Sports
Two West Morris Wrestlers Advance to Region 1 Semifinals
All three wrestlers that competed on Friday still have a chance to make the state tournament in Atlantic City.
HAMBURG – After the first night of the Region 1 wrestling tournament at Walkill Valley Regional High School, West Morris High School is sending two wrestlers to the semifinals and one wrestler to the wrestlebacks on Saturday, Feb. 26.
“I thought the guys wrestled pretty well. Two got through and one lost, so it is what it is,” said West Morris head coach Ken Rossi.
In the 125 pound weight class, No. 5 seeded Brandon Carcuffe edged out Wayne Valley’s Jason Zuniga by a final mark of 6-5.
“He got taken down in the 1st period and then the kid locked hands, which was a critical point that gave him an opportunity to escape and tie the match back up,” said Rossi. “In the third period, he was able to secure that takedown with about 15 seconds left, which is nice because you don’t have to last too much longer. You can take a stall call. He’s been working hard.”
Carcuffe will wrestle in the semifinals and faces the challenge of taking on one of the best wrestlers in the state, High Point’s Nicholas Francavilla, the No. 1 seed.
In the 135 pound weight class, No. 3 seeded Nick Matthews was upset by No. 6 seeded Brennen Donahue of High Point by a final score of 3-1. While Matthews battled, Rossi noticed that things changed through the course of the match.
“He started off well, got in a great shot, but didn’t finish,” Rossi said. "After that, the kid jacked him up in an underhook. That kind of got him out of his gameplan. He was shooting from too far away.”
Matthews yielded those three points in the second quarter, and while scoring an escape with just under 30 seconds to go in the match, couldn’t muster any more offense. Matthews will now try to make his way through the wrestlebacks on Saturday, which directly follow the semifinal round.
In the 145 pound weight class, No. 5 seeded Mike Sickles knocked off No. 4 seeded Joe Moyer of Phillipsburg with a 6-5 final. It was a bit of sweet revenge for Sickles, who had recently fallen to Moyer.
“That was a great match," said Rossi. "That kid Moyer from Phillipsburg beat Mike in the District finals 6-1. Mike came out got the first big takedown and it set the tone. So that was big for Mike to rebound and take out the kid who beat him.”
Trailing 3-2 after two periods, Sickles came out strong in the third with a takedown. Even after being reversed with 37 seconds left, Sickles held on and will go on to face a No. 1 seed, Joseph Gaccione of High Point.
Semifinals start at 9 a.m. on Saturday, Feb. 26 at Wallkill Valley Regional High School.
