Three-peat Region Champ Borgia Leads Six Pack to Boardwalk Hall

3/8/26

By David Yaskulka

Photos from Jen Sheppard and Sheryl Reed.

Special thanks to team statisticians Adriana Georgiev, Alexa Moscotello, Kaylee Viera and Tilly Vazquez. Thanks to Bob Marold for the placements record correction.

Tommy Borgia and the West Morris Central wrestling Wolfpack made history at the NJSIAA/IBEW Local 102 Region 3 Championship Saturday (Mar. 7) at West Orange, advancing a school record (tied) six wrestlers to the state championship in Atlantic City. Borgia became WMC’s first-ever three-time region champion.

For the third straight year, he’ll be joined in Boardwalk Hall by state medalist Brody Neill, who won silver. They're joined by four teammates advancing for the first time: bronze medalists Deacon Frayne and Michael Borgia, and fourth-placers John Garcia and Rob Fazzino.

The Pack won the (unofficial) public school championship, and placed second overall to Delbarton, among 36 schools competing. Jacob Harrison (placing sixth) and Kurt Beyer also contributed team points, providing the margin of victory over Caldwell, which placed third overall.

“It feels awesome,” said head coach Chris Marold. “For a lot of these guys, qualifying for the state championship is not just a season goal, but a career goal. It’s just awesome they get to experience that.”

Sophomore Sacrifice

One of the season’s most compelling stories is how the team rallied after standout sophomore Chris Kowalik’s season-ending injury.

Sophomore Deacon Frayne became one of the state’s highest-ranked 215 pounders after defeating senior Michael Borgia in wrestle-offs for the WMC starting slot. Unable to defeat WMC’s heavyweight, and too big to cut to 190, Michael (a returning district finalist) was forced to the bench.

Frayne volunteered for the long and arduous task of cutting to 190 pounds so Michael could wrestle 215.

“The biggest and best story of the season is Deacon’s sacrifice for the team and for Michael,” said long-time Long Valley Youth coach Tom Whittemore. “Losing 15+ pounds at the end of the season when he was already a ranked 215 pounder is extraordinary.”

“You’ve got to give credit to Deacon,” agreed Marold. “His dropping to 190 to make room for Mikey is huge. The fact he’s willing to do that for the team, to make us better, is awesome. That allowed Mikey to get this opportunity.”

Michael Borgia stepped up and rewarded the sacrifice, giving the team an additional state qualifier, and joined Frayne as a region medalist, bonded in bronze.

Borgia’s Crown, Neil’s Silver

WMC’s two returning state medalists junior Brody Neill and senior Tommy Borgia did not disappoint, returning to the state championship together for the third time, and for Borgia’s fourth.

Borgia (HWT, 41-1 record) once again dominated the region field, and did not give up a point to his opponents, pinning the first two in a combined 78 seconds, including tournament-Cinderella 12-seed Abdul Elkeshk.

Borgia again topped Delbarton Harvard commit August Moser in the finals, by 4-0, for his unprecedented third region title. Borgia is committed to playing football at Princeton.

“It’s the best thing in the world to be able to stay home and be coached by my dad,” said Borgia in NJ.com, referencing his choice to remain at his public school. “It’s absolutely amazing that I was able to capture this third one. I’m proud of myself, but it wouldn’t have been done without the group around me and I appreciate everyone that’s done that for me."

Neill (138, 34-5) came from behind to defeat Depaul Catholic’s Isaias Hernandez (32-6) by fall with 32 seconds to go in semifinals to secure silver. Hernandez, the second highest-ranked three-seed in the tournament, is one of Neill’s best wins.

Neill, who placed seventh in NJ as a freshman in 2024, used “a funky Granby roll” according to coach Marold’s dad Bob Marold. Neill agreed.

Caldwell’s Solomon Soriente (37-4), ranked #8 in NJ, topped Neill in the finals. Three of Neill’s five losses this season are to Soriente.

