Wrestling: Summit's De La Cruz continues success after leaving Bound Brook

UNION TOWNSHIP (UNION) – Senior 132-pounder Craig De La Cruz has picked up from where he left off last season. He is unbeaten and focused on winning a third state championship.

But now he does the winning in the gold and crimson singlet of Summit High instead of the red and white of Bound Brook; he now lives in Summit with his Uncle Phil and Aunt Lynn Angelo (who De La Cruz's mother, Melissa, said are Craig's legal guardians) and cousins instead of Dunellen. He advanced to his fourth county championship Saturday in Union County after winning three Somerset titles while at Bound Brook.

His decision to leave Bound Brook last summer after winning his second state title last season has been the fodder for the bloggers, anonymous Internet posters, and anybody else with an opinion. He finds it humorous that coaches once reluctant to share any unhappiness with Bound Brook's advantage as a school of choice program speak freely to him now.

"I love everyone at Bound Brook; I liked it down there and the wrestling atmosphere there, they helped me find my way to two state titles and everything, but I needed to focus on my grades and I couldn't do that at Bound Brook,'' said De La Cruz, who was a school of choice student at Bound Brook.

De La Cruz knows anything he says will be looked at as a jab at his old school, but has nothing but praise for his former teammates – like his good friend – Crusader senior Andrew Gombas - and Bound Brook head coach Shaun Cleary and assistant Bobby Doerr.

"I just think it was better for me and I thought it was time for me to go my separate way,'' said De La Cruz. "I just knew I had to do something after my junior year.''

Whether or not the move to Summit will stop him from winning another state title remains to be seen. The Bound Brook room is deep with talent and ultra competitive. Summit is developing as a program with head coach Anthony Ferrante and assistant coach John Liberato. De La Cruz looked sharp a week ago Saturday, moving up to 152 pounds to beat Edison's Billy Povalac 7-1. Povalac was a state placewinner last year.

"I'm putting up some points on the board, finally opening up,'' said De La Cruz.

He is getting his work outside the room with rivals like Don Bosco's Kyle Bierdumpfel, who De La Cruz beat 3-2 in a tiebreaker to win the state 126-pound title last March 7. That was after beating Monroe's Sal Profaci and Hackensack's Taylor Shaw the day before in sudden victory in the state semis and quarterfinals respectively. As a sophomore, De La Cruz beat Seton Hall Prep's returning state champ Brendan Calas 3-1 in sudden victory to take the 120-pound state title. De La Cruz, fourth at the state as a freshman 106-pounder, has always seemed to feel right at home on the biggest of New Jersey's wrestling stages in tight spots.

De La Cruz has been monitoring the progress of his old Region V rivals, including Monroe's Sal Profaci. "Maybe I'll see Sal in the finals this year,'' said De La Cruz.

Ferrante believes De La Cruz' competitive nature and ability to perform in a big spot will get him a third title.

"I think he is hungry enough for that third state title and he is going to train and he has been,'' said Ferrante, a health and physical education teacher at Summit, who wrestled at Scotch Plains-Fanwood.

"I don't think he's losing any edge, I think it's a nice change for him,'' added Ferrante. "He is working for his third state title, he likes excitement and I think we'll see some excitement come March.''

"Younger kids can look up to him, and everybody gets everybody better and there is a lot of room for improvement in our room and the good guys in our room help with that,'' said Ferrante.

"He's doing a nice job, working hard, good for the program as well,'' added Ferrante. "He's doing excellent in school and he has taken some of the younger guys under his wings, not just from a wrestling point of view, but from overall.''

De La Cruz is happy, said he's improved his grades and has become a mentor inside the Hilltoppers' room. He has made an official visit to the University of Oklahoma and may be offered a scholarship very soon.

"I loved it out there,'' said De La Cruz. "As soon as I took the visit out there I fell in love with the place and coach (Mark) Cody is a great guy and makes it fun.''