Frayne, Rizzuto, Campanaro, Hare Shine in Tough Start for WMC

3/21/21 by David Yaskulka

Undermanned and under-aged, the Wolfpack wrestling squad went 0-3 to start the season, despite strong individual performances from Henry Frayne, Sam Rizzuto, Michael Campanaro, Michael Hare and more.

Perhaps the week’s strongest performance was delivered by Marisa DiPaola, personally launching the Wolfpack into the world of NJSIAA Girls Wrestling. The WMC fencing team captain pinned her way to the BCWA Girls Wrestling Invitational finals on Sunday. According to Coach Ken Rossi, DiPaola was previously unavailable to compete when fencing and wrestling seasons were concurrent. Now, “she is showing she is capable,” with the impressive silver medal performance.

For the boys, Frayne (220 lbs., ranked #61 by RankWrestlers.com), Rizzuto (126, #98), Campanaro (120, #35) and Hare (106, #27) each went 2-1 on the week, falling only to top-rated wrestlers from Delbarton.

Frayne’s performances caught Rossi’s eye. “He opened the season with a hard-fought win, lost to Delbarton’s state champ PJ Casale, then recorded a fall vs. Newton. “Henry has moved up to 220 and moves well and has put on good size. He has been doing the work to qualify for regions and win some matches.”

Rossi also noted that junior Malachi Shepard (138, #52) and sophomore Campanaro, were named team captains, despite their relative youth. Both however are highly accomplished returning state qualifiers.

WMC Drops Heartbreaker to Morris Hills 37-34

Despite winning six of the 10 bouts wrestled, WMC fell 37-34 to a solid Morris Hills squad Tuesday night 3/16.

Freshman Rizzuto announced his arrival by pinning one of MH’s top returning wrestlers, senior Andrew Zuzzio at 3:12. Zuzzio was 14-6 last season, and came in ranked #123. Rizzuto cracked the top-100 in his first ranking.

Three other WMC freshmen stepped into the starting lineup with solid results. Garret Crisp (145) dropped a major to senior Joe Recto, a top-100 wrestler. Two freshmen cracked the starting lineup in the upper weights where seniors and juniors dominate -- Patrick Stetz (195) denying bonus points to his opponent, and Bryce Cammarata (182) winning his first match by forfeit.

Captains Campanaro and Shepard were rock solid in their season debuts. Shepard bested MH’s top wrestler 6-4, and Campanaro pinned his opponent in a flabbergasting 10 seconds of wrestling.

Frayne (220, #87) won handily, 8-2.

Fellow junior region qualifier Michael Ferrante (113, #31) was also impressive, dominating a 20-win junior with a 14-5 major victory, earning him the #31 ranking.

Last year’s “15th man of the year” Hare announced his debut as a full-time starter with a dominating first period pin. His impressive first week earned him the highest initial state ranking on the team, followed closely by fellow “Michaels” Ferrante and Campanaro.

Indicative of a most unusual year, WMC forfeited at 152, 160 and 170. WMC could not make up for the net 12 points lost after accepting one forfeit.

The Wolfpack was predictably strong down low, winning five of six bouts through 138 by a combined 25-6 score. But Frayne, a sophomore at an upperclassmen-dominated weight, was the Pack’s only other wrestled win.

Newton Rides Early Win Streak to 55-22 Victory over Pack

On 3/20, Newton started the bout by rolling out two top-10 wrestlers, JoJo Lotruglio and Nathan Fitt, who began an eight-bout winning string (including two forfeits), from which the Wolfpack could not recover. The Wolfpack dominated the rest of the way, with pins from Frayne, Hare and Rizzuto. Campanaro majored one of Newton’s best, #67 ranked senior Danny Cleary.

Junior Kevin Moore (285, #286) contributed, avoiding giving up bonus points.

#1 Delbarton Dominates 72-6

The defending champion and #1 ranked team in New Jersey steamrolled over WMC on 3/18, winning every bout wrestled. Only Shepard, Hare and Ferrante avoided pinfalls. Based on RankWrestlers.com, Delbarton, which recruits the best wrestlers from across New Jersey, predicts to have five state finalists, seven on the podium, and 12 state qualifiers. They’ll likely be one of the nation’s top ranked teams. Moore picked up the Pack’s only win, by forfeit.

“We graduated a lot of seniors after my first two seasons as head coach and we began rebuilding to the recent success that we have had,” said Rossi. “We are young again, but the guys are eager to learn and hungry to perform at a high level. It has been fun focusing on basics with the newer wrestlers and ramping up the season for the wrestlers that have State Tournament aspirations.”

Next Up

While the schedule could be open to change, the team was scheduled to take on state-ranked Mt. Olive 3/23, and Montville 3/25. Next up is 3/27 @ Pope John, 3/30 @ Sparta, 4/1 @ High Point, 4/3 at Roxbury, 4/10 at Warren Hills, and 4/12 at Mendham.

Contributing writer David Yaskulka’s day job is CEO of Nature’s Logic 100% Natural pet food. He’s also Board Chair of Greater Good Charities, and a Pet Sustainability Coalition Board member.