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Fay, who is certified at 99 pounds, demonstrated once again he has made a smooth transition to bumping up
Fay registered two more victories Wednesday, wrestling in the 120-pound weight class as Fox Lane defeated Mahopac, 49-19, to finish in third place at the Section 1 Division I Dual-Meet Championships at North Rockland High School.
Fox Lane lost to Clarkstown South, 39-38, in the semifinals. North Rockland defeated Clarkstown South, 54-22, for the title.
“I’ve been wrestling up at 113 and 120,” Fay said. “Yes, it has been tough, but I have to help the team and do what I can.”
Fay pinned Clarkstown South’s Marcello Vergara 34 seconds into the second period of the 120-pound match. He followed that up with a 14-4 major decision against Mahopac’s Joe Frezza.
“Brendan is the most unselfish and team-oriented wrestler I've had in my 25 years of coaching,” Rodrigues said. “Brandon is a trooper. We wouldn't have been here today without him.”
When Rodrigues first approached Fay with the suggestion, he said he was skeptical because he had never wrestled above the 106-pound weight class. Once Fay embraced the move, he began wrestling in practice with his heavier teammates.
“I started going live with Scotty (Rodrigues), Matt (D’Attilo) and Ben (Ettlinger) because they have the experience of wrestling against heavier guys,” Fay said. “I try not to get caught under them because they are heavier than me. I try to use my speed.
“It’s also tougher wrestling top and bottom against the heavier guys because they can put more pressure on you when I’m on bottom.”
Fay was not affected by any weight he was yielding to his opponents Wednesday. Vergara never wrestled from the top position and Frezza could not hold down Fay.
“Brandon has been wrestling really well,” Rodrigues said. “This is only going to help him when he goes down to 101 and he wrestles kids his own weight. He will be very tough.”
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