South Jersey puts 9 wrestlers into state finals

ATLANTIC CITY, N.J. - One more win.

That's what nine South Jersey grapplers will need to grab to win a title today in the state individual wrestling championships at Boardwalk Hall.

After two days of grueling competition against the best in New Jersey, three wrestlers from Eastern and one each from Camden Catholic, Delran, Delsea, Highland, Holy Spirit, and Paulsboro have emerged from the semifinals for the spotlight today at 2 p.m.

Eric Dunnet was the most fired up of the Eastern trio after his 6-3 decision over High Point's Drew Wagenhoffer at 125 pounds.

"I've been to this tournament four times now and was never in the semifinals," Dunnet said. "So getting into the finals tomorrow is exhilarating. [Today] there's just another guy on my list."

Dunnet, a senior with a 35-2 record, will wrestle Queen of Peace's Frank Cagnina, a junior with a 42-0 record.

Rob Deutsch at 112 and Anthony Baldosaro at 140 also advanced to the finals today for the Vikings.

Camden Catholic's Taylor Walsh raised his record to 37-1 with a fall over previously unbeaten Vinny Fava of Elmwood Park in 2 minutes, 25 seconds.

The Irish's most entertaining wrestler pinned Fava with a headlock and said he might go to a movie last night to stay loose for today.

The junior said he's looking forward to wrestling Wallkill Valey's Kodie Silvestri (38-1) because "he wrestles like me."

Delran's Anthony Saulle, who started the tournament in the 160-pound prelims - which meant he had to compete in five bouts instead of four to win a state title - is ready for the fifth bout.

"This is my dream," Saulle said about reaching the final after beating Middlesex's Mike Dessino, 8-5. "I'm excited."

Delsea's Dan Walker defeated a heavier heavyweight in Ameer Washington of Long Branch, 7-2, and focused on the final against defending state champion Jimmy Lawson, who is 31-0.

"I don't worry about that," Walker said of Lawson. "Last year, he beat me, 1-0, in the second bout. But I'm on a roll."

Highland senior Joey Grisko (215) said he lost to Southern Regional's Glenn Carson, 7-1, last year in the quarterfinals. But he is more confident than ever now.

"I'm stronger, faster and my moves are more crisp," Grisko said after he pinned Kevin Innis of St. Peter's Prep in 4:48. He will face Carson today.

Mac Mancuso of Holy Spirit is on a mission to win another state crown after a knee injury caused him to sit out the tournament last year.

The senior won a 3-1 decision over 189-pound Nick Vetterlein of Don Bosco Prep to advance.

"It's definitely great to get another shot," Mancuso said.

Eastern's Anthony Baldosaro improved his record to 40-0 and is on the verge of repeating as the 140-pound state champion.

In the morning quarterfinals in front of a crowd of 10,100 fans, 16 South Jersey wrestlers advanced to the afternoon semifinals.

Eastern had four wrestlers make the semifinals: Deutsch, Baldosaro (140), Dunnet and Preston Keiffer (160). All but Keiffer advanced to the finals.

Paulsboro had two wrestlers reach the semifinals: Joe Duca (119) and Jimmy Gentile (171). Duca advanced to today's title match.

"I was pleased with my control," said Eastern's Deutsch after he won a 10-3 decision over Delsea's Rob Jillard to improve his record to 38-3. "I had five takedowns, so I did well on my feet. Placing second last year gives more confidence."

Meanwhile, Matt Sausman (103) and Walsh advanced to the semifinals for Camden Catholic. Only Walsh made the final.

Walsh was leading, 2-0, over Johnny Morano of Toms River North at the end of the second period when he lay on the mat, seemingly exhausted. But the junior wasn't tired, as he proved with a 5-3 win.

"I have herniated discs in my back and pain was shooting down my leg," said Walsh, who was resting briefly after the period.

"I knew that [Morano] was strong so I tried to out-slick him."

Burlington Township's Kevin Devoy kept his dream of a state title alive in the quarterfinals when the 103-pound freshman won by technical fall over Hillsborough's Joe DiCarlo, 16-0, in 2:21.

"His arms were so long that I was able to keep turning him," said Devoy about DiCarlo, whom he beat by 1 point last summer.

Unfortunately for Devoy, High Point's Nicholas Francavilla pinned him in 1:18 in the semifinal round.

Paulsboro junior Zach Greenwald won at 215, but it was in the morning wrestlebacks, an unexpected occurrence. That's because Greenwald lost a shocker to Phillipsburg's Matt Santini in the pre-quarterfinals Friday.

Greenwald, who had defeated Santini twice before, was pinned by the senior in 52 seconds. And that was clearly on his mind as he scored a major decision over Bergenfield's Kadeem Goodall-Reid, 16-7, in the wrestlebacks.

"I was trying to tell the people I'm back," Greenwald said. "Yesterday was a fluke. We both rolled and I ended up on my back."