CLIFTON PARK – There’s no shortage of elite wrestlers on Long Island, especially in the lighter weight classes.
Long Beach’s Ethan Andreula and North Babylon’s Xavier Seabury made that fact known on Saturday at Impact Athletic Center.
Third-seeded Andreula met No. 4 Seabury in the 110-pound final of the Eastern States Classic, which hosted more than 500 wrestlers from six states and is widely regarded as the premier wrestling tournament in the Northeast.
Andreula outlasted Seabury for a 3-1 decision for one of the biggest wins of his career.
“This season didn’t really start out the way I was planning for it to go. I had a concussion and was struggling with weight,” Andreula said. “This sets a big tone. After placing third at states twice, I’m ready to take home that title.”
After a scoreless first period, Seabury earned an escape in the second period to take a 1-0 lead. Andreula started the third period on bottom and quickly made it to his feet, but the official deemed that Seabury still had control. The two remained locked up in the same position for 20 seconds before Andreula finally earned the escape. In that time, Seabury was called for two stalling penalties. When Andreula finally broke free, he had a 3-1 lead with 1:02 left.
“From there, the plan was just to keep good position, stay in the middle and maybe get another takedown, but I’m not going to put myself out there for him to score a takedown,” Andreula said.
Seabury, last year’s Eastern States champion at 101 pounds, defeated top-seeded Will Soto of Newburgh Free Academy by 7-4 decision in sudden victory in the semifinals. Soto, a junior Penn State commit, is a two-time Eastern States champion and a two-time Division I state champion.
Andreula defeated Massapequa freshman and reigning 101-pound Division I state champion Jon Tutku by 10-5 decision to advance to the final.
“It gives me more confidence that I can beat the top kids in the state,” Andreula said. “I’m probably going to see Tutku again in the counties, so I’ll be ready for that.”
Lagala-Ryan makes statement
Longwood’s Anthony Lagala-Ryan also earned his first Eastern States crown. The top-seeded NC State commit pinned No. 3 Vincent Mastrianni of Colonie in 47 seconds for the 126-pound title. Mastrianni earned an early takedown, but Lagala-Ryan quickly earned a reversal and secured the pin.
“When I get taken down, I get nervous,” Lagala-Ryan said. “But I was just like, ‘I’ve got to get out of this somehow.’ I was just thinking about what’s next. He went for a mat return and I rolled out and came out on top. He stepped his leg up and I went with the cradle.”
Lagala-Ryan was overcome with emotion on the mat, letting out shouts of excitement.
“One of my coaches always says, ‘If there’s pressure on you, then just lose.’ But I don’t like to lose,” Lagala-Ryan said. “I was just happy that I prevailed. This was a statement match to me.”
Sibomana-Rodriguez falls in final
It’s always appointment television when Long Beach’s Dunia Sibomana-Rodriguez and Cooper Merli of Newburgh meet up. Saturday was no different. Trailing 4-2, Sibomana-Rodriguez earned a reversal with 11 seconds left to tie the score, but Merli earned an escape with four seconds left to claim the 118-pound title.
“It went very fast,” Sibomana-Rodriguez said. “He slipped out and got the point. Unfortunately, I couldn’t get the takedown to get the points back. You just have to learn from that and move on.”
The senior UNC commit defeated Merli by 10-4 decision in sudden victory in last year’s Eastern States 116-pound final. He pinned Merli in 6:44 for an overtime win in the state final to avenge his 1-0 loss to Merli in the 2024 state final.
Merli, who is committed to Army West Point, is spending his senior season at New York Military Academy. Merli was named the Most Outstanding Wrestler of the lightweights. The state tournament doesn’t include prep school wrestlers, meaning Merli will not compete in this year’s tournament. But Sibomana-Rodriguez knows that he will likely meet Merli again, whether it’s at the Virginia Beach Nationals in March or in college.
“He’s one of the top competitors I’ve ever faced,” Sibomana-Rodriguez said. “We always go back-and-forth and it just shows how much we’re both improving. It’s always a close match.”
Matt Lindsay is a high school sports reporter who joined Newsday in 2022 after graduating from Stony Brook University.
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