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ROUGH START FOR THE CRUSADERS

Posted by Martin Gleason at Jan 12, 2014 4:00PM PST ( 0 Comments )

It has been a rocky start for the Bound Brook High School wrestling squad, as a couple of key injuries to some of its most productive wrestlers have hampered one of the state’s best teams.

With a depleted lineup over the weekend, the Crusaders took part in the Bethlehem Holiday Classic in Bethlehem, Pa. and came away with a fifth-place finish

“Overall, it was a tournament that we wanted to win going into it,” Bound Brook head coach Shaun Cleary said. “We didn’t wrestle our best and some of that had to do with a couple of our guys being out due to injury. There were some positives and negatives.”

The Crusaders were without starting 145-pounder Sean Glasgow due to an injury suffered during the football season.

So, it goes without saying that was one of the negatives heading into the tournament.

A positive, however, was the performance of 126-pounder Craig De La Cruz.

De La Cruz took home the individual title in the 126-pound division.

“He’s our best wrestler and has been demonstrating that so far this year,” Cleary said of De La Cruz.

Another standout for Bound Brook was from 182-pounder Ryan Doerr as he took third in his respective weight class while battling through a 102-degree fever.

Teammate Joshua Ugalde took second-place in the 160-pound weight class.

“It’s hard to gauge your team’s performance when you don’t have a full lineup,” Cleary said. “The guys we have been putting out there have done well to this point. Hopefully, they’ll improve as the year progresses.”

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CRUSADERS EARN TOP EIGHT FINISH AT THE CLASH

Posted by Martin Gleason at Jan 12, 2014 4:00PM PST ( 0 Comments )

All three of New Jersey's entrants at The Clash national duals in Rochester, Minnesota earned a spot among the top eight on Saturday.

Bergen Catholic, No. 1 in The Star-Ledger Top 20, is the only New Jersey team alive in the championship bracket after the first of the two-day tournament and is guaranteed at least fourth place while Bound Brook, No. 3, and St. Peter's, No. 4, are both guaranteed eighth. 

As a pool winner, Bergen Catholic advances to a four-man championship round robin on Sunday afternoon. No New Jersey team has ever won a title as the prestigious dual tournament. 

Because Bound Brook and St. Peter's lost in the pool finals, they are sent to the losers bracket round robin and will wrestle for places five through eight. 

The state's top-ranked team won its pool in dominating fashion, outscoring its three opponents by an average score of 48-14.

Picking up falls for the Oradell school in each of its three matches was sophomore Danny DeLorenzi. He pinned his first two opponents in 33 and 27 seconds, respectively, before earning a fall in 2:26 in the pool finals. 

DeLorenzi competed at 182 and 195 pounds after wrestling 138 last season. 

Nick Suriano (113), Joe Grello (152), Jordan Pagano (160), Johnny Sebastian (182) and Christian Jenco (220) all went 3-0 on the day for Bergen Catholic. 

No. 6 in the nation by FloWrestling, Bergen Catholic will take on No. 2 Oak Park River Forest (Ill.), No. 4 Apple Valley (Minn.), and Hastings (Minn.) in the championship rounds. 

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Bound Brook finished the day 2-1 after losing, 33-26, to Hastings in the pool final. 

The team's coaching staff couldn't have asked for a better weight to start at than 126. That meant that defending state champion Craig De La Cruz would anchor the team's lineup in its final two duals. 

Against Hastings, De La Cruz took the mat as Bound Brook trailed, 30-26, in the dual's final bout. Needing a major decision to force a tie, De La Cruz fell, 7-3. 

The junior faced a similar situation in the semifinals. With his team down, 30-27, De La Cruz recorded three third-period takedowns to earn the major, 13-4, and the victory in the dual's final bout. 

St. Peter's also finished 2-1 and fell, 40-15, to Apple Valley in the pool final. Alec Kelly (106) and Jordan Fox (220) both went 3-0 on the day. 

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CRUSADERS FAVORED TO WIN COUNTY TOURNAMENT

Posted by Martin Gleason at Jan 12, 2014 4:00PM PST ( 0 Comments )

The Somerset County Tournament finally has some intrigue and numbers in a weight historically thin on both, pardon the pun. That would be at 285.

The 38th annual county tournament is today in Hillsborough High School’s main gymnasium. Wrestling begins at 10 a.m. with finals planned to start at 5:30.

Two-time defending champ Bound Brook is a heavy favorite to join Ridge and Somerville as the only teams to win at least three straight Somerset crowns. The tournament, which will crown its 500th champion, will be seeded this morning.

Individuals like three-time champ and last year’s OW Mike Magaldo of Watchung Hills leads a talented field. Magaldo, who’s won at titles at 128, 120 and 112, is a heavy favorite to become the event’s eighth four-timer and his school’s first.

