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2012-13 FINAL TEAM RECORD

Posted by Martin Gleason at Jul 6, 2013 5:00PM PDT ( 0 Comments )
2012-13 RESULTS
Final Record: 23-3
Ranked 5th State of New Jersey
Group I State Champions
40th Ranked Team in the United States by Intermat and 34th  by Amateur Wrestling News 
 
Battle at the Beach (1st out of 27 teams, Champs: Delacruz & Ugalde)
Bound Brook 60 Pingry-24
Bound Brook-48 Monroe-21
Bound Brook-41 Montgomery-21
THE CLASH RESULTS (9th Place Team 3rd Bracket Champions):
Bound Brook-41 Pierre, SD-27
Apple Valley, MN-30 Bound Brook-27
Bound Brook-38 Kearney, MO-21
Bound Brook-42 Smiley, MN-28
Bound Brook-45 Blue Springs, MO-19
Bound Brook-42 Pope, GA-18.
Bound Brook-55 Hopatcong-10
Bound Brook-61 Mendham-9
Bound Brook-49 Kittatinny-9
Bound Brook-68 Manville-6
Somerset County Tournament (1st Place Team, Champs: Delacruz, Arias, E. Soto, J. Ugalde and I. Soto)
Bound Brook-72 Bernards-9
Bound Brook-51 Delsea-15
Bound Brook-33 St. Peters-15
Bound Brook-51 Passiac Valley-7
Bound Brook-72 North Plainfield-0
Bergen Catholic-39 Bound Brook-18
Bound Brook-67 Somerville-9
Don Bosco-32 Bound Brook-31
Bound Brook-58 Belvidere-12
Bound Brook-69 Burlington City-4
Bound Brook-54 Roselle Park-9
Bound Brook-53 Paulsboro-9
Bound Brook-49 Hanover Park-12 (Group I State Champs-Again!)
District 18-First Place and most points scored in history of District 18
Region 5-Voted top team in Region 5 for second straight year.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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DELACRUZ BOUNCES BACK AFTER LOSS FROM CEFALO LOSS WITH TEN STRAIGHT WINS

Posted by Martin Gleason at Mar 11, 2013 5:00PM PDT ( 0 Comments )
               Nick Condit/For The Star-Ledger
on March 12, 2013 at 1:23 PM, updated March 12, 2013 at 2:35 PM

Bound Brook's Craig De La Cruz stormed off the mat after losing on Feb. 17 to former state champion Anthony Cefolo of Hanover Park, the only in-state wrestler to beat him this season, for the second time in as many years at the group team championships. 

He was frustrated in an ultimate tiebreaker loss, and it showed how badly he hated losing.

 

The junior never lost a single match since, winning 10 straight bouts en route to the daunting 120-pound state championship on Sunday at Boardwalk Hall in Atlantic City.

The road was long, and nearly every match tough, but De La Cruz proved to be the best wrestler out of one of the most talented state tournament fields ever.

After losing to Cefolo, who later fell to Christian Innarella of Delbarton three times and missed the state tournament entirely, De La Cruz pinned his way through districts to set up his outstanding Region 5 tournament. 

He knocked off returning medalists Ryan Pomrinca of North Hunterdon in ultimate tiebreaker in th quarterfinals, Kyle Brady of Bishop Ahr by domination in the semifinals, and defeated Monroe's Sal Profaci in overtime of the finals.

 

All of the sudden, De La Cruz was the region Outstanding Wrestler and considered one of the favorites at the NJSIAA state tournament.

The challenge Innarella posed in the state semifinals was the greatest De La Cruz would overcome all year.  

When Innarella scored a late takedown with about 13 seconds left to take a 3-1 lead, the Bound Brook star was in trouble.

 

Then with seven seconds remaining in the match, De La Cruz unfazed, was able to re-focus and hit a Granby roll off the restart to escape, before pouncing on top of Innarella and recording the match-winning takedown.

Innarella's late roll-through was almost enough to fend off the takedown in the eyes of the referee, but after a lengthy discussion that must've given De La Cruz a heart-attack, the two-point score was awarded.

The referee couldn't possible have seen the clock and the wrestlers' positions at the same time, so he determined that De La Cruz did have control. 

The rest is history, as Bound Brook's 19th state champion scores a takedown over two-time state champion Brenden Calas of Seton Hall Prep to finish his run appropriately - in overtime against one of most talented wrestlers in New Jersey.

 

It was one of the greatest post-season runs this state has ever seen.

And after the debilitating loss to Cefolo that must've have at least created some doubt about whether he was the best wrestler in the state, De La Cruz had the last laugh, and is the new state champion.

It's hard not to feel bad for Cefolo though, after missing the state tournament because of a loaded region. He'll always have the claim that he beat the state champ in 2013.

©  NJ.com. All rights reserved.

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DELACRUZ WINS STATE TITLE

Posted by Martin Gleason at Mar 11, 2013 5:00PM PDT ( 0 Comments )

By James Kratch-Star Ledger

After all the upheaval the 120-pound weight class has caused statewide ever since the individual post-season began, it was only fitting that the division's ultimate state champion earn his crown by the skin of his teeth.

Bound Brook's Craig De La Cruz has gotten pretty good at winning close the past few weeks, and it all paid off yesterday in the state tournament's final round at Boardwalk Hall in Atlantic City.

The sophomore stunned the two-time state champion, Brenden Calas of Seton Hall Prep, with a takedown in sudden victory for a 3-1 triumph and his first career state championship in the 120-pound final.

