Fair Lawn freshmen Cedeno wins Bergen title by JJ Conrad of The Record
HACKENSACK — The piece of paper with a list of personal goals sits on the desk beside Dylan Cedeno’s bed. The daily source of motivation and inspiration for the Fair Lawn freshman star was the first thing he looked at Thursday morning, knowing an opportunity to check off one important item off the list was within reach.
He capitalized on that opportunity in a big way, leaving no doubt who the best 106-pounder in Bergen County was at this year’s George Jockish Holiday Tournament.
“That’s correct, yeah,” Cedeno said with a smile. “I can check off one more thing on that list tonight.”
Cedeno captured the 106-pound title in dominant fashion with a 45-second pin of St. Joseph’s Sammy Alvarez, one match after Alvarez upset Don Bosco’s Justin Bierdumpfel in the 106-pound semifinals. Cedeno, now 9-0 this season, breezed through the bracket as the tournament’s top seed with wins by technical fall, pin and major decision before his quick work of Alvarez in the final.
He became Fair Lawn’s first BCCA Holiday champion since Dillon Landi accomplished the feat in 2004.
“It’s an honor to be a county champion, because I knew it hadn’t been done here in a while,” Cedeno said. “I’m glad to be the guy to bring that title back to Fair Lawn. It’s definitely a proud moment to end that drought.”
Cedeno was not only the only freshman champion at this year’s BCCA Holiday Tournament, he was also the only finalist. Pound for pound, he’s proving more and more each week to be as much of a state-champion-caliber wrestler as anyone else in North Jersey.
“There’s been a lot of hype about me and people expecting things of me,” said Cedeno, who cruised in similar fashion to the Cutter Classic title earlier this season with a trio of first-period pins in his high school debut. “I guess I’m living up to that hype right now. But I have to keep the same mindset to come out and dominate.
“Right now I feel like I’m at the top. And when that’s the case, people are going to try and knock you down.”
COCHRAN HOLDS OFF O’MALLEY IN OVERTIME THRILLER
Paramus’ Kyle Cochran felt disrespected.
The reigning 160-pound state champion felt the 160-pound was “his bracket” and that Hasbrouck Heights’ Michael O’Malley bumped up from 152 to “try and come take what was mine.”
With the BCCA saving the most-anticipated bout of the night for the tournament finale, the Cochran-O’Malley championship battle lived up to the hype.
Cochran won, 8-6, in overtime but needed a late reversal in the final seconds of the third period to tie the bout at 5 and force extra time.
“I definitely have way too many dramatic matches,” Cochran, who had a few during his run to the 160-pound state title last season, said with a smile. “Way too many. In that third, I didn’t even know what the score was [after a five-point move gave O’Malley a 5-3 lead with 30 seconds left]. … We can be friends outside the mat, but once that match starts, I’ve got to do what I’ve got to do. It’s war. He’s trying to take what I have, and I’m not going to let that happen.”
Cochran led, 3-0, after two and was seemingly in control of the match until a reversal and three back points put O’Malley up, 5-3. O’Malley was a state runner-up at 145 pounds last season.
“I don’t even know what happened,” Cochran said. “But Matt Ulrich, our assistant coach, he prepared me to win states, prepared me to win Nationals. He’s been with me all throughout my best accomplishments, and the move I did to tie it, that was a move we’ve worked on.”
In overtime, with Cochran on bottom, the Paramus senior used an escape/takedown to take an 8-5 lead before giving up a point and holding on for the thrilling victory.
“I don’t look at it like the end of the world if I lose,” Cochran said. “I train like it is the end of the world. But if I lose, I know I’d come back. I lose, I come back. I’ve done it. So I’m relaxed because of that in those late situations I’ve been in. I’m going to do whatever I can in my ability not to lose, though. And that’s exactly what I did.”
Cochran capped a big night for Paramus, which claimed three individual titles Thursday. Kyle Kaiser claimed the 113-pound title to repeat as a BCCA champion and Brian Bonino captured the 195-pound title with an equally thrilling, 3-1 overtime victory over Emerson/Park Ridge’s Josh Lewis.