After graduating a decorated senior class and losing several key contributors from last year's roster, Chaminade's wrestling program entered the 2025-26 season knowing it would be a year of transition. However, rather than shy away from that reality, the Flyers have embraced it, using this campaign as an opportunity to develop younger wrestlers while maintaining high expectations.

"We lost a lot of talented guys from last year, but we have a great core group of seniors, so we expect them to step up and have a great season," said head coach Scott Cole. "We also have a lot of talented underclassmen, and we're very excited about them. Right now, we're in rebuild mode and very focused on developing the younger guys."

That development-first mentality has shaped the team's approach from day one. With over 80 wrestlers in the program, Chaminade possesses one of the deepest rosters on Long Island, a strength the coaching staff believes can become a major competitive advantage in the future.

"The biggest strength of this team is its size," Cole said. "We have a large group that motivates each other and works together. We also have a great staff and facilities. Now, the boys just need to keep training with intensity."

With a young roster, leadership from the senior class has never been more important.

"The entire senior class needs to step up as leaders," stated Cole. "Our varsity squad really needs to set an example for the rest of the program - stay positive, train hard, step into roles, and perform right from day one."

Among those seniors are four NY-USA Wrestling-ranked athletes: Brendon John Katimbang, Christopher Ferranti, Nathaniel Fabunan, and Nicholas Pugliese. Together, they've anchored the Flyers during this season of transition.

For Katimbang, leadership means balancing intensity with perspective:

"A lot of sleeping, socializing, and wrestling," he said with a laugh when asked how he manages the grind. The Baldwin native recently earned his 100th career win, a milestone that reflects years of dedication.

"I want to win States," he admitted. "That means practice, workouts, and prayer."

Sophomore Chase Berkowitz shares a similar championship mindset:

"I'm trying to win a state title," Berkowitz echoed. "I've been doing a lot of reflection, training, and film," added the sophomore, who cited assistant coach Justin Accordino as a role model on his wrestling journey.

"He's helped me a lot throughout my career," he said.

At the freshman level, Sebastian Cantarero is just getting started, but his goals are already ambitious:

"I'm excited to get into wrestling," he said. "I want to lift more, get stronger, and keep improving."

Like Berkowitz, Cantarero and several other wrestlers look up to Accordino, whose influence has extended far beyond the mat.

"I try to share all of my wrestling experiences with them," Accordino explained. "I focus more on teaching them to be good people and to work hard before teaching them wrestling. That way, it carries with them after high school."

This season, Accordino has emphasized four core values: hard work, dedication, discipline, and accountability. These ideals have helped to establish a unified culture and bridge the gap between experienced upperclassmen and ambitious underclassmen. 

"We have a really good mix of upper-level kids and lower-level guys," he said. "The older kids stand out, but the younger guys are very talented."

When asked to describe the team in one word, Accordino replied, "Focused." He also added that the members of his team "have a lot going on - school and wrestling - and to be successful, you need to stay focused. They do a really good job of that."

The Flyers opened this season's slate on November 29 against elite competition, traveling to Pennsylvania to face Faith Christian Academy, the second-ranked team in the nation according to Sports Illustrated's Billy Buckheit. Chaminade wrestled 20 matches, gaining valuable experience against one of the country's best. Though the varsity squad fell 61-6, junior Daniel Montalvan earned the Flyers' lone win in the 127-pound weight class. At the JV level, Ferranti, Nicholas Bartasi, and Timothy Dochnal also picked up victories.

One week later, the Flyers demonstrated immediate growth at the Sayville Gray-Fitzgerald Holiday Tournament, finishing fourth out of nine teams. Katimbang won his weight class, while Cantarero, Montalvan, and John Vincent Sammartano each placed second. To round out a successful day, Pugliese, Ferranti, Fabunan and Troy Moriarty each contributed strong performances. 

The JV squad also impressed at the Walt Whitman Andrew Peers Memorial Tournament, finishing second out of eight teams.

As the season progressed, Chaminade began to find its rhythm during the dual meet schedule. The Flyers first split a match - JV won while varsity lost - with a terrific Long Beach squad before convincingly sweeping both Plainedge and St. John the Baptist. 

Before the next set of dual meets, the Flyers participated in a batch of midseason tournaments. On December 20, the team travelled to the Frank Giampaolo Cyclone Varsity Tournament at South Side High School. Chaminade brought 30 wrestlers, finishing first out of 12 teams while producing five champions: Berkowitz, Katimbang, Sammartano, Fabunan, and Nathaniel O'Sullivan. Berkowitz was named Most Outstanding Chaminade Wrestler, while Katimbang recorded his 100th career win in the finals.

Two weeks later, the Downstate Varsity Duals were held on January 3 in Oceanside. In what was arguably Chaminade's best performance of the season to date, the squad went a perfect 5-0, defeating East Meadow, Ossining, Brentwood, James Madison, and Oceanside to take home the title.

On the same day, at the Ed Solosky Memorial JV Tournament, hosted by Kellenberg, the JV Flyers finished second overall, with 20 of 29 wrestlers placing in the top six.

The next weekend, on January 9 and 10, the Flyers sent 10 wrestlers and three coaches to the Eastern States Classic Varsity Tournament, one of the most prestigious events in the region. This year's edition featured 181 teams from five states. 

Though the tournament proved challenging, Cantarero emerged as a bright spot, earning a podium finish at 103 pounds. Ultimately, despite a 31st-place finish, the Crimson and Gold gained valuable experience against top-tier competition.

The Eastern States Classic wasn't the only tournament for the Flyers this season, however. They also participated in the Sam Cali Invitational Varsity Tournament in New Jersey over winter break, and the Academy Grappling Classic Varsity Duals Tournament in Rhode Island still remains on the schedule.

These out-of-state events are all part of a national vision the Flyers are trying to establish.

"We're trying to become a national program," Cole explained. "We want to wrestle tough everywhere we go and get someone to Albany. Every year, we want to send more guys to Nationals."

At midseason, though these Flyers might be rebuilding the roster, they're not calibrating their ambition. With a focused culture, veteran leadership, and a deep roster, Chaminade wrestling appears to be laying a solid foundation on which it hopes to build years of sustained success.