08/09/2026
π½ππππππππΏ ππΎππ, ππΌπππ "ππΌπππ" ππΌππππππΌππ, πΌππππππΎππ ππππ ππππ π½ππππππππΏ!
On Friday night, one of the winningest coaches in Suffolk County history revealed via social media that "due to circumstances beyond his control"; he would be stepping down from the Spartan bench!!!
A gentleman who needs no introduction; in his over three decades of "Bleeding Green & White" as both a student-athlete (Class of 1985) and a coach/mentor; the victories that most define the character of Mr. πΉππππ π΅πππππππππ would be the ones in which he acted as a "surrogate father figure" off the mats as a means of guiding/enhancing the lives of his pupils!
But make no mistakes about it; the man also did more than his fair share of winning in his 20+ years at the helm of the Brentwood varsity program!!
Ranking fourth all-time in Section XI with 377 dual victories (per LI Historian, Andy Slawson); Napolitano was also responsible for collecting:
*11 League Tournament Titles (7x runners-up)
*2 Suffolk County Team Tournament Crowns (2008, 2012)
*3 Appearances in the Suffolk Dual Finals/2022 titlists
Under his tutelage, 96 All-County distinctions were earned, including 17 individual champs and another 13 runners-up!
Whether it be in Buffalo, Syracuse, Uniondale, Albany, or even Manheim, PA (2021 Journeymen States); you could always count on a Napolitano protege to make noise at the NYS Championships, as in total, he'd guide 22 wrestlers to the podium; with banner moments occurring in 2004 (πππ§π§π² ππ¨π«π«ππ¬ @112), 2013 (πππ«π₯π¨π¬ ππ¨π«π’ππ’π¨ @170), & 2025 (πππ¬π¨π§ ππ°πππ€ @160) turned in title-winning heroics!!
A multiple-time League and Sectional Coach of the Year recipient; the ultimate sign(s) of respect and admiration transpired in back-to-back years when Napolitano had National Wrestling Hall-of-Fame (Lifetime Service) & Suffolk Sports HOF distinction(s) bestowed upon him in 2022 and 2023!!
Famous for saying that his door "was always OPEN"; there is something very heartbreaking about seeing a legend's legacy CLOSED on terms other than his own!
