Wrestlers finish seasons at TOC
By Justin Feil, Assistant Sports Editor
Nick Maher and Vinny Porreca may not have taken the podium finishes that they wanted, but both area wrestlers got plenty out of their first trips to the Tournament of Champions.
Porreca made a resilient exit to his scholastic career after positioning himself for a milestone win. The West Windsor-Plainsboro North senior bowed out of the tournament in the second consolation round at 220 pounds with a 7-3 loss to William Oxley, but not before he avenged the only loss he’d suffered before the TOC.
Porreca pinned Nicholas Goff of Monroe late in the third period to win his first consolation match Saturday morning. Goff had edged Porreca for the district and region championships in the two prior weekends.
”The second match was the one I praying for,” said Knights head coach Ed Ferraro. “He got Goff. He ended up pinning him in the third period. He got a little bit of revenge. He knocked him out when it counted. It was a highlight for him and me. He didn’t want to get knocked out again in a big tournament. It was a great feeling for him and me.”
Porreca had opened the tournament with a 20-9 loss to Marc McDonald of West Essex. McDonald improved to 35-2 with that win and went on to place second in the tournament Sunday. Porreca topped Goff before ending his career against Oxley in another tight match.
”The kid got the first take down on him,” Ferraro said. “I had to cut him in the third. He was down 1. I had Vinny cut him with one minute left and he just couldn’t get that take down. It was a good match, and a good matchup for him.
”He wanted that match,” he added. “It would have been his 100th win. He ended with 99. To end the state tournament like that, not many wrestlers get to do that. It’s big for our program. Not many guys have been able to do that. We had some guys come down with us, and they’re excited to go there. It was a pleasure to coach him this year. He was an example.”
Porreca closed his senior season with a 34-4 record. He came within a win of the 100-win career milestone and set a new standard for future Knights.
”I couldn’t has asked for a better captain,” Ferraro said. “His attitude, it draws people in. There are so many people in the hallways saying, you got a kid to states? I say, ‘yeah, and it could be you next year, so come out.’ Hopefully our program will benefit from that.”
Maher is confident that he will benefit from his TOC experience. The West Windsor-Plainsboro South junior still has another year left in his scholastic career, and it’s one that he’s highly motivated for after winning his first TOC match, then losing his next two.
”What I take away is that guys are not much better than me,” Maher said. “Next year, I’m going to wrestle like I’m the best. My confidence going into these matches, knowing I can win, that’s probably most of what I’ll take.”
Maher had a solid opening to his first TOC trip. He won by pin over Mike Morina of Paulsboro in 3:17. Then in the pre-quarterfinals, he lost, 11-3, to AJ Vindici of Randolph as Vindici improved to 34-2. Maher was eliminated with an 11-6 loss to Wilfredo Gil of Ramapo, who was 37-6. Maher finished with a 36-8 record.
”I feel like I wrestled terrible,” Maher said. “First period I got taken down in the first minute or 30 seconds. I’ll make sure that doesn’t happen. I’m not going to have terrible first periods anymore where I have to come from behind all the time.”
The TOC was a valuable lesson for what is out there. Maher can see that there are top-notch wrestlers that know how to utilize mistakes, and he found things to fix.
”I got a good read on some of (Nick’s) weaknesses,” said WW-P South head coach Darren Schulman. “My plan for Nick is to make these weaknesses actual strengths. That’s what we’re going to do. During the season, you’re not going to see these weaknesses because guys can’t exploit them.”
Those flaws cost Maher in his first loss, but they are weaknesses that the Pirates believe he can turn around. His second loss was winnable, and with more experience and work, they are confident he could win that sort of match as well.
”The last match, it was a scripted Nick Maher match, and I thought he was going to come back and win, and he almost did,” Schulman said. “He was down by about a point. He was being aggressive. He had a takedown. He forced a shot. He had to score or he was going to lose. He was only down one but could have easily won.”
Maher realizes that the TOC has the top wrestlers in the state, and that he is right there with them. It’s the most encouraging development to come out of the weekend.
”The thing I really like hearing is he came to the realization that he belongs wrestling at states and he’s just as good as all these guys,” Schulman said. “That’s something I was waiting for from him. In the beginning of the season, I know he wanted to go, but I didn’t know if he believed he could be there.
”Now that he believes that, that is the first step to him getting so much better over the offseason. I think wrestling is 95 percent mental. If you think you’re going to win, you’re going to win. He knows what he wants. He wants to win a state title. He’s going to put in the work to accomplish that goal. I’m confident that he’s going to get it done.”