The Count: Saturday morning Cranford faced three teams on the mat at the Paul Finn Memorial Tournament in Milburn, where the Cougars topped at the halfway point – reaching fourth place out of 8 teams.
The Hero: Matt DiGiovanni seized the Finn Tournament's Outstanding Wrestler award after a nail-biting match in which he emerged victorious against Seton Hall's Lou Mascola, the state's fifth rated 140-pounder.
Both wrestlers scrambled for dominance in the first period, yet neither wrestler scored. Mascola finally found a 1-point escape then took DiGiovanni down to move ahead 3-0 entering the third period. DiGiovanni was able to escape from the bottom for 1 point.
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The wrestlers went at it on their feet for most of the period but DiGiovanni toppled Mascola late in the period for a tie. Digiovanni then finished off the matching by scoring the winning takedown.
Digiovanni’s record now stands at an outstanding 16-0 for the season.
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The Quote: “I knew if I went six minutes hard and wrestled my moves I could beat him...I didn’t get two right away but I was finally able to spin behind for the points. It felt great to get this win,” Digiovanni said.
The Recap:
Cranford 40, Haddon Heights 30
Cranford doled out five pins in a row from Joe Giaccio, Ian Henry, Kyle Markovitch, Eric Knight and Matt DiGiovanni to storm out to an insurmountable lead. Mike Helstetter, Corey Birch, Jim Dwyer and JP Christiano also won victories for Cranford.
Seton Hall 42, Cranford 19
In the semi-final match Cranford was not able to overcome Seton Halls deep lineup. Cranford had its last lead at 19-18 but Seton Hall won the last five bouts to take the match. Joe Giaccio, Kyle Markovitch, Jim Dwyer and JP Christiano scored wins for Cranford.
Caldwell 38, Cranford 24
In the consolation match Cranford faced Essex County’s Caldwell High School. In what was an exciting match Caldwell was able to pull away late for the win. Joe Giaccio, Kyle Markovitch and Matt DiGiovanni all registered pins while Eric Knight and JP Christiano took decisions.
What's Next: Cranford is home this Tuesday versus Governor Livingston at 7 p.m. They then travel to Union on Wednesday for a 5 p.m. match.
