WEST ORANGE, NJ – The West Orange High School varsity wrestling team hosted the inaugural Sam Cali “Battle for the Belt” Wrestling Invitational last Saturday and Sunday, Jan. 13-14.
The Mountaineers enjoyed a good showing. Senior 182-pound Sebastian Rawls and 195-pound Noah Tandy each earned a medal. Rawls placed fifth, going 4-1 on the weekend, while Tandy went 3-2.
“We wrestled well,” WOHS head coach Stephan Zichella said. “It’s one of the toughest tournaments in Jersey this year. I’m pleased with our effort.”
The Mountaineers had a 9-2 dual-meet record this season entering this week. “We are tough up top (upperweights) and we have some talented wrestlers throughout our lineup.”
West Orange hopes to have a strong showing at the Essex County Tournament, Jan. 18-19, at Richard J. Codey Arena at 4 p.m. and 5 p.m. respectively.
Below is WOHS lineup going into counties:
- 106-pound freshman Noah Foster has two wins on the season in his first year of wrestling.
- 113-pound sophomore Daniel Neil has eight wins this season.
- 120-pound junior James Benjamin is a Dover Holiday champion and has a 12-4 record this season.
- 126-pound junior Edgar Moreno is a returning ECT champion and has an impressive 14-4 record this season.
- 132-pound junior Morriel Kasher has seven wins on the season.
- 138-pound freshman Dorian Rawls has four wins this season.
- 145-pound sophomore Michael Charles has six wins this season. He also is a returning District third-place winner.
- 152-pound junior Nunzio Castaldo has a .500 winning percentage.
- 160-pound junior Colin Morgan is 16-4 after missing last year with an injury. He is having a great first half of the season, Zichella said.
- 170-pound junior Andrew Amoyaw.
- 182-pound senior captain Sebastian Rawls is 16-3 with some impressive finishes in all three of the team’s tournaments.
- 195-pound senior Noah Tandy is a returning Essex County champion. He boasts an impressive 14-5 record.
- 220-pound senior Jordan Delvalle is 13-6 this season.
- 285-pound senior Tyler Eatman has eight wins on the year
“We are improving with every week,” Zichella said. “The Essex County Wrestling Tournament is one of my favorites. Going in this year, we are hoping to place amongst the top 3. Seton Hall Prep and Caldwell are very strong. We have goals of beating our seeds.”
Zichella cited the highlights of the season so far. The team boasted four Dover Holiday champions, and had a strong showing in the Walter Woods Tournament, in addition to the Sam Cali Battle for the Belt. “In our home opening dual meet, we upset West Essex in a thriller that ended with a tie score. The eventual deciding criteria was most first points scored. We scored first in eight of the 14 bouts, which gave us an additional team point and the win.”
WOHS also is 5-0 in Super Essex Conference-American Division competition.
NOTES – The Sam Cali Battle for the Belt Invitational is in the memory and honor of Sam Cali, a former Rutgers University wrestler who tragically passed away during the summer of 2016. The tournament is run by the Samuel D.J. Cali Foundation, a 501 (c)3 Non-Profit organization.
Cali was redshirted as a true freshman in 2015-16 after competing in three events for the Scarlet Knights – the National Collegiate Open, the Wilkes University Open and the Nittany Lion Open. A two-time district champion and NJSIAA placewinner at Don Bosco Prep, Cali tallied an 89-28 record throughout his high school career. He placed fourth at the Beast of the East and third at the NJSIAA State Championships at 132 pounds as a senior.
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