The unbeaten senior 132-pound Magaldo (11-0) and Bound Brook junior 126-pounder and two- time county champ Craig De La Cruz (11-1) have also won state titles and unbeaten Franklin senior and defending county 195-pound champ Ralph Normandia (13-0) could win one this year after placing third at 220 last season. Normandia has been at 195 for 10 of his bouts this season with the last three at 220.

Bound Brook senior 285-pounder Michael Johnson is the intrigue at the weight. Johnson, a fifth-place state tournament winner and District 18 and Region V champ last season, has been out with a knee injury. He re-injured the knee in Bound Brook’s season opening football game at Manville and missed the season. Coach Shaun Cleary said its likely Johnson — who missed last year’s county tournament with an injury — will make his season debut at the county tournament.

The weight won’t be a walk-through.

Watchung Hills’ athletic senior Anthony Carbajal, third in the county last season at 220, is 9-3 at 285. He pinned Bridgewater-Raritan senior Jaleen Harrington in Wednesday night’s dual meet. Harrington, 8-1, missed Franklin’s Jaelin Harvin (12-3) in last Saturday’s dual meet since Harvin was at 220. Last year, Harvin pinned Harrington for third at District 18. Harvin beat Harrington 5-1 in a county consolation last season and finished fourth. Harvin’s last three bouts have been at 285 after starting the season at 220.

THE UNHERALDED: Montgomery’s unbeaten senior 170-pounder Anthony Cassar (11-0) is definitely somebody to watch. He was beaten 4-3 by Watchung Hills’ graduated two-time Somerset champ Mike Carroccia in the county final last year. Cassar went on to win the District 18 title and place fourth at Region V. Cassar was third at the counties as a 160-pound sophomore and third in the district.

Watchung Hills senior 126-pounder Alex Pollera (7-2) is another with a fine résumé and likely to be in contention once again. Pollera has been third (113), fourth (106) and third (103) at the county and second (113), first (113) and third (103) at District 12.

The county tournament hasn’t been a fruitful place for Franklin senior 170-pounder Mike Fagg-Daves (11-2). Daves, a Region V champ and OW as a freshman 130-pounder after placing third in the district, was a region runner-up last season at 160. He was second in the county last year — avenging his loss to Hillsborough’s graduated Tyler Workman in the district final — and fourth as a freshman. Daves’ losses have been to Bound Brook junior Josh Ugalde 2-1 in sudden victory and a third period technical fall loss to Roxbury’s defending state 160-pound state champ Dillon Artigliere. Ugalde was sixth in the state last season at 152.

 

Another standout looking for his first county title is Bridgewater-Raritan senior 120-pounder Gianni Calo (11-1), a Region V runner-up and District 18 champ last season at 106. Calo, now at 120, has been third (106), second (106) and fourth (103). Calo has 94 career wins.

 

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CRUSADERS WIN THIRD CONSECUTIVE COUNTY TITLE

Posted by Martin Gleason at Jan 10, 2014 4:00PM PST ( 0 Comments )
CRUSADERS WIN THIRD CONSECUTIVE COUNTY TITLE
By Star-Ledger
on January 11, 2014 9:59 p.m.

By Connor Hughes/For The Star-Ledger

Michael Johnson had worked too hard for it to end like this.

Lying on his back surrounded by trainers and coaches, and with the capacity crowd at Hillsborough High for the Somerset County Tournament on its feet, Johnson slowly worked himself to his feet.

Every minute spent rehabbing his torn ACL suffered playing football earlier in the year, every second spent in physical therapy flashed before the Bound Brook heavyweight’s eyes.

“It’s not over yet,” he said as he limped back onto the mat to finish his semifinal-round bout. “Not yet.”

When his match resumed, Johnson took a shot and pinned Jaleen Harrington to advance to the 285-pound final. There, he defeated Anthony Carbajal of Watchung Hills, 7-3, to earn a county championship.

“It feels good to be back,” Johnson said.

In September, in the first football game of his senior year, Johnson found himself carrying the ball – and several defenders in the process. As the run came to an end, one of his offensive lineman grabbed Johnson and attempted to pull him forward to gain a few extra yards. The additional surge ruptured Johnson’s ACL.

“My knee just popped,” Johnson said.

The ensuing months were filled with a grueling rehabilitation process, and 95 days after surgery, he headed to physical therapy.

“I had 85 sessions,” Johnson said. “I’d go six days a week and it was all to get ready for this. This tournament.

“My senior season in football was taken away from me. During rehab I just kept telling myself the same wasn’t going to happen for wrestling.”

Which is why, when Johnson was taken down in the semifinals, a little stinger wasn’t going to slow him down.

