FI: New Jersey Top 20 in 20
FI: New Jersey Top 20 in 20
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New Jersey - Top 20 in 20
Omar Feliciano, State Insider
Although, I know a lot of wrestling and have been around NJ wrestling since I was seven years old, it is an honor for me to have a crack at the most talked about rankings in NJ, the all-time best wrestlers in NJ history.
Everyone has their own opinion, but I’m throwing a monkey wrench into this one. We have seen some really great ones come and go. We have seen some great ones make history and some just fall short.
What constitutes an all-time greatest list? For me and for these rankings, it will strictly be NJ wrestling. What is the monkey wrench I’m throwing in here? Sorry to say, I was a prep school wrestler at St. Benedict’s Prep, so I have to add ALL wrestlers from NJ, including, that’s right, the infamous, Blair Academy.
Are us prep schools on the same playing field as everyone else? Maybe not, but bottom line is, there are wrestlers who hail from NJ that have established themselves as some of the best that have ever come out of our great state. They were born and made in the Garden State, so for this reason, I cannot leave them out.
What are the criteria for this top 20? This list is populated by wrestlers with incredible, strictly high school statistics. No college records or stats. No International stats. Strictly, high school results. This makes for an interesting conversation. Wrestlers like our very own, 3x World/Olympic Champion, Jordan Burroughs, will be left off this list. Numerous, two-time state champions and National Prep Champions will be left off the list. This is a who’s who of NJ wrestling for the past 20 years, 1993-2013.
Geez, I was a freshman in 1993, that was a long time ago. So, without further delay and I know by now you are anticipating what this list is going to look like, enjoy my list and hope this creates an avenue for great conversation.
1. Steve Mocco- The 4x Prep National Champion and multi-Cadet and Junior National Champion gets the nod for me at the top spot. Steve had such a dominating high school career that I don’t know if anyone comes close to the way he just destroyed everyone who walked on the mat to challenge him. I remember watching Steve wrestle with us while in 8th grade, while at St. Benedict’s Prep. We had a scrimmage with a team from NY and Steve wrestled a High School Junior. This was my first glimpse of what Steve could and would do. Steve took this National Prep Runner-up into overtime, where he pulled out his patented foot sweep to win the match. And so the Mocco foot sweep was born.
2. Anthony Ashnault- The 4x undefeated NJ State Champion gets the second spot for me on this list. Although Anthony does not have the International Style accolades that Steve has, he still amounted an four year undefeated high school career and was THE FIRST 4x UNDEFEATED NJ State Champion.
3. Mike Grey- The first 4x NJ State Champ gets the third spot for me. Mike set the standard for excellence and greatness and paved the way for Ashnault and the next guy on the list. With his only losses coming at the Beast of the East, Mike deserves to be in the Top 5.
4. Andrew Campolattano- As only the second wrestler to become a 4x NJ State Champion, like Mike, Andrews only loss came against a non-NJSIAA wrestler. Andrew was also a multi-Cadet and Junior National Champion in both Freestyle and Greco-Roman and continued the standard that was set years before him.
5. Mark Grey- What a testament to a great wrestling family. Mike, the first 4x NJ State Champion, John, a highly recognized youth coach who has done great things with wrestling in NJ and now, Mark a 4x Prep National Champion from Blair Academy. Like his brother Mike, Mark only had a couple of losses in his high school career, and all at the same tournament: the vaunted Walsh Ironman. Besides that, Mark had a dominating high school career in the Preps, as well as Cadet and Junior National Titles.
6. Chris Villalonga- You guys might start getting upset, but here is another NJ product from Little Falls, NJ who also wrestled with Mark at Blair Academy. Chris had an incredible high school career, touted as the No.1 overall recruit in his senior year of high school. Chris finished his high school career, just as Mark did, a 4x Prep National Champion. On top of that, Chris was a multiple Cadet and Junior Nationals All-American, a multi Beast of the East Champion, as well as a multi Walsh Ironman Champion.
7. John Giacche- Oh man, this kid gives me bad flashbacks. Another kid from Blair. This kid was my nightmare my senior season. I must have wrestled him about four times that season, 1996-1997, and if I remember correctly, there was no more than 5 points scored total in each of those matches. The last one being in my only trip to the finals of the Prep National Tournament with a 3-0 loss. Anyway, I have to give it up to John for being Blair’s first 4x National Prep Champion.
8. Scott Winston- 3x undefeated NJ State Champion. Junior Nationals Champion and multi-All-American. If it wasn’t for Scottie getting injured freshman year, we might have seen him become the first four-time NJ State Champion.
9. Cory Cooperman- I’m sorry, but yes, another Blair product. Who would have thought this 85lb eight grader would have gone on to accomplish what he did. A 4x National Prep Champion and what I would call The Original King of Funk, Cory deserves to be in this Top 10.
10. Travis Blasco- The last of the 4x champions of this list, from Blair Academy. The 4x National Prep Champion was a treat to watch wrestle. Tough, slick, technical. Travis accomplished what not many people have done.
The rest are in no particular order. All, one title shy of getting into this top ten which could have made for an interesting conversation.
• Darian Caldwell- 3x State Champion
• Damian Hahn- 3x State Champion
• Donny Pritzlaff- 3x State Champion
• Nick Francavilla- 3x State Champion
• Robert Deutsch- 3x State Champion
• Frank Molinaro- 3x State Champion
• Jimmy Lawson- 3x State Champion
• Frank Cagnina- 3x State Champion
• Mark Worthy- 3x State Champion
• James Lavalle- 3x State Champion
Labe Black- 3x State Champion
Omar Feliciano, State Insider
Although, I know a lot of wrestling and have been around NJ wrestling since I was seven years old, it is an honor for me to have a crack at the most talked about rankings in NJ, the all-time best wrestlers in NJ history.
