WRESTLING
Seahawks Proving Themselves On The Mats
Young team’s early .500 record surprises coach
By Mike Koehler/ mkoehler@longislandernews.com

Wrestling still doesn’t have the luster of lacrosse in Cold Spring Harbor, but the varsity team continues to gain more respect.

Coach Mike Ferrugiari took over the program nearly a decade ago. Back then, student participation was minimal and the wrestling squad was at risk of being cut entirely. Over the years, Ferrugiari and his coaches created the first title-winning team in 22 years (2008-09 season) and instilled fear in their opponents.

“Now they kind of look at it and say, ‘I don’t know about the kid, he’s pretty tough,’” he said. “I definitely think we’re moving up the chain. On Long Island, we’re definitely gaining respect.”

Last year’s team did not fair well, largely in part to 11 of 15 weight classes being filled by freshmen or sophomores. But during that season and the off-season, Ferrugiari boasted that his guys worked hard and improved beyond their expectations.
“This team is achieving more than we thought they would. It’s a young team that’s overachieving. We couldn’t be happier with the results,” Ferrugiari said.
Cold Spring Harbor is 1-0 in Conference 4B play and 5-6 overall. They began the season with the goal of getting better. What actually happened was a great start after practices began on Nov. 14.

The Seahawks exceeded the .500 mark early on and defeated school rival Wheatley Wildcats 55-24 on Friday for their first conference win.

“We expected to win. The Wheatley coach thought they were going to win. They did what they were supposed to do and what many others thought they couldn’t do,” Ferrugiari said. “We kind of blew them out of the water and hopefully that trend continues.”

Unfortunately for Cold Spring Harbor fans, their matchup against Jericho the next day did not end as well. The Jayhawks defeated the Seahawks 60-28.
“We had kind of a rough weekend. We didn’t wrestle up to our potential,” Ferrugiari said.

They were hoping for better results on Wednesday evening, after press time, when they hosted Massapequa’s B team for Cold Spring Harbor’s first alumni night. Former Seahawks wrestlers of any age were invited to visit.

“It should make for a fun, exciting night. For the alumni coming back for the first time in how many years, it’s going to make for a fun night. I really hope we impress them with the wrestling and come out with a W,” the coach said before the match.
Leading the way on Wednesday and through the rest of the season are three seniors. McKinley Mohrman (132 pounds) is on pace to break several school records. As of Tuesday, he’d already earned 92 wins and 65 pins. His coach expects him to break the 100-win plateau during the Jan. 11 match against Oyster Bay.

“He’s got a ton of schools looking at him,” Ferrugiari said.

Teammate Dylan Cole (285 pounds) serves as a co-captain and just recently surpassed the 50-win mark. His coach said he came in nearly 50 pounds heavier as a freshman and has done nothing but worked hard and changed his lifestyle.

“His attitude has changed. It’s a credit to the sport of wrestling,” he said.

Fellow co-captain Mike Mulderrig (145 pounds) sported an 11-5 record as of Tuesday and is a threat to win a county title. Ferrugiari said he grew up watching brother Brian go on to two All-County honors and more than 50 wins.

“Him growing up, just watching his brother go through the program motivated him to do it one day,” the coach said.

Ferrugiari was reluctant to name many other wrestlers, noting that since so many have worked hard, he’d likely have to name them all. However, he did note that senior Zach Baron (170 pounds) has shown tremendous improvement. Winning 5 bouts in his first year of wrestling, the former basketball player has already earned 8 wins this season.

“Now he regrets not wrestling in ninth and tenth grade,” his coach said.

The conference schedule may have already begun, but Cold Spring Harbor is slated to compete primarily in January. Early that month, they’ll take on Locust Valley and Oyster Bay – two of the best teams in the conference and the favorites for the title.
“If we won a league title, I’d be extremely shocked, but that’s not to say it can’t be done. Any wrestler can beat another wrestler on any given day,” Ferrugiari said.
He credited the student’s dedication and work ethic with the team’s early success, along with parent volunteers for cooking and lending a hand whenever asked.

“The numbers are down this year, but I’d rather have 17 guys than 65 guys with no work ethic or common goals,” the coach said.