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| Tyler Conzo being declared the Winner of his match @Smithtownwestwerestling | instagram |
The 4’11” 101-pound wrestler found himself in the middle of a crucial match against Huntington last week that turned out to be a huge reason why the West-Siders came away victorious in a crucial League IV match.
“I don’t think it’s pressure for [Conzo],” Smithtown West coach Ken Leverich said to Newsday following the match, “I think he thrives in it. I think he loves it. Tyler’s the type of kid that wrestles all over the country all year-round. So being in those types of moments, if you saw, he had an extra bounce in his step. He clearly demonstrated for me tonight that he’ll rise to those occasions, and he certainly did.”
West entered the meet unbeaten but they would have to make up for being without Senior Captain Jack DiMaggio who is suspected to have been dealing with flu-like symptoms according to Coach Leverich. This meant guys like Conzo and others needed to step up and – ironically – Coach Leverich spoke of Conzo being like Giants Quarterback Tommy DeVito as he stepped up when the team needed him most.
Conzo came off the bench for his match following Logan Tynebor’s pin in the penultimate match gave Smithtown West a one-point lead over Huntington, setting up the newcomer for closing time in the final match.
This is when we got a glimpse at what the future could be like for the Bulls eighth-grade prodigy as he pinned fellow eighth grader Christopher Granito with 54 seconds left and he would walk away with a victory that gave his team the win.
“Before the matches, before I even start wrestling, I just throw on my Beats,” Conzo said when asked about how he prepared for such a crucial match. “Start pacing back and forth, getting my mind ready, my mindset, and get ready to go on the mat.”
Smithtown West (8-0, 4-0 League IV) led 23-9 after the first six matches. Colten Ford, Max DeSousa and Peter Graham pinned their opponents at 131, 138 and 145 pounds, respectively. Huntington’s Walter Kusterbeck picked up a pin at 116 pounds.
The Bulls led 23-19 heading into the most anticipated match of the meet at 170 pounds between Smithtown West’s Nick Zins and Huntington’s Christian St. John, two of the very best in the county.
In a back-and-forth match with roars coming from both sides of the gym, Zins won via an 8-5 decision after the score was tied at 5-5.
Huntington (5-2, 2-1) responded, though, recording consecutive pins by Thomas Smith at 190 pounds and Jason Mejia at 215 pounds just before Tynebor and Conzo’s matches that ultimately decided the meet.