By Ashley Pavlakis
Wrestling season is upon us and the Bellport Clippers boys’ varsity wrestling team is ready to hit the mat this season. The Clippers are coming off their sixth straight League IV dual meet championship after taking home the title in 2024.
The Clippers are led by head coach Chuck Maragiolio, a Bellport native who competed for the school, and has been coaching in the district for roughly twenty years. He is also the secretary for the Suffolk County Wrestlers Association. Maragiolio is assisted by Rob Cuffie and Jamie Fabian.
The Clippers compete in the New York State Public High School Athletic Association (NYSPHSAA) in League IV. The 2024-25 season has nine contests on the docket for Bellport, they’re already off to a strong start, winning their first match of the season 54-24.
“We’ve been really fortunate; we’ve had a good run and group of kids. The kids have bought into the program and our philosophy. They’ve just kind of stepped into the role and it’s been pretty fun and enjoyable to watch,” said Maragiolio.
Wrestling is largely a strategic sport. While physicality will help, the correct methods are the key to victory. Wrestlers have a wealth of tactics in their repertoire such as legal holds, throws, takedowns, and reversals. The objective is to have the opponent pinned to the mat for several seconds. The wrestler earns points each time they execute a certain move. There is individual wrestling and team wrestling and the scoring varies based on the type.
“Last year we were really young, and we didn’t know what to expect coming in, but they grew up on the job. I think we started one senior and one junior out of the 13 weight classes. The rest were sophomores, freshmen, and an eighth grader. We had 10 underclassmen in the lineup, and they grew and matured last year, by the end of the year we somehow won the League IV dual meet title,” said Maragiolio.
The Clippers are fortunate to see some stability in their roster for the 2024-25 season as they were able to retain most of the roster.
“A majority of those kids are back this year, we return four league champions, five league place winners, and a ninth grader who is a two-time Suffolk County champion,” said Maragiolio.
We’ve seen success from the Bellport Clippers wrestling team over the last few years. As the season is kicking into full gear now, it’s time to keep it going in the hunt for a seventh straight title.
“They are hungry. I have a great coaching staff that I work with, and it takes a village, as they say. Between them and the parents, they’ve been outstanding. These kids travel in the offseason, they’ve been wrestling all over the place. They’re motivated kids, they’ve seen the kids in front of them achieve success and they’re hungry for that too,” said Maragiolio.
“Success breeds success,” Maragiolio told The Messenger.
