Caldwell Jr. Wrestling Shines at Tournament

More than 300 families attended the 32nd Annual Caldwell 8th Grade and Under Junior Wrestling Tournament at James Caldwell High School on Jan. 15. Each year, the tournament attracts top wrestlers from all over New Jersey, New York, Connecticut, Pennsylvania and even Maryland.

The tournament, which is organized by the Caldwell Wrestling Club in coordination with the West Caldwell-Caldwell Recreation Department, featured many exciting finishes and a strong showing by the wrestlers from Caldwell and West Caldwell.

The one-day affair is broken down into split sessions with the midgets (7 and 8 year olds) and bantams (9 and 10 year olds) going in the morning and the juniors (11 and 12 year olds) and intermediates (13 and 14 year olds) going in the afternoon. 

The morning session was highlighted by two 70 lb. bantam wrestlers from the Caldwells, with a first place finish by Luke Schaffer and fourth place finish by Tyler Jones.

The fast and furious afternoon session saw many more Caldwell-West Caldwell wrestlers posting impressive results. The first place winners were: Dean Caravela (int. 95 lbs.), Christian Dalla Riva (int. 100 lbs.), Dan Fano (int. 85lbs.), and Darren Jones (jun. 65 lbs.). Second place recipients were: Alex Jones (jun. 90 lbs.) and Tim Cvik (jun. 112 lbs.). Third place winners: Peter Molinsky (int. 119 lbs.), A.J. Curtiss (int. 133 lbs.), Ethan Fusco (int. 170 lbs.), Thomas Rodgers (jun. 90 lbs.) and Jerry Jones (jun. 105 lbs.). Fourth place finishers were: Ryan Schaffer (int. 126 lbs.), Matt Maddaloni (int. 148 lbs.), Dominic Lardieri (jun. 90 lbs. A), Bryce Bayard (jun. 90 lbs. B) and Anthony Valentino (jun. 100 lbs.).

The terrific finishes by our local wrestlers were just another example of the excellent job done at the youth level lead by Junior head coach Tom Martin and midget head coach James Haas. Tom Martin’s group (6th, 7th and 8th graders) is off to an impressive 5–0 record in dual meets thus far.

While the logistics of so many matches and the turnover of wrestlers can be a nightmare, the feedback given by the wrestlers and their families was once again that this is one of the best run tournaments they have attended. The successful organization of such an event is only possible by the great effort of so many volunteers, which include members of the current wrestling team and their coaches lead by head coach Gary Garamella.

Although the credit for such an undertaking can be given to many, the focus of such credit can begin with Wrestling Club president Tom Caravela in addition to Club officers Lenny Iodice (Vice President) Theresa Valentino (Secretary) James Haas (Sergeant-at-Arms) and John Kratsch (Treasurer). Other major contributors include Coleene Hartwig, Bill Lockward, Tim Schaffer, Bella Casa Caterers, , , , and the West Caldwell-Caldwell Recreation Department.

Upcoming dual meets include Jan. 28 in Millburn (2:30 p.m.) and Feb. 2 (7 p.m.) at against Livingston. For a complete schedule, visit www.subwl.com.

James Haas’ group (2nd to 5th graders) wrestle quad meets which match wrestler against wrestler from multiple towns and there are no team records.  Upcoming meets are Jan. 28 (5 p.m.) at James Caldwell High School and Feb. 4 (5 p.m.) also at JCHS.  

The Caldwell Wrestling Club is a non-profit organization that supports the Caldwell-West Caldwell wrestling programs from recreation levels through high school.

This article was provided by the Caldwell Wrestling Club.