NUTLEY, NJ — Nutley High School wrestlers Louis Della Volpe, Aidan Rotbaum, Carina Rivera and Michelle Gavilanes enjoyed exceptional efforts at the New Jersey State Interscholastic Athletic Association’s boys and girls wrestling state individual championships at Jim Whelan Boardwalk Hall in Atlantic City, Thursday to Saturday, March 6-8.
In the girls championships, Rivera won the eight-place medal in the 185-pound weight class.
In the seventh/eight-place bout, Riveral dropped a tough 4-3 decision to Rowan Waite, of Vernon Township, to finish her season with a 23-11 record.
Rivera had a great run. After winning in the first round, she was pinned in the quarterfinals against Paris Ford, of Rancocas Valley, in 38 seconds. Rivera then posted a 2-0 decision over Keyra Huastillan Reyes, of Hightstown, in the consolation first round, but lost to Brianna Sandoval, of Bound Brook, by pin in 5:29 in the consolation second round to move to the seventh/eight-place bout.
Gavilanes, a freshman competing at 138, went 0-2, losing both by pins in 5:12 in the first round and 4:51 in the consolation first round to finish 27-10.
In the boys championship, Della Volpe, a freshman, had a great run as well. Competing in the 150-pound weight class as the No. 21 seed, he lost a tough 4-3 decision to Sowzrawca Tsay, of Bergen Catholic, in the first round. Della Volpe then pinned Logan Kahrs, of Burlington Township, in 3:37 in the wrestlebacks first round. However, Della Volpe dropped a 5-1 decision to Charles Shaddow, of Ridgewood, in the wrestlebacks second round to finish his sensational year with a 37-5 record.
Rotbaum, a sophomore seeded No. 25 at 157 pounds, lost to Brendan Boyer, of Christian Brothers Academy, by pin in 5;03 in the first round. Rotbaum then won by medical forfeit over Dylan Jones, of Cranford, in the wrestlebacks first round, but lost to Riley Boos, of Delsea, by pin in 3:29 in the wrestlebacks second round to finish his season at 35-8.
The state championships consisted of the top-four finishers in each weight for the boys from the eight region tournaments and the top-three finishers in each weight class from the girls from the four region tournaments.
Della Volpe won the Essex County Tournament title on Jan. 23 at Essex County College in Newark. and was named the tournament’s Most Outstanding Wrestler.
The NHS boys team hosted the NJSIAA’s District 11 tournament on Feb. 22. The Raiders finished in second place overall with 183.5 points among the 10 schools. West Morris Central High School took first place with 204.5 points.
The Raiders boasted four champions, two second-place finishers and two third-place finishers.
The following are the NHS champions: sophomore Jack Finkelstein (113 pounds), sophomore Antonio Maiden (144 pounds), Della Volpe and Rotbaum.
Junior Christopher Cifelli (126) and sophomore Nolan Brewer (285) each took second place, while junior Sean Vilchez (190 pounds) and senior Damiano Farro (215) each took third place.
The eight NHS wrestlers advanced to the NJSIAA’s Region 3 tournament at West Orange High School, Feb. 28 and March 1.
Junior Adam Youssef (120) and senior Tyler Vonroth (175) each took fourth place for NHS at the district.
The NHS boys team featured five placewinners at the region tournament.
Della Volpe took second place in the 150-pound weight class and Rotbaum took fourth place in the 157-pound weight class.
Della Volpe, the No. 2 seed, decisioned No. 7 seed Joey Tantwai, of Hanover Park, 8-7, in the quarterfinals; and decisioned No. 6 Lukas Katsigiannis, of Pope John, 13-8, in the semifinals. In the final, Dellavolpe lost by technical fall to No. 1 seed Jayden James, of Delbarton, 21-6, in 1 minute, 43 seconds. Dellavolpe, who was the Most Outstanding Wrestler at the Essex County Tournament earlier this season, is now 36-3 on the season.
Rotbaum, the No. 6 seed, upset No. 3 Nando Ott, of Hanover Park, by pin in 5:36 in the quarterfinals, before losing to No. 2 Braydan Lombreglia, of Pope John, in the semifinals by a 15-0 technical fall in 1:41. Rotbaum then won by a 15-5 major decision over No. 5 seed Ben Latimer, of Caldwell, to reach the third-place bout, where he lost to No. 4 seed Dylan Jones, of Cranford, by an 18-14 decision. Rotbaum is now 34-6.
Maiden, the No. 5 seed, finished in fifth place in the 144-pound weight class after posting a 17-1 technical fall over No. 6 seed Christopher Taddeo, of Livingston, in 5:02. Maiden went 2-2 in the region and finished 34-4 on the season.
Finkelstein (113 pounds) and Cifelli (126) each finished in sixth place in their weight classes. Cifelli finished 30-11 and Finkelstein finished 29-11.
Meanwhile, Rivera finished in second place and Gavilanes finished in third place in their respective weight classes to lead the NHS girls team at the NJSIAA’s North 1 region tournament at Vernon High School on Feb. 23.
Rivera reached the finals in the 185-pound weight loss, where she lost to Kiana Alvarez, of Elmwood Park, via pin in 2:40. Gavilanes pinned Gigi Santana, of Lenape Valley, in 5:51 in the 138-pound third-place consolation.
The following NHS boys wrestlers earned All–Super Essex Conference–American Division honors, voted by the divisional coaches.
First Team
150 – Rotbaum.
157 – Della Volpe.
Second Team
113 – Finkelstein.
144 – Maiden.
190 – Vilchez.
285 – Brewer.
Honorable Mention
Evan Blanchard
Cifelli.
Photos Courtesy of Mike DiPiano Jr.
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