“It was painful, very painful. My knee kept popping,” Johnson said. “But at the end of the day I’m in it to win it and there was nothing that was going to stop me. I’m a competitor, that’s how I live life.

“All that pain did was show me it’s going to be a long season, but it’s one that I’m going to fight it out in.”

Johnson’s title was one of eight first-place finishes for Bound Brook as it won its third straight overall team title with 258 points. Watchung Hills was a distant second with 159.5.

Nicholas Limenza (106 pounds), Stephan Glasgow (120), Craig De La Cruz (126), Nicholas Accetta (138), Andrew Gombas (152), Josh Ugalde (160) and Ronaldo Picado (220) also won for Bound Brook.

“This team just drives each other,” Johnson said. “It makes everything so much easier when you compete with a bunch of people behind you. You have great teammates to work with, which lets us push each other to be our best.”

Four the fourth year in a row, Watchung Hills senior Mike Magaldo (132) finished first, becoming just the eighth wrestler in the history of the Somerset County Tournament to accomplish such a feat. Teammate Alex Murray finished first in the 145-pound class.

Other winners included Somerville’s Evan Drill (113), Franklin’s Mike Fagg-Daves (170), Ridge’s Cort Hotz (182) and Montgomery’s Anthony Cassar (195).
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BOUND BROOK WINS THIRD COUNTY TITLE

Posted by Martin Gleason at Jan 10, 2014 4:00PM PST ( 0 Comments )

Bound Brook wins third consecutive SCT title

Posted on January 11, 2014 by Greg Tufaro

Editor’s note: Below is Harry Frezza’s early deadline story. This story will be replaced by a more complete version soon so please check back.

FINAL TEAM STANDINGS: 1. Bound Brook 258, 2. Watchung Hills 159 1/3, 3. Bridgewater-Raritan 128, 4. Somerville 108; 5. Ridge 99; 6. Franklin 80; 7. Montgomery 71, 8. Hillsborough 69; 9. Manville 66; 10. Bernards 33; 11. North Plainfield 29, 12. Pingry 26; 13. Rutgers Prep 2

HILLSBOROUGH – Not that Bound Brook needed a spark as the 38th Somerset County Tournament finals began Saturday night at Hillsborough High School. The Crusaders, who’d already wrapped up a third straight title, got a bonus and extra push from freshman 120-pounder Stephan Glasgow.

The second -seeded Glasgow beat Bridgewater-Raritan’s returning District 18 champ and Region V runnerup Gianni Calo 5-1. The victory was followed by junior 126-pounder and returning state champ Craig De La Cruz’s third county title. Bound Brook juniors Nick Accetta (138), Andrew Gombas (152) and Josh Ugalde (160) won in overtime. The title was Ugalde’s second.

Senior 285 pounder Mike Johnson making his season debut after having knee surgery Oct. 2 also won his first county title and Crusader senior 220 pounder Ronald Picado won by medical forfeit. The night ended when Crusader senior 106 Nick Limenza beat Manville’s Brian Kuhlman 8-6.

Bound Brook had nine finalists with eight winning. The Crusaders finished with 258 points, topping runnerup Watchung Hills, which finished with 159 1/2 and champions in Magaldo and junior 145-pounder Alex Murray.

“I just had to stay aggressive and do what my coaches have told me, we have a very good wrestling room and I drill with guys like Craig,’’ said Glasgow.

“He deserved it he’s worked really hard and it gave me a boost,’’ said De La Cruz.

Montgomery unbeaten senior 195-pounder Anthony Cassar upset returning third-place state place winner and defending county champ Ralph Normandia of Franklin. Normandia was third in the state last year.

Watchung Hills’ unbeaten senior 132-pounder Mike Magaldo became the eighth to win fourth county titles with a fall over Hillsborough junior Jack Donnadio.

Donnadio did reverse Magaldo, a state champ as a sophomore, and three-time state tournament place winner.

“As soon as I got my feet I got my pace going and I knew he couldn’t go with me, so I kept the pace forward and I k new that sooner or later I’d get an opening and I did,,’’ said Magaldo “I knew that if I kept the pressure on him, I’d wear him down and the openings would come.

“I’v matured, I see more openings, I’m moving guuys around more, but there’s still a job to do, I have to get that ‘w’ in A.C.,’’ he said.

Franklin senior 170-pounder Mike Fagg Daves took a 5-0 first period lead over Bound Brook senior Ryan Doerr and went on to win his firs county title. Cort Hotz became Ridge’s first champ since 2009-2010 with a 4-3 win over Somerville’s Travis Hartrum at 182.

- See more at: http://blogs.mycentraljersey.com/onthemat/2014/01/11/bound-brook-wins-third-consecutive-sct-title/#sthash.2S2YHsZc.dpuf

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