Vincenzo Mannello is the technician. Marcarlo Mannello is the brute.
The brothers from Hawthorne are certainly among the best wrestlers in Section 1, probably two of the best in New York, and maybe two of the best in their respective weight classes in the country.
Marcarlo, an eighth grader at Westlake Middle School is undefeated at 103 pounds and is favored to win his second straight Section 1 title Feb. 8.
Vincenzo, a freshman at Westlake High School, is among the top wrestlers in the state at 118 pounds and seeks his third straight section championship.
Vincenzo is only 14 years old. Marcarlo is 13. They’re serious state championship contenders in 2026. The state tournament, hosted by the New York Public High School Athletic Association at the MVP Arena in Albany is Feb. 27-28. Section 1 sends two wrestlers at each weight class in Div. I ― the large schools division.
“It’s just brotherly love, but it’s more of a competition sometimes,” said Vincenzo, who along with Marcarlo, competes for the combined Briarcliff/Byram Hills/Valhalla/Westlake team. “Deep down, we both want each other to succeed. When it comes to head to head, me versus him, it’s always a competition to show who’s better.”
How good can these guys be? Early returns suggest they could be remembered among the greats before their scholastic careers end. They may seem like natural prodigies to observers watching them for the first time, but a lot of work went into the Mannellos’ success.
Vincenzo Mannello goes from middle school talent to star
Vincenzo Mannello exploded on to the varsity wrestling scene in 2024 as a seventh grader. He won the Section 1 title at 101 pounds and placed fifth in the state tournament.
The following year, at 108 pounds, he placed third at the Eastern States Classic, won his second straight Section 1 title and took fourth in the state tournament.
“It definitely was a different experience, and a special experience, because you get put into something that is so different than what everyone else and your peers are doing at your age,” Vincenzo said of his success as a middle schooler. “It changes your mindset about how you do things.”
This season, Vincenzo is competing at 118 pounds. He placed third at the prestigious Eastern States Classic, but opened eyes with a competitive semifinal bout against West Point-bound senior Cooper Merli of New York Military Academy, where he led, but ultimately lost, an 8-3 decision.
Should he make it to states and have a deep run in that tournament, he could be on a collision course with Long Beach’s Dunia Sibomana, a North Carolina commit who has won two state titles. In addition to his accomplishments, Sibomana is also an inspiring story, having survived a near-fatal chimpanzee attack in Congo before moving to the U.S. and becoming an elite wrestler.
“The pressure’s defnitely a lot of more and heavier this year because I’m not in middle school,” Vincenzo said. “It’s definitely bigger pressure. I want to show that I’m up there in the national rankings as a freshman. I’m not just the average freshman.”
Marcarlo thinks his brother’s prospects for the season are strong.
“He has a very good chance to make it to the (state) final, for sure,” Marcarlo said. “He lost to Cooper Merli off of his own shots being messed up. But Dunia also lost (to Merli) by his shots being messed up. I think they’ll have a good match and I think Vin has potential with that.”
Vincenzo said he lost a technical fall to Sibomana in a freestyle match and is eager to show his progress against such a decorated foe.
“He’s definitely one of the most athletic kids I’ve seen wrestling, but also, he’s been doing it for a long time. He knows what he’s doing, knows what he’s doing right and is just a great competitor,” Vincenzo said.
“I’m pretty athletic too, but I think I have, almost like a hidden strength. I’m always the smaller guy when I’m wrestling. I’m almost used to going up against the bigger guys. So I have a strength that is almost like a surprise to my opponents. Also, I’m a very technical wrestler.”
Marcarlo Mannello enjoys dominant 2026 season
The younger Mannello, Marcarlo, also saw success as a seventh-grader. In 2025, he placed eighth at Eastern States at 101 pounds and finished fifth at the state tournament.
This season’s highlights include winning the 103-pound title at the Eastern States Classic in Clifton Park and, and on the youth circuit, winning a USA Wrestling Kids Under-14 championship in Fort Wayne, Indiana.
“After Eastern States, now I know for sure I have the full potential to go out there and win states,” he said. “I’m not going to hold back. I’m just going to go after everybody.”
