A New Era for Westhampton Beach Wrestling

It’s a new era for Westhampton Beach wrestling.

After more than 30 years under the direction of renowned head coach Paul Bass, and another three years following Bass’s retirement in 2019 under the guidance of his direct protegees, the program now has a new leader in Jakob Restrepo.

A 2015 graduate of Sachem East High School, Restrepo is young, but has the kind of credentials that bode well for the program into the future. Restrepo was a star at Sachem East, winning a Division I state championship at 152 pounds in his senior year, and he went on to wrestle at Division I University of Maryland. Restrepo was recently hired as a physical education teacher at Westhampton Beach High School, and when former head coach Pete DeTore — a Westhampton Beach alum who was one of the top wrestlers in the county under Bass — decided to move to upstate New York, Restrepo applied for the position and got it.

In addition to his impressive resume as a competitor on the mat, Restrepo has gained valuable experience on the sidelines in the short time since he’s graduated from college. He was a varsity assistant coach at East Islip last year, helping lead that team to the county dual meet championship. Several East Islip wrestlers also made it to the Division I state tournament, and Restrepo said that being part of a team that saw that kind of success gave him valuable experience as well. Before coaching at East Islip, Restrepo served as an assistant varsity coach at his alma mater for two years.

Restrepo said he’s thrilled to be at the head of a program, especially one with a storied history and winning tradition like Westhampton Beach. He spoke about what his approach will be in the new role.

“It’s very exciting,” he said. “I get to look back at what my coaches did for me and try to replicate that here at Westhampton Beach.”

Restrepo said that his coach at Sachem East, Isaac Ramaswammy, and Longwood coach Mike Picozzi were strong influences on him, and he said he relies on both of them for guidance. Restrepo lived in the Longwood School District while he was a middle school student, before moving to the Sachem East area.

Restrepo will have plenty to work with this season, as the Hurricanes are as deep as they’ve ever been, after more than 50 kids came out for the team.

Seniors Ryan Baynon, Calvin Henke and Nate Brandi will lead the team in the lighter weights, while in the middle weights, from about 138 to 160 pounds, senior Bobby Stabile and junior Joey Carasiti will be strong contenders in every match. Stabile has a strong chance at earning All-County honors, and Restrepo described him as “a real threat.” Restrepo added that newcomer Andrew Lewis, a freshman, has been impressive so far and could make a name for himself.

In the upper weights, Connor Rodgers will lead the Hurricanes.

Brandi, Stabile, Carasiti and Rodgers are this year’s captains.

There are also two female wrestlers on the Hurricanes squad this year: returning senior Juliet Barnabee and freshman Lily Blenk.

Westhampton Beach alum Andrew Petroulias is back as an assistant coach this year, and Restrepo will also be joined on the sidelines by Bryce O’Hara, his former teammate at Sachem East who wrestled at the University of Oklahoma and will coach the JV, and middle school coach Carter Baron, who graduated from Bayport/Blue Point and coached with Restrepo last season at East Islip.

The Hurricanes will start the season at the Manhasset Invitational on December 2, and will compete at the Doc Fallot Duals at Hampton Bays on December 9. They will open the League V dual meet season at Comsewogue on December 15.

Restrepo said he’s excited to kick off his first season at Westhampton Beach, and he hopes it’s the first of many seasons coaching the Hurricanes.

“I definitely want to be in it for the long haul,” he said. “At the end of the day, what I want for the kids is to use the sport of wrestling as a way for them to develop as young men — to learn to be hard-working in the wrestling room, the classroom and in their personal relationships.

“It’s definitely one of the hardest sports out there, but I want to teach them how to have fun with it,” he added. “Each day is a different opportunity to get better, and building that type of culture is what we’ve been doing so far.”