Can valley wrestling build off of last year’s success?
Captain Drew Petaccia works for the pin in his match against Teaneck last year. Check out the newcomers as well as the key returners.
Coach: Steven Schneider (1st year) and Gary Beyer (15 year head coach 1980’s-2001. Assist. Head Coach for Gallione for 6 years.)
Last year’s record: 8-2
Key Returners:
Seniors: Captain Noah Martin, Captain Drew Petaccia, Nick Savariego, Justin Amato, Conor McKenna, Avi Weiss, Joey Lamparillo, and Ryan Friend
Juniors: Ray Kohan, Nate Lewis, Ryan Carlson, and Alex Falkoff
Underclassmen: Johnny Allmers, Matt Bainbridge, and Antonio Cedeño
Key Losses (specifically last year players who graduated): 10 seniors graduated last year, two were state qualifiers (Luke Petaccia and Tyler Pizzi). Key varsity starters (Joe Duffy, Peyton Chang, BJ McGrane, Ryan Dunn, Danny Finch, and Jace Macfie).
Strength and Weakness of team: “We graduated 10 seniors including 2 state qualifiers, so [there are] some big shoes to fill,” Coach Steven Schneider said. “[Our] strengths would be that we have a bunch of experienced [wrestlers] and good strong wrestlers to fill the gaps.”
Outlook on the season: “We have had a strong JV team the last couple years and have guys who are ready and excited to fill those spots,” Schneider said.
