12 Advance to Regions

What a Good Looking Group!

Actually this isn't all of them but it's what I got. This was such an excellent weekend from a Paulsboro point of view. I was just oozing with pride.

Ryan Hoehn got the party started with his Consolation Finals win. Actually his Semi-final match against Palese was the heart stopper. I think Ryan had one of his best matches (if not his Best match) on Saturday morning. He gave it his best shot and we were really proud of him. Then he took 3rd and will be advancing to Regions on Tuesday night. The best I can figure is that he will face Nick Masarone from Oakcrest. Don't bet the mortgage but that's what I came up with. If I'm right, Hoehn beat him in the regular season with a pin at 3:36. This is a good thing.

The Finals, which were almost the Paulsboro vs D29 duals, were awesome. Dunnet kicked it off with a pin against Zeisloft from Gateway. Mr. Zeisloft has got to be one of the most "cut" 103lbers I have ever seen. Mr. Dunnet, however, was not impressed. I think Eric logged at least 2 miles from simply pacing the hallway at GCC. He had a bye Friday night but still had to be dressed and on the mat to get his hand raised. The young man was frustrated - he wanted to wrestle. Then he pins his opponent in the semi's in a little over a minute and then Zeisloft in a little more than that. Eric didn't get to wrestle a full period let alone 3 matches. Good job Dunnet.

I've pretty much let everyone on this planet know how it went at 112. Joey Duca is the MAN! And the D29 Most Outstanding Wrestler. R8 is not going to be a piece of cake, but I personally would not want to go up against Joe right now.

I admit I didn't see that beginning of Eddie Wurtenberger's match. It took me a minute to land from Duca's match. But good ole Eddie once again made it interesting and took it the whole 6 minutes, winning by 2, count'em, 2. I swear he does this just to torture his family and the fans. Just kidding, he had some very good competition and he stayed focused. That's what 4X District Champions do. I have an ongoing wager with young Wurtenberger...I have a feeling I'm going to have to pay up this year.

Niko, Niko, Niko! After his match, Niko looked like someone had just kicked his dog and I asked him why? He was sad because it was the last District Title he was going to win. It wasn't the ONLY title for Niko, he was last year's D29 MOW, but it would be his last. He majored for his crown this year once again demonstrating his determination to go further into the tournament this year. I'll be right there watching the magic.

Right before his match, I saw Jimmy Gentile under the bleachers with his head bowed as he was shifting his weight from foot to foot. The Lord heard him. There was no break in the Paulsboro dominance as Jimmy recorded his win with a 5-2 decision. Our celebration continued.

I did play by play for my friend on the phone for this next match and when the bout was over...I had reported the wrong score. Right winner, wrong score. I had the score 7-3. Buddha looked as good as I've ever seen him. He was quick and light on his feet and I knew this was in the bag. Oy vey. It got a little hairy when Buddha got hit for stalling even though Buddha had clearly been the aggressor the whole match and was possibly even moving forward when he got banged. It didn't prove to make a difference in the overall match but the call was definitely not well received by the Paulsboro coaching staff and the fans. When I talked to Buddha after the match, I told him I had reported the wrong score to our friend and he laughed and said, "nah, it was 7-4." Apparently Buddha wasn't paying attention either, the final score was 7-5. More stiff competition at 152 at Regions but my money is on Jeff making his 3rd trip to the show.

I have gotten to know Cucinotta so much better this season and I'm so glad I have. This is a really, really nice guy with a great sense of humor. I've teased him this season about his deformed body parts from wrestling (cauliflower ears, missing 2 front teeth) but I can say for certain that one part is definitely not missing: HEART. Mike embodies the concept of team. You can rest assured that when he's on the mat, you're gonna get your nickel's worth. As all the Paulsboro fans know, Mike would be facing Aregood from Gateway in the Finals. Mr. Aregood had defeated Hamilton during the regular season in a dual. I talked to Mike before his match and he told me, "don't worry. I'll show Buddha how it's done." How do you not like a kid like that. As promised, he got it done - with bonus points.

