Old Tappan’s Andresen comes back, wins district title by Kevin Czerwinski special to The Record
FRANKLIN LAKES – Peter Andresen looked at the clock Saturday evening, saw the score and at that point, trailing big in the third period of his 138-pound District 1 championship bout, he could have caved.
After all, he was losing 8-2 and there weren’t many in the stands or on the sidelines at Ramapo High School who imagined he would rally against High Point’s Shane Kobis. Andresen has been fighting back for four years, though, and he proved rather emphatically that he had yet one more big fight left in him.
Andresen flipped Kobis and pinned him 20 seconds into the third period, a stunning move that helped the NV/Old Tappan senior win the NJSIAA District 1 138-pound crown and earn Most Outstanding Wrestler honors. NV/OT finished second (160 points) in the team scoring behind High Point (160).
“My mentality never changes,” Andresen said. “Never slow down. You can catch anyone. That’s why I love this sport. I have learned how to persevere. I have had a lot of surgeries and that has taught me how to persevere.”
Andresen had two surgeries on his collarbone as a freshman and another on his thumb but it was the surgery that he didn’t have that made Saturday’s effort possible. He tore his ulnar collateral ligament in his left elbow last summer and appeared headed for Tommy John surgery, a procedure that would have cost him the wrestling season.
He opted for rehab, however, and pushed himself to get back on the mat for the start of the wrestling season.
“I was wrestling in the River Dell duals and the guy I was wrestling chopped my arm hard and I heard a nasty pop,” said Andresen, who throws with his right arm. “I got an MRI and I tore the UCL but two of the three doctors I saw said I could rehab it. That was my ultimate decision.”
The championship victory was Andresen’s 31st of the season against only one loss. Yet NV/OT coach Rob Ortiz had some doubts as to whether Andresen could pull out the win and move onto next week’s Regionals as a champ.
“I wasn’t expecting that at that point in the match,” Ortiz said. “When you’re down six points in the third it’s tough to come back but I should have been ready for it.”
Here’s a closer look at Bergen County’s other winners:
Joseph Manginelli, Dumont, 113 pounds
The sophomore was calm following his second consecutive district title, an 8-1 victory over Old Tappan’s Matt Murawski. Manginelli also earned his 34th victory of the season with the win but was already focused on the upcoming District Tournament, which he placed fourth in as a freshman.
“Last year coming in here as a freshman and winning definitely boosted my confidence,” Manginelli said. “I knew where I was at I feel like I should be winning tournaments like this. I can see where I am at now and I can’t wait for next week.”
Trent Furman, Westwood, 120
The sophomore, like Manginelli, was calm after winning his first District title, a 7-2 victory over Pascack Valley’s Rob Natelli. He was also focused on the Regional Tournament after a fourth-place finish there last February.
The win, his 33rd of the season, marked his third victory over Natelli. Furman pinned Natelli and scored a victory via decision over him in the previous two Bergen County championships.
“I always knew this [a District title] was possible after last year,” said Furman of last year’s runner-up finish in the Districts. “And when I stepped on the mat today, I was moving pretty good. Now I just want to work next week and make it to Atlantic City.”
Matt Beyer, Pascack Valley, 132 pounds
The sophomore had a workman-like day, recording a trio of pins with the last of which coming in the finals against Old Tappan’s John Pabst. Beyer took third in the Districts last year but he said this time the tournament had a different feel.
“I came in thinking I could beat most of these kids,” said Beyer, who improved to 33-1. “Last year was tough I had to go through three seniors. This year I definitely felt like more of the man.
I hadn’t wrestled Pabst before but I knew that if I wrestled my style, that I could beat him. That was the plan. I wouldn’t say I was looking for the pin. I was just looking to dominate and if the pin was there, take it.”
Aiden Fernandez, Westwood, 170 pounds
The junior topped Old Tappan’s Ryan Foy, 6-0. Foy had defeated Westwood teammate Brandon Brown earlier this season and Fernandez said he used that as motivation.
“He pinned my teammate and I wanted to get vengeance for my teammate,” Fernandez said. “We also lost to them this year so this was good.”
Castellini said he was toying between putting Fernandez at 160 or 170. He saw an opportunity, though, at the higher weight especially when considering how stacked the 160-pound division was.
“I’ve had confidence in this kid all year,” Castellini said. “He’s a pretty even-keeled kid and has been a leader all season. Not much gets to him and we knew what Foy would be looking for so that put us in a good position.”
Casey Lewis, Pascack Valley, 182 pounds
The junior eked out a 1-0 victory over Newton’s Joe DeLuca and while the nail biter may have had some on the coaching staff and in the stands on edge, Lewis said he had his opponent just where he wanted him. He also defeated DeLuca last month, 1-0.
“I like to keep the match slow-paced and low-scoring,” said Lewis, who picked up his 29th victory of the season. “It benefits me the most and I feel like I have a good enough defensive game to escape if I need to. I’m good at holding people down in the third period to keep a lead.”
Lewis was injured in the quarterfinals last year and couldn’t continue so this victory more than atones for that disappointment. Pascack Valley coach Tom Gallione said he felt that Lewis could have gone deep into last year’s tournament had he not been injured.
“This is what he worked for and th younger guys gravitate to the way he works,” Gallione said. “That’s the type of person he is and that helped him win this championship.
“I would have rather he opened up a little bit. We worked on getting him to open up a little more. He beat DeLuca last month and he feels comfortable when he is on top. He has a lot of confidence and has won a lot of close matches like that in three years.”
John Guerriero, Ramapo, 195 pounds
The senior earned a 6-3 decision over Newton’s Devin Majer. Guerriero placed third in District 5 a year ago and admitted that he wasn’t as prepared as he could have been.
“I didn’t work as much as I could have last year,” said Guerriero, who picked up his 31st victory of the season in the finals. “So I turned it up a little and worked my butt off. Last year my dream was to win. So this year I worked as hard as I could and it ended up working for me.
“I just tried to keep everything out of my head today and focus on myself. That’s pretty difficult to do. Your teammates are wrestling and you want to cheer for them. I never thought this would happen.”
Guerriero hasn’t decided where he will be going to college but he said that he won’t be wrestling. He’s been wrestling since first grade in addition to playing football and said that his “body has taken some hits. It’s time to rest”.
Stephen Crevani, Old Tappan, 285 pounds
The seventh-seeded senior edged top-seeded Austin Scher, 3-1, in overtime after defeating No. 2 Joey Sprague of North Warren, 4-3, in a semifinal ultimate tiebreaker.
Crevani wrestled in fewer than 10 matches a year ago and had only two wins as a junior. He will also be playing football for Union College next fall so it wouldn’t have been surprising if he didn’t wrestle this winter.
“I have a lot of friends on the team and they didn’t have a heavyweight,” Crevani said. “I didn’t want to let them down.”
Crevani, who plays center in football, credited Old Tappan assistant coach Tom Lebovich with much of his success this season, particularly in the ultimate tie breaker.
“He works with me a lot in practice and is always telling me it takes heart,” said Crevani, who improved to 20-11 this season. “I looked over at him before the ultimate tie breaker and he just pointed to his chest. Then I knew I would finish it.
The 152-pound class saw two big upsets in the semifinals as Old Tappan’s Declan Ward, the top seed, and Ramapo’s Sean O’Connor, the second seed, were each ousted.. Ward dropped a 2-1 decision to High point’s Aric Wingle after Wingle scored two points with :04 remaining while Newton’s Nick Giordano pinned O’Connor in :41. Ward picked up his 100th career win via medical forfeit over O’Connor in the consolations.