Wrestling: Bridgewater-Raritan's Miller clinches gold at Region IV
UNION - When Bridgewater-Raritan’s Van Miller was heading into an overtime period with the region title on the line, he couldn’t help but to think back to last year’s regional matchup.
Last year as a junior, Miller suffered a heartbreaking 6-4 defeat in sudden victory. And when he and Lewis Fernandes of Voorhees were tied at 2-2 with the 195-pound NJSIAA Region IV title on the line on Saturday at Union High School, the senior used his past defeat as motivation.
“The old me would have said, ‘Oh man I’m going to overtime again,’ but there was never a doubt in my mind,” Miller said. “There was no doubt that I was going to take him down in that first overtime period and be the region champ.”
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Miller earned the takedown and this time was on the right side of a sudden death victory as he defeated Fernandes 4-2 to clinch the first gold medal handed out at the regional tournament finals on Saturday.
After a slow-paced two first periods that left Miller trailing heading into the third period, the 6-foot senior became the aggressor and was able to score a takedown to give him a 2-1 lead. But Fernandes would tie it up midway through the final period to force an overtime.
“In the middle of the match I realized it was time to go,” Milller said. “Once I flipped the switch, I knew I’d be able to come out and get my hand raised.”
In the overtime period, Miller immediately shot and was able to score the takedown and clinch the elusive regional title that he’s been eying down since he was a freshman.
While everything went as planned for Miller on Saturday, the journey it took to get to this point was one he couldn’t have imagined.
At the start of the new year, Miller was told he’d be out of wrestling for 4-6 weeks due to an injury. For the senior, this was devastating news as he’d be returning from the injury right around the time districts were set to kickoff. With a month off, Miller used his free-time to get his mind right for his return.
“I wasn’t wrestling that good when I got injured,” he said. “Once I stepped back on the mat I felt like a new person. It just clicked and from then on, it was go time. That injury just fueled me and made me better.”
Despite his month-long absence, Miller was still rewarded a first-round bye and was able to clinch the District 16 title with a 7-4 decision win against Fernandes.
With two straight title clinching wins against the Voorhees 195-pounder, Miller is ready to take his exceptional wrestling and new perspective into Atlantic City for the state tournament.
“I don’t know when my last match of my career is going to be,” Miller said. “So I’m just going to go all out.”
Westfield freshman C.J. Composto clinches gold
Westfield’s C.J. Composto may be too young to realize what he just accomplished. Or maybe he has his eyes set on bigger things.
Composto pinned Larry Melchionda of Seton Hall Prep just 44 seconds into the first period to clinch the Region IV title in the 106-pound bracket. It’s a huge accomplishment for the freshman, but he’s already awaiting his trip to Atlantic City.
“I’m happy but I’m looking forward to next week already,” the freshman said. “That’s the goal, to hopefully get on the podium there. I can celebrate tonight, I’m off tomorrow but Monday it’s back to work.”
While Composto’s finals match ended quickly, it was still a fast-paced finals matchup. The two lightweights were intertwined on the floor and they spent the first 30 seconds flipping around with neither wrestling gaining the advantage.
Suddenly, Composto was able to turn one of that abrupt change of positions into an advantage.
“I got his wrist, put him on his back and put him in the arm-bar,” he said. “Right when I got his wrist I knew that he was going to get pinned.”
Despite Composto’s young age, the freshman is a tactical wrestler who pays attention to every detail while on the mat.
“There’s no point in learning a million moves,” Composto said. “You just got tweak stuff and focus on the details.”
Scotch Plains-Fanwood’s Sam Wustefeld wins title
Junior Sam Wustefield of Scotch Plains-Fanwood was the last wrestler to take the mat in the Region IV finals. While most of the stands were cleared out at this point of the afternoon, one section was filled with Raiders blue.
Wustefield did not disappoint his committed fans as he clinched the regional championship at 182 pounds with a 7-4 decision over Governor Livingston’s Turner Haddad.
“It was a goal of mine to win this year,” Wustefield said. “After wrestling all season and coming in as the first seed, I knew I could win it. I knew it was going to be tough but at the end of the day I did it - even though I wrestled last.”
In the finals, the two wrestlers took turns taking each other down in the first period. Wustfield was able to take a 3-2 lead with an escape following his takedown to close out the opening period. With a 3-2 advantage Wustefield was not able to keep the lead in the second period as Haddad was able to standup to tie it at 3-3.
With time winding down in the second period, Wustfield was able to take his opponent back right before the whistle blew. With a 5-3 advantage to start the final period, Wustfield earned two more points with a takedown and sealed his first region title.
“He’s a slick wrestler but I think I out-techniqued him and just used my athleticism,” Wustfield said. “I just tried to stay low and keep my hand on the mat. I kept him from shooting and I just stayed tough on bottom.”
With the region title, Wustfield and his dedicated fans will be making the trip down the shore feeling confident.
“Last year, it was all shock because it was my first time in states and it was a big arena,” he said. “But this year I plan on doing big things.”
FINALS
106: CJ Composto (Westfield) 33-3 won over Larry Melchionda (Seton Hall) 31-7 (Fall 1:16); 113: Mark Montgomery (Roselle Park) 35-1 wonover Anthony Capece (Cranford) 26-3 (Dec 1-0); 120: Michael Kelly (St. Peter's Prep) 20-2 won over Joe Heilmann (So. Plainfield) 39-1 (Dec 3-0); 126: RHISE ROYSTER (Rahway) 32-0 won over Jake Giordano (So. Plainfield) 38-3 (Dec 3-2); 132: Chris Scorese (Cranford) 33-1 won over Christopher Fuschetto (A.L. Johnson) 38-3 (Dec 3-1); 138: Bob Dinger (Middlesex/Dunellen) 40-3 won over Tom Digiovanni (Cranford) 33-3 (MD 11-3); 145: Nicholas Santos (St. Peter's Prep) 30-5 won in sudden victory - 1 over Jeff Johnson (Middlesex/Dunellen) 40-2 (SV-1 4-2); 152: TJ Calas (Seton Hall) 33-1 won over Nick Zuena (Union) 34-3 (Dec 5-0); 160: Marquan Payne (Woodbridge) 36-5 won over Michael Fernandes (Voorhees) 39-1 (Dec 4-3); 170: Bryan Mclaughlin (Woodbridge) 40-1 won over Aidan Monteverdi (Seton Hall) 36-1 (MD 9-1); 182: Sam Wustefeld (Scotch Plains-Fanwood) 38-3 won over Turner Haddad (Governor Livingston) 32-4 (Dec 7-4);195: Van Miller (Bridgewater-Raritan) 21-1 won in sudden victory - 1 over Lewis Fernandes (Voorhees) 32-9 (SV-1 4-2); 220: Zach Delvecchio (So. Plainfield) 40-1 won in sudden victory - 2 over Farhan Khan (Carteret) 33-2 (SV-2 2-1); 285: Alex Esposito (Cranford) 29-0 won over Alexander Lagrippo (Woodbridge) 36-6 (Dec 3-0).