Dec 17th
BCW Preview:
Take a look at the wrestlers returning to the mat in Bergen County this year. This excel file lists everyone who placed in districts, regions, and states last year by weight class. Click here to check it out.
Take a look at each league and tentative lineups. Thanks to Dave S. for putting the team previews together.
Coming soon:
BCSL National
BCSL Olympic
Later this week we hope to have a preview of each league in the county as well.
This page was last updated: January 24, 2012
Be sure to check out "Determination" and other unique artwork by renowned sports artist Edgar Brown. Original sports paintings, limited editions, fine art posters and athlete signed collectibles are available.
NEW Region 2
Individual Rankings
1-22-12
NEW Region 2
Individual Rankings
1-15-12
Region 2
Individual Rankings
1-2-12
George Jockish
BCCA Tournament
Results
12-29 & 12-30
Links:
Team Champion: Don Bosco Prep
OW: Eric McMullen, North Bergen
This was one of the best tournaments in recent memory. Great matches in finals and the great team title race. It was a three team race going into the finals, only separated by three points.
Check back soon for the first installment of Region 2 rankings by SUPERFAN. If anyone is interested in putting the time in to do the same for Region 4, I'd love to post that as well.
SPECIAL THANKS to Ken Nasse for sending us updated brackets and team scores throughout the tournament.
285: Ryan Cotrell won 1-0 at 285 over Greenfield.
106: Trovato's 3rd period TD was the difference in a 3-2 win over Casamenti.
113: Gonzalez was in full control in an 11-3 major dec. over Mastropietro.
120: Giraldo had a TD in the first, 2 NF in the second, and a reversal in the third to earn a 6-0 dec. over Piterski.
126: Joskowitz went to overtime tied with Forys 1-1 and put Forys to his back and earned the fall.
132: Schneider had a pair of TDs and an escape to win vs. Giovanni 5-0.
138: Maselli got the opening TD but Boyle got the next three and won by dec. 8-5.
145: Gravina and Paskas went toe to toe for a great six minutes, with Gravina winning a tight one 6-4. Paskas had a reversal late to close the gap to one point and then gave the escape and couldn't get the tying TD.
152: It was tight for 5 minutes, with the score 1-0 Mastriani in 3rd. Mastriani hit a 5 point pancake to seal the win, 6-0.
160: Sebastian in control all match, wins 5-1 in a rematch of last years final.
170: Kruklinski has two TDs in the 3rd to taken control of the match and wins 10-6.
182: Loughlins 3 TD's, two in the 3rd period, were the difference in a 7-4 win over Iorio.
195: McMullin wins 5-3. Crowd pleaser...McMullen should be OW. Inside trip breaks the tie, but he also scrambled like a lightweight to get his first TD.
220: Chakonis gets 2NF with a merkel, then adds an escape and reversal to win 5-2.
12:35 pm update click here
Bracket update at 11:40 am
check here for live updates...wrestling started at 11:10
BCCA TOURNAMENT PREVIEW
As we have mentioned before, previews for the BCCA are a bit of a crap shoot. It is hard to know what weight classes the top guys are going to go, and seeding is a little hard to predict as well. Also there are always some guys ready to have a big year but if they don't have criteria from last year, they wind up in spots on the bracket that can really throw things off. Of course, that is one of the reasons the BCCA is such a great tournament every year.
Who will be this years big freshman? Which guys have made the jump from above average wrestler to BCCA placer? Which of last years standout is ready to make a run to the finals? We don't know for sure, but with the help of SuperFan, Tbest, and some well placed phone calls, we feel we have a pretty solid take on what might happen this week in RCC.
TOP TEN TEAMS
Here is a look at how we think they will finish in the team scores. Keep in mind this isn't our take on the top ten teams in Bergen County, because team scoring in the BCCA isn't really an accurate indication of how well teams might do in the dual season. If you have two or three guys in the finals you are a lock for a top ten finish, and that finish won't say anything about the rest of your lineup.
