CALDWELL— had been on Kittatinny's heels all day on Saturday at the Caldwell Wrestling Tournament, but could not catch up to the northwest New Jersey powerhouse.
The Spartans came in second in the team standings at the ultra-competitive Caldwell tournament on Saturday to Kittatinny. Paramus finished with 187 points while Kittatinny had 212 points. The Spartans finished ahead of Somerville, who had 166.5 points for second place.
Paramus had the Most Outstanding Wrestler, as selected by the coaches. Senior Joe Rizzitello won the 132-pound title with a 7-6 victory over Frank Lazaukas of Somerville in overtime. Rizzitello also upset the top-seed of the weight class, Gary Dinmore of Hunterdon Central, 4-3, in the semi-finals.
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Along with Rizzitello, Mustafa Aslami took the 170-pound championship with a dominating, 14-6 victory over Somerville's Anthony Paun.
In addition to the two titles, the Spartans had four wrestlers finish second in their respective weight classes in Joe Trovato (106), Eric Gianntonio (113), Liridon Maloku (195) and Nick Bucci (160).
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IN SHORT:
Wrestling coaches say that the key for the team title at the state sectionals is to get the most wrestlers to the next day.
For a one-day tournament the key might be to get the most wrestlers to the semi-finals.
Paramus was able to get 11 wrestlers to the semi-finals while the Spartans had six wrestlers in the finals. While the Spartans had a boatload of wrestlers in the semi-finals, Kittatinny just had a few more.
However, the second-place showing bodes well for a Paramus wrestling program that hopes to be in Toms River for the Group 3 state finals.
SPARTANS WRESTLER OF THE MEET: JOE RIZZITELLO
The senior wrestler gained the confidence to win the 132-pound championship and the most outstanding wrestler with a 4-3 victory over top-seeded Gary Dinmore of Hunterdon Central. Rizzitello finished first last season at the Caldwell tournament at 130.
OTHER KEY PERFORMANCES:
Mustafa Aslami: Aslami started out slow, but continued to put the pressure on Somerville's Anthony Paun and dominated the last two periods for a 14-6 victory in the 170-pound final. Aslami nipped Kittatinny's Jake Brook, 5-3 in the semi-finals.
Joe Trovato: Trovato lost a tough 106-pound final, 8-4 to Randolph's A.J. Vindici. Along the way the seventh seeded freshman upset second seed Nick Russomanno of Caldwell, 12-0, and pinned the sixth seed Griffin Bonner of West Deptford.
Eric Gianntonio: The sophomore wrestler came in second at 113 pounds after being pinned just before the buzzer went off in the first period to West Deptford's Tyler Kaminski. The sophomore nipped Dylan Crupi of Randolph, 5-4, in the semi-finals.
Liridon Maloku: The senior's Cinderella run ended in the finals as he was pinned by fourth-seeded Dylan Wunder of Kittatinny at 3:10. As the sixth seed Maloku upset third seeded Joe Bongo of Caldwell, 7-4 and outscored Hunter Greer of Hunterdon Central, 6-3, in the semi-finals.
Nick Bucci: The sophomore's run ended in the 160-pound final as he was pinned in the second period by top-seeded Kieran Gerrity of Kittatinny at 3:05. Bucci pinned third-seeded Phil Fisher of West Deptford and second-seeded Darrin Sliker of Caldwell to get to the finals.
THEY SAID IT:
"I felt good out there, but he just caught my leg," said Joe Trovato about losing in the final of 106.
"I've just got to work harder and defend my legs better," said Eric Gianntonio about the 113-pound final.
"My coach made an adjustment just before the match...I knew that I could escape from the bottom. I picked down and I knew that I could get up from it," said Joe Rizzitello.
"It just proves that I have to work harder...I’m happy I made it to the finals, but there is nothing better than coming in first," said Nick Bucci, who lost to Kieran Gerrity of Kittatinny in the final.
"My coach (Steve Klass) gave me a good pep talk before the final," said Mustafa Aslami, who just made the 170-pound final before winning the title.
"I got a lot of work to do and I'm going to get better," said Liridon Maloku, who added that he has been working hard to get his weight down from the 260 when he entered the preseason.
"It is a small tournament, but it is very competitive with some very good teams...We want to compete against the best teams," said Paramus head coach Steve Klass.
WHAT'S NEXT: Paramus starts its run in the Big North Conference with a dual match at home against rival Ridgewood on Wednesday at 7 p.m. and then hosts Seton Hall on Friday in an independent contest.
