Expectations turned out to be true for the Cranford High School wrestling team at the Union County Tournament (UCT) held in Union on January 18. The Cougars came in as heavy favorites, qualified eight for the finals, claimed five individual champions and walked away with their 10thstraight UCT Championship.
The Cougars amassed a team total of 243, well ahead of the Governor Livingston Highlanders (GL), who had 173.5 points and claimed three champs. Rahway was right behind with 170 points and one champ. Westfield took fourth with a total of 157.5 and claimed one champ. AL Johnson (ALJ) had one champ as did New Providence (NP), Union and Summit.
Prior to the championship and placement bouts, former Westfield Head Coach Don MacDonald was presented with the Ralph “Pug” Williams Award for his contribution to Union County Wrestling.
The finals began at the 165-lb class and GL’s Cristian Gioia stacked Brearley’s Alan Walczak in 4:52. Cougar Joey Acinapura quickly pinned his way through the 175-lb class and finished it all off when he went right after Gabe Salazar (Elizabeth) from the takedown and showed him the lights in 52 seconds.
“I like to get it done quick,” Acinapura expressed. “We wrestled them last week, Elizabeth, I pinned him in the first period. It was quick. Easy! I came in with the same mindset. I was not going to let him take me down this time. I wanted to be first. I wanted to get the takedown and I wanted to get the pin in and out. Quick!”
On his semifinal bout, Acinapura described, “I pinned the kid from Scotch Plains in 38 seconds. It was a half (nelson) and an underhook on the leg. That’s my go to move.”
Acinapura has been wearing a protective mask during all of his bouts this season. He explained, “My mask! I have been wearing this mask since the beginning of the season. I broke my nose earlier this year. I had to take some injury time in that match. I was a little cut up but I was right back in it looking for that pin.”
Blue Devil Jack McDermott pinned SPF Raider John Boyle for third place at 175-lbs. Earlier McDermott won by 18-1, technical fall to reach his third-place bout. Boyle recorded a fall at the 6:00 buzzer.
Cougar senior Jordan Chapman, ranked nationally at 175-lbs, jumped up to 190-bs and also pinned his way through to earn his third UCT crown.
His championship bout began with Blue Devil Jake Zemsky began with a takedown. Zemsky escaped and nearly got a takedown himself but Chapman countered and caught him with a very influential lateral drop for the fall.
At 215-lbs, top-seeded Nate Faxon (GL) pinned Blue Devil Lincoln Meyers and Raider Paul Boyle to reach the finals where he pinned Tim Smith (Elizabeth) in 38 seconds. Cougar Jake Ulicki battled his way to take third when he pinned Henry Capasso (NP) in 3:46. Summit’s Sam Henry earned a 3-1 decision over Jonathan Martinez (Rahway) to grab the 285lb title.
Blue Devil Dan Berardi, top seeded at 106-lbs, pinned Shan Singh (Summit) in 32 seconds then edged Angel Lopez (Roselle Park), 7-5, to reach the title bout but fell short, 7-6, to Jaeczar Evans (Rahway). Cougar freshman DJ Torsone pinned Angel Gonzalez (Elizabeth) for third place.
At 113-lbs, Cougar junior Mike Daly was looking to claim his third UCT crown and did when he recorded three takedowns on Phil Griffin (Rahway) then clamped him in a cradle in 3:50.
Daly explained, “I was trying to help out the team. I know we need bonus points to dominate these tournaments. That’s how we did it. It’s going to be 10 years. The bonus points build up then the next thing you know we are first.
On his title bout with Griffin, he described, “I just blocked his shots and spun on all three (takedowns). His leg was by his head and I just locked it up.
He advanced to the title bout when he pinned, Blue Devil Max Berardi, who would finish third when he pinned Raider Justin Ellazar in 4:06 with a cradle. Daly recalled, “I took him down, bar arm, pinned him.”
Daly, who had qualified for the NJSIAATournament in Atlantic City (AC) last year, was just biting at the bit to go down to AC again.
“I know the journey. I know what it takes to get there and I am going to try to do all that it takes,” Daly said.
AL Johnson Crusader Matty Ortega made it very interesting in the 120-lb title bout with Eduardo Ribeiro (GL). Both competitors used risky and dangerous moves but in the end Ortega snatched the crown with a 9-8 decision. Blue Devil Jake Conti would finish fourth.
Cougar Ryder Connors advanced to the 126-lb title bout with respective wins over Jayden Rivera (Elizabeth) and Max Griffin (Roselle Park) but he ran into a road block with GL’s Brandon Rayack, who would claim a 5:58, 16-0, tech fall.
At 132-lbs, Blue Devil senior Dylan Sontz worked overtime in his bout with ALJ Crusader Keegan Parkhill but prevailed to eke out a 2-1, three OT tiebreaker.
“I guess I have this theme of keeping my matches close. I couldn’t really get in on him. He really couldn’t get in on me. My teammates tell me I have very good defense. I know him from club too. He has very good defense as well. I was trying to get my best shot in, trying to get my single, my high crouch but I couldn’t really get much. I felt like neither of us were putting too much pressure on each other,” Sontz said.
The overtime was very similar “Then in overtime, my whole mindset was, ‘how bad do you want it?’’ I’m a senior. It’s my last chance. Nobody in this room wanted it more than me. In overtime, I wanted to push the pace. But I didn’t get my takedown and in the ride out, I have been in that position before and I’ve lost. I told myself, my friends watching, my teammates, my family, I was doing it for them, so I pulled some things out of my back pocket and won. Amazing! I can’t wait to see my name on that banner,” Sontz expressed Union’sArielAzeredo won the 138lb title when he pinned Henrique Ribeiro (GL) in 2:42. Blue DevilYehia Abdulrahman placed third. Cougar Eoghan O’Hara lost his bid for the 144-lb crown when he lost by 10-0, majority decision to Braeden Valley (New Providence). Blue Devil Luke Sluberski pinned Adrian Harris (Rahway) in 5:05 for third place. Cougar junior Luke Scholz won his third UCT title when he used a lateral drop to stick Daniel Gonzalez (Rahway) in 2:45 for the 150-lb crown.
The final title bout (157-lbs) of the afternoon was claimed by Cougar senior Dylan Jones when he recorded a series of driving takedowns, reversals and nearfalls to win by 18-9, majority decision over top-seeded Jake Kreisberg (GL).
“I knew that Cranford was depending on me. We are the best trained, probably the best conditioned in the state. I knew if I went out against this kid who beat me twice last year, if I kept moving, he would not be able to beat me and that’s just what happened. I wanted it more. I worked harder and it comes through if you do what are supposed to,” Jones explained. “It feels great! It’s been four years and I finally got this.”
