(Editor’s Note: This article has been updated with seedings for the North 1, Group 3 state sectional tournament that were announced on Tuesday morning.)

A common sight to see at a Pascack Valley wrestling match is a roar out of freshman 120-pounder Tyler Pizzi once he pins his opponent.

His holler is accompanied by the cheering of fans in attendance. Although he is a freshman, he has already asserted himself as one of the studs in the Indians lineup, as evidenced by his fifth-place finish in the Bergen County Tournament in December.

“Every time I go out on the mat, I expect myself to win,” Pizzi said.

Pizzi and fellow freshman Luke Petaccia, who wrestles at 145 pounds, have provided sparks in an otherwise veteran Pascack Valley lineup, as the Indians pursue their first-ever sectional title. PV (17-4) has qualified for the North 1, Group 3 state sectional tournament for the second straight year after an 11-year playoff absence.  The Indians tied with Sparta for the most number of power points, but lost the tiebreaker.  They are No. 2 seed and will face No. 7 Paramus in the first round on Monday.

Pizzi has burst onto the scene for Valley, and has proven himself time and time again at the varsity level. “[I] planned on coming into the season and dominating.”

Thus far, Pizzi has a 23-4 record and sealed the Indians’ 33-25 win over Westwood on Friday night with a 10-8 overtime victory over sophomore Cole Pfeufer. The two could see each other again in a few weeks at the District 1 Tournament.

This was the last bout of the night. With PV leading by five, the match depended on him staying off his back at the very least. He could have lost by a major decision, but as long as he did not get pinned, the Indians still would’ve been fine.

Coming into the match, Pizzi had his usual, aggressive game plan.

“I just wanted to score as many points as possible.” Pizzi said. “I didn’t want to keep it close the whole match. Obviously it [did end up being close], but I’ve got to make adjustments…I came through and I guess that’s all that matters.”

Pizzi is his own harshest critic because he says that even a close match that he wins isn’t good enough. He admits that when he doesn’t have a comfortable lead to wrestle with, he becomes a little worked up.

“I don’t think I got nervous. I just got a little bit frustrated with myself, and I think that was part of the reason it was so close.”

Pascack Valley coach Tom Gallione praised Pizzi after his win against Pfeufer.

“Tyler attacks on his feet right away,” Gallione said. “In that match he got his first takedown in what…10 seconds? Like boom, right to a double and he was able to get that two, which is huge.”

Pizzi himself said that he is always trying to be aggressive, and he always keeps the mindset of pushing the pace. His aggressive nature comes from his dad’s influence, who has taught him how to wrestle ever since he started.

“My dad, has always told me to go as hard as you can.” Pizzi said. “Keep scoring points, keep attacking, push the pace, I feel I’ve been doing it. It’s been working for me.”

With every experience comes growing pains. In PV’s 49-18 loss to Emerson-Park Ridge on Dec. 22, Pizzi faced stud Logan Mazzeo. While Pizzi lost this match 11-6, he came to a harsh realization.

“Yeah that was definitely a tough match,” Pizzi said. “I had a couple wins going in, and I think I was undefeated going into that match. I guess it was a reality check for me that I’m not just going to come into high school and beat everyone. I still have to work hard and beat good caliber kids if I want to keep doing well.”

Pizzi will only gain experience from continued wrestling and listening to his coaching staff. He has been a nice surprise for PV, and he has established himself as a cornerstone for the Indians over the next few seasons.  He has impressed teammates and coaches from the start, and he has big plans for the future.

“I’m definitely looking forward to Districts, Regions, and hopefully I’ll be in Atlantic City in the State Tournament in March. That’s my goal,” he said.

At his weight class in Districts, Pizzi’s biggest competition are High Point’s Brandon LaRue or Devin Flannery, Newton’s JoJo Lotruglio, and Pfeufer. PV was involved in a tri-meet against Newton on Saturday, where Pizzi got a preview of Lotruglio. Pizzi came out on top, 6-5.

It turns out that Pizzi was contemplating wrestling in another District altogether. He said he was considering Bergen Catholic, but rather decided he wanted to go to school closer to his home in River Vale.

“Obviously they have a good wrestling team. But, so do we,” Pizzi said. “And even though it’s not on that level, I like the crowd. Everybody comes down and supports us. It definitely helps me, helps my confidence. I’m definitely glad I came here, it’s probably the best decision I ever made.”

Meanwhile, Petaccia got a lot of extra playing time when Matt Beyer, who also started the year at 145, was out with an elbow injury. He has done better than expected, and he stands at an overall record of 17-5. With Beyer now apparently moving down to 138, Petaccia’s emergence has made the Indians even stronger in the middle of the lineup.

His strong suit is when he wrestles on top, where he has proven to be a force at the position. He can win matches by keeping his opponent from escaping.

“Luke is tough on top,” Gallione said. “It’s a little deceiving, he’s a little taller, a little lankier for 145, but he’s tough, strong on top. He’s got good hips, good ride.”

A learning experience for Petaccia came after his match against Westwood’s Chris Dugan. The bout went into overtime but Petaccia wasn’t able to win the match. Petaccia made the first move by lunging at Dugan, but Dugan was able to circle around and secure a takedown over Petaccia. Petaccia looked completely drained, but Gallione did not think that was the reason he lost.

“Yeah he was exhausted, but it’s a tough six minutes,” Gallione said. “Everybody who comes off that mat is exhausted. You’ve given everything you’ve got there, the other kid was probably just as tired. And sometimes I don’t know if it was as much stamina as it was that he got caught, he tried finishing it the way he tried finishing the first takedown by swinging the leg in coming around, and the kid kind of caught it coming. The kid expected it and was able to block it and then work out for his two. It was just a tough scramble situation and the kid came out on top in that situation.”

Gallione said that Petaccia “is very experienced for his age”, and that would go hand-in-hand to his fight against Westwood.

“Once you get into overtime I think a lot of people panic,” Gallione said. “They act like they got to get the first takedown, a takedown right away. But you have a minute, so you got to make sure the shots are good. And you know, I thought they did a good job of that. Tyler took a real good shot, was able to finish it. Luke was in on a good shot too, but Dugan was able to scramble and get the takedown. Luke wasn’t able to finