Edison sending two wrestlers to state tourney
Francobandiero, Peterson going to Atlantic City this weekend
Mike Francobandiero and Jeff Peterson will represent the Edison High School wrestling team inAtlantic City this week as they compete for a state title. Francobandiero and Peterson advanced through Region 5 over the weekend at Hunterdon Central with first- and third-place finishes, respectively.

ERIC SUCAR staff Edison's Jeff Peterson (bottom) tries to break out of the hold of Sayreville's Pat Ronan (top) during their 125-pound bout at the Region V Wrestling Tournament held at the Hunterdon Central High School Fieldhouse, Flemington, on March 1.

For Francobandiero, this will be his third trip to Convention Hall in as many seasons. The 119-pound junior won his second Region 5 title after defeating Monroe's Sam Emburgia 5-2 in the finals. Francobandiero previously won a region title at 103 pounds, and last season he was a Region 5 runner-up.

"He did a good job over the weekend," Edison head coach Gerry Nisivoccia said. "He had a touch of bronchitis and pneumonia, and that made a difference in his performance. He wrestled a very tough semifinal match, and I think some spectators thought Mike was out of shape. That wasn't the case. He was battling through some illness."

Francobandiero's grudge match in the semifinals came againstMikeMoriarity of Voorhees. Francobandiero won 11-7.

"Mike had a tough road to the championship," Nisivoccia said. "He beat the 103- pound region champ fromlast year. I think it was the only final with two previous region champions. It was a top-notch match."

Against Emburgia, Francobandiero found it necessary to change his strategy and attack early.

"He had to compensate for his lung congestion and try to get ahead early," Nisivoccia said. "He paced himself really well and did an excellent job to weather through his illness."

Last year Francobandiero finished fifth in the state at 112 pounds. This year he could very well return to town with a state title under his belt.

For teammate Peterson, the 125-pound junior earned a trip south with a thrilling 7-6 victory in the third-place consolation match over Chris Kane of North Hunterdon. On Friday night, Peterson lost to Kane in another tight match. After registering a 14-10 win over Sayreville's Pat Ronan, Peterson set up a rematch of Friday's match.

"Jeff fought his way back by beating two opponents in the consolation rounds," Nisivoccia said. "He then wrestled Kane for the second time in two days. It was a great win for Jeff."

Unfortunately, teammate Ray De La Nunez just missed a trip to Atlantic City after a loss to Bishop Ahr's Derek Delacruz in the consolation finals for third place.

"Like Jeff, Ray battled back with two wins in the consolation rounds," Nisivoccia said. "Although he fell just short, I was very pleased with Ray. He came from nowhere with no varsity experience prior to this season and finished 34-7 on the year. Two of his seven losses were to Delacruz."

Just a sophomore, De La Nunez was one of four Edison grapplers who saw Region 5 action and will return to the lineup next season. Anthony Peterson at 103 pounds fell short of advancing but can take solace in the fact that he defeated Region 5 champion Connor Hayes of Old Bridge at the tournament. Senior Matt Aouyoumdjian at 189 pounds is the lone Region 5 competitor who will graduate this spring. Aouyoumdjian finished his senior season with 18 wins.