Exclusive | Joe Filocamo putting name in Island Trees lore during chase for NY state wrestling title

He’s really got that dog in him. The Island Trees Bulldogs haven’t had a state-champion wrestler since 1979, but that can all change beginning Friday thanks to the shot and takedowns of senior Joe Filocamo, the school’s first three-straight Nassau County title holder. The 17-year-old cruised to victory this year with a win over Seaford’s Yiannis Thomas two weeks ago.Filocamo is on track to become one of the most memorable athletes the tiny school district — one not widely known as an athletic powerhouse — has ever seen. “We were always looked down on,” Filocamo told The Post.

“I’m just here to show them just because we’re small doesn’t mean you don’t have what it takes.” The team name under which Filocamo plays three sports is the perfect metaphor for his underdog athletic career. In the fall, he barely sees a second on the football sideline as a running back, linebacker and long-snapper before shedding about 20 pounds to wrestle in the 138-pound weight class, only to put on more muscle as a lacrosse midfielder in the spring. “Wrestling is my least favorite sport,” admitted Filocamo, who is going to Long Island University for lax next year.He joined the wrestling team for two reasons: to stay in shape during the cold weather months and to pound heads without getting in trouble. Going into senior year, two epic wrestling title wins were enough.

As a sophomore, Filocamo erased a 1-0 deficit against Locust Valley’s Justin Dvorak to post a dramatic 7-1 win in the final seconds.Then, as a junior, he defeated an East Meadow wrestler, Sebastian Barco, to whom the Bulldogs had lost earlier in the year, to claim gold. “I really hated wrestling last year,” Filocamo said of its fatiguing commitment that can break down many athletes.

“I was done wrestling up at that point.I was like, ‘I can’t do this anymore.

I don’t enjoy the sport.’” However, just because he was down for the count didn’t mean coach Damian Garcia...