Publication: The East Hampton Press & The Southampton Press
By Cailin Riley and Drew Budd
 Feb 23, 2015 4:08 PM 
 Feb 24, 2015 3:32 PM

Seven wrestlers from the East End will make the trip to Albany this weekend to compete in the New York State Championships at the Times Union Center. Some will be looking to make a splash in their final high school season, while others have their eyes on a state title. Here’s a look at how those wrestlers might fare and who they will face when they take to the mats on Friday.

Wrestling will begin on Friday with preliminary rounds at 10 a.m., with quarterfinals slated to start at 2 p.m., and wrestle-backs set to start at 4 and run until 8 p.m. On Saturday, wrestling will begin with the semifinals and more wrestle-backs from 10 a.m. until 12:30 p.m., and wrestle-backs/consolation semifinals from 12:30 to 2 p.m. Consolation finals will take place from 2 to 3:30 p.m. The gates will then reopen at 5 p.m., with finals set to begin at 6:30 p.m.





Westhampton 
Beach-Division I

For the ninth time in the last 10 years, the Westhampton Beach wrestling program will be represented at the state tournament in Division I, this time thanks to senior 145-pounder Hunter Hulse. Hulse finished third in the county, but earned one of the four wildcard spots that are awarded in each weight class. The rest of the bracket in each weight class is made up of the champions from each section, while the remaining wildcard spots are awarded based on a points system that takes into account a wrestler’s win/loss differential, placement at the sectional tournament, placements from sectional and state tournaments from previous years, and the strength of the section the wrestler hails from. Coming from Section XI (Suffolk County) always provides a boost—as it is ranked as the most competitive section year after year—and Hulse also earned the maximum number of points (35) for win/loss differential. He was 41-3 on the year, and the maximum win/loss points a wrestler can earn is 35. Hulse also earned points for placing third in the county this year, as well as for being a two-time Division II county champion when he was a freshman and a sophomore and attended Stony Brook. READ MORE

Publication: The East Hampton Press & The Southampton Press
By Cailin Riley   Feb 9, 2015 4:39 PM

Talk about exceeding expectations.

The Westhampton Beach wrestling team wasn’t expected to make big waves at the League VI tournament at East Hampton High School over the weekend. The Hurricanes were a middle-of-the-pack squad, sporting a 4-3 record in what was a highly competitive league, so a similar finish at Saturday’s tournament—where the top four wrestlers in each weight class advance to counties—was a reasonable expectation.

Instead, however, the Hurricanes reeled off upset after upset on their way to a second-place finish, behind only undefeated league leader and Suffolk County Dual Meet Champion Elwood/John Glenn. The Knights, the top ranked team on Long Island, won the league tournament with 257 points, followed by Westhampton Beach with 184.5 points. Miller Place, the seventh-ranked team in the county, was third with 165 points, followed by Shoreham/Wading River (146.5), Mount Sinai (123), host East Hampton (70), Bayport/Blue Point (63) and Amityville (35).

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Publication: The East Hampton Press & The Southampton Press
By Kerry Monaco
 Feb 9, 2015 3:42 PM 
 Feb 11, 2015 3:14 PM

It’s simple word association: Paul Bass and wrestling.

And now the Westhampton Beach High School varsity wrestling coach’s lifelong dedication to the sport is being recognized in a big way, with his induction into the National Wrestling Hall of Fame.

Coach Bass, who surpassed the 250 wins mark during the 2014 season, received a letter in the mail last May notifying him of his upcoming induction. His reaction? Shock.

“I had just lost my dad in February, and [wife] Kim and the boys were away, and I cried because I couldn’t share it with him—I had no one to share it with,” said coach Bass, a social studies teacher for three decades and a varsity wrestling coach for a quarter of a century at his alma mater.

He continued, “I’m extremely humbled, because I don’t think that I am somebody who should be getting something at this level. I have made a lot of mistakes. I have made a lot of enemies. I have ruffled a lot of feathers over the years. I am not a politically correct guy. I’m never satisfied, I’m always stretching for better.

“It’s good, but it’s also bad. Sometimes you just have to sit back and enjoy it. I have a hard time doing that.”

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