"When regions came around, I just said, 'I'm going to win this year,'" said De La Cruz, who won Region 5 final over Monroe's Sal Profaci with a takedown in tie-breaker and then advanced out of Saturday's state semifinals with a controversial last second takedown to stun Delbarton's Christian Innarella. De La Cruz also edged North Hunterdon's Ryan Pomrinca in ultimate tie-breaker in the Region 5 quarterfinals.

"People were doubting me. So that's what I did. I showed everyone what I can do."

After a scoreless first period, De La Cruz, who finished fourth in the state last season at 106 pounds, drew first blood with a second period escape. Calas, who was seeking to become just the 25th three-time state champion in history and the first to do so for an Essex County school, returned the favor in the third period before the bout headed to sudden victory tied at 1-1.

"This is what they train me for, overtime," De La Cruz said of his mindset heading into the overtime period. "I was tired, I knew he was going to hang on my arm. But they taught me to snap and go."

And when he got the takedown to win it, his reaction was much simpler.

"I did it," he said of his immediate thought. "I did it."

De La Cruz is Bound Brook's 19th all-time state champion and its first since Andrew Campolattano won his fourth career state crown at 215 pounds in 2011. He is now 77-9 for his young career and finished this season with a 37-2 mark. He sparked Bound Brook's drive to a second straight Group 1 state title this winter.

Calas, who will wrestle at N.C. State next season, finishes his stellar career with a 112-12 career record. He went 28-3 this year while winning the highly competitive 120-pound class at Region 3. He was the state champion last year at 113 and won state gold in 2011 at 103.

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DELACRUZ WINS STATE TITLE

Posted by Martin Gleason at Mar 11, 2013 5:00PM PDT ( 0 Comments )
Tigers go 2-for-4 in finals →

De La Cruz Wins State Title; Bernstein, Messner Second

Posted on March 10, 2013 by Harry Frezza

ATLANTIC CITY – The start of the state wrestling tournament began for Craig De La Cruz not Friday night, but a week before at the Hunterdon Central Field house in the quarterfinals at Region 5.

The Bound Brook 120-pound sophomore’s ultimate tiebreaker win over North Hunterdon sophomore Ryan Pomrinca triggered a run of breathtaking and pivotal victories. The kind that moved head coach Shaun Cleary to tell De La Cruz he believed he had what it took to become a state champion.

De La Cruz fulfilled Cleary’s belief Sunday afternoon when he beat Seton Hall Prep senior and two-time state champion Brenden Calas 3-1 in sudden death at Atlantic City’s Boardwalk Hall before a record crowd of more than 11,000. He used a snap and spin move off a front headlock he had tested throughout the bout, bouncing his elbow’s free to get free and topple Calas, 28-3, who won at 113 and 103 the last two years.

“There was a mentality change,’’ said De La Cruz (37-2, 77-9) about the victory over Pomrinca. “”After I beat Pomrinca I knew I could do big things.’’

His championship run included a 9-4 region semifinal win over Bishop Ahr’s Kyle Brady, a third place state tournament place winner last year at 113, then a sudden victory win over Monroe’s defending region champ Sal Profaci in the final that earned De La Cruz the outstanding wrestler award.

His state final berth was set up by a stirring 4-3 semifinal win Saturday over Delbarton’s Chris Innarella. Innarella, a sixth place finisher at 113 last year, took De La Cruz down with 10 seconds left in regulation for a 3-1 lead, but he let De La Cruz up for one. De La Cruz then took Inarella down just in time to win 4-3 and head for the final. It a took a few moments before head official Joe Benvenuto confirmed De La Cruz had in fact beat the clock and Innarella.

“From the quarterfinals of the regions he was wrestling in the state tournament to get to the state tournament,’’ said Cleary. “Once he got through that region tournament I told him, ‘this is why you’re going to be a state champion,’’ and after that region tournament he believed he was going to be a state champion.’’

De La Cruz’ state title was Bound Brook’s 19th and now leaves the door open for him to become the sixth Crusader to win multiple championships. His ability to perform like he has done the last week and a half lends credence to it, one started in the eagerly anticipated bout between De La Cruz (a fourth place state place winner last year at 106) and Pomrinca (a seventh place state place winner last year at 113) that had plenty of fans interested.

“I think it (the region quarterfinal) started off the run, and you know we knew it could have been a really good (state) tournament for us, or a could have been a really bad tournament for us, the difference was that Craig is a gamer he shows up and revels in the big match, he loves the big match and he’s got very, very, very good instincts,’’ Cleary said. “And I think those two things got him through, but I think it starts with Ryan Pomrinca.’’

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CRUSADERS HAVE FRUITFUL TRIP OUT WEST

Posted by Martin Gleason at Feb 20, 2013 4:00PM PST ( 0 Comments )

Bound Brook wrestling team's first journey to the Clash National High School Wrestling Duals in Rochester, Mn., this past weekend was a fruitful one.

The defending NJSIAA State Group I, Somerset County and District 18 champions won five of six at the tournament, capturing the third bracket to finish ninth in the 32 team field. Bound Brook, 8-1, is ranked No. 2 in the Courier News Top 10 behind unbeaten South Plainfield.

"The kids were impressive," said Bound Brook longtime assistant coach Steve Lukacs before the team left Minnesota Sunday afternoon. "We always try to improve what we do, push ...

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