1. Bergen Catholic: One look at the box score against #2 South Plainfield says a lot about the Crusaders. They have a lot of firepower from 160 and up and could medal in all the upper weights. Sebastian will be the heavy favorite to win his second BCCA title and stay on track to be a rare 4x champion. From watching his match vs SP and some bouts at the Beast of the East, it is clear that he has improved and will be a very hard wrestler to beat this week and all season for that matter. Melde's injury is a big issue of course, and if he doesn't wrestle it could open the door for an interesting team title race. With Melde, it is hard to imagine beating BC. A BC kid is mentioned in almost every weight class below. We also like 106 pounder Tyler Cassamenti to reach the finals, especially now that he seems to be the right size for his weight class. The lower weight guys couldn't hang with the best guys in the state vs SP but Mangini, Maye, and others can do damage here. We see BC with three or four in the finals and around ten placers, which will be more than enough to win the tourney.
2. Emerson/Park Ridge: It seems to be the year for the Cavo's to have a big BCCA tourney. This senior laden squad has all the makings of a small school state power, as opposed to the local power they always seem to be. EPR has always been a team that seems to come up a little short in this tournament, which in a way is a roundabout way of saying they always seem to finish the year strong. However, the leaders on this team have spent so much time on the mat in the offseason it is hard to imagine them not having a great tournament. If the Paulsboro tournament is any indication, this team is ready to go. We expect Schneider and Maselli to be in the finals, but we wouldn't be shocked to see Buonnomo, DiGrigorio, Schwarz, Vecchione, and Menze all finish in the top four. We aren't ruling them out to win the whole thing...
3. North Bergen: After the top two teams, we feel like there are a lot of teams that could go 3-10 and it is much harder to choose who to put in the three spot. We feel that the Bruins have two great shots at gold, with Luis Gonzalez and Anthony Giraldo as almost locks to win it all. We also think that Paulsboro transfer McMullin owning a region gold gives them the edge over many of the teams we put just below them. If Rick Gonzales can sneak into the lineup by making 106 he can make some noise there. Must be tough being stuck behind L. Gonzalez and Girlado, but if he makes the weight it would be very interesting to see how far he can go.
4. St. Joe's: They will likely be the best team in the tournament without a champ. However, we think that they have as many as five guys who could wind up in the 2nd to 4th place range, which should put them in the top five. Moore, Carafango, Farina, Macaluso, Cantone, and Silano might have some help cracking the top three if some of the talented freshman can make some noise. It seems like in every other weight class we are picking them to take 3-rd or 4th, so we think they are a lock to go top five.
5. Don Bosco: Mastriani is a pretty good bet to win another gold medal, and Gross a lock for the finals, and we see them having five or six other medals, with freshmen Chakonis and Roesenwig having the best shots to make a big difference, which should be enough for them to finish in the top five. If things don't go well for some of their guys on the bubble for a medal, they easily could be lower end of the top ten.
6. SBGR: If things break right, this prediction will look great, but maybe SBGR is more like a team at the lower end of the top ten? A lot depends on where Dickman goes. If he is at 71 and wins gold, it will be a lot less exciting but it will make this pick look good. At 60 we see him as a 3rd or 4th placer. Andreano is a returning region champ and state 8th and the favorite to win 106, but certainly is not a lock to win it. We see SBGR with two in the finals and five or six at the podium.
7. Nothern Highlands: After Gravina, who will be a favorite to win it all, this team has a lot of depth and will be very tough in duals this year. We would put them 4th in county if this was a preseason ranking instead of BCCA team scoring. Expect to see a lot of this team on day two of the tourney, but we have trouble seeing more than one guy going top three.
8. River Dell: Lenny Smith could be a finalist, Baranello too if he can handle the weight jump. We think he will be fine and actually might benefit from being with some stronger but slower guys. Mitchell, Carriddi, Tirelli, and Lynch all could medal which makes RD a team to contend with.
9. Rutherford: Boyle and Paskas will be their big point earners and they may both be in the finals. If they get one or two guys to go deep this long shot pick will look good. If not, we will look a little silly here.
10. Paramus: I know Paramus would be heavy heavy favs vs. Rutherford in a dual, but at this tourney they would need to get six plus placers to balance out Paskas and Boyle unless one or two of the medals are 3-4th place.
Also getting votes: PV- Ressler is one of the top guys in the tourney and Piterski should go top three. White is underrated...Old Tappan has the potential led by Rusch, Rodman, and Massero but fell just off the list...Bergenfield seems to have the potential for five or six medals...BecWal was listed as high as six on one ranking...Hackensack has a good core of above average wrestlers but could still be a year away from the top ten.
