By Warren Rappleyea
Sayreville War Memorial High School wrestler Anthony Porcaro is headed to Atlantic City for the NJSIAA Individual Championships after winning the Region 5 title for the second year in a row.
Last season, the Bombers’ heavyweight finished fifth in the state and is looking to finish on top this time around.
“That’s been my goal since the end of last year,” Porcaro said. “I’ve put in a lot of time to get to this point and I’m ready to go.”
Porcaro is coming off a superb performance at the Region 5 Tournament Feb. 27 at Hunterdon Central Regional High School in Flemington. With a takedown at the buzzer, the Sayreville senior scored a 3-1 decision over Dylan D’Amore of Montgomery High School in sudden victory.
“That was a tough match and D’Amore is very good,” Porcaro said of the Somerset County champion. “He’s very hard to move. It was a really good test for me before the state championships.”
Porcaro opened the tournament with a 16-3 major decision over Notre Dame High School’s Zach Pierson in the quarterfinals. In the semifinals, he went up against a familiar foe: Alexander LaGrippo of Woodbridge High School.
During the regular season, Porcaro downed LaGrippo to win his 100th career match. The two hooked up again in the Greater Middlesex Conference (GMC) finals, and Porcaro prevailed to win his third straight conference title, 3-2, in a tough, back-and-forth match.
The Region 5 semifinal was altogether different. Porcaro dominated from the start and pinned LaGrippo just shy of the one-minute mark.
“It was a good tournament for me. I felt good,” Porcaro said. “It’s always good to get a pin, and it’s also very satisfying to win the championship in a tough match.”
Porcaro, 33-1 on the season, has also won the Neptune Classic and the Roselle Park Tournament, with his lone loss coming in the finals of the Union City Wrestling Tournament.
Sayreville coach Marcus Ivy believes Porcaro, who also won the District 20 crown for the third year in a row, can go all the way in Atlantic City.
“It’s a tough field, but Anthony is amazingly agile and athletic for someone so big,” Ivy said. “He’s also in top shape and he’s super strong. He can go the distance and then some.”
Porcaro confirmed that his athleticism includes being able to walk for more than 100 feet on his hands. He has also benefited from working out with his brother and training partner, Michael, who is Sayreville’s backup heavyweight. Michael Porcaro, however, is not your normal backup.
The junior went 17-9 at 220 pounds a year ago. He opted not to cut weight this season and will be Sayreville’s heavyweight next winter. While Michael Porcaro is willingly helping Anthony, brotherly love doesn’t come into play when they practice.
“Going up against Michael has made me even better,” Anthony Porcaro said. “I’ve had some of my toughest matches in the gym against him.”