St. Peter's Prep Overwhelms Bergen Catholic in Wrestling Showdown

photo by: Marco Morales

In what was anticipated to be a nail-biter between two of New Jersey's top wrestling teams, St. Peter's Prep Marauders asserted their dominance with a series of stunning victories over Bergen Catholic. The competition saw the Marauders not just winning, but securing their triumphs with an impressive number of pins against their formidable rivals.

The meet opened with the 157-pound match, where Ryan Ford of Bergen Catholic eked out a narrow 1-0 decision over Max Nevlin, giving Bergen an early lead in the team score with 3 points. However, this would be one of the few moments the Crusaders led on the scoreboard.

Joseph Ruiz of St. Peter's Prep quickly shifted the energy, securing a pin at 3:38 in the 165-pound class, which not only leveled the team scores but also provided an essential morale boost for the Marauders. Anthony Verdi followed suit at 175 pounds, with another pin at 3:08, propelling St. Peter's Prep into the lead with a score of 12 to Bergen Catholic's 3.

As the matches progressed, Pantaleo Varga at 190 pounds didn't settle for a mere win; he dominated with a major decision of 10-2, widening the gap in the team score to 7-12 in favor of the Marauders. St. Peter's Prep's momentum seemed unstoppable.

The Marauders continued their relentless pursuit of victory with Anthony Harris at 215 pounds, pinning his opponent in 3:20, which pushed the score to 18-7. Benjamin Shue then secured another pin for Bergen Catholic at 285 pounds, making it a closer 13-18, but this was a brief respite for Bergen Catholic before St. Peter's Prep's onslaught continued.

John Barron, at 106 pounds, delivered an astonishing performance, pinning his adversary in just 55 seconds, followed by Salvatore Borrometi at 113 pounds who needed only 15 seconds to pin his opponent, catapulting the Marauders to a commanding 30-13 lead.

Laudan Henry and Anthony Borrometi didn't relent in the 126 and 132-pound classes, with pins and decisions respectively, bringing the score to an impressive 42-13 for the Marauders. Giovanni Schinina and Josh Piparo continued to rack up points with tight decisions and a major decision, making it a daunting 52-13.

The final tally highlighted the Marauders' superiority on this day, but the competition was a spectacle of high school wrestling at its finest. St. Peter's picks up the first win over the Crusaders in over a decade and do it in impressive fashion.