MILLER PLACE – 1, 2, 3… pin! The Panthers are State Champions! The Miller Place boys varsity wrestling team conquered the dual meet championship in Syracuse over the weekend.
The Miller Place Panthers are members of the New York State Public High School Athletic Association (NYSPHSAA) and compete in Division II. The boys are led by 13th-year head coach Matt Kaszubski. He comes from a wrestling background, having wrestled varsity and collegiately, earning All-County Honors and winning a League Championship. Kaszubski was named League Six Coach of the Year in 2017 and 2019. The Panthers have a 25-3 record for the 2025-26 Varsity Wrestling season.
The Panthers left the Island on Friday with a celebratory sendoff by the high school student body, staff, and administration. Their next stop? Syracuse? The goal? Bring a State Title back to Long Island. The Panthers were not the only team from here to compete in the DIV II dual meet championships over the weekend. Alongside Miller Place were Shoreham-Wading River and Massapequa (division I).
“They’re all super supportive and on board, the whole student body was in the hallways supporting us. The support from our administration, community, kids, and the staff has been awesome. They really hyped up the kids leaving to go and get the job done Upstate,” said Kaszubski.
Prior to States, Miller Place took home the Suffolk County Championship the week prior. Ironically, their opponent was also Shoreham-Wading River. The Panthers took the dual meet title on a neutral site turf [Bay Shore] with a 43-30 win. The boys clinched the win with a clutch third-period pin by Andrew Bennett-Guma. They arrived home in style, receiving a fire truck escort from the Miller Place Fire Department.
The first-place team came to Syracuse on a high, having their first-ever Suffolk County title under their belt, they were hungry for more. Miller Place took on Marcellus-Onondaga (Section III) in the semifinal round and emerged victorious in a fairly close matchup 39-31.
The boys moved on to the championship round, where they faced a familiar foe in Shoreham-Wading River. Having competed against them for the League title and Suffolk title, they knew a little bit about their opponent. The Panthers claimed the victory over SWR with a 45-24 win, capped off by Bradyn Ellis. Miller Place wrestled Shoreham for all three titles this season.
“It feels amazing… It’s huge for this program; we’ve been doing very well for the last decade or so. We’ve been right there to win a Division County title and the tournament. To finally kind of get the monkey off our back and win a county title, and then on top of that a state title, which was the ultimate goal, means the world to our program,” Kaszubski told The Messenger.
Business as usual was the mindset for the Panthers.
“It was a one-day tournament. The whole time we told them to enjoy this journey, but it’s a business trip. We’re going up there to get a job done. Sometimes you go to these really cool events, you’re on the coach bus, you’re in a hotel, and everyone’s excited, as they should be. We remind them to enjoy it, but it’s not a “happy to be here” type thing. We’re here for a purpose, and that’s to win a state title,” said Kaszubski.
Oftentimes, the work that matters most is the work being done when the season is not in session. More focus can be placed on the finer details that might just end up being the key to a team’s success.
“A lot of it comes down to not only the season, but what they’re doing in the offseason. We have a lot of kids who commit to the offseason. We have very supportive parents who are taking these kids to big tournaments, we send the kids to camp, and we pay for the kids to go to club. It really comes down to them training in the offseason, and the parents’ support of not only the money, but the time and travel, and things like that. That really sets the groundwork for having a good season. We kind of schedule our season with this in mind, every detail, every practice plan, and every matchup all goes into it,” said Kaszubski.
