Cardozo Ends Forest Hills Wrestling's Playoff Run, 68-13

After knocking off a third-seeded Hillcrest High School, Forest Hills High School wrestling again took their talent on the road Wednesday night, but met a difficult opponent in Benjamin Cardozo High School, which ended the Rangers’ playoff run 68-13.

Going into this year, emulating last season’s perfect 10-0 season was not in Rangers head coach Stephen Serio’s plans. The goal was to take his young, inexperienced team as far as they could push themselves.  Their first playoff win was the first step, but their Cinderella story ended at the hands of Cardozo, with the score similar to when the two .

 Hero:  The experience of Cardozo, led by head coach Chris Milani was much too difficult to match. With Judges teammates cheering each player on that stepped on the mat, at times, while it looked as though Forest Hills had the upper hand, the Judges would counter with moves that shocked even the Rangers.  

The Turning Point: After the Rangers' Mirshod Khaydarov won his match to pull the score to 17-9, the team sent sophomore Alexander Morales to capitalize on an opportunity to close the gap.

Cardozo responded with junior Michael Nikolis, who was 8-1 during the season with four pins. Morales seemed ready for the task, but Nikolis brought a season's worth of experience. After regaining the led, Nikolis used some downright surgical moves to seal the match.

Bottom Line: After going down early on two forfeits, the Rangers could not find ways to crawl back into the game. 

Cardozo outmaneuvered, and outplayed their opponent, showing no fear even at times when they showed fear of losing. The Rangers finished winning only three matches, while Cardozo won nine, two by forefeit.

Quotable: Even after a loss, coach Serio could not be upset with his team after he put the cap on what he said was a successful season.

“I took the team [with] a lot of new guys, and I was pretty proud that I took the team to the semifinals,” he said. “They worked hard, they improved all the time, but this match just comes down to experience, and he’s a lot more experienced than I am. I’m not disappointed with my guys, and happy that they made it this far, I really am.”

Cardozo coach Milani, though happy about winning, admired Forest Hills' fortitude throughout the year.

“You've got to want it, and work hard,” Milani said. “These guys are an excellent team.”

Box Score:

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