For PV’s Jordan Sconciafurno, the title is worth the wait by Sean Farrell of The Record
WEST MILFORD – Jordan Sconciafurno never won gold.
Not in high school. Not in middle school.
And the Passaic County tournament wasn’t kinder to him, either. Two tries and two first-round losses. Sconciafurno didn’t have much reason to expect this year would be different.
But he believed anyway. He was going to make those three small steps on the podium.
“I told myself that I’m coming in and doing great,” Sconciafurno said. “I’m defeating everyone and going for the gold. When I woke up today and got on the bus, I walked in and looked at everybody like I don’t care. I’m not afraid of anybody. I’m confident.”
Passaic Valley’s Sconciafurno was overjoyed after a 3-1 decision over top-seeded Danial Betamour of Manchester in the 132-pound county final on Saturday, the best win of his career. The Hornets’ junior earned it with an escape and buzzer-beating takedown in the second period. It was a stark turnaround for the lower weight who had a losing record just last season.
“Sometimes wrestling doesn’t go your way, but then you have to make it go your way,” Sconciafurno said. “You have to train harder and faster, train longer. Whatever it takes for you to get better. That’s the thing about wrestling. It’s all about the progression. It’s trying to get better and get a step above someone else because there’s always someone chasing you.”
Sconciafurno began wrestling at age 4, then seriously got into the sport in middle school. This summer became a turning point in his career. Winning at offseason camps and performing well at an event at Penn State made him believe that this winter could be special.
“He’s aggressive,” coach Joe Benvenuti said. “He’s not afraid to go for the big moves. That helps him and makes him hard to wrestle against. People that wrestle him know that and sometime that worries them or changes their gameplan. It might throw you off of your game a little bit. I give him credit for that. He’s never afraid to hit the big stuff. It definitely works in his favor.”
Sconciafurno was the No. 3 seed at his weight and earned a first-round bye. He moved on with identical 3-1 decisions, first against DePaul’s Joe Ferrandiz and then Wayne Valley’s Cole Drozjock.
“I don’t think I’m surprised,” Benvenuti said. “I’m very satisfied and happy to see him put together multiple matches throughout the day. It wasn’t just one good match, or two out of the three. He put together three quality, smart wins using good technique and his aggressive style.”
DePaul went on to earn its sixth straight county title, with Wayne Valley and Passaic County rounding out out the top three. The Hornets produced three champions with Jeremy Galletta (160) and Thomas Marretta (220) also winning their weights. But perhaps no one was happier on the podium than Sconciafurno, emotional as he held up the medal he plans to frame.
This one was a long time coming.
“It was amazing,” Sconciafurno said. “My chest was flurrying. There were butterflies. It was everything. It was the best thing ever. I saw the look from my dad, the tears in his eye. I tried to send him a message that this is for you for pushing me for all these years. Thank you so much. I’m continuing on and hopefully, doing well at districts and regions. My goal on the mat is to step on the mat at [Atlantic City].