BY JOE HOFMANN
This weekend will mark my 22nd state tournament for Morris County. That’s a tremendous amount of wrestlers to follow and keep track of. Here are some of my thoughts concerning a few of them and what they were like on and off the mat.
Most fun to watch: James LaValle (Hanover Park). He was a three-time state champion and was probably the best wrestler on his feet that I have ever known. He was never content to just get a takedown but build off it it. LaValle would take his opponent down, often to his back for points. Nobody did that as well as James LaValle.
Most fun to interview: Antonio Mangione (Delbarton). Mangione was a two-time champion and made the finals a third time. He was a terrific wrestler – very flashy – and was always very engaging afterwards. He still is. He never gave me the same angle, and I interviewed him about as often as anyone, which is to say, many,many times.
Worst to interview: James LaValle (Hanover Park). He was shy, extraordinarily team-oriented, and HATED talking about himself. He is the new Hornets coach now and a pleasure to deal with. When he took over for quote-machine coach Dave Ryerson earlier this year, I dreaded the thought, but James is actually very, very adept with the quotes now. Just don't ask him to talk about himself.
Most clutch wrestler: Patrick Dattalo (Randolph). Patrick won it all as a junior and as a senior was picked by absolutely nobody – NOBODY – to repeat. Yet, he stunned the Boardwalk Hall crowd when he pinned Washington Township's Dave Tomasette and then stuck Bergen Catholic's Bryan Nunziato to win it all in 2002. He was the Outstanding Wrestler, as he should have been. When was the last time a kid won a state title as a junior and wasn't picked by ANYONE to repeat in the same weight?
Most trailblazing wrestler: Mike Grey (Delbarton). Grey was New Jersey’s first four-time champion. Bound brook's Andrew Campolattano followed, and South Plainfield’s Anthony Ashnault is about as sure a bet as there ever was to win his weight this weekend. But Grey can tell his grandkids that he was New Jersey’s first four-timer. That’ll never change.
Most dramatic turnaround: Steve Adamcsik (Mendham). Adamcsik was something like 2-15 as a freshman but put in a tremendous amount of effort in the offseason to transform himself into a state champion.
Biggest diamond in the rough: Zach Rey (Hopatcong). I know Hopatcong isn’t Morris County, but that's too bad. Rey was literally pulled out of the weight room as a freshman to wrestle by coach Eric Fajerman and became a two-time state champion.
Biggest growth into a state champion: Ryan Fikslin (Roxbury). As a freshman and sophomore, they could barely find a singlet at Roxbury that fit the scrawny Fikslin, who weighed about 90 pounds his first two years. Former Gaels coach and AD Buddy Freund said to me, “See that little kid? He is the best wrestler we have.” A year later, Fikslin was a state champion. Good call, Buddy!
Best brother combination (triplets division): The Dattalo triplets at Randolph were terrific. Patrick was a two-time state champion, but those in the know said that that Albert was the best wrestler of the three. And Mario wasn’t exactly chopped liver.
Best brother combination (three of them division): The Hakims at Randolph produced two state champions (Ali and Tim) and a third-placer (Sam). They were all terrific competitors and good with a quote (especially Tim and Sam) afterwards. I did a week-long diary of those two, and it came out really well. Tim and Sam Hakim were like a lot of good wrestlers in that they were very bright and well spoken. As a writer, all I have to do is get out of the way and let the kids write the story for me.
Best brother combination (two of them division): Jefferson’s Bailers – state champion Jeremy and state placer Josh – were great wrestlers and, like the Hakims, good to chat with afterwards.
Most gracious loser: Jefferson’s Tom Tanis just so happened to face a pair of tornadoes when he made the state finals. He lost to Central’s Maurice Worthy and Millville’s Mark Saul, both of whom were Outstanding Wrestler. Tanis came off the mat not in tears and whiny like some state finals losers, but wearing a smile and complementing the other wrestler. Tanis wound up being an All-American for Rutgers, beating Damion Hahn along the way. Couldn’t have happened to a nicer kid. As an aside with Tanis, I remember when he was a sophomore, his training partners were Jason Ritzer and two-time state champion Dave Hughes. Those guys pummeled Tanis every day. By the time the states (then the Super Regions at Wallkill Valley) rolled around, Tanis had been toughened up so well by his teammates that he won twice that night. He was in terrific condition.