WEIGHT BY WEIGHT PREDICTIONS
** It is very hard to predict actual seeding as the BCCA uses a seeding criteria that has over 30 criteria.
All estimated seeding below was based on previous state and region placing.
106
Even with the added three pounds from last years 103 weight class, 106 will remain a weight dominated by freshman and sophomores. One upperclassman to watch out for however is Mohammed Haras of PH. He is junior who is 4-0 to start the season. Our favorite is Mike Andreano (SBGR) the reigning region champion and state 8th. He has been wrestling some early matches at 113 but we think he will drop to 106. Tyler Casamenti (BC) will be the second seed behind Andreano with his region 3rd. Freshman Joe Trovato (P) will definitely make a run with his vast experience from the junior ranks. Others to watch out for are: Chris Ambrogio (St J), Jimmy Reardon (DBP), Dylan Ray (H), Anthony Tsikititos (B), Dylan Mitchell (RD) and Brian DiGuilmi (EPR). Our picks to medal are favorite Andreano, Trovato, Casamenti, Haras, Ambrogio and DiGuilmi.
113
The clear cut favorite is Luis Gonzalez (NB) state 2nd last year. The real battle will be for second and that depends a lot on seeding. The lower bracket is where Marc Mastropietro (HH/WR) will be (4th in region). This weight class is loaded with wrestlers waiting to make their mark. DJ Tirelli (RD) 5/6th region will definitely be a factor as well as Vince Macaluso (ST J) 5/6th region. Unfortunately they will probably end up in the top bracket as Eric Giannantonio (P) region 4th could split the 2/3 seed with Mastropietro. Freshman Andrew Rosenswieg (DBP) will be a factor and also Eric Hicks (Ft L). Hicks transferred to Fort Lee from Paramus Catholic. Other to watch out for: Joe Rocco (EP), Anthony Romero (H), Mike Worthington (PH), Matt Rose (BC), Jarred Rose (FL), Zach Lanzalotto (PV), Nick Saglimbeni (Rw) and Bryan Rottingen ( R ). Our picks to medal are: Luis Gonzalez, Mastropietro, Tirelli, Hicks, Rosensweig and Macaluso.
120
North Bergen stud Anthony Giraldo , state 4th is looking for his second BCCA championship and he should get it. As with 113, the battle is for second. Danny Lynch (RD) 2nd in region should capture the 2nd seed followed by Joe Oliva (Rw) 3rd region. That possibly puts Joe Guerriero (SB/GR) 4th region and Dean Piterski (PV) 4th region in the top bracket with Gonzalez. That would change if Billy Reardon (DBP) 1st region makes the drop to 120 but we feel he will be at 126. Others to watch for: Matt Murphy (NH), Juan Alloro ©, JP Acolese (BC), Christian Negron (B) and Kyle Layne (De). Our picks to meddle are: Girlado, Oliva, Guerriero, Piterski, Murphy and Alloro.
126
Billy Reardon (DBP) 1st region and Danny Tyson (WW/MP) 2nd region, two Waldwick natives should get the two top seeds. After them the seeding is less clear. Matt Joskowitz (CP) 5/6th region or Brandon Buonomo (EPR) 5/6th region could end up in the 3rd seed. This is not a very deep weight class and someone unexpected will surprise. Others to watch for: Mike Neal (B), Jesse Massaro (OT), Nick Spinosa (P), Austin Cantone (St J) and Pete Pravata (PH). Our picks to meddle are: Tyson, Buonomo, Reardon, Joskowitz, Spinosa and Massaro.
132
The lingering question is whether Connor Melde (BC) state 4th is recovered from recent injury to compete. If Melde is cleared then the weight is his. Right on his heels is Steven Schneider (EPR) state 8th. Schneider will be the second seed. Tyler Loughlin (B/W) 4th region or Joe Rizzitello (P) 4th region should follow. Like 126 this is not a deep weight class but it is very talented. Others to watch for: Danny White (PV), Joe DeFuria (B) and Sean Kelly (NH). Our picks to meddle are: Melde, Schneider, Loughlin, Rizzitello, DeFuria and Kelly.
