QUEENS, N.Y.— The Tottenville Pirates brought the PSAL 2A wrestling title back to Staten Island on Tuesday evening, as coach John Cichon’s squad edged defending champion James Madison, 34–33, in a thrilling showdown at Grover Cleveland High School.
“It feels amazing, obviously. And it’s through the hard work that the kids put in,” Cichon said following the victory.
“We try to go all year round—we try to run a program. It’s not just a winter sport for us. And we have the support of our administration, the parents, and the community,” he continued.
It was especially sweet for Tottenville to reclaim the title from James Madison—the team that eliminated the Pirates in last year’s semifinals before going on to win it all—while the Pirates had beaten Madison in the 2024 championship, adding another chapter to the rivalry between two excellent programs that have the highest respect for one another.
“It’s like trying to keeping up with the Joneses; Steve [Santimaurio] is a great coach, and his kids are wrestling all year round too,” Cichon explained.
“They have coaches that care, and they’re willing to wrestle all season, all year round with them. You’ll see Steve at tournaments all season and in the offseason, just like you’ll see me at tournaments all offseason. That’s really what sparks it—it’s what makes the difference in the end.”
While numerous individual wins from Craig Monda (110 lbs), Steven Ruggerio (118), Tristan Levin (126), Jake Padilla (165), Anthony Moog (175), and Adel Kiswani (190) propelled Tottenville to a razor-thin victory, Cichon especially credited Ruggerio—competing in his first match of the year after needing to sit out—with sparking the team win, along with sophomore Moog (175), whom Cichon said wrestled “the match of the night.”
“That was the first time he ever made weight at 175, in addition to his first time being in the varsity lineup and wrestling a senior. For him to have a major decision victory over him was the turning point,” he shared.
While the victory is certainly sweet for the Pirates, with the NYSPHSAA State Championships and plenty more to wrestle for still coming up, Cichon admitted that “the first thing I thought after the match was that we’re not done yet.”
The Tottenville varsity wrestling team poses with their championship banner after winning the PSAL 2A City title over James Madison on Feb. 3, 2026.John Cichon
“This is great, but we have Friday. We have Boroughs on Friday, and only the top three from the borough make it to the city tournament. And if we’re going to beat Madison again, we need everyone qualifying on Friday at Boroughs. Our borough is the toughest borough, in my opinion, in the city, so now the goal is staying focused but not taking this for granted,” he concluded.
The Pirates will look to continue to leave their mark on this season as they gear up for States, which will be contested on Feb. 27-28 at the MVP Arena in Albany.