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“It was great winning it here when I was in 10th grade,” said Solis, who received a big hug from his parents following the match. “When I heard the finals were here instead of Pace, I know a lot of people were not happy, but I was because I wanted to win a title here once again.”
The second-seeded Solis decisioned top-seeded Angelo Zegarelli of Putnam Valley, 8-2, in the 160-pound final to qualify for the New York State Championships.
The Small School Championships will take place Friday and Saturday, Feb. 22 and 23, at the Albany Times-Union Center.
Solis lost in a semifinal of the 2012 Section1 Small School Qualifer for states and finished third. This left a bad taste going into the off-season.
“Not winning it last year drove me so much more this year,” said Solis, now 27-7 on the season. “I pushed myself and was more focused to win it. People also weren’t expecting me to win it because I lost last year.”
Solis took command of the match in the first period with a take-down of Zegarelli, for a 2-0 lead. He added an escape and take-down in the second period, hiking his lead to 5-0.
“It’s always important to get that first take-down,” Solis said. “Once I got that take-down, it gave me the lead, kept me focused and made me wrestle the match at my pace.”
Westlake coach Joe Bucello could not be happier for Solis.
“Edgar’s resilient and he is a blue-collar wrestler,” Bucello said. “He wanted it this year and he wanted to show that it was not a fluke when he won two years ago. This is my favorite championship because I’ve had Edgar, and Nick [O’Halloran] all four years.
Solis was still receiving congratulations from teammates’ parents well after the match, which kept a smile on his face.
“My goal this year was to win a sectional title, and I am happy I accomplished it,” Solis said.
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