138
This could be the most entertaining and competitive weight class of the tournament. Weight 160 will be right behind it. John Boyle (Ru) 8th state , Nick Maselli (EPR) 2nd region , Brandon Giovanetti (Rw) 3rd region and Mike Maye (BC) 3rd region should round out the top four seeds. Hackensack transfer Taj-Aziz Brown 5/6th region will make an impact. Vince Cariddi (RD) is looking real strong this year and Tom Opici (Du) is primed for a deep run. Others to watch for: Christian Marrero (B), Chuck Slater (R ), Chris Jacobsen (SB/GR), and Tom Maldonado (NB). Our picks to meddle are: Maselli, Boyle, Cariddi, Giovanetti, Slater and Maye.
145
This is another deep weight class. Making the jump from 125, Nick Gravina (NH) 1st region will be top seed. Gravina opened the season with a 2nd place finish in Florida at the 38th Bill Scott-Lyman holiday tournament at 152. This shows that he can handle the weight jump. Mike Paskas (Ru) 2nd region should be in the lower bracket with either Matt Mangini (BC) 3rd region or Luke Farinaro (DBP) 3rd region. Others to watch for: James DiGreorio (EPR), Eric Reynoso (R Pk), Owen Mayer (De), David Arrighi (P), Adam Rusch (OT), Jake Knight (M), Amir George (H) and Chris Leidig (Du). Our picks to meddle are: Paskas, Gravina, Mangini, Farinaro, DiGregorio and Knight.
152
This weight starts and stops with Sal Mastrianni (DBP) 4th state and Beast of the East champion. With football in the rear view mirror and Virginia Tech on the horizon Mastrianni will be on a mission to capture another championship. The battle to win the bottom bracket will have to go thru Dan Ressler (PV) 2nd region. If Ressler makes it to Mastrianni will he be able to slow the match down enough to keep it close? Two very different styles. Others to watch for: Billy Schwartz (EPR), Mike Valle (B), Dylan More (St J ), Tyleer Kallansee (RD), Mark Sheridan (IH) and Brian Bandstra (WW/MP). Our picks to meddle are: Mastrianni, Ressler, Schwartz, More, Valle and Bandstra.
160
This is one of the best weight classes of the tournament. One would think that Johnny Sebastian (BC) 5th state and 2nd at the Beast of the East would be a lock. But with James Dugan (B/W) 6th state, Matt Dickman 1st region (dec. over Sebastian) and Andrew Vecchione (EPR) 3rd region in the mix anything could happen. There have been some noise about Dickman going 170 for the BCCA but the fans hope not. Sebastian was the MOW last year and the winner of this bracket could capture that award this year. Even with out Dickman, add in Jeff Farina (St J) 4th region and Zach Frohlick (OT) 5/6th region and the semi finals could be classic. Others to watch for: Hans Seri (B), Mike Lamparillo (WW) and Nick Bucci (P). Our picks to meddle are: Sebastian, Dugan, Dickman, Farina, Vechionne and Frohlick.
170
The next 5 weight classes thinned out. Thanks to the new weight classes the spread of quality wrestlers covers 5 weights instead of 4. There are no previous state qualifiers at 170. That may be why the rumors of Dickman jumping to this weight. If he does he is the top seed. Second seed should go to Mike Kruklinski (BC) 4th region and then Aslami Mustafa (P) 5/6th region or Dylan Menze (EPR) 5/6th region. Others to watch for: Zach Hunko (SB/GR), Pete Creamer (WW), Jack Montgomery (St M), Johnathan Marrero (B), Mike Silano (St J), Ryan Ribaudo (R ) and Anthony Walker (M). Our picks to Meddle are: Dickman, Mustafa, Menze, Kruklinski, Silano and (Hunko) Montgomery.
182
Top seed should be Bryan Loughlin (B/W) 3rd region. After that seeding will be interesting. This weight is W I D E open. One of the favorites is Nick Baranello (RD) who is jumping up 4 weights from last year (140). EPR has Joey Fisco who should make his mark. Lucas Iorio (BC) is coming off a good win vs South Plainfield and has the experience in big tournaments (Beast of the East/ Clinch Gear). Someone unexpected will emerge and add their name to the mix. Others to watch for: Kyle Wagner (Ty), Victor Trascu (B), Matt Tozzi (P) and Aidan Lukas (OT). Our picks to meddle are: Loughlin, Baranello, Iorio, Tozzi, ? , ? .
