Roselle Park Dads Club
Proudly serving the youth of Roselle Park since 1934
Our Roselle Park grapplers are headed to the North Jersey Section 2 Group 1 finals against Hasbrouck Heights following wins Feb. 7 against Boonton and Secaucus.
At home in Roselle Park Middle School, the Panthers took on the Boonton Bombers in a late-afternoon quarterfinal contest. On paper, the squads appeared to match up well but our coaches’ plan was well thought out and the boys executed on the mat to overcome a pair of skillful RP forfeits at 150 and 157 for the overall win, 41-37.
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The back-to-back forfeits put the Panthers down 30-31 for the match, which started at 215. But Julian Colon moved up a weight class and scored a technical fall (19-2) at 165 to put RP back in front 35-31, and John James Ranieri closed the door on the Bombers at 175 with a pin at 4:33 that got the home crowd pumped.
Efforts by Matthew Griffin and Angel Mejia, who each moved up a weight class (113 and 144, respectively), were also commendable in that the combined effort allowed Boonton to only gain 7 points.
Heavyweight Kevin Osorio flattened his opponent in a quick 16 seconds. Sal Randazzo (120), Mayson Harms (132) and Ryan Leiva (138) also scored pins.
You can see results of each individual contest on nj.com but remember the match started at 215 so the running score is incorrect.
The Panthers then needed to wait out the other quarterfinal match between the Mountain Lakes Lakers and Secaucus Patriots, won by the latter in an upset. Roselle Park quickly put an end to the Patriots’ hope of notching another and took care of business, 52-19.
RP was down 3-0 after Osorio lost an exhausting extra-time match at heavyweight but then the Panthers rattled off five wins — four by pins from Griffin, Brandon Scott, Randazzo, and Nick Torino and a major decision from Harms — to build a big lead. Mejia (144), Julian Marin (150), Colon (157), and Ranieri (175) also notched pins. Each of the Panthers’ pins came before the second period.
Read a story and see the box score in nj.com.
The Panthers will head to Hasbrouck Heights to face the Aviators in the sectional finals on Feb. 9 at 6pm. Tickets are only available by preorder at NJSIAA.org/tickets. Click ‘wrestling’ and then ‘Get Tickets’ on North 2 Group 1 sectional final.
Hasbrouck Heights High School: 365 Boulevard, Hasbrouck Heights, NJ 07604