McCauley, Delacruz pace Trojans to third-place finish
BY SHAWN LAYTON Staff Writer
Led by JoeMcCauley,District 19'sMost OutstandingWrestler, the BishopAhr High School wrestling team finished in third place behind champions Perth Amboy and runner-up J.P. Stevens over the weekend.

McCauley was voted Most Outstanding Wrestler by District 19 coaches after his dominant performance in the finals against Stevens' Jesse Sattler. McCauley, the tournament's No. 1 seed at 145 pounds, needed just 55 seconds to pin Sattler.

"I think he looked really good in the finals, and that's what earned him the Most Outstanding Wrestler award," Bishop Ahr head coachNick Tonzola said. "The expectation is for Joe to return toAtlantic City."

Last yearMcCauley settled for a secondplace finish at District 19 before going on to win Region 5 and placing seventh at the state tournament at Convention Hall in Atlantic City.

"He looked good, and nowis the time you need to look good," Tonzola said. "He's focusing on his strategy and wrestling really well right now."

McCauley was one of six Bishop Ahr grapplers to advance to thisweek's Region 5 Tournament. Teammate Derek Delacruz was the other District 19 champion thanks to his 4-0 victory over Perth Amboy's Jairo Bernal in the 112 pound finals. Just a sophomore, Delacruz is making his second straight trip to regional action.

"Derek is now 32-2 on the season and continuing his incredible year," Tonzola said. "He was our county champion earlier this year, and he has the potential tomake some noise this week at Hunterdon Central. He wrestled a smartmatch in the finals against a very good opponent."

The Trojans' Justin Thiele and Anthony Respa pulled off upsets over their respective opponents from JFK to earn second-place finishes and advance to Region 5. Thiele knocked off Kennedy's Pete Buttitta while Respa earned a victory over Kennedy's Joe Creighton. Creighton would eventually bounce back fromthe defeat and advance to the regions with a third-place finish.

"Both Justin and Anthony's wins came within 15 minutes of each other," Tonzola said. "It was definitely an exciting little stretch for us. Justin beat a kid who came into the district tournament 29-3 on the year, while Anthony knocked off a No. 2 seed."

For Thiele, this will be his second trip to Region 5. Last year he fell just short of a trip to Atlantic City with a fourth-place finish. This will be the first trip for senior Respa.

"I was very happy for Anthony," Tonzola said. "He's been the heart and soul of this team, and tome,Anthony and Justin's wins were not upsets. They work too hard to call it upsets."

Bishop Ahr's Mike Pyzniak (119) and Jake Edelman (189) qualified for Region 5 actionwith third-place finishes. Pyzniak just missed a trip last seasonwith a fourth-place finish atDistrict 19 but earned his place this year with a win over Andrew Chen of J.P. Stevens in the consolation match.

Edelman advanced with a pin over his opponent fromPiscataway in the consolation round. The senior is making his first trip to Region 5.

"All of the hard work Jake has put in the last four years is what earned him this trip to the regions," Tonzola said. "I'm proud of himand all of the guys on this year's team."