Bonded in Bronze

Sophomore Frayne (190, 40-7) was the tournament’s only wrestler with four pins (out of 168 district medalists competing). Although Randolph senior Andrew Zeidman (36-7) defeated Frayne in semis (the rubber match of their three bouts this season), Frayne’s wins (by fall) over Lyndhurst’s Dean Silva (34-4), Morristown’s Edwin Fajardo (13-5) and ultimately Ridge’s Dominic Dorrman (33-4) were some of his best of the season.

In the consolation semifinal – the infamous “blood round” where winners advance to states and losers go home – Frayne recalls that “once I locked the Peterson [a reversal into pinning combination] and his [Fajardo’s] hips started to go over my head, I knew I had him.”

“It feels great!” exclaimed Frayne when asked about becoming one of very few WMC sophomores to ever qualify for states. “It’s always been one of my biggest goals to make it down to AC. Hopefully I can go down there and get some wins and see how far I can go.”

Michael Borgia (215, 17-4) majored North Bergen’s Adam Santiago (26-11) in the blood round to deliver on the season’s grand plan in the wake of the Kowalik injury. Michael’s pin of Becton’s Everett Bell (31-4) for bronze was even more impressive.

“I thought Mikey had a chance, but I wouldn’t have bet on him qualifying,” said Marold. “It’s awesome, so pumped for him, pumped for the family. It just makes it super exciting.”

In fact, Michael was one of only four district medalists seeded six or below (out of 84) to reach semifinals.

“The amount of effort Michael has put in for me and for the rest of our team is absolutely unbelievable,” said Michael’s twin brother Tommy to NJ.com. “He’s battled some adversity; not starting in the beginning of the year to getting in the lineup and now taking third at the region, which is absolutely insane. I couldn’t be prouder of him and I’m so happy for him.”

Michael recalls the exact moment of realization of his dream in the blood round.

“We [vs. Santiago] were on our feet and I saw there were five seconds on the clock. I turned to my dad, and he’s clapping and yelling ‘five seconds!’ That’s when I knew. I had to walk back to the circle, but I said to myself ‘stay tough on my feet, I’m winning it.’ And that’s kind of when it set in, I’m going to AC, and that was just awesome.

“Being able to come off the mat and see all my guys there supporting me—there’s nothing like it. It’s a family here. It’s just the best.”

Fourth and Goal

Placing fourth (out of about 40 wrestlers from 10 schools originally competing in districts) is just what was needed to achieve Garcia’s and Fazzino's goals.

John Garcia (157, 25-22) was the tournament’s ultimate Cinderella story, becoming the lowest-seeded wrestler (10th) to qualify for states (out of 56 qualifiers). It took the two biggest upset wins of his career to get there, culminating in a 9-5 victory over West Orange’s Aedan Lopez (33-6) in the blood round.

“Lopez ended my season last year,” recalled Garcia, a junior who is relatively new to wrestling. “I lost to him 8-0 at districts. But I knew he was going to come out hard and push the pace. I knew he didn’t have my gas tank [stamina], so I knew I could come back at the end and win it. It feels great.”

Rob Fazzino (175, 32-12) overcame injuries throughout his career to ultimately wrestle his final matches in Atlantic City. The WMC senior tri-captain defeated Randolph sophomore Emmanuel Samaniego by fall in 53 seconds in the blood round.

Surrounded by family at regions, Fazzino said, “It feels great. I feel very supported. Not just by my family, but by the whole team, by every parent here. It’s just a great feeling.

“Making states is something I’ve been working hard towards, so it definitely felt like all my hard work paid off.”

Fazzino has become Samaniego’s nemesis, defeating him three times this season, including the Randolph standout’s season-ending match.

“I knew [Samaniego] was good on his feet, but felt I was better,” said Fazzino. “So I planned on dominating on my feet. I got a cross-face and I got the cradle locked up,” for the pin, punching his ticket to AC.

“I’m super pumped for Rob,” said Marold. “He’s matured so much this year. Just the emotional aspect of it, and really just he stepped up his work ethic a lot in the room. He’s really become a leader of the team.

