The trek to Albany turned out to be a good one for three wrestlers at Bellport High School. The New York State Championships took place at the end of February, and the Clippers sent four to Albany with two state champions and a third-place finalist.
Camryn Howard, Aaliyah Morrow, and Caitlin Maragioglio had the chance to compete at States and put their best moves on display to take home some hardware.
“It is an honor to be able to coach this program; these student-athletes work so hard in and out of the classroom all year round, and they have earned everything,” said boys varsity head coach Chuck Maragioglio.
Camryn Howard (So.) is a household name at this point in his early varsity wrestling career. Howard is only a sophomore and already has two New York State titles, four Suffolk County titles, four All-State titles, a Fargo national title, and a Double Pan Am U16 World Title. Howard’s run at states saw him keep his opponents scoreless in the 157lb weight class. In addition, Howard finished the year with a 50-0-0 record.
“The goal is to continue to build the wrestling program and hopefully maximize on our talent. We’ve become a hotbed for talent in both the boys’ and girls’ program and we want to produce more future success,” said girls’ varsity head coach Joe Scioli.
Aaliyah Morrow (Sr.) competed in the 152lb weight class at states and took home the state title for the first time in her career. Morrow is also a two-time Suffolk County champion and a two-time All-State champion. Morrow went 4-0 in the tournament, keeping her opponents off the scoresheet.
“It feels great to see our girls wrestling team flourish, especially our captains [Caitlin and Aaliyah]. They’ve put in countless hours of training year-round and it’s paying off,” said girls varsity head coach Joe Scioli.
Caitlin Maragioglio (Jr.) made a run at states and finished as a top three finalist in the 132lb weight class. Maragioglio earned All-State Honors, 2026 Suffolk County Champion, and a two-time finalist, a two-time All-State champion, and a Fargo All-American.
Coach Maragioglio also gave a shoutout to Jayden Tyson (Jr.), who went 2-2 in the tournament in the 138lb weight class.
“Obviously, they are getting the recognition that they deserve, but this is only accomplished through hard work and dedication. As a program, we are proud of every one of our student-athletes. They all push each other to be the best that they can be,” said Maragioglio.
The South Country School District put together a parade in celebration of the athletes on March 6. The parade made stops at each of the seven schools in the district, highlighting their New York State Champions’ achievements.
“It was really heartwarming to see all of the students in our district come out to show such an outpouring of support for our wrestlers. Especially our elementary school kids who look up to our athletes. Equally our staff really came out to support our athletes. Many of them worked with our athletes when they were little- so we are thankful for their early development,” said Scioli.
The wrestlers are winning on the mat and in the classroom, putting 100% effort into both athletics and academics. That’s not always the case with student athletes, but Bellport prides themselves on this level of dedication.
“All three of them had over a 100 GPA during the season. That requires a tremendous amount of discipline and dedication. They all attend two practices a day and compete multiple times per week. They are very detail-oriented and approach each day with a plan,” said Maragioglio.
“We see character & academics as equally important to athletic development. We want to build champions not only on the mat but for life. Our athletes represent the future of our community, and we make sure they know that so they represent us all well,” said Scioli.
Congratulations to Camryn, Aaliyah, and Caitlin on their achievements at the New York State wrestling championships and for making the Bellport community proud!
