WOHS heavyweight wrestler Betancor finishes fourth at State tourney

By Steve Carfagna
Staff Writer
Head coach Stephan Zichella couldn’t have been any more proud of the two West Orange High School varsity wrestlers who represented the Mountaineers March 5-7 in Atlantic City for the State championships.
And when it was all said and done, the varsity coach said he was quite pleased, to say the least, as sophomore Anthony Angelone was valiant in his lone performance, a first-round defeat, while junior heavyweight Emiliano Betancor went 4-2 in earning an impressive fourth-place finish.
“They were both great, they represented West Orange well and it’s scary to think that they’ll both be back,” he said of the two Boardwalk Hall participants.
Specifically, Zichella said Betancor’s achievements put him among only a selected few in WOHS wrestling history.
“I was really happy with his performance as Emo won his first match before losing in the quarterfinals to a kid who placed second. After that, he bounced back in impressive fashion, winning three straight matches before losing to Jonathan Slack of Warren Hills,” said the coach. “Against the cream of the crop, Emo was great for us this weekend, earning four victories and becoming only the second West Orange wrestler to have received a medal in AC.”
Betancor, who finished his season with a mark of 37-2, joins Tommy Lorenzo as the only other Mountaineer to make it to the podium. And, Lorenzo actually did it twice, placing fourth in 2006 and sixth in 2005.
“Emo’s goal was to receive a medal and he achieved that goal and he still has a year left,” Zichella said of the junior standout. In fact, according to Zichella, out of the top four finishers from the state, only one other wrestler aside from Betancor will return and that wrestler was the very same grappler who came in second place following his win over the WOHS stud in the quarterfinals.
As for Angelone, Zichella said the sophomore ran into some unfortunate luck.
“Anthony got a tough draw and in the first round he was forced to face TJ Shea of Bishop Eustace, who was 31-3 going into that match,” said the coach, noting Angelone’s efforts were noteworthy nevertheless. “Anthony wrestled to win and not to lose and he really hung in there.”
In the 10-6 decision, the West Orange coach said his wrestler was in the matchup until the very end.
“They got into a few scrambles and Anthony won his share, but he also lost his share as well, including one where he gave away a series of back points that proved costly,” described the coach. “Then trailing 8-6, Anthony tried a desperate move and wound up losing two more points, or otherwise, this match was as close as it gets.”
And being just a sophomore, Zichella said it’s safe to say that the expectations will be high for the current 10th-grader.
“Anthony has great things ahead of him,” said Zichella, adding the sophomore finished this season with a mark of 28-7.

SHP’s Calas, Mascola give good State efforts
Seton Hall Prep of West Orange’s two representatives at the State wrestling championships also gave good efforts.
Freshman 103-pound Brenden Calas, seeded fifth in the top bracket, defeated Chris Rosetti of Bloomfield, 3-2, in the preliminary round on Friday. Then in the pre-quarterfinals later in the night, Calas dislocated his elbow at 1:06 of the first period against John Hennelly of Delsea. As a result, Calas was forced out of the tournament.
Junior 125-pound Lou Mascola was the top seed in the bottom bracket and had a 31-0 record. In the pre-quarterfinals, Mascola defeated Dan Pak of Delran, 6-1.
In the quarterfinals on Saturday, Mascola lost to Delaware Valley’s Bobby Stevely, 7-3. Mascola then was eliminated in the wrestlebacks, losing to B.J. Clagon of Toms River South, 4-2, to finish his season with a 32-2 mark. Mascola’s career record is 107-9.
NJSIAA tournament at Boardwalk Hall, Atlantic City
March 5
Preliminary round
103: Brenden Calas, Seton Hall Prep, dec. Chris Rosetti, Bloomfield, 1-0.
171: TJ Shea, Bishop Eustace, dec. Anthony Angelone, West Orange, 10-6.
Pre-quarterfinals
103: John Hennelly, Delsea, won by injury default over Brenden Calas, Seton Hall Prep, 1:06.
125: Lou Mascola, Seton Hall Prep, dec. Dan Pak, Delran, 6-1.
HWT: Emiliano Betancor, West Orange, pin Greg Velasco, Keyport, 3:04.
March 6
Quarterfinals
125: Bobby Stevely, Delaware Valley, dec. Lou Mascola, Seton Hall Prep, 7-3.
HWT: Jack Delia, North Hunterdon, dec. Emiliano Betancor, West Orange, 7-5.
Wrestlebacks second round
125: B.J. Clagon, Toms River South, dec. Lou Mascola, Seton Hall Prep, 4-2.
HWT: Emiliano Betancor, West Orange, pin Ryan Moskwa, Perth Amboy, 1:27.
Wrestlebacks quarterfinals
HWT: Emiliano Betancor, West Orange, dec. Chaz Lear, Lower Cape May, 12-1.
Wrestlebacks semifinals
HWT: Emiliano Betancor, West Orange, dec. Brad Bormann, Hunterdon Central, 1-0.
March 7
Third-place consolation
HWT: Jon Slack, Warren Hills, pin Emiliano Betancor, West Orange, 4:56.