“He became a captain midway through, and in all honesty, if you would have told me last year that he would have been a captain, I probably would have laughed at you. He’s really just grown that much and stepped up as a leader with his work ethic. So, it’s just fitting he was able to qualify for states.”

Impact Exit, Future Fire

Junior Jacob Harrison (33-12), who placed sixth, and tri-captain Kurt Beyer (25-19) each contributed enough team points to secure WMC placing above Caldwell. But their outstanding seasons ended at regions in brutal brackets.

County and District champion Harrison pinned Secaucus’ Jerson Martinez (29-8) to contribute six team points. But his state championship hopes were dashed by losses to two of the highest-ranked wrestlers in the state, #11 Ryan Yang (29-5) from Ridge, and #13 Anthony Barrett (33-9) from Caldwell. It was the tournament’s only bracket boasting five top-30 wrestlers, and sadly, only four could qualify, making it the most difficult R3 weight from which to advance.

“Harrison had a really tough weight class,” reflected Marold. “I knew he’d have to beat a really good kid to qualify, and I think he was there. He left it on the mat. He definitely didn’t wrestle conservatively. It’s all a coach can ask for. So, it’s just back to the drawing board, put in a little more work, and we know he’ll be there next year.”

Beyer was dropped from the upper bracket by NJ two-time champion and world gold medalist Jayden James (31-0), Delbarton’s Penn State commit. It’s a match Beyer might talk about to his future grandkids, if James fulfills his potential as a future NCAA and Olympic champion.

Prior, Beyer nabbed one of the biggest wins of his career, upsetting Hanover Park #51 ranked Jayden Madera (25-12) by fall.

“Kurt had a really good year,” said Marold. “I hope he takes this as a confidence booster and realizes how much he’s grown as a wrestler and as a person. We expect big things out of him next year. So, I’m hoping Kurt realizes he’s that close and uses that as motivation and not as a deterrent.”

In fact, Beyer enjoyed his highest-ever tournament placements this season, including Caldwell silver, Goles bronze, County fourth and ultimately D12 bronze to advance to regions.

Mason Vazquez’ (132, 19-17), season ended on R3’s first day, after wrestling valiantly to come within seconds of avenging a D12 loss. He had a breakout season with his first ever tournament placements – fourth in the County, and most impressively, the bronze medal at District 12 to qualify for regions for the first time. Next season, coach Marold will look to Vazquez as a returning Coach’s Award winner, region qualifier and senior leader in the middle weights.

Sophomore standout Jonathan Cabarle (150, 22-10) ended his season in devastating fashion, with a week-long high fever that kept him home from school and regions. Many, including coach Whittemore and this writer, picked Cabarle as a likely underdog qualifier for states. Next season he'll be a favorite after finishing this season with 18 pins, a county fourth place finish, and district bronze.

Cabarle took eventual district champ and region silver medalist Joshua Ortiz to overtime at D12, showing what would have been a strong possibility of finishing top four or better at regions had he been healthy.

Local AC Express

Among local schools, Hackettstown advanced Joe Rowinski and Giovanni Gutierrez (placing third) and Steven Vidal and Bryan Dougherty (fourth). Mt. Olive, like the Wolfpack, advanced six to states, including upperweight champs Nico Gonzalez and Jared Martini, as well as bronze medalists Cole Rebels, Colin Smyth, and Justin Bullock, and fourth placer Thomas McDonald. Mendham did not advance any wrestlers to the State Championship in a rebuilding year, though HWT Christopher Montana had a strong showing with two pins, one against the four-seed, to place sixth. Delbarton advanced all 14 weights in R3 with 10 region championships – making Borgia’s feat even more impressive.