Everyone has their own opinion, but I’m throwing a monkey wrench into this one. We have seen some really great ones come and go. We have seen some great ones make history and some just fall short.
What constitutes an all-time greatest list? For me and for these rankings, it will strictly be NJ wrestling. What is the monkey wrench I’m throwing in here? Sorry to say, I was a prep school wrestler at St. Benedict’s Prep, so I have to add ALL wrestlers from NJ, including, that’s right, the infamous, Blair Academy.
Are us prep schools on the same playing field as everyone else? Maybe not, but bottom line is, there are wrestlers who hail from NJ that have established themselves as some of the best that have ever come out of our great state. They were born and made in the Garden State, so for this reason, I cannot leave them out.
What are the criteria for this top 20? This list is populated by wrestlers with incredible, strictly high school statistics. No college records or stats. No International stats. Strictly, high school results. This makes for an interesting conversation. Wrestlers like our very own, 3x World/Olympic Champion, Jordan Burroughs, will be left off this list. Numerous, two-time state champions and National Prep Champions will be left off the list. This is a who’s who of NJ wrestling for the past 20 years, 1993-2013.
Geez, I was a freshman in 1993, that was a long time ago. So, without further delay and I know by now you are anticipating what this list is going to look like, enjoy my list and hope this creates an avenue for great conversation.
1. Steve Mocco- The 4x Prep National Champion and multi-Cadet and Junior National Champion gets the nod for me at the top spot. Steve had such a dominating high school career that I don’t know if anyone comes close to the way he just destroyed everyone who walked on the mat to challenge him. I remember watching Steve wrestle with us while in 8th grade, while at St. Benedict’s Prep. We had a scrimmage with a team from NY and Steve wrestled a High School Junior. This was my first glimpse of what Steve could and would do. Steve took this National Prep Runner-up into overtime, where he pulled out his patented foot sweep to win the match. And so the Mocco foot sweep was born.
2. Anthony Ashnault- The 4x undefeated NJ State Champion gets the second spot for me on this list. Although Anthony does not have the International Style accolades that Steve has, he still amounted an four year undefeated high school career and was THE FIRST 4x UNDEFEATED NJ State Champion.
3. Mike Grey- The first 4x NJ State Champ gets the third spot for me. Mike set the standard for excellence and greatness and paved the way for Ashnault and the next guy on the list. With his only losses coming at the Beast of the East, Mike deserves to be in the Top 5.
4. Andrew Campolattano- As only the second wrestler to become a 4x NJ State Champion, like Mike, Andrews only loss came against a non-NJSIAA wrestler. Andrew was also a multi-Cadet and Junior National Champion in both Freestyle and Greco-Roman and continued the standard that was set years before him.
5. Mark Grey- What a testament to a great wrestling family. Mike, the first 4x NJ State Champion, John, a highly recognized youth coach who has done great things with wrestling in NJ and now, Mark a 4x Prep National Champion from Blair Academy. Like his brother Mike, Mark only had a couple of losses in his high school career, and all at the same tournament: the vaunted Walsh Ironman. Besides that, Mark had a dominating high school career in the Preps, as well as Cadet and Junior National Titles.
6. Chris Villalonga- You guys might start getting upset, but here is another NJ product from Little Falls, NJ who also wrestled with Mark at Blair Academy. Chris had an incredible high school career, touted as the No.1 overall recruit in his senior year of high school. Chris finished his high school career, just as Mark did, a 4x Prep National Champion. On top of that, Chris was a multiple Cadet and Junior Nationals All-American, a multi Beast of the East Champion, as well as a multi Walsh Ironman Champion.
7. John Giacche- Oh man, this kid gives me bad flashbacks. Another kid from Blair. This kid was my nightmare my senior season. I must have wrestled him about four times that season, 1996-1997, and if I remember correctly, there was no more than 5 points scored total in each of those matches. The last one being in my only trip to the finals of the Prep National Tournament with a 3-0 loss. Anyway, I have to give it up to John for being Blair’s first 4x National Prep Champion.
8. Scott Winston- 3x undefeated NJ State Champion. Junior Nationals Champion and multi-All-American. If it wasn’t for Scottie getting injured freshman year, we might have seen him become the first four-time NJ State Champion.
9. Cory Cooperman- I’m sorry, but yes, another Blair product. Who would have thought this 85lb eight grader would have gone on to accomplish what he did. A 4x National Prep Champion and what I would call The Original King of Funk, Cory deserves to be in this Top 10.
10. Travis Blasco- The last of the 4x champions of this list, from Blair Academy. The 4x National Prep Champion was a treat to watch wrestle. Tough, slick, technical. Travis accomplished what not many people have done.
The rest are in no particular order. All, one title shy of getting into this top ten which could have made for an interesting conversation.
• Darian Caldwell- 3x State Champion
• Damian Hahn- 3x State Champion
• Donny Pritzlaff- 3x State Champion
• Nick Francavilla- 3x State Champion
• Robert Deutsch- 3x State Champion
• Frank Molinaro- 3x State Champion
• Jimmy Lawson- 3x State Champion
• Frank Cagnina- 3x State Champion
• Mark Worthy- 3x State Champion
• James Lavalle- 3x State Champion
Labe Black- 3x State Champion
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