Hampton Bays - The memories are vivid even though Oskar Ramirez wishes they didn't exist, and that the ending to the story read another way. At last year's Suffolk County Division 2 championships held at Hofstra, the Hampton Bays senior was up 3-2 in the 145-pound final, in control of the match and of his destiny. Moments later, though, his opponent, Center Moriches' Sal Spitaleri, was celebrating his first county title in the arms of his coaches. Ramirez, who had been pegged for two stalling calls in the final period, stood stunned. The top seed, undefeated during the regular season, had been upset, and no one was more upset with himself than he.

Ramirez wondered did that just happen? and he wasn't alone. Spitaleri had captured the county title without the benefit of an offensive point. It was he that went to the state championships the next weekend while Ramirez was left home with a long off-season to think long and hard about the missed opportunity.

As a senior, Oskar Ramirez hopes to go out on top at 145 pounds.

"I remember it like it was yesterday," he said. "I think about it every day. It haunts me."

However disheartening, it's almost a plus that it does haunt him. Ramirez has gone into the 2009-2010 season with added focus and gotten off to a flying start as a result. His stamina is up, his body fat down, and he certainly won't fail for lack of determination. He and Spitaleri appear to be on a collision course at the Division 2 finals, to be held at Stony Brook University on Saturday, February 13, and this time he's ready to right what went wrong.

To this point, Ramirez has lost just once this year, dropping a 9-6 decision to Westhampton's Scott Carey in a bout at 152 pounds. Otherwise, his record is spotless, including an 11-6 win last week over Locust Valley's John Guerriero, the runner-up at 145 in Nassau County last year. Head coach Rafael Lievano has noticed the positive changes that Ramirez has made.

"He's definitely on a mission," Lievano said. "He wants to win it after what happened last year. He's determined. He's managed his weight perfectly and done everything we've asked him to do."

To recap, Ramirez had gone into last year's counties as the No. 1 seed. Among his wins was an 8-6 triumph over Spitaleri just two weeks earlier. In the final, Ramirez held a 3-2 lead through two periods, although both of Spitaleri's points came on Ramirez clasps. He was called for stalling midway through the third period to even the score, and a second stall with eight seconds remaining suddenly put Spitaleri in front. Ramirez gave his opponent a free escape to try to set up a match-tying two-point takedown but couldn't secure it. The match was over and Spitaleri was headed upstate.

Hampton Bays senior Oskar Ramirez circles the mat looking for an opportunity to shoot.

"If you lose, you lose," Lievano said, "but I think he thinks more about the way he lost and it's eating away at him."

Ramirez reflected on the match almost a year later: "I was confident because he was younger than me and I'd beaten him two weeks earlier. Still, I knew it was going to be tough. I made two early mistakes with the two clasps but even when I was behind, I'd always been able to get a takedown if I needed it. I was afraid to shoot though. I won three or four matches in the last five seconds that year. That was the first time I couldn't. Then I was like 'Really? It's over?' He was jumping on his coach like he'd done something but, not to take anything away from him because he won, but he never did anything."

Against Spitaleri, Ramirez admitted to being exhausted and unable to initiate any action from the top position, which led to the stalling violations. He made a point to amend that problem in the off-season and throughout the year. Rather than move up to 152 pounds, he's maintained his 145-pound status by eating better and training harder. In facing Carey at the Sprig Gardner Tournament in East Hampton earlier this month, Ramirez said fatigue was a factor late in the match, which ended up 9-6 in Carey's favor. He didn't languish during the Doc Fallot Dual Tournament at Hampton Bays the following weekend or in Wednesday's double feature against Westhampton and Sayville.

When two-plus feet of snow hit the East End over the weekend, Ramirez thought not of a relaxing day home from school on Monday but the missed jogging session outside - another missed opportunity. Nevertheless, he finds he's in the best shape of his life.

"I'm not going to have any regrets," Ramirez said. "I'm not taking any chances. If I ever get lazy, I just think about that day. I felt I could have worked harder, but this year, that is not happening."

The non-league showdowns are in the rear view. Now, aside from weekend tournaments, all duals pit the Baymen against a League VII foe, beginning when both Southampton and Port Jefferson stop in on January 6. He won't have a shot at Spitaleri until February 3, and even then it's no guarantee. Ramirez had dreamt of being a two-time county champ, but instead he's hoping to make the most of his last chance.

"It would be the ultimate gift," Ramirez said. "All the work all these four years would be worth it; if I don't win, it would almost be a waste. I want to get a shot at placing upstate too. It would be phenomenal. I try not to think about it too much. I can't imagine losing again."

A pin at 3:50 of his first match on Wednesday was part of a two-night night for Oskar Ramirez.