Dean of Morris County is WMC’s Tournament Champion

By David Yaskulka

photos by Olivia Montuore

1/29/23

Last year, West Morris Central wrestler Brandon Dean placed third in the county to set a team rookie record. Saturday he went to the head of the class, winning the Morris County Tournament championship at 144 lbs. in Mount Olive Jan. 28.

Michael Campanaro (126) won silver in perhaps the tournament’s toughest bracket. Michael Hare (120), Tommy Borgia (215) and Henry Frayne (285) won bronze; Mark Montuore (106) fourth; Dean Muttart (138) fifth; and Jacob Fahmi (113) and Sam Rizzuto (150) finished top-eight.

“It feels great to win a county championship, although I would have liked a match with Davi,” said Dean, referring to Delbarton’s top-seeded senior Joseph Davi, who bowed out with an injury. Donald J. Brower of Garden State H.S. Wrestling predicted Dean vs. Davi “could be the match of the night” – a match we might see at Regions.

Dean dominated his bracket, pinning all four opponents in a leisurely 12:50. Dean and Martin Connor from Delbarton were the only two wrestlers (out of 243) to accomplish the feat. Campanaro was among only six wrestlers with three pins. Borgia, Frayne and Montuore pinned twice. Vincent Caruso (132) and Muttart tied for 13th among all wrestlers for seed-place difference (exceeding expectations).

WMC won public school bronze for the second year in a row under Coach Chris Marold, finishing one point behind second-place Hanover Park and 12 behind repeat public champion Mount Olive. Private school Delbarton, which brings a lineup stocked with wrestlers from outside Morris County, dominated with seven champions to win its 14th overall Morris County crown. Among the tournament’s 21 Morris County public schools, WMC and Mt. Olive delivered the most pins, at 18 each.

"The boys wrestled very well this weekend," said Marold. We have some things we need to refine, but they are ready for the home stretch of team and individual states. Wedropped a couple of close matches in the semis and I was happy to see the boys bounce back and take a few individual thirds."

Atlantic City Preview for Campanaro

Campanaro won silver by pinning NJ #10 ranked Santino Danise in semis. In finals, Camp fell to NJ #1 ranked Luke Stanich in a battle of undefeated titans, earning the Roxbury senior Most Outstanding Wrestler. The 126 class had a murderer's row of four hammers ranked 1, 6, 10 and 22 in NJ. They'll likely meet again in Atlantic City, some or all looking down from the podium.

“Stanich just performed better than me,” said Campanaro. “We've had many battles. I’ve come up short but they are always fun. I have some things to tweak to make my mark down at States.”

"Camp wrestled exceptionally well and his final was much closer than the score reflected," said Marold. He got caught in a cradle that changed the complexion of the match. I'm confident he will keep working and be ready to make a podium run in AC."

“The team's performance was excellent this weekend,” said Campanaro. “I'm proud every time they step foot on the mat. Win or lose I have more respect for them than any other human being because they aren't afraid to put it all on the line alone, in-front of a huge crowd.”

Borgia Ties Dean’s Rookie Mark

Borgia tied Dean’s rookie record by placing third, but wasn’t satisfied.

“Tying Brandon is a great accomplishment,” said Borgia. “He’s a great wrestler who just puts his head down and works. Some people may underestimate him, but the rest of the program and myself know he is ready to make a big run at AC this year.

“It feels great to take third,” he continued, “but I wish I could have pulled out the win in the semis,” where he fell 5-4 to Delbarton senior Henry Forte, who defeated Mt. Olive’s Anthony Moscatello for gold. “After a close loss like that you have to have a short memory. I knew that I had a tough match for 3rd place so after talking to my coaches I got in the right state of mind to compete.”

Aside from Borgia’s match, the senior finalists pinned or teched every opponent. Four days earlier, Moscatello came from behind to top Borgia 4-3. Going in, Moscatello was ranked #1 in NJ, and Forte #11.

"Borgia continued to impress," said Marold. "Numerous coaches and officials commented to me about his ability. Everyone is very impressed at how well he moved for a big man."

“I’ve wrestled high level kids my whole life,” said the nationally-ranked youth talent. “Two things I want to focus on are my cardio, and my mental strength to go into those big matches knowing I can win, instead of trying not to lose. I know I have the ability and the coaching. But I need to put it all together to have a chance of making the podium in AC, and helping the team through sectional playoffs.”

Bronze for Hare and Frayne, 4th for Montuore, Muttart 5th

Hare pinned Jefferson sophomore Max Alonso in 1:15 to grab bronze, jumping two rungs on the county podium after placing fifth last year.

Morris Knolls senior heavyweight Charles Young may have been the story of the tournament, overcoming a heart issue (and a losing record) before upsetting three top-50 ranked wrestlers including Frayne to reach the finals. He was the lowest seed (by far) to medal.

Frayne bounced back to pin Randolph senior Dean Mangiocavall for third, improving on last year’s fourth place finish.

