After having defeated Seton Hall Prep in the regular season by a considerable margin, 51-26, back on Dec. 27, one would have figured that the Marauders of St. Peter’s Prep would have an easy time with the Pony Pirates in the NJSIAA Parochial A North semifinals.
Guess again.
The Marauders lost a 31-14 lead with just four bouts to go, suffering a heartbreaking 34-31 setback to Seton Hall, ending the Marauders’ state title hopes.
“I think we’ll be able to bounce back,” said second-year Prep wrestling coach Anthony Verdi. “We have a young team that is very enthusiastic and wants to wrestle. I don’t think they’ll dwell on the loss. They’re going to be ready to go at it again, just like they have all year. At one point this season, we were 6-5 and not sure whether we were going to make the states. But we turned it on to get to 16-6 and that’s an accomplishment.”
The Marauders also captured the unofficial Hudson County championship by defeating the No. 2-ranked team in the area, Kearny, 38-33, last Saturday.
“I don’t think we looked at it as being any county championship, but it was important for us to win the dual meet against a good team like Kearny,” Verdi said. “To beat a team like that, a team that had won 15 matches, is a good accomplishment. It was a match that is only going to make us get better.”
As well as prepare for the upcoming NJSIAA District 16 tournament, which will be held at North Bergen High School next weekend. The District tourney is shaping up to be very competitive in terms of collecting a team championship, with St. Peter’s, North Bergen, Kearny and St. Mary’s (Rutherford) all legitimate contenders. “We have a couple of guys who are favorites to win at the Districts,” Verdi said.
In fact, the Marauders have two wrestlers who should end their respective seasons competing at the NJSIAA state championships in Atlantic City, barring illness or injury.
The first is junior 103-pounder Sean O’Grady, who won District gold last year and was third in the Region 4 tournament, before going on to Atlantic City. This year, O’Grady is more determined than ever, posting a 25-1 record thus far, with the lone loss coming to highly respected John Trumbetti of St. Joseph (Montvale).
“His determination pushes him to work harder every day,” Verdi said. “His goal is to go far in the state tournament. He does a lot of road running and works hard every day. He’s finally at the strength level that he needs to be. The first two years, he wrestled much lighter than 103 pounds. Now, he gets down to 103. His strength is definitely a factor and that is advantage for him. All the work in the weight room, working to get stronger, has finally paid off.”
The other clear-cut favorite to do well at the Districts is senior 215-pounder Konrad Dudziak, who has finished in the seventh/eight position at the state tournament in each of the last two seasons.
“Konrad’s going to try to get over the hump and get on to the final round this year,” Verdi said. “His goal is no longer placing at the states. You never can tell with the way he wrestles.”
Dudziak is 25-0 this season, after enduring the emotional pain a year ago of wrestling Carl Riccio of Watchung Hills and watching the young man break his neck, paralyzing him, during their match.
“At first, Konrad was pretty shaken up by it all,” Verdi said. “I think anyone would be in that situation. But I think after a while, Konrad came to the realization that he did nothing wrong and it wasn’t his fault. Sure, it could be a factor in his mental approach, but I don’t think it’s on his mind anymore in terms of wrestling. But it’s obviously something that he will never forget.”
The Marauders have other wrestlers who might have a chance to win District gold next weekend. Junior Mike Rohrman owns a 17-2 record at 125 pounds, but is in a tough weight class with Mike Rodriguez of North Bergen and Jimmy Grant of St. Mary’s.
“That could be one of the strongest weight classes in the state,” Verdi said.
Sophomore 112-pounder Kevin Sankat has been improving and owns a 14-10 record now. He could surprise at the Districts. Junior 119-pounder Manny DeMoya has also become a force for the Marauders.
One of the most improved wrestlers for the Marauders has been 160-pound sophomore Henri DeFrance, who started off the season with four straight losses and has been battling back ever since.
“He started off at 171 pounds and then moved down to 160 and has been coming on strong,” Verdi said. “I think he has a chance to do well.”
Another in the mix is junior heavyweight Mike Smith, who has a 17-7 record and could be the No. 2 seed in the Districts behind highly regarded Danny Manley of Kearny.
“These kids just love to wrestle and that makes it easier to coach,” Verdi said.
Especially since the local wrestling teams have hit the home stretch. – Jim Hague