the best wrestlers across the state's public and private schools, the NYSPHSAA tournament is no easy field to navigate, but Section 1 is ready to make the climb to the podium.

"We want them to believe that their training has put them in a position to place, and they've left no stone unturned and they're here for a reason," Larm said. "It's not a mistake that they're here and it's not luck. They earned their spot. Now, let's finish."

Follow Eugene Rapay on Twitter at @erapay5 and on Instagram at @byeugenerapay. 

This article originally appeared on Rockland/Westchester Journal News: Wrestling: Section 1 ready to make a statement at NYSPHSAA tournament