Most Outstanding Wrestler!

Joey Duca is the MAN!!!!

I had the wonderful opportunity to talk to Joe after his semifinal match against Uva from Glassboro. As most of you know, lots of wrestling folks predicted that to be a really tight match, with Uva most likely to win. Ha!

Joe walked passed me in the hallway at GCC and I asked, "did you wrestle?" Joe responded with, "yup." I said, "Uva?" Joe once again said, "yup." "You win?" I asked. Another, "yup. I beat him 8-1 or something like that." So I looked at Joe and said, "well how can that be? That was supposed to be a close match. You were supposed to lose. Folks were talking a lot of trash and besides, you're only a freshman." Joe smiled and said, "Yea, I heard the talk. Doesn't mean anything. But it wasn't close."

So now I took the opportunity to ask Joe about the upcoming Final with returning Champ, #1 seed, Tony Cocciolone from Pitman. I asked him, "You gonna win?" Joe said, "Yea, I'm gonna win." I said, "You know, you beat Cocciolone, you have a real shot at MOW." Joe smiled again, looked down and then looked back up and said, "I'm gonna deck'em."

That was as close to trash talk I have ever heard from Joey Duca. It barely even qualifies as trash talk. Joe was stating facts, he was going to deck'em. He reeked of confidence. It was a matter of fact. Focused, focused, focused. Very sure of himself.

I was on my cell phone in the GCC hallway, relaying the news to a friend that Eric Dunnet had just pinned Zeisloft of Gateway in the Finals and was now a 2X District Champ. I was watching the tv monitor as Duca and Cocciolone took the mat. I was giving a poor play by play of the match to my friend on the phone (I'm terrible at describing what's happening on the mat). But then it happened. Joe Duca decked'em and Cocciolone was on his back. Even I know how to describe that. I believe my exact words were, "Oh my God, he's on his back!!!" Followed by a lot of words I shouldn't repeat. My poor freind on the phone was trying to grasp words he couldn't understand. I was shouting, at no-one in particular, and he just happened to be on the phone. At 0:57 in the match - the GCC gym and hallway erupted. Joe Duca had just pinned Tony Cocciolone and Joe was the District 29 Champ!

The fans in the gym saw it live, those of us holding down the fort in the hallway watched it on the monitor but the electricity was felt by all of us. And then we watched Joey leap into the arms of his Uncle, Dean Duca, assistant coach for Paulsboro and Joe's mentor. My eyes are tearing up again now. It was one of those special Paulsboro sports moments that I will always remember. All the emotion that Joe was keeping just below the surface, exploded. We lost sight of him on the monitor but we knew where he was. He was with his family. I can't even begin to imagine how proud they are of him.

Then all of a sudden, a very sweaty, red-eyed, emotional, Joey Duca burst into the hallway and spent the next 10 minutes hugging everyone in red. (I'm actually crying as I'm typing this). He did it - he decked'em!

We all held our breath at the end of the festivities when we knew the MOW was about to be announced. We all knew who deserved it, who had earned it, but it doesn't always work out that way. It worked out exactly right last night - Joe Duca was named the Most Outstanding Wrestler in the District 29 Tournament.

I will remember that for as long as I have memory. I was so happy for Joe I almost couldn't stand it. Congratuations Joe - You're The MAN!