When it comes to Mahopac sports royalty, the same names continue to come up through the years—the Big 4: Joe Corace, Gerry Keevins, Frank Miele and Teddy Georgalas. And rightfully so based on their accomplishments to the Mahopac Central School District and what each has meant to the Mahopac Sports Association community.
Often overlooked, though, is longtime wrestling coach and educator Joe Bellucci Sr., who may have built and developed the most longstanding foundation in Mahopac sports history. The Wolf Pac athletic community knows what Coach B has meant to it: establishing, perhaps, the school’s most decorated sports program, and the community showed up in force for Tuesday’s dedication of the newly minted Joe Bellucci Sr. & Family Mahopac Wrestling Room.
The dedication ceremony finished with a commemorative sign being unveiled in honor of the late Bellucci, a Mahopac Central School District Hall of Fame inductee. Before passing in 2014, he served the district for more than three decades as both a teacher and coach, leaving a lasting mark on Mahopac athletics and academics. Interim Superintendent Frank Miele, a former student-athlete coached by Bellucci, reflected on Bellucci’s influence as a mentor and role model.
“Tonight is a very special night for me for so many reasons,” Miele said. “I have the honor and privilege to dedicate our wrestling room to someone who was my hero growing up and the reason I became a teacher and a coach. Coach Bellucci had the ability to bring the best out of you each and every day.”
There are very few athletic programs that can endure the kind of constant change Mahopac did at the turn of the century when the then Indians won four Section 1 championships in a row under four different head coaches—including Sal Imbimbo, Joe Mahoney, Tony Iasiello and former Mahopac NYS wrestling champion John Degl (circa 1991). Despite having four different head coaches, the program’s foundational values, which were built by Coach Bellucci, maintained a high level of success.
A United States Army veteran, Coach B was known for his disciplined yet compassionate approach and for instilling values of integrity, perseverance and teamwork in generations of student-athletes. He was also a devoted family man and father of 10.
And when current Mahopac coach Steven Tornambe – a former Section 1 champion – needed a program that could match Mahopac’s consistency and ability for the Bellucci dedication, he looked no farther than his alma mater and scheduled Ossining High, for what turned out to be a fierce battle that ended in a 38-38 tie before the Wolf Pac were declared winners based on criteria – five pins for Mahopac vs. four for Ossining.
The Wolf Pac held a 38-24 lead heading into the heavyweight divisions and when the streaming screens were widened and push came to shove it was the Pride that won the final two matches via pin to forge the 38-all tie.
The match began with coach Tornambe’s son Anthony winning 18-2, a 103-pound tech fall that got the Wolf Pac rolling in the early bouts. Justin Cabuhat followed at 110, needing just 30 seconds to deck his opponent for an 11-0 Wolf Pac lead. Mahopac dropped consecutive bouts at 118, 126 and 132 to fall behind on the scoreboard. It took a 6-0 win by reigning sectional champion Charles Przymylski to stop the bleeding. The Wolf Pac senior was tested by Pride senior Noah Petluck in what looks like one of the most competitive weight classes in Section 1 this season.
Ossining struck back with a win at 144 before Mahopac’s Leo Przymylski took a pivotal match at 150, turning a 12-11 lead into a six-point pin with 1:09 remaining. At 157, Pace Zeiler padded the Wolf Pac lead with a 4-0 win, which Hector Perez followed up by swabbing the deck via pin at 165. After a loss at 175, Jake Clark worked a first-period pin for six key points before the Wolf Pac dropped the final two bouts.
Sometimes, it’s not if you win but how you lose and Wolf Pac 118-pounder Andrew Rojas avoided a pin in a 16-1 loss, leading to a five-point tech fall rather than a six-point pin that would have provided the Pride with the slightest of margins for a 38-37 win.
“That was huge,” coach Tornambe said. “Andrew wrestled their stud (Nicholas Lofaro). If he gets pinned there, we lose the match.”
In other action, the Wolf Pac closed out the week by taking second place in the Edgemont Tournament despite resting prime-time grapplers Charles Przymylski, Billy Camperlango, Leo Przymylski, Pace Zeiler and Jake Clark.
“To still take second place as a team says a lot about the culture here at Mahopac,” coach Tornambe said.
Connor Lowery (132 pounds), Justin Cabuhat (110 pounds), Hector ‘da Moose’ Perez (165 pounds) and Anthony Tornambe (103) each took home a first-place trophy while a fifth finalist, Peter Grishaj (285 pounds), placed second. The coach offered up plenty of accolades after a solid showing.
“Connor is a four-year wrestler who started the season with an injury, which sidelined him until the second week in January,” the coach said. “Since then, he had a rough start, but yesterday he really opened up. Wrestled very well and won his first varsity tournament championship.
“Justin Cabuhat had been a three-year wrestler who had worked all offseason after falling in the blood round of sectionals last season,” the coach added. “It’s his first varsity tournament championship. He is kind of under the radar, which we like. Since he’s been down to 110, he has locked in and is one of the toughest guys in the room.”
The bigger guns have been solid as well, including Perez and Grishaj.
“Hector Perez is what we call a slow and steady wrestler,” Coach T said. “He never really comes out of position during matches. His toughness and athleticism is underrated. He’s another wrestler who was under the radar, but I think he will be on everyone’s list after winning the Somers and the Edgemont tournaments back to back. He is another wrestler that makes our wrestling room so special. When you put these hard-working guys together and they all have the same goal it’s special.
“Peter Grishaj, just a second-year wrestler who we pulled off the offensive line (football) last season, has really made a name for himself. Peter has become a leader on this team, not just because he is wrestling at a high level but he makes his presence known in a positive way. Having wrestled his best these past two tournaments, he is another Pac wrestler that makes us who we are.”
Anthony Tornambe, in his second year as a varsity starter, has been a tone setter all season as the first man up most days.
“After falling short of the podium last year, that left a sour taste in his mouth,” Coach T said. “With an offseason of training he hit the ground running this year. He sets the tone for dual meets. It’s not easy when your last name is Tornambe in Section 1 wrestling, but he is living up to the name.”
Winning his first varsity tournament solidified that notion.
Sean Coronel, a senior captain, took third in the tournament after a tough match in the quarterfinals, but he rallied back to finish the day in third place.
Tornambe will need to push the right buttons as preparation ramps up in the days ahead.
“I grew up a little different than these guys with some tough love in my life,” coach Tornambe admitted. “Sometimes, you can’t say you tried your best, you’ll get them next time. Sometimes, you have to be very direct with these guys and get right to the point; like ripping off a Band-Aid. Sugar-coating things doesn’t make things easier in the sport of wrestling.
“I always want our guys to wrestle their best at the end of the season,” he added. “With only two weeks until the County Center finals we are trending in the right direction. We are going to have to figure out how to turn those second-place finishes into a team title come the first weekend in February.”
Besides a multi-meet at Hen Hud and a match with Tappan Zee this coming week, Mahopac was getting set to host the Caruso/Scauzillo Mahopac Memorial Tournament on Jan. 31. The Wolf Pac placed fourth among 19 teams last season.
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