In our final days of our 2021 season we will highlight each of our 3 Seniors to thank them for the time they have given to our program. None of us saw this year going the way it has, but it does not change that each of these young men have gone to extraordinary lengths to help our program accomplish the feats it has during their time with us.
Some of the program highlights which our Class of 2021 has helped us accomplish:
Back to Back OCIAA Division 1 Champions
3x NYSPHSAA All-Scholar Team
Ranked top 20 by the NYSSWA in 2020 and 2019
3x ECSDM Superintendent’s Team Sportsmanship Award
Elk’s Lodge Fundraising Champions
OCIAA Student Athlete Community Service Award
65-17 Dual Meet record
Middletown Head Wrestling Coach
Jason Lichtenstein
102 lbs – Manny Saenz
Manny is one of the few remaining members of our original youth wrestling group, The Mighty Middies! He has been a mainstay in our lineup since he came out for the team. Manny has been our 99/104lber each of the 3 years he was a starter for us. Through his dedication to his class work Manny has helped the team earn the NYSPHSAA All-Scholar Award by being an All-Scholar Athlete himself! In the 2019-2020 season Manny took home the Somers Wrestling Tournament Championship, was one of the top ranked 99lbers in Section IX and helped lead our team to a 21-3 overall ranking, and OCIAA title and a Top 15 ranking by the New York Sports Reporters! Coming into the 2021 season Manny had his goals set on winning his first Section Title and continuing to add to his All-Scholar Awards! Manny had a career record of 62 wins and 29 losses.
The Coaches from within our program would like to thank Manny for his commitment to our program and wish him the best of luck as he graduates and moves forward in life.
118lbs – Kenny Santiago
Kenny has been a key part of our line-up since his freshman year of High School, he has stepped up on multiple occasions to help the team when and where we needed him in the line-up. Sometimes Kenny would be put in difficult situations where we needed him to go out and battle for the team, we knew we could depend on him to step on the mat and give us 100%. Kenny has an ever growing desire to be the best he can and it shows in his efforts! As a sophomore Kenny won the JV Section Championship, during the 2020 season he was our starting 113lber and was a huge piece of our team’s success. Coming into his Senior year he had set goals to qualify for the NYS Wrestling Championships and even through the Covid lockdowns was finding ways to get mat time and train towards this goal! In our shortened practice season Kenny has been a leader in the room and a great role model for our younger athletes. This season has been very tough mentally and for the younger Middies to see his attitude and efforts in the room will assuredly help them in their own developments! Kenny had a career record of 61 wins and 28 losses.
The Coaches from within our program would like to thank Kenny for his commitment to our program and wish him the best of luck as he graduates and moves forward in life.
160lbs – Justin Santiago
Justin has been a part of our program since Jr High and has routinely been seen as one of our hardest working Middies! His positive attitude and no nonsense work ethic have been admired by all of the coaches who have had the privilege of coaching him. Last season Justin set a goal to win the JV Section Championships and did just that! It is always great to see a young man set out to reach his goals and then have the opportunity to do so. Justin was a Captain of our 2020 JV team which won the JV Championship for the first time in team history! It is clear that his leadership and work ethic helped lead our young JV squad to these accomplishments! Our JV team had never won a tournament until 2020, having won the Jeff Cuilty Duals and the JV Championship made it a banner year for them, Justin’s leadership was clearly a huge factor in this! Entering the 2021 season Justin had set a goal to medal at the Section IX Championships and we know his efforts would have led him there! Justin had a career Varsity record of 8 wins and 0 losses.
The Coaches from within our program would like to thank Justin for his commitment to our program and wish him the best of luck as he graduates and moves forward in life.