Valdey Pierre delivers Sachem North wrestling its first Suffolk Division I title in 34 years
Valdey Pierre of Sachem North defeated Erick Mejia Zavala of Amityville at 215 pounds via a 4-0 decision at the Suffolk Division I finals on Sunday. Credit: Michael A. Rupolo Sr.
Valdey Pierre didn’t know exactly what was on the line when he stepped on the mat. He knew the 285-pound title was at stake.
What he didn’t know was that Sachem North trailed Sayville in the team score for the Suffolk crown by two-and-a-half points. A win and Sachem North would grab its first team crown in 34 years.
The Sachem North senior shook the hand of his opponent, Erick Mejia Zavala of Amityville, and went to work. Pierre, denied a Suffolk title as a junior, was in search of his first county title. He held a 1-0 second-period lead before he got in on the legs of Zavala. He went from a single leg to a double-leg takedown to extend the lead at 3:09 of the bout.
It would be the biggest takedown in Sachem North’s season. Pierre went on to a thorough 4-0 victory to capture the 285-pound title at the Dr. Robert Fallot Suffolk County Division I wrestling championships Sunday afternoon at the Island Federal Arena at Stony Brook University.
His win enabled Sachem North to overtake Sayville and capture the team title, 148.5-147. Bellport finished third with 128 points.
It was the closest score in a Division I tournament since Floyd earned the title over Longwood in 2002, by a 114.5-113 score.
“I had no idea the team title was on the line,” Pierre laughed. “I went out there trying to win my first county championship. It makes it even sweeter that I won, and it helped my team win the title.”
The significance was not lost on the enthusiastic Sachem North crowd. Six fans stood in the middle of the packed house with V A L D E Y painted on their bellies.
“It’s incredible,” Sachem North head coach Anthony Marino said. “We’ve talked about this being in our sights the last two years. We were narrowly beaten by Hauppauge last season — a just miss.”
Marino, in his eighth season as head coach, celebrated with his coaches in the corner when Pierre put the finishing touch on the achievement.
“We knew we had the firepower,” Marino said. “We had a great Day Two in the tournament.”
Sachem North crowned two champions and six place winners. Sachem North’s Tommy Vecchio decisioned Half Hollow Hills East's Nick Sevilla, 15-5, at 175 pounds.
Hills East sophomore Santino Pascarella earned an 8-3 win over Bay Shore freshman Ben Marino to earn the 103-pound title. His father, James Pascarella, captured the 112-pound crown in 1992 for Half Hollow Hills East. The father-son championship combination is the 11th in Suffolk County history. Pascarella improved to 37-2.
North Babylon sophomore Xavier Seabury beat Connetquot junior Ethan Hauser, 7-0, to win the 110-pound title. Seabury moved his record to 43-1 with 131 career wins.
Junior Austin Bronco Campsey of East Hampton beat top-seeded Jaden Baron of Ward Melville, 4-1, to win the 126-pound bout. Bronco Campsey, a state runner-up in 2025, broke a 1-1 tie with a late third-period takedown for the win.
For his performance, Bronco Campsey, who improved to 39-4, earned the Jack Mahoney Champion of Champions award.
Bellport sophomore Camryn Howard won the Rick Herrmann Most Outstanding Wrestler when he beat Nick Flaherty of Comsewogue by technical fall, 21-6, at 157 pounds. Howard is 44-0 and the top-ranked wrestler in the state. The four-time Suffolk champion is also a defending state champion. He won all four bouts in the tournament by technical fall.
Gregg Sarra is Newsday's high school sports editor and has been on the beat since the mid-1980s.
