HILLSBOROUGH: Wrestlers enjoy A.C. experience

DiCarlo, Goddiess win bouts

by Rudy Brandl, Sports Editor
   Joey DiCarlo left Atlantic City hungrier than ever, not for those philly cheesesteaks cooking on the boardwalk, but for a state wrestling championship.
   DiCarlo’s first experience competing at the NJSIAA Championships in front of 10,000 fans made him realize how special it is to be among the state’s best with so much on the line. It also made the Hillsborough High sophomore vow to work harder to earn another trip to Boardwalk Hall and perform even better next year.
   Wrestling in Atlantic City for the first time, DiCarlo won his pre-quarterfinal bout Friday night to land in the final eight of the winner’s bracket. DiCarlo, the Region 5 champion at 103 pounds, lost twice Saturday and fell one victory short of placing in the top eight in the state.
   ”It was awesome, it was a dream come true for me to be out there,” DiCarlo said late Saturday afternoon. “It’s a huge atmosphere with 10,000 people watching you. You have to block it out and focus on your match.”
   DiCarlo (39-5) started slowly against Bergen Catholic’s Tom Casper, who got the first takedown and used a four-point move to take a 6-2 lead into the third period. DiCarlo started on top in the third period and never let Casper away, throwing in a half-Nelson to secure the fall at 4:27.
   ”I hadn’t been on top yet so I was thinking that was my shot,” DiCarlo said. “I just ran it and he didn’t see it coming. You can’t give up in the states.”
   DiCarlo arrived Saturday morning as one of eight wrestlers with a chance to win the 103-pound state title. He ran into some tough opposition in his next two bouts. Burlington Township’s Kevin Devoy scored an early takedown and piled up bonus points on DiCarlo, who refused to be pinned in a 16-0 technical fall setback at 2:21.
   ”It wasn’t the greatest feeling but he hit me with the same tilt three times and got nine backs (back points),” DiCarlo said. “I wasn’t going to get pinned. It’s a sense of pride out there. You have to keep your head up.”
   DiCarlo entered the consolation bracket and had less than an hour to recover before his elimination bout against Bill Hagary of Lenape Valley. DiCarlo couldn’t get anything going and dropped a 9-0 major.
   ”I wrestled my heart out, but he was just better,” DiCarlo said. “He had arm bars that were ridiculous. It was so tight.”
   Senior teammate George Goddiess (36-7) also won a state match in his first trip to the NJSIAA Championships. Goddiess, the region runner-up at 171 pounds, opened the weekend with a 7-3 triumph over Ryan Sternleib of Toms River East. Goddiess lost in the pre-quarters later Friday night and was eliminated in the consolation bracket Saturday.
   ”I’m very proud of myself, very satisfied,” said Goddiess, who finished his career with a 77-56 record. “It was great to win a match. Most people don’t get to where I got. It was really cool wrestling in front of all those people It motivated me a lot. I tried to use it to pump me up.”
   Goddiess started slowly in his preliminary bout but came on strong and dominated the last two periods. Trailing 2-1, Goddiess scored a pivotal takedown off a scramble late in the second period to take the lead. He dominated the third with a reversal and two bonus points and advanced to the final 16 in his weight class.
   Walkill Valley’s Ryan Callahan, the eventual runner-up, sent Goddiess to the consolation bracket with a 16-1 tech fall at 5:29. Goddiess was much more in the match against Old Tappan’s Mike Magraci on Saturday but got caught at 1:43.
   ”We went into a throw and I wound up on my back,” Goddiess said. “I can’t be disappointed with how I performed. I did my best and didn’t give up.”
   Fellow senior Max Borisenko (32-8) also competed on the Atlantic City mats for the first time in his career. The HHS 215-pounder, who placed third in the region, was pinned by Kadeen Goodall-Reid at 3:10 in Friday night’s prelims.
   Freshman 112-pounder Mackey Price, another region third-place winner, also lost in the preliminary round. Price (37-5) opened a 3-0 lead but got caught in a cradle late in the second period and was pinned by Union City’s Willie Rodriguez at 3:59.
   The good news for DiCarlo and Price is that they’ll have multiple opportunities to return to the state championships.
   ”Getting here early in your career is a big advantage,” HHS head coach Steve Molinaro said. “You find out that there’s another level you need to reach in the state tournament. It’s an awareness you get from being there. They’ll grow from it.”
   DiCarlo and Price plan on returning to Atlantic City. Both are proud wrestlers who don’t like to lose. They’ll use this year’s experience as fuel.
   ”When you get out there and get beat that bad, it makes your hunger that much greater,” DiCarlo said. “You get a taste of it and it makes you want to work even harder. More sprints, more workouts, more wrestling. I’m going to come back next year and place.”