Don Bosco wins 2nd straight Bergen County title by Sean Farrell of The Record
HACKENSACK – The Chakonis’ never let Luke win.
Bergen County didn’t have a choice.
All those years getting knocked around by two heavyweights prepared Luke Chakonis to earn the title that his older brothers have won years before.
The Don Bosco sophomore – whose siblings Zack and Eric also wrestled for the Ramsey school – helped the Ironmen defend their county championship Friday night at the BCCA Holiday Wrestling Tournament.
Chakonis became the 195-pound champion with a 3-2 win over Emerson/Park Ridge’s Zach Lewis.
“It’s really good to join my brothers,” said Chakonis, on becoming his family’s third BCCA winner. “It’s an awesome feeling. I hope to do it again next year.”
Don Bosco scored 218 points, boosted by Peter Acciardi taking first at 220 and eight other wrestlers placing in the top eight. Emerson/Park Ridge finished second with 200.5 points, while St. Joseph and Westwood rounded out the top four.
“I knew the kids were going to wrestle well,” Don Bosco coach Tom Farinaro said. “But I didn’t think we would win it. I thought EPR was going to win this tournament. We came in with a young group. I brought just 12 kids, not 14. We had two really experienced kids and the rest were freshmen and sophomores. Our guys won it in the wrestleback rounds.”
This was supposed to the rebuilding year for Don Bosco. More than half the starting lineup was gone after three Bergen County champions graduated, including Eric Chakonis to Bucknell. The Ironmen also lost a pair of transfers and had star wrestler Justin Bierdumpfel held out of the tournament with an injury.
Chakonis turned out to be a pleasant surprise. He joked afterwards that he’s been wrestling since he was “in diapers”, though a recent commitment to the sport helped him up his game. He gave up football, which allowed him to go to the gym more and get on the mat in the summer. And this year, he went from seventh to first at the county tournament, despite having to knock off the top two seeds.
“My brothers always used to mess around with me on the mat,” Chakonis said. “I guess it helped me out.”
All three brothers have spent time as workout partners for Acciardi, who had little trouble in keeping his title. Acciardi had two pins and won by forfeit before earning a 19-7 major decision in the final against Emerson/Park Ridge’s Shane Carcich – one that helped swing the score in Don Bosco’s favor.
“He works hard,” Farinaro said. “Pete never stops training. He’s been working non-stop since he came into this school four years ago. Everything he’s gotten, he’s earned. He goes to every offseason tournament. He doesn’t stop. He just continues to train and get better. That’s what drives him. Coming into high school, he wasn’t a great rec wrestler.”
Surich breaks through
Matt Surich made Mahwah history.
After falling one win short last year, the Thunderbirds’ 145-pounder got his redemption with a 4-3 win in the BCCA finals. It made him his program’s third Bergen County champion and the first since 2010. Surich dug out of an early hole in a championship bout with Jack Trevisan of Ridgewood – a matchup between seniors who had faced each other in youth wrestling, but never in high school. Surich is now 10-0 this season, and 90-32 in his career.
“It means a lot being the first champion in six or seven years,” Surich said. “I just kept my head straight in each match. I didn’t let that first period get me down there. I didn’t let that get to me at all. I knew I had to do get points, and I did that.”
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