This season, the Schreiber wrestling team looks to continue their success in Nassau County Conference 1B.  Last season, the Vikings had a strong campaign with a record of 4-3.  The team finished 18th out of 43 teams in the Nassau County championships at Hofstra University last season.

At the end of the 2015-16 season, Port finished with two wrestlers ranked in the top 6 for their weight class.  One was current senior Michael Nahas, ranked 6th in the 113 pound weight class.

“It’s a really good feeling and it is mainly from working hard in practice and watching what I eat,” said Nahas.  “It puts me in a good spot for this year and gets my name out there, which is always good.”

This year, Nahas is ranked an impressive 5th in the Section 8 preseason rankings.

On Dec. 3, the Vikings took part in the Hank Parris Tournament at Plainedge.  Schreiber made it to the championship finals in 3 weight classes.

In the 106 pound class, Andrew Gaudioso was pinned by an opponent from the Carle Place/Wheatley team.  In the 120 pound class, Michael Nahas was able to complete an impressive victory, pinning a challenger from Freeport.  In the 145 pound finals, Henry Burns lost by decision to a opponent from Plainedge.

The team also had 3 wins in consolation finals.  In the 126 pound consolation finals, junior Brandon Liu was victorious, winning by technical fall.  In the 138 pound class, senior Brian Novia won by pin. In the 285 pound class,  senior Justin Maravilla won by pin.

On Dec. 9, the team participated in the Bethpage Dads Club Invitational. The Vikings emerged victorious in 2 weight classes, 120 pounds and 126 pounds.

In the 120 pound class, Nahas defeated a Plainview wrestler by default.  In the 126 pound class, Liu defeated a strong opponent from Plainview JFK by technical fall.

“I was happy that we were able to get those wins. This will give us some good momentum for the rest of the season,” said Liu.

In the 106 pound championship finals, Gaudioso lost a tough match, getting pinned by an opponent from Farmingdale.

Leading up to these tournaments, the wrestlers must get their weight to a certain number in order to participate in a specific weight class.  There are weigh-ins prior to the tournaments to make sure that the wrestlers are at the right weight for the class they are competing in.

Some strategies for shedding weight include eating low-carb foods and limiting your water consumption.

In addition, sweating helps shed weight, so wrestlers may work out in warmer temperatures in order to lose water weight.

Although this is effective, it can be extremely dangerous to try to lose excessive amounts of weight in a short amount of time, so it is better to try to do this over an extended period of time.

To make sure the athletes are staying hydrated, they participate in hydration tests to make sure they are consuming a healthy amount of water while cutting weight.

Maintaining a healthy weight is important throughout the season, as it allows the wrestlers to focus on improving their skills while feeling healthy and staying in peak athletic condition.

“It is hard sometimes, but it is part of wrestling,” said Gaudioso.

The team’s first head to head match was on Dec. 14 in the  Schreiber gym against Hicksville.  The Vikings will take part in 6 head to head matchups this season, leading up to the playoffs which begin in late January and continue into early February.

In mid-February, the team’s top wrestlers will participate in the Nassau County championships at Hofstra University.  If successful at Hofstra, some team members may be able to participate in the New York state championships in Albany.

On Jan. 4, the team will face East Meadow in a key matchup at home. Last season, the match against East Meadow was one of Schreiber’s only head to head losses, so this matchup will be a chance for retribution.  Each of the past 2 seasons, East Meadow has been the team to beat, with a 9-4 and 6-1-1 record in the 2015 season and 2014 season, respectively.