East's O'Malley Earns Wild Card to State Tournament

Sachem East senior Sean O’Malley has earned a wild card berth to the New York State wrestling championships.

O’Malley is in the midst of a terrific senior season with a 38-5 record, a League I title under his belt and a second place finish at counties last weekend.

Wrestlers who finish second or third in their section are eligible to earn a wild card to the state tournament, but only four are selected from throughout the state’s eleven sections.

At each weight class the wild card entries join the sectional champions in a 16-man bracket that will determine who is the best in New York. O'Malley's 38 wins and finish of third in Suffolk as a junior earned him enough quality points to be selected as a wild card entry into the 2011 New York State Championship’s to be held in Albany’s Times Union Center Feb. 25-26. 

O'Malley is one of the most successful wrestlers in Sachem East history. He has been in the varsity lineup since eighth grade and currently sits atop the career wins list with 138 victories. He is a four-time All-League wrestler, League Champion, two-time All-County wrestler, and will be looking to add more hardware to his trophy case next weekend.

“Sean is thrilled to have the opportunity to compete at states," Sachem East head coach Sean O'Hara said. "Like any great competitor, Sean hates to lose and he was disappointed with his loss in the county finals. The wild card has given him a chance to put that loss behind him and focus on his goal of being a state champion. Sean has been training a long time for this, he knows the tournament will be very tough, and he is excited to put all on the line in Albany."

Teammate Frank Merante also finished second in Suffolk, but did not have enough points to earn a wild card berth to the states. He missed the first half of the season as he was recovering from a knee injury and that kept him from having enough victories to get the wild card.

Merante's improbable return to the mat was nothing short of amazing. He returned from total reconstructive knee surgery to repair a torn ACL and meniscus in four months, much shorter than the routine recovery time of eight months.

He came back and won every match up until the county finals, where he dropped a one point decision to Hauppauge's Chanse Menendez. Merante won the League I title at 171 pounds, and advanced to the county finals by defeating returning state finalist Lou Puca of Huntington in over time in a thrilling semi final bout. Puca was undefeated and ranked first in New York State at 171. 

“Frank has incredible determination and drive, and is the epitome of what a person can do when they are willing to give it everything they have," O'Hara said. "Frank is an absolute bull on the wrestling mat and he competes with an intensity few can match. He came back from a devastating career threatening injury and never complained for a second. His performance was an inspiration to me and his teammates and something I will never forget.”

O’Malley will be the sixth Sachem East wrestler to compete in the state championships in the program’s brief seven-year history. This is the third consecutive year that a Sachem East wrestler has qualified.

Sachem East Wrestling State Qualifiers

• 2005 – Matt Ferber – Section XI Champ - 2nd New York State
• 2006 – Matt Ferber – Section XI Champ - New York State Champion
• 2009 – Dan O’Malley – Section XI Champ – did not place in State
• 2010 – Chris Di Iorio - Section XI Champ – 6th Place New York State
• 2010 – Conor O’Hara –  2nd Section XI (wild card) – did not place in State
• 2011 – Sean O’Malley - ?