Montuore pinned two wrestlers including Boonton’s Isa Kupa (who was 21-1 going in) on his way to a fourth place finish, matching his extraordinary freshman placement.

Top-eight last year, Muttart wrestled back to fifth Saturday, defeating higher-seeded Joseph Connelly of Jefferson and Joey Borrello of Hanover Park.

Fahmi, Michael Borgia and Caruso Buoy Pack to MCT Day 1 Lead

WMC led all public schools after day one, seven points behind Delby. The Pack sent nine to quarterfinals, led by Fahmi's upset pin to advance.

Vincent Caruso and Michael Borgia contributed crucial team points by advancing from championship round one – Borgia by pin. Caruso and Fahmi were among the Seed-Place (exceeding expectations) leaders. Tommy Borgia had the third fastest pin of the day (19 seconds).

Last Words from Dean: "Something to Remember You By"

“My goal for the rest of the season,” said Dean, “just like many other wrestlers is to win a state championship. A piece of advice that I have received that has helped me this year was from my private coach, Mike Harris. He told me to always leave them something to remember you by. This has helped me perform since my focus is on wrestling my best and giving people something to watch.”

Marold agreed: "Brandon looked tremendous this weekend."

Mount Olive, Fighting Off Pins, Hangs on to Defeat Pack, Despite Muttart and Montuore

Muttart and Montuore delivered big pins for the Pack, while the Marauders pinned four times (and accepted two forfeits) to prevail 39-31 in Mt. Olive Jan 24.

The handful of Marauder underdog wrestlers were well coached to “stay off your back” – a critical skill that’s easier said than done. Hare, Campanaro, Dean and Frayne all won important bouts, but were denied the pinfalls WMC’s visiting crowd cheered for.

NJ #1 ranked 215 pounder Moscatello defeated Borgia 4-3, the senior state medalist coming from behind – and escaping a missed locked-hands call (as argued by WMC coaches) to top the WMC freshman. Despite the controversy, Moscatello and Borgia showed each other sportsmanship and respect.

Mount Olive prevailed in one of the night’s two “coin toss” matches needed by the Pack for an upset, with senior Gage Lata delivering a devastating pin.

In the other, Rizutto delivered a bruising 6-3 victory over #33 ranked fellow District medalist Tanner Perez. It was the night's only win over a higher-ranked competitor.

After Moscatello’s win, WMC would need all three remaining bouts with three bonus points for the upset. Frayne defeated #50 ranked district finalist Jackson Youtz. Then Montuore provided the needed bonus points by pinfall.

But Mt. Olive bumped #22 ranked freshman (and soon-to-be County champ) Anthony Piemonte away from Montuore, and he delivered the winning pinfall for the home team.

Last season, the losing-record Wolfpack came surprisingly close to their eventual state champion neighbors, losing 45-33. They came even closer this time. Prior, only Pope John lost to Mt. Olive by only eight points. Mt. Olive topped Morris Hills by 28, Mendham 51, Montville 48, High Point 20, and St. Thomas Aquinas 18. They’ve lost only to fellow top-20 teams.

WMC Morris County History

Last season, Dean led the team with bronze. Montuore, Campanaro, Frayne, Michael Ferrante and Malachi Shepard all took fourth. Hare placed fifth, and Muttart top-eight. Dean and Montuore’s accomplishments were unprecedented among WMC rookies. The team took public bronze.

There was no Morris County Tournament in 2021. In 2020, WMC placed third among public schools, with Campanaro placing fifth in a legendary bracket, in which three wrestlers who placed above him went on to become state finalists, including two champions. Colin Loughney and Eli Shepard took silver, Kevin Ramos and Malachi Shepard bronze, Robert Bohr fourth, Matt Borgia and Jorge Montenegro sixth.

In 2019, WMC placed third among public schools, highlighted by silver for Eli Shepard and Justin LeMay, and bronze for John DeVito and Luke Stefanelli.
The last champion for the Wolfpack was Marco Gaita in 2018, as the team won the public school crown for the second time. Prior, Shane Metzler won back-to-back titles in 2016 and 2017, on his way to two of his three NJ state medals. In 2013 the team won public gold for the first time, as Jesse Windt was WMC’s first champion since 2006.

Windt was the ninth County Champion in WMC wrestling history. Dillon Landi won 2006 gold. Prior was Daren Carfaro in 1995.

Next Up

Mendham hosts the Pack Feb. 1. Friday Feb. 3 WMC hosts Eastern for Senior Night. Sectional quarterfinals and semifinals are Feb. 6, then finals are Feb. 8. Districts are Feb. 18

About David Yaskulka

David began living his sportswriter dream to avoid concession duty when his sons Noah and Ben began wrestling for the Wolfpack in 2012. His day job is Senior Vice President Corporate Social Responsibility for Mid America Pet Food, whose family of brands is led by VICTOR Super Premium Pet Food and Nature’s Logic. He also serves as Board Chair of the Pet Sustainability Coalition, and as Board Director at Greater Good Charities.