WMC Region History

A year-by-year look at recent WMC Region history:

• In 2025, Borgia repeated as R3 champ, and was again joined by Neill. This time, it was Borgia who went on to climb the podium at AC, placing 7th. Mark Montuore’s legendary career concluded. 1 champ, 2 advanced.
• In 2024, Borgia won the R3 championship, and joined Neill advancing to States. Neill would go on to place 7th in AC. 1 champ, 2 advanced.
• Brandon Dean was region champ in 2023, with Campanaro, Michael Hare, and freshman Borgia joining him in Atlantic City. Dean would finish 6th in AC. 1 champ, 4 advanced.
• Campanaro was the 2022 region champ, with Henry Frayne joining him in AC. 1 champ, 2 advanced.
• Sophomore Campanaro took silver in 2021 regions, and was WMC’s lone AC qualifier. 1 advanced.
• Eli Shepard and Colin Loughney took 2020 region silver, and were joined in Atlantic City by freshman Campanaro (WMC’s first-ever rookie qualifier), and Kevin Ramos. 5 advanced.
• WMC had six for states in 2019 with Robby Bohr, Eli Sheppard, Colin Loughney, Justin LeMay, John DeVito and Luke Stephanelli representing the largest team contingency ever. 6 advanced.
• 2018 Regions featured five WMC qualifiers, as Marco Gaita repeated as champion on his way to 6th in states, and was joined by Michael Caso, Bohr, LeMay and DeVito qualifying. 1 champ, 5 advanced.
• Gaita was champion in 2017, as he was joined by Metzler on his way to 7th on the AC podium, Kade Loughney, and LeMay, who became just the second sophomore in memory to qualify. 1 champ, 4 advanced.
• Metzler repeated as region champ in 2016 on his way to the AC podium for the second time, and was joined by future WMC coach Caleb Isemann in AC. 1 champ, 2 advanced.
• Metzler was champ in 2015, Dylan Luciano second, David Migliaccio third to advance. 1 champ, 3 advanced.
• Jesse Windt was region champ, and advanced on his own in 2014. 1 champ, 1 advanced.
• Nick Mathews, on his way to the AC podium, advanced with fellow seniors Adam Kratch and Brandon Carcuffe in 2013. 3 advanced.

States Preview

In rough terms, a wrestlers’ RankWrestlers.com rank is one of the best predictors of final placement – but of course, humans are not algorithms, so surprises happen in every tournament, and every bracket!

Here’s the ranking of the WMC six advancing (as of Mar. 8):

Tommy Borgia, #3

Deacon Frayne, #10 (just shy of podium prediction)

Brody Neill, #12

Michael Borgia, #34

Robert Fazzino, #39

John Garcia, #73

In addition, ranks of wrestlers ranked high enough to often compete at states (if not for stacked brackets, illness, or bad days). Note that there are state championship qualifiers ranked lower than each of the wrestlers below (note that “top 32” is the theoretical target for states):

Jacob Harrison, #31

Jonathan Cabarle, #59

Kurtis Beyer, #63

Ryan Tie, #106

Mason Vazquez #108

Lucas Harrison, #124

Next Up

March 12-14, 2026

The NJSIAA/IBEW Local 102 State Championship in Boardwalk Hall, Atlantic City for the top-32 wrestlers in NJ. Top eight finishers ascend the historic podium climbed by the likes of Jordan Burroughs, Anthony Ashnault and Nick Suriano, and Wolfpack legends including (this century) Brandon Dean, Marisa Di Paolo (Girls States, twice), Colin Loughney, Justin LeMay, Marco Gaita, Shane Metzler (thrice), Nick Matthews, Dillon Landi and most recently Tommy Borgia and Brody Neill climbed the podium in hallowed Boardwalk Hall.

And here’s a cheat sheet on tournament and playoff structure for the season:

Districts? Goles? Sections? AC? Oh My! A Guide to WMC Wrestling's Road to Glory

Here’s our cheat sheet on Rankings.

About David Yaskulka

To avoid concession duty when his sons Noah and Ben joined WMC in 2012, David revived his sportswriter dream, and still covers the Pack. He’s a sustainability advocate and pet industry executive, having served as CEO of Nature’s Logic, SVP of Mid America Pet Food, and Board Chair of the Pet Sustainability Coalition and Greater Good Charities. He currently advises Love, Nala cat food, Archway Pet Food, and rePurpose Global plastic action platform. He invites all WMC wrestlers and their families to connect with him (and with each other!) on LinkedIn.