Tuesday, February 7, 2012

By Rich Barton
NJS.com Staff Writer

Aaron Millan rallied from a four-point deficit to earn a decision and set up Clifton's 35-19 win over over fifth-seeded Ridgewood in the opening round of the North 1, Group 4 state tournament.

CLIFTON – When Clifton and Ridgewood met last month, the two wrestling teams were just about as evenly matched as possible. The regular season match was tied at 28 after 14 bouts and the winner was not decided until the sixth criteria before Clifton was awarded the victory. There was no better lesson that could be taught about how every point in each individual match is equally as important toward achieving a team goal. How well the Mustangs applied that lesson came on Monday night when Ridgewood came into town again for the first round of North 1, Group 4 state sectional tournament.
 
Clifton won the first five matches of the bout, four of those by only a combined seven points, to take a commanding lead. Ridgewood closed to within four before 145-pounder Aaron Millan rallied from a four-point deficit to earn a decision and get fourth-seeded Clifton back on track toward a 35-19 triumph over fifth-seeded Ridgewood at Clifton High School.
 
“We knew the first time around what a tough team they were and we were even better prepared this time,” said Millan.
 
Clifton got off to a hot start thanks in large part to back-to-back victories inside the final 30 seconds of the third period in the upper weights. After David Kowalczyk opened the match with a 5-2 decision and Clifton’s Kevin Martinez was down 7-6 with just seven seconds remaining in the bout before taking down Andrew Morag for an 8-7 win. At 285 pounds, it was a similar result as Edgar Ordonez scored two points on a reversal with 26 seconds left and held on for a 4-3 win.

Ridgewood's Justin Gramaglia earned a major decision at 138.

“Those were two huge decisions and that’s a swing of 12 points right there,” said Ridgewood head coach Torre Watson. “If we win those matches, it would have given us some momentum. But we didn’t win them and we ended up trying to fight back from behind all night.”
 
After a tech fall by Joseph Routis at 106 and a workman-like 4-2 win from Jean DuBois at 113, the Mustangs held a 17-0 lead. Ridgewood answered back with wins from their top two grapplers, 120-pound Joe Oliva and Brandon Giovanetti at 132 along with a major decision from Justin Gramaglia to cut the lead down to 20-16.
 
It appeared the Maroons would cut into that deficit even further when 145-pounder Aaron Martinez scored on a reversal early in the second period to take an 8-4 lead. Millan, who nearly got pinned in the first period, knew he was in trouble but took a chance most other wrestlers would not. His headlock from a defensive position allowed him to score two points for a reversal and then he picked up three back points to grab the lead. Millan scored the final nine points of the match to win 13-8 and help stop the bleeding for Clifton, which took a 23-16.
 
“I was sloppy in the first period and I had to clean that up,” said Millan. “I like to try some things and feel out my opponent and he caught me a few times. But I started to pick up on what he liked to do and that helped me for the rest of the match. I never even looked up at the clock; I just tried to score as many points as I possibly could. Whatever I had to do for the team, that’s what I was going to do.”

Joseph Routis Clifton will next face West Orange in the sectional semifinals.

After a hard-fought decision by Steven Naideck, 160-pounder James Sonzagni closed out the match for Clifton with a pin in 1:19. It was the Mustangs’ only pin of the match. Anthony DePasque scored a decision and Jeremy Soto won the final bout of the night at 182 pounds for Clifton (15-2). Ridgewood (10-9) got a 6-1 decision from Ibrahim Saliba at 171 pounds.
 
Clifton now moves on to face top-seeded West Orange on Wednesday night. While beating the Mountainteers in their own gym is a large task, the Mustangs feel they are up to the challenge in what is considered the most wide-open section in North Jersey.
 
“We have nothing to lose, so why not just leave it all out there on the mat?” added Millan. “There is always pressure when you wrestle anyone. But the pressure is mostly going to be on (West Orange) because they are the number one seed and they are supposed to win. We’re the underdogs and we have nothing to lose. It’s a good position to be in.”

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