One of the winningest wrestling coaches in Suffolk County history is stepping away from the program that has been part of his life for more than three decades.
Longtime Brentwood varsity wrestling coach Ralph Napolitano announced via social media that he has stepped down from his position, saying the difficult decision came “due to circumstances beyond my control.”
Napolitano, a 1985 Brentwood High School graduate, spent 34 years as a coach and mentor in the Brentwood wrestling program. Over more than 20 years at the helm of the varsity program, he built the Spartans into one of Suffolk County’s most accomplished wrestling programs and became one of the most successful coaches in Section XI history.
“It is with a very sad and heavy heart that I report that due to circumstances beyond my control, I stepped down from coaching the Brentwood Varsity Wrestling Team,” Napolitano wrote. “Even though this was the hardest decision of my life, I feel it is necessary for my health and for my family.”
Napolitano ranks fourth all-time in Section XI history with 377 dual-meet victories, according to Long Island wrestling historian Andy Slawson.
His teams captured 11 league tournament championships, finished as league runners-up seven times and won Suffolk County team tournament championships in 2008 and 2012. Brentwood also made three appearances in the Suffolk County dual meet finals, breaking through to capture the championship in 2022.
The individual accomplishments of Napolitano’s wrestlers were equally impressive.
Under his leadership, Brentwood wrestlers earned 96 All-County honors, including 17 individual Suffolk County champions and 13 county runners-up. Twenty-two of his wrestlers reached the podium at the New York State Championships.
Three Spartans reached the pinnacle of New York high school wrestling by winning individual state championships under Napolitano: Kenny Torres at 112 pounds in 2004, Carlos Toribio at 170 pounds in 2013 and Jason Kwaak at 160 pounds in 2025.
But Napolitano’s legacy in Brentwood extended well beyond championships, victories and individual accolades. For generations of wrestlers, he served as a mentor and father figure whose influence continued long after they left the mat.
Napolitano made that relationship with his athletes the focus of his farewell message.
“For 34 years I was blessed and honored to be a part of the Brentwood Wrestling Family,” he wrote. “Those years were some of the most amazing times of my life.”
He thanked the countless wrestlers who came through the program and challenged the conventional idea that coaches give the most to their athletes.
“Many times people say that we coaches do so much for the kids, but I believe it is totally opposite,” Napolitano wrote. “It is the kids that make it so special and great for us coaches. You guys have no idea how happy and proud you made me. I love you!!!!”
Napolitano was recognized multiple times as a League and Section XI Coach of the Year during his career. His contributions to wrestling and the greater Suffolk County sports community were further cemented with prestigious honors in consecutive years.
In 2022, Napolitano received the National Wrestling Hall of Fame’s Lifetime Service to Wrestling honor. In 2023, he was inducted into the Suffolk Sports Hall of Fame, in recognition of a career that combined extraordinary competitive success with decades of service to Brentwood’s student-athletes.
In his farewell post, Napolitano also thanked the assistant coaches who worked alongside him, the parents who entrusted their children to the program and the generations of Brentwood wrestling alumni who continued to support the Spartans.