195
Razohn Gross. Only a junior and he has been dominant since freshman year. Look for Gross (DBP) 2nd region to make the finals again this year ( champion 2010). Looming on the other side of the bracket will be Eric McMullen (NB) 1st region 8 who moved to North Bergen this summer. McMullen had 32 wins last year. Dominic Carfagno (St J) 5/6th region with Robbie Maggiulli (EPR) 5/6th region. should be seeded high and will have to battle hard to meddle.. Others to watch for : Kyle Myers (NH), Christian Jenco (BC), Jake Regina (Ru), Nathan Bueno (B/W) and liridon Maloku (P). Our picks to meddle are: McMullen ,Gross, Lowry, Carfagno, Maggiulli and Regina.
220
This another wide open weight. Hunter Kiselick (BC) 3rd region should be top seed. Zach Chakonis (DBP) placed 5th at the Beast of the East as a freshman last week and has to be considered a favorite. Lenny Smith (RD) has the physical tools to beat anybody in the field but Chakonis may have too much technique for him. Tommy Hatton (St J) is another talented freshman hitting the scene this year. Keith Rodman (OT) adds to this field making it the most competitive of the upper weights. Ryan Cottrell (PH) and relative unknown Daniel Delpercio (G) should be in the mix as well. Others to watch for: Alex Capicchioni (NH), Kyle Bratyanski (SB/GR) and Alex Saez (B). Our picks to meddle are: Chakonis, Smith, Rodman, Kiselick, Cottrell and Hatton.
285
Every year a new name rises to the top and makes a claim. Who will it be this year? Frank Astarita(Du)
had 22 wins last year and may be that guy. Maalyjah Goodall-Reid (B) has been around a few years and has been putting up wins. Carmine Goldsack (BC) has big time experience wrestling BC's tough schedule. We see a lot of 1 pt wins so this weight is very hard to predict. Others to watch for: Joe Camilleri (SB/GR), Matt Marcazo (St J), Rich Loeffler (PV), Mike Aydin (P), Neil Forrester (R ) and Zach Suarez (NM). Our picks to place are: Goldsack, Astarita, Marcazo, Camilleri, Goodall-Reid and Loeffler (PV).
Good Luck To All The Wrestlers !
This page was last updated: January 24, 2012
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Bergen County Top Ten Teams
1-BC: For a team that is still getting healthy, it was a big week locally for BC with a tight win over Paramus and a convincing with over EPR. The EPR match had a few more starters in the lineup, and they are close to full strength. Fans didn't get to see the Melde-Schneider match, will have to wait for region finals I guess. Kruklinski ends a rough week on top with win over Vecchione.
2-EPR: The Cavos dropped one to BC, but give them credit for going for it against the top local team. They got to end the week on a high note with a All Star win for Steven Schneider.
3-Par: Good loss to BC early this week, great win over SJR to move up in the rankings. They won some tight bouts and stayed off their back for an upset win. Aslami knocked off BCCA champ Kruklinski and stays on top of the weight class with a win over Farina who also beat the BCCA champ this week. Giannantonio is hot too with a win over Macaluso.
4-SJR: Beat Ridgewood by 18 but dropped one to Paramus that might sting a bit. Farina knocks off
5-DB: Hard to imagine the Ironmen as the 5th best team after winning the BCCA title, but it is what it is. They start the week with a convincing win over Hackensack and end the week with a good loss to Delbarton. Two wrestlers are ranked 1st in the state. Mastriani will still be at the top this week but Chakonis may drop a few spots after a pin by Faizon/H.
6-NH: A big 13 point win over Bergenfield has some of us thinking they should be ranked higher...maybe they should be. Gravina isn't ranked in the NJ.com top eight in the state. Maybe he will enjoy being a bit of an underdog in AC?
7-Berg: A loss to NH doesn't hurt them in the rankings. A showdown with River Dell will prove interesting.
8-SBGR: They win another league title with a solid win over Pascack Hills. Bigger tests loom for the combo Panther-Falcons.
9-B/W: Congrats to Dugan who won his All-Star meet this week! Also winning locally are Schneider and Boyle/Rutherford.
10-RD: The Hawks are 12-1, but the big tests are coming up soon. The really interesting thing isn't how their top six to eight guys do, but if they can save bonus points at the weaker weights against tough teams.
Also getting votes: (in order) Pascack Valley, Ramsey, Ridgewood, Westwood, Old Tappan.
(submit your top ten teams to us on Sundays by clicking here)
uperfan