At Eastern States, Mannello won a 4-2 decision over Half Hollow Hills East’s Santino Pascarella, also a top contender at 103.
Marcarlo is the youngest wrestler to win an Eastern States title. If he wins the state title, he would also become the youngest ever state champion, breaking the record held by Penn State’s P.J. Duke, who competed first at Carmel and then Minisink Valley.
When he was in the sixth grade, after his brother joined the BBHVW varsity, Marcarlo was the team cameraman but was itching to get on the mat himself.
“I already knew what I was going to accomplish,” he said. “As I keep accomplishing my goals, I plan for a lot of people to know who I am.”
Mannello brothers are very different on the mat
Asked to assess his brother’s style and his, Marcarlo admitted that he is the “bull in a China shop,” while his brother is a tactician.
“He’s very technical, which is always funny because he’s always the kid with technique and then I’m always the one that just goes out there and just wrestles hard. But I’ve been working on my technique recently,” Marcarlo said.
“My brother’s definitely more of just, like, a brute and goes in and is gritty,” Vincenzo said. “I’m gritty, but I’m more like a safer wrestler because I like to set up my things to where I know it’s going to work and not put myself at risk in my matches, which could be a good thing and a bad thing. I’m definitely focusing on doing the small things right.”
Grant Paswall, who coaches the brothers at Armonk’s GPS Wrestling Club, agreed with the brothers’ assessments.
“Vin’s very technical,” Paswall said. “He’s always had that fascination with learning. We’re always geeking out on techniques and assessing positions on film — things he doesn’t know, trying to learn new things or better himself. He’s tough as nails. He’s self-motivated, process driven and we’re focusing on getting better.”
On Marcarlo, Paswall said, “He was a bull in a china shop. We’re refining it (to be) less without changing who he is. Become a little more precise in where we’re going and just wrestling a way that’s sustainable and keep him healthy and see it through the long haul.
“If there’s a side door, Vin will find it. Marc’s gonna go through the front. He’ll go through the wall and maybe check to see if he can go around it.”
Personalities of Mannello brothers also different
You only need to speak to the Mannello brothers for a few minutes to notice they are very different people.
Vincenzo is calm and reserved. Marcarlo can’t sit still and admitted, “A lot of people say I just talk too much. I like messing around with people, especially my brother.”
They are also each their own harshest critic.
“I definitely like helping him, even though he likes to reject it sometimes,” Vincenzo said. “It’s definitely cool to help him out.”
Marcarlo said the competition between brothers is good.
“He’s obviously a lot bigger than me,” Marcarlo said. “I’ll take him down now and then. I’ll make a big deal out of it for no reason, just to get him angry.”
Marcarlo said he likes keeping things loose in practice.
“If you don’t have that team connection, then are you really going to enjoy yourself in the wrestling season, or are you just going to be there, not wanting to be out there?”
Brothers follow in dad’s footsteps
Both brothers noted the importance of family and their parents, Mick and Virginia, to their success.
Mick competed in and coached submission grappling, judo and jiu-jitsu, which both brothers say helped lead them to the wrestling mat.
“Knowing that someone I looked up to every day in my life also had much success in a sport I’m doing, it helps me love it even more,” Marcarlo said.
“My dad was a big factor in getting me into wrestling because he has a big background in grappling and all that.” Vincenzo said.
Mick Mannello said the brothers played other sports — soccer, lacrosse and baseball ― before both deciding on wrestling.
“When they were young, it was natural to introduce them to different grappling styles,” Mick said. “Slowly, they started getting more serious with it.”
Vincenzo decided when he was in sixth grade to give up soccer and commit more time to wrestling.
“Marc didn’t want to do something his brother wasn’t doing, so he quit too,” Mick said.
Paswall credits the brothers’ commitment and good nature to their parents. He also said the closeness between the brothers can’t be ignored.
“If you catch one watching the other one wrestle,” he said, “the emotion and the love that you see coming out of them, it just exudes.”
Phil Strum is local sports editor for The Journal News/lohud.
This article originally appeared on Rockland/Westchester Journal News: Brothers and contenders Vincenzo and Marcarlo Mannello seek glory
Reporting by Phil Strum, Rockland/Westchester Journal News / Rockland/Westchester Journal News
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
