If you’re a big wrestling fan (no doubt you are because you read this website), then I’ve got terrific news for you.
The only trouble is, you must wait a full year.
But the wait figures to be worth it.
Next year, the Newark Academy Tournament in Livingston will host one of the best in-season tournaments in New Jersey – if not THE best – on Jan. 4.
For many years, I have enjoyed covering the tournament because of its Morris County flavor. Delbarton won it this year (the fifth straight year that the Green Wave have won it, not including last year, when it didn’t because of prior scheduling commitments). Parsippany is usually in the house. Madison was here this year after a one-year break. Kinnelon has been here, and so has Morris Catholic.
Granted, the Newark Academy Tournament is not to be confused with the Beast of the East or any star-studded tournament.
But next year, it will be a can’t-miss event.
Just get a load of this lineup:
Delbarton
Roxbury
High Point
Kittatinny
Don Bosco
St. Joseph-Montvale
Brick Memorial
Watchung Hills
West Orange will return, as will Wayne Valley and the host Minutemen.
All of those schools have made commitments and it should be a real treat.
P-Burg denied a request, as did Bergen Catholic. Who knows, maybe those schools will change their minds.
Newark Academy assistant coach Anthony Leardi, the former state runnerup from Butler, told me that they have already made plans to bring in large bleachers to accommodate what figures to be an overflow crowd.
Minutemen moving up
Newark Academy made a great hire in bringing in former Butler great Antony Leardi, the best wrestler in Bulldogs history. Leardi is now an assistant but is destined to be head man when classy head coach Jay Gerisch’s son Pat, a junior, graduates.
Leardi did some good things as an assistant at DePaul – bringing along talented 113-pound freshman Dave McFadden to the state finals last year is a good example – and he can only help the Minutemen thrive on the mats.
I remember many years ago when it appeared as though former Randolph coaching great Ron Standridge almost took the Bayley-Ellard coaching job. The thinking was that Bayley was a sleeper to become a wrestling powerhouse because, proximity-wise, the Madison-based Catholic school was on the outskirts of Morris County but was within short driving distance of Union, Essex and Passaic counties.
The same holds true for Newark Academy, which is located a stone’s throw from Livingston Mall and is a few minutes from Morris. Passaic and Union counties are not far away, either.
Region 1 Hall of Fame
So, here we have a guy who was at the top of the heap as a wrestle AND a coach.
I mean, what more does a guy have to do to earn induction in the Region 1 Hall of Fame?
Your move, Region 1 Hall of Fame voters. Do the right thing, and get Ron Standridge into the Region 1 Hall of Fame.
Big win for Artigliere
Roxbury’s Dillon Artigliere had a big day on Saturday, when he went up a weight and beat Northern Highlands’ four-time Bergen County Tournament champion Nick Gravina, who was fourth in the state at 145 last year. Artigliere was fifth at 152.
Both Artigliere and Gravina wound up losing in the state semifinals to the eventual champion. Artigliere lost in the semis to Trenton Central’s Raamiah Bethea, 3-1. Gravina lost a 9-6 decision to St. Peter’s Prep’s Alex Richardson.
My Top 20 state ballot
This is what I sent to Home News Tribune wrestling writer Greg Tufaro, who spearheaded the all-new state wrestling writer’s Top 20 wrestling poll. I think it is a great idea and, ultimately, the better of the two polls (the Star-Ledger being the other). There are about 20 true-blue wrestling fanatics who combine to put together the NJWWA poll.
Here is my ballot submitted this past Wednesday. (I can already spot some adjustments that I plan on making for the next time!).
1. South Plainfield
2. Brick Memorial
3. Phillipsburg
4. Southern
5. Bergen Catholic
6. Bound Brook
7. Don Bosco
8. Delbarton
9. Camden Catholic
10. St. Peter’s Prep
11. Howell
12. High Point
13. Timber Creek
14. Warren Hills
15. Long Branch
16. Jackson Memorial
17. Toms River South
18. Kittatinny
19. Delsea
20. Watchung Hills