I don't even want to talk about the next match. I haven't fully recovered. This match is exactly why I periodically ask myself, "why do you put yourself through this. You don't have any kids on the mat anymore. Stay home, bake something." But no, I go to wrestling matches. Zach Greenwald has embraced the meaning of Paulsboro Pride in a big way. Yea, he wants to win, for himself, for his family (and what a great family) but it's also just as important to him to carry on the tradition. Paulsboro wrestlers are revered, respected - the stuff legends are made of. Zach blends. In case you weren't on Earth and didn't know, we all knew Zach would be in the Finals and we knew he would be facing CJ Delia from Clearview. This wouldn't be the first time they met this year, Zach already had a win in the dual meet, which is why he got the #1 seed. Delia is the returning D29 Champ and a senior. Without doing a play by play commentary - Zach was on the attack (the Zach attack) the entire match. Shot after shot, Delia only countering. And that was his downfall because the ref hit him with stalling. And then hit him again. And then with the score 3-2 in Delia's favor with less than 50 seconds left in the match, the ref banged him again. We're going OT. By now I'm on my feet in the hallway of GCC, babbling incoherently to anyone that would listen. The gym had erupted into hysteria. That Paulsboro fans were on their feet - the rest of the gym (not just Clearview fans) were actively booing. That's another story. Anyway, OT starts, tick, tick tick and then with 1.4 seconds left on the clock, Zach is in on the shot and puts Delia on his back. The ref started with a back count and then the buzzer sounded. No back points but who cares - takedown - 2 points and new D29 Champ - Zach Greenwald. I think that's when I started breathing again. I have no idea when my heart started beating. The resounding boos I could hear from the gym were music to my ears. Zach had done it in true Paulsboro style. The whole gym was cheering against him - just like it's always been where Paulsboro is concerned. And I honestly don't have a problem with that. I'll worry when the boos stop.

Gerald Hodges has quietly been absolutely phenomenal this season. match after match he methodically takes the to the mat and dismantles his opponent. He doesn't panic, he doesn't move without thinking, he plots his every move. He has emerged as a true leader, both in wrestling and on the football field. It's funny but I can remember people making comments about how Hodges is a gifted athlete but he'll never amount to anything because he's a hothead, a selfish, immature primadonna. Today's Gerald Hodges is the antithesis of all that. Big Man also quietly went on to win his District Championship with a major decision over Harris of Glassboro. No fanfare, no showboating - just a hand raised in victory and another notch in the Paulsboro belt. I'm proud FOR him.

The next two guys have been a staple in the Paulsboro line-up for the last 4 years. The anchors of murderer's row and money in the bank. Alex Silvestro is head and shoulders above his competition, physically and literally. I tease his family that he's just a fluke and that his younger brother, Mike, is the Real Deal. And yes, Alex is just as nice as everyone says he is. I've seen little kids huddle around him after a match and he always takes the time to talk to them. He understands how important he is to them - if he can do it maybe they can do it. Alex has big family support - they take up an entire section - which explains a lot about Alex's success. Now and in the future. Alex pinned his way to his 4th District 29 Championship. I see another podium spot filled in AC.

Bid D, Meat, Demi, Big Fella - all rolled into one, Demitrius Hester. The gentile giant. I owe him so much food this season but he won't collect until March 5th - after his State Championship. I know Demitrius pinned his way through Districts last year and he did it again this year. I wonder how much time he's actually spent on the mat at Districts? Not much I imagine, he's also a 4X Champ. Chances are good that Demi will meet Mr. Rey in the State Finals again this year. Chances are also good that the outcome will be VERY different this time. I'll let you know - I'll be right there to witness it myself.

So Paulsboro does it again and with (3) four time District Champs. How cool is that? Some schools are looking for their first, Paulsboro produced 3 THIS YEAR! For anybody sitting on the fence - now's a good time to jump on the Paulsboro band wagon. Celebrations at the Sons are the best!

Congratulations to all the fellas that wore the Red this season. Thank you for your efforts, for your time and dedication and for giving us all something to be proud of. My continued respect and admiration goes out to the coaching staff. The non-Paulsboro world tends to take for granted the things that you accomplish day in and day out. 300 straight Colonial Conference victories, 29 straight Sectional titles, 25 straight (29 total) NJ State Group Titles, 10 consecutive (29 total) District 29 titles - and all the individual champs that go with that. It's mind boggling. If we, as fans don't say it enough - Thank you. We appreciate all that you do.

Next up Region 8 at Gami. I hate that gym. The Region will reseed the wrestlers after the first round Tuesday night. I'll post what I know when I know it. Good luck to all the young men advancing. The fans will be there, same bat time, same bat channel, same bat section.