Patch Profile: Gary Pesko

When you love what you do, a 22-year investment in a program is its own reward.

Just ask Sayville wrestling coach Gary Pesko, who has helmed the Golden Flashes at the varsity level for 17 seasons. He marvels at how quickly it all went, but stops himself short at what that might imply.

"I'm not that old, though," he said with a smile.

A 1983 graduate of Sayville High School, he first became interested in wrestling in a physical education class in his mid-teens. Frank Yozzo, the father of his best friend Peter Yozzo, was a middle school wrestling coach in the West Islip school district. The elder Yozzo would drive the two boys to Sachem two nights a week to practice. Peter, who now lives in California, went on to become the only New York State champion from Sayville. Attending Lehigh University after graduating Sayville the same year as Pesko, he was a three-time All-American and an NCAA champion wrestler in 1987.

"They had the freestyle club, and there were quality kids to work out with," he said. "I just got in the car and went."

Of course, Pesko himself was no slouch on the mat: Under the tutelage of then-head coach Bill Fitzgerald, he was fourth in the Section XI, as well as a league champion and the New York State freestyle champion during his senior year.

"I liked to wrestle on my feet," he humbly said of his approach. "That's where I liked to score my points."

He continued on through college, as an 118-pound wrestler as a college freshman at Hofstra University before advancing to the 126-pound class for the remaining three years. There, he was named twice All-Conference and a runner-up in the New York State collegian tournament. During college, Pesko stayed involved with Sayville as a five-year junior varsity coach, where he said the duties were quite different from the greater charges he would be responsible for as varsity head coach, taking over from then-head coach Chuck Russo.

"I didn't have to worry about administrative stuff to do," he said, detailing the decidedly unglamorous necessities that often accompany running a program. "I showed technique and worked with kids one-on-one. When I became a varsity coach, there was more background stuff – a lot of paperwork, weight certifications, keeping records, inputting them on online so they're nationally known. It can be time-consuming."

Enrollment has seen its share of slight upticks and dips in the intervening years, moving Sayville into Leagues IV and VI at several points. But its current and most familiar home remains League V, which Pesko speaks of as one of the toughest wrestling leagues in the county. The league also features Hauppauge, Huntington and a powerhouse Islip squad (led by longtime coach and Long Island wrestling legend Joe Patrovich), where Sayville (14-8) continues to hold its own. 

Last season, the Golden Flashes had four of its wrestlers - including Matt Leshinger (then at 96 lbs.), Steven Leshinger (140 lbs.), and graduates Josef Haas (145 lbs.) and Christian Nelson (285 lbs.) - named all-county. This season, eight Sayville wrestlers finished with All-League accolades at the league championship meet February 5. Those wrestlers included: 130-pound champion Justin Bonamico (28-10 record), Matt Leshinger (34-4, a runner-up in the 112-pound class), Christopher Siracusa (29-9, also a runner-up as a 119-pounder), Nick Pesko (30-6, third place in the 119-pound class), Rich Millwater (27-8, third place in the 160-pound class), Mike Payne (28-10, fourth place in the 135-pound class), Lucas Ciancimino (21-13, fourth place in the 130-pound class) and Patrick Ciancimino (16-11, fourth place in the 125-pound class). 

After having laid the foundation for more success at the league championship, five of the aforementioned - Bonamico, Millwater, Siracusa, Matt Leshinger and Pesko - will don Sayville singlets at the county championship.

"We expect that such a competitive schedule will prepare our athletes for the postseason," said Pesko. "Now that the postseason is here, we are excited to see how they perform."

Steven Leshinger, the fourth-place finisher in the county last season, sustained a knee injury that will unfortunately sideline him from further competition this year. Despite the setback, he is currently rehabilitating and has , where he will continue his wrestling career.

Following onto the mat in the assured footsteps of his father, Nick, who went varsity as an eighth grader, has been named All-League for three seasons straight - that's every season since the sophomore began his varsity career.

"He's a pleasure to coach," the elder Pesko said proudly, praising his son's off-season efforts and his all-around work ethic. "He's very focused. He's still developing, but it's paying off for him so far."