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LOCH SHELDRAKE, N.Y. -- Sam Speno walked off the mat Saturday following his 126-pound semi-final match disappointed with the loss, but knowing his day was not over. The Fox Lane senior realized he could still place third, so he focused his energy on that. Speno would win his next two matches and finish third in the prestigious 10th annual Eastern States Wrestling Classic at Sullivan Community College. Fox Lane teammates Danny Ventura and Matt Pasqualini also placed. Ventura finished fourth at 132 and Pasqualini took fifth at 160. All three Fox Lane wrestlers advanced to the championship semifinals. After the loss in the semis I could not let it get to me, said Speno, who will attend Binghamton next fall and wrestle. I came back out and acted like the loss never happened. If I had let it get to me, I would have never wrestled good. Speno, seeded fifth, decisioned third-seeded Tyler Caruana of Kenmore West, 5-1, in a consolation semifinal, then raced out to a big lead in an 8-6 win over second-seeded Nick Tighe from Phoenix in the third-place match. Speno also beat fourth-seeded Alec Dierna from Webster-Schroeder in a quarterfinal before dropping a 4-0 decision to eventual champ and top seed Dom Malone from Wyoming Seminary (Pa.) I felt I was a lot more aggressive in my last two matches after being a little hesitant and cautious before, Speno said. I was also getting my opponents out of position and setting up my shot better.
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