West Morris Central Mat Avengers Strike Again, Team is 6-4

By David Yaskulka

photos by Olivia Montuore

1/15/23

Now 6-4, Coach Chris Marold’s West Morris Central wrestling team avenged another loss by topping Morristown 39-28. Four of the team’s wins avenged 2021-22 losses. WMC also topped Sparta this week before three heartbreaking losses in Saturday’s home quad.

Henry Frayne (285 lbs., 15-1) record had his extraordinary pin streak broken against Morristown. But he pinned four times this week to make 14 out of 15. He was 5-0 on the week, as was the undefeated Michael Campanaro (132, 17-0), and rookie sensation Tommy Borgia (215, 15-2). Michael Hare (120, 15-5) and Brandon Dean (150, 16-2) each went 4-1.

Freshmen Borgia and Fahmi Lead Pack Over Morristown as Dean Inspires

WMC avenged last season’s loss to Morristown with a 39-28 victory at Motown Wednesday Jan. 11. Borgia and Jacob Fahmi (106, 7-8) secured the victory by winning the night’s “coin-toss” matches.

Borgia dominated Morristown senior district finalist Robert Murphy 13-6. Then after a gutty 1-0 escape win by Frayne, Fahmi wrestled a back-and-forth thriller culminating in third period back points and a 9-5 victory for the Wolfpack rook.

Pins from Mark Montuore (106, 2-4) and Rizzuto (144, 12-16) were the Pack’s only other triumphs on the mat as the night was marred by six forfeits (one double).

The much-anticipated rematch between Campanaro and region champ Jack Myers was not to be, as Morristown bumped up its highest-ranked wrestler (#5) to defeat a gutty Dean Muttart (144, 10-4) 10-0. Wolfpack faithful cried out in disbelief as the referee stopped the match five times due to Myers’ potentially dangerous moves. Myers’ go-to was a “Blair ride” which referees have been instructed to stop. No penalty points were given, and there was no disqualification.

Before the match began, WMC hammer Dean lost a classy and carefully-executed JV bout to a Morristown wrestler as the crowd chanted and cheered, and the jubilant young man’s arm was raised, surrounded by teammates.

“It shows what a great kid Brandon is,” said Marold, “and demonstrated his love for the sport. It was the highlight of the night.”

Caruso’s Upset Pin and Frayne’s Dominance Lead Pack Over Sparta

With four bouts remaining, Sparta had a 30-24 lead and a path to disappointing the boisterous Wolfpack home crowd Friday night Jan. 13. Hare knew the Pack needed him to put his opponent on his back (as he had the same opponent one year earlier) – and the senior captain delivered.

Sparta then needed a big win from its talented top-100 ranked sophomore Eugene Donnelly, who through two periods was on the verge of delivering for his team. But Vince Caruso (126, 5-8) flipped the script in the third with a dramatic upset pinfall to assure the Wolfpack victory as the crowd erupted with a prolonged standing ovation.

Earlier, Frayne dominated Sparta’s highest-ranked wrestler, district medalist and Linn Cronn tournament champion Bradley Maines with a 30-second pin.

“It was a home match on a Friday night against a conference opponent – there's not much more you could ask for,” said Frayne. “We got our fans out and wrestled well to beat a good team.”

Buoyed by the crowd, Henry DeFrance (157) took his opponent to his back for the near-upset, but saved the team three critical points with a gutty 10-3 loss. A Dean pin, a Muttart victory and three forfeits completed the scoring for a 45-30 victory.

Sparta was 5-3 going in. Last season the Wolfpack also came from behind to top Sparta 46-33 behind pins from Hare, Dean and Muttart.

Borgia and Fahmi's Upset Wins Not Enough as Saint Thomas Aquinas Prevails 39-30

Borgia got his biggest win of the season, topping #14 ranked senior Steven Coghan 1-0. “I’ve been looking forward to that match, and I was ready for another shot to knock off a top kid in the state,” said Borgia, whose only losses are to top-8 ranked opponents.

Muttart and Rizzuto started WMC’s Saturday Jan. 14 quad with pins. But Dean lost a thriller to undefeated NJ #4 ranked Landon Kearns 1-0, and then Saint Thomas Aquinas (STA) scored 24 in a row.

Frayne pinned (as usual), then Fahmi gave the team a chance, upsetting an 8-4 fellow freshman with a fast pin. But STA won three of the last five, including 10th ranked state qualifier Benjamino DiCocco’s pin of Montuore to remain undefeated as a team at 9-0.

Dean Techs a District Medalist and Team Pins 5, But Livingston Upsets Pack

Dean put on a master class against a 41st-ranked senior. Rizzuto, Borgia, Frayne, Montuore and Hare delivered pins, and Campanaro received a forfeit.

But Livingston pinned five times, and received a forfeit to NJ #1 ranked Aidan Carmody, going in to the last bout with WMC up 41-36.

Livingston’s 20th ranked district medalist Jason Quirk knew he needed to pin WMC district medalist Muttart. With four seconds remaining, he delivered the devastating pin and a 42-41 Livingston upset.

“We started off the season great up until this Saturday,” said Frayne. “It showed us that we couldn't just show up and expect to beat teams. We're going to go back to practice this week, work harder than before, and make sure matches like those don't happen again.”

WMC Falls Short Vs. #17 Cranford Despite Huge Wins from Dean, Borgia, Hare, Campanaro and Caruso

“After the first two losses the team needed a talk not only from the coaches but from the captains [Camp, Hare and Frayne],” said Campanaro, before facing their toughest opponent of the Saturday quad.

“Something needed to happen to light a fire for us to come out swinging in that last match.”

Dean fell behind to #21 ranked fellow district champ Conor Hoefling, but then delivered a colossal pin to give the Pack its best possible start.

After 24 Cougar points, WMC won five of the next seven, including four huge “coin-toss” wins from Borgia (a 10-2 major against a top-50 senior), Hare (4-0 against a district finalist), Campanaro (5-3 against a previously 15-0 freshman), and Caruso (4-2, bumping up against a senior who usually wrestles two weights above him). Frayne and Muttart also delivered wins.

It all came down to a final winner take all coin-toss match – a barn burning, high scoring affair between Rizzuto and fellow district medalist Dylan Jones. One second before the bout would go to overtime, Jones delivered the dagger to the Wolfpack by way of a pinfall – that some heart-broken Wolfpack faithful felt may have been prematurely called.

“A heartbreaker, yes,” said Campanaro. "But it was mentally good and needed for the team. It showed we are right with these guys.” Cranford is now 12-1 and ranked #17 (NJ.com), only losing to Phillipsburg.

Hare concurred. “The team was disappointed but we believed that we wrestled well. We just need to shake off those losses and continue to work hard in the practice room and keep up the energy as a team and it's all gonna pay off.”

Next Up

Rival Roxbury visits the Pack Jan. 18, then on Jan. 21 Montville hosts a quad with Caldwell and a team TBD. WMC visits rival Mt. Olive for a meet on Jan. 24, then for the Morris County Tournament Jan. 27-28. The Randolph match is rescheduled for Jan. 25.

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.