John Arancio didn’t have time to think about anything. All he knew was he had to get some points for River Dell on Monday night.
Trailing Mahwah’s Edwin Diaz by three late in the third period at 135 pounds, the sophomore took down Diaz and turned him in one move to pin in 5:44. It was the first of three straight wins that turned the match for the fourth-seeded Golden Hawks as they held off No. 5 Mahwah, 40-24, in the first round of the North 1, Group 2 wrestling tournament.
River Dell (17-2) will face top-seeded West Essex on Wednesday in the sectional semifinal.
“I just needed to get a score,” Arancio said. “This is so big.’’
With Mahwah’s “Murderer’s Row” looming from 160 through 285, the Hawks went into the match knowing they had to pack on as many points as possible through the middleweights if they hoped to get a repeat of their victory over the Thunderbirds last month. Mahwah (13-4) wrestled without unbeaten Ryan Sblendorio at 160 in the first meeting.
Arancio’s pin gave River Dell a 19-0 lead through the first four bouts and was followed by a 14-7 victory from Tyler Kallensee at 140 and a 5-4 win from Zach Deckler at 145 as the Hawks opened a 28-0 lead through 152. Arancio had won his bout by a point the first time around and Kallensee lost in overtime; both had faced different opponents.
As expected, Mahwah came roaring back in the upperweights on pins by Sblendorio (160) and Dave Heitman (215) and a forfeit win for Cody Mann (285). But River Dell’s Ricky Rizzo held Ryan Walker to a 9-3 decision at 171 and Lenny Smith battled Luke Pragdat before falling, 11-5, at 189. It kept the bonus points to a minimum while maintaining a 28-24 lead for River Dell with two bouts remaining.
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