Pictured are members of the WOHS wrestling team. At center, wearing the gray shirt, is head coach Stephan Zichella.
WEST ORANGE, NJ – The 2017 wrestling season began tenuously for the West Orange High School Mountaineers, but they have found their stride, advancing to the semifinal team round of the North Jersey, Section 1, Group 5 state tournament with a win over Hackensack, 42-36, in the quarterfinal round on Monday night, Feb. 6.
“It was one of our best performances of our season,” said Head Coach Stephan Zichella.
“Upsetting Hackensack, the number four seed, by winning eight of the first nine bouts secured us the victory, and we improved our team record to 10-4.”
Indeed, the Mountaineers began the season at 1-3, but have won nine out of their last 10 matches and now stand overall at 10-4. They entered the tournament as fifth seed. They beat Demarest, 46-23, and moved on to defeat Hackensack.
They will face North Bergen on Feb. 8 in an away match beginning at 7 p.m.
“We’ll have our hands full when we play North Bergen, the number one seed,” noted Zichella, “but our guys should be up for the challenge. We’re wrestling our best and the boys have shown a great deal of improvement.”
Most notable is senior and team captain Victor Lopez, who improved his record to 23-1 and is one win away from tying WOHS alum Tommy Lorenzo’s record of 126 career wins in 2006. Lopez is currently wrestling at the 113- and 120-pound weight class.
“We’re peaking at the right time,” concluded Zichella.
About the Author
