There’s a first time for everything.
Manhasset senior wrestler Henry Jervis finished as an all-county wrestler and qualified for the NYSPHSAA Wrestling championship, both a first-time accomplishments. He’s reached the Nassau County championships three times, but hasn’t achieved these milestones.
“It’s kind of like I made it to the dance,” Jervis said. “You always see ‘all-county, all-county,’ and finally, third time’s the charm, and I got there.”
On Sunday, Jervis lost in the 165-pound Division I Nassau County title match to No. 1 seed from Kennedy Peter Mikedis by a pin at 5:24, at Hofstra University’s David S. Mack Sports and Exhibition Complex. He then wrestled No. 4 seed from Bethpage Matthew Casey for the true second place in the county, where he pinned him in 1:58 in the second period, which punched his ticket to the states.
Jervis entered the tournament as the No. 3 seed. On Saturday, he beat East Meadow’s No. 14-seeded Benjamin Carl, 3-0 fall and Manhasset teammate Spiro Kavvadias, 8-0 in the quarterfinals by way of decision.
On Sunday morning in the semifinals, Jervis sent No. 2 Miguel Turcios of Westbury packing, 9-6 decision (sudden victory).
“It’s amazing,” said head coach Stephon Sair. “He’s one of the hardest workers in the room. To see him make the county finals and qualify for states is a full-circle moment. When he was in ninth grade, he came to the states just to watch with his dad. Now he’s wrestling in it.”
Jervis fell in love with the sport at an early age. He started wrestling when he was about nine-years-old. To him, being alone on the mat is what made the sport special to him.
“I fell in love with how when you’re out there, it’s just you,” Jervis said. “You’re putting yourself through six minutes of seeing who you can be. The rush of winning and getting your hand raised is what I chased.”
Sair saw the energy from fourth-grade Jervis at the Manhasset youth program. He knew he had a solid wrestler coming through the pipeline.
“I met Henry in the youth program when he was in fourth grade,” Sair said. “He was a little kid with a lot of energy — super energetic and hyper. You could see his demeanor and joy for movement. You could tell he could be a future wrestler for the program.”
His hand has been raised 109 times in his career. He’ll have another chance to add more wins to his overall record in Albany, New York, on Feb. 27 and 28.
“My goal is to make the podium,” Jervis said. “I feel like that’s everyone’s goal, so I just want to wrestle my best and wrestle how my coaches want me to wrestle. If I do that, the outcome will take care of itself. I’ve always taken it one step at a time. I was focused on the county podium first. Now that that’s done, of course I’m thinking about states.”
Jervis was one of the team captains of this year’s Manhasset program. He’s grown to be the type of leader who brings everyone together, no matter your age.
“He’s an amazing leader,” Sair said. “His enthusiasm and energy spread throughout the team. He creates a fun atmosphere. He’s very inclusive, whether it’s JV, varsity, or underclassmen. He makes the team better and more enjoyable to be around.”
Jervis, Sair and company know what’s at stake at the state championship. They’re fully transparent about the goal they consider a successful outcome.
“The goal is for Henry to place and become an All-State wrestler,” Sair said. “Division I All-State is a big accomplishment. We think he has the tools to make the top eight. Now we just have to go do it.”
But as for the town of Manhasset, senior Will Russell (118) will be joining Jervis as they represent the school and the community upstate. They both have the same goal: putting Manhasset on the wrestling map.
“It would mean a lot for our program,” Jervis said. “We don’t have too many Division I state placers. I think we have two who took third. Will Russell and I can help put Manhasset back on the map. Getting second and showing Manhasset that we’re really here — that we’re a wrestling school too. People are getting into it now. It’s cool to bring that energy to the community.”
