It was another big wrestling weekend in Atlantic City, as fourteen boys were crowned state champions.
One thing many look forward to during the week is the seeding at the individual weight classes. And while the actual order from first-to-eighth place isn’t prefect, the committee who seeds them does a very good job.
86 of the 112 Top-8 seeds placed there, a 76% success rate in something that is very difficult to determine because there isn’t a lot of difference in many of these wrestlers. In addition, nine of the #9-seeds placed in the Top-8 and adding that to the 86 makes it 95 and almost 85% of the Top-9 seeded wrestlers placing in the Top-8 – very good. No fewer than five of the Top-8 seeds placed in each weight class and one weight class had all eight place.
Also keep in mind, it is not easy to lose early and get in the wrestleback rounds, especially when a wrestler has had his heart broken after losing a match and having his dream of being a state champ broken.
Below is a summary of each weight class and I base much of it around:
- How many of the Top-8 seeded wrestlers placed in the Top-8 in each class.
- Who made the Top-8 who wasn’t seed in the Top-8 in each class.
- The ones who placed exactly where they were seed.
- How many of the Top-4 seeds placed in the Top-4. Ditto Top-6.
- The state champion and where he was seeded.
- A Top-8 seed who placed way ahead of where he was seeded.
106 – Each of the top eight seeds placed in the Top-8; the order differs, but all eight made it. The 1, 2, and 8-seeds finished exactly where they were seeded. Five of the Top-6 finished there, with seventh seed Joe Cangro (Bergen Catholic) finishing in 3rd place. State Champ Wade Ungar (Hunterdon Central) was the top seed.
113 – The first seven seeds finished in the Top-7, with #7-seed Nick Babin (Emerson-Park Ridge) finishing second. The #9-seed, Brandon Spellman (Pingry) finished in 8th-place. Two of the Top 4 seeds finished there and four of the Top 6 placed there. State Champ Dean Peterson (St. John Vianney) was the top seed.
120 – Six of the Top-8 seeds placed in the Top-8. Cracking the Top-8 were #-9 seed Devin Flannery (High Point) finishing in 3rd place and #30 seed Spencer Stewart (Sparta) coming in 8th. Two of the Top 4 seeds placed there, along with five of the Top-6. The Top two seeds placed exactly where they were seeded with Eddie Ventresca (Pope John) becoming State Champ.
126 – Seven of eight finished in the Top-8. #17-seed Eddie Hummel (Roselle Park) finished in 6th-place and all five in the Top-5 placed there, including the 5-seed finishing 5th. The #7 and #8 seeds finished in those two spots, but changed places. #3-seed Sammy Alvarez (St. Joe’s, Montvale) is the new State Champ, beating top seed Robert Howard (Bergen Catholic).
132 – Five of eight finished in the Top-8. #11-seed Luke Mazzeo (Emerson-Park Ridge) made a very good showing, finishing in 2nd, #9 Cooper Pontelandolfo (Cherokee) finished in 6th, and #18 Christian Vertedor (Passaic Tech) came in 7th. Seeds 1 and 5 finished exactly where they were seeded, while 3/4 of the Top-4 placed there, with four of the six placing in the Top-6. State Champ Nicholas Raimo (Hanover Park) was the top seed.
138 – Six of eight placed in the first eight spots. #9-seed Dylan Weaver (Lyndhurst) placed in 3rd, while #13 Tim Spatola took 8th. The 1st and 4th-seeds were exact placements, while 6th seed Jacob Perez-Eli (Paulsboro) lost in the final to top-seeded Joseph Aragona (Pope John), the new State Champ. Two of the Top 4-seeds finished there and four of six were Top-6.
145 – The Top-7 seeds all finished in the Top-7 and #11-seed Nick Boggiano (Toms River North) came in 8th-place. Seeds 3, 4, and 7 were exact hits, while the finalists were the top two seeds placed in the Top-2 with the orders changed, as Lucas Revano (Camden Catholic) repeated as State Champ, beating top seed Ricky Cabanillas (DePaul) – a match between two defending state champions. The 5/6 seeds also finished in those two spots, switching places.
152 – Seven of the Top-8 finished where they were expected and #9-seed Brandon Mooney (Camden Catholic) took 5th-place. Seeds 2, 3, and 7 were exact hits and two of the Top-4 placed there, with five of six in the Top-6. The State Champ, Robert Garcia (Pope John), the 4th-seed.
160 – This bracket with six of the top eight seeds finishing in the Top-8. #9-seed Tony Asatrian (Paramus) wound up in 3rd-place and #12-seed Colin Morgan (West Orange) came in 8th place. Two of the top four seeds finished in the Top-4 and four of the Top-6 placed there. 6th-seeded Connor O’Neill (DePaul) finished 2nd and the only exact hit came from top-seed Robert Kanniard (Wall) and State Champ.
170 – Six of the Top-8 seeds ended in the Top-8 and #14-seed Martin Cosgrove (Camden Catholic) placed 3rd, while #26 Ethan Craft (Rancocas Valley) finished in 6th. #4 was the lone exact placement in this weight class, with three of four finishing in the Top-4, with same number finishing in the Top-6. The top two seeds finished in the final placed there, but traded places, with Brandon Green (Paulsboro) becoming the new State Champ.
182 – Six of the top eight seeds placed in the Top-8, with #10 Kieran Calvetti (Delbarton) finishing in 6th and #9 Mike Misita (St. Augustine) placing in 8th. The top four seeds finished in the Top-4 with a slightly different order and that same number was what ended up in the Top-6. The top two seeds finished in the final, as top-seeded Chris Foca (Beregn Catholic) is the new State Champ.
195 – Five of the Top-8 seeds placed here, with #10-seed Drew Bowker (Rancocas Valley) finishing 6th, #26 seed Kyle Epperly (Jackson) in 7th, and #9-seed Anthony Franden in 8th-pace. Three of the Top-4 finished there, along with five of the Top-6. The first two seeds finished exactly where they were seeded, with Jacob Cardenas (Bergen Catholic) repeating as State Champ.
220 – Five of the top eight seeds ended up in the Top-8, as #12-seed Niccolo Colucci (St. Peter’s Prep) finishing in 4th, #10 PJ Casale (Delbarton) in 5th, and #9 Jajuan Hayes (Bordentown-Florence) finished in 8th. The only wrestler in the Top-4 seeds is also the only direct hit: State Champ Zach Delvecchio (South Plainfield). Three of the Top-6 seeds ended up there with #6 Michael Filieri (Garfield) finishing 2nd.
285 – Five of the Top-8 seeds placed here, #10 Dean Setticase (Saddle Brook) taking 3rd, #12 Jayvon Davidson (Mount Olive) placing 5th, and #11 Deshon Alexander (Overbrook) ending up in 8th. Two of the Top-4 seeds placed there, with four placing in the Top-6. #7-seed Bardhyl Gashi (West Essex) ended up in 2nd behind the top seed and only exact placement in returning State Champ Lewis Fernandes (Voorhees).