Sports

Hauppauge Wrestler Returns to Mats After MRSA Scare

Nick Mauriello is ranked no. 1 in Suffolk County's 138-pound weight class going into the 2011-2012 season.

A Hauppauge wrestling is back on the mats looking for a title after winning the fight for his life earlier this year.

Nick Mauriello, 17, is leading the varsity wrestling team heading into the 2011-2012 season in League IV after . The MRSA infection developed into Lemierre's Syndrome, a rare but deadly bacterial infection in the mouth or throat spread through the circulatory system, which kept Mauriello in Stony Brook Hospital for 19 days.

Newday reports that Mauriello is not only back on the mats but he's the No. 1 ranked wrestling in Suffolk County within the 138-pound weight class. He's won his first 10 matches of the season and shows no signs of slowing down.

Find out what's happening in Hauppaugewith free, real-time updates from Patch.

"I'm in the best shape I've ever been in," Mauriello said to Newsday last week after a second-period pin over a Commack opponent at a dual meet won by Hauppauge. "It's kind of weird. Over the summer, I couldn't really breathe at all, and now I can go home after a match and not even be tired."

In the early weeks of the season, Mauriello was champion of the Sprig Garden Tournament at on Dec. 10. He also won the Bellport Invitational title in the 138-pound weight class on Dec. 18.

Find out what's happening in Hauppaugewith free, real-time updates from Patch.

Last season, the MRSA infection prevented the wrestler from competing for a state title. Now, in his senior year, Mauriello is setting new goals.

Click here to read more about Mauriello's return to the mats on Newsday.


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