Reaching 100 career varsity wins is always a special milestone for high school wrestlers, and Clarke celebrated another addition to that exclusive list last weekend.
Senior Marcus Rosario reached the century mark on Jan. 3 at the Cove Cup in Glen Cove, highlighting a strong team performance that saw Clarke finish third with 190 points. Rosario was one of five Rams — along with Richard King, William Grassini, Sebastian Mejia and Gabriel Taveras — who won championship final matches at the event.
“We actually just had Marcus [Rosario] get his 100th win today, so that makes four kids on our team with 100 varsity wins,” Clarke coach Mike Leonard Jr. said. “Richard [King] got his earlier this year, Sebastian Mejia got his last week at the Clarke Duals, and Will [Grassini] is right there as well. That’s a pretty special group.”
Leonard said Clarke’s season has gotten off to an encouraging start, with strong individual performances at the Battle of the Beach, the Sprig Gardner Tournament, the Clarke Duals and now the Glen Cove Cup, where multiple wrestlers went undefeated.
“We don’t want to be our best on Dec. 5 at the Battle of the Beach,” Leonard said. “We want to be our best at the county tournament, or hopefully the state tournament. The progress we’re seeing now is exactly what we want.”
Mejia, a senior, is a returning all-county wrestler and is on his way to another such honor. After earning an award for the most pins in the least amount of time at the Battle of the Beach – he collected four in just under six minutes -- Mejia has faced top-tier competition and shown steady improvement as the season has progressed.
“When Sebastian gets rolling, he’s a really hard guy to stop,” Leonard said. “He’s a pillar of stability in our program.”
King, who qualified for the state tournament last winter, advanced to the finals at both the Battle of the Beach and Sprig Gardner tourneys in the 126-pound category and won all eight of his matches during the Clarke Duals from Dec. 29-30.
Rosario has been a steady presence at 190 pounds, continuing to develop after winning at Long Beach and advancing to the championship match at the Sprig Gardner. Leonard said Rosario’s leadership and work ethic have been invaluable, particularly for the younger wrestlers.
“He’s everything you want in a kid,” Leonard said. “He makes everyone around him better, he works hard, and no matter what happens in a match, he gets up and goes right after the next one.”
Clarke has also benefited from contributions throughout the lineup. Freshman Lucas Ciani has gained valuable experience at 103 pounds, while junior Taveras has emerged as a reliable anchor at 215 after dropping down from 225.
Another boost has come from 2025 county champion Justin Gonzalez, who returned this season as a volunteer coach while attending LIU Post, providing mentorship and technical guidance.
“He’s been an extension of our coaching staff for years,” Leonard said. “We’re just lucky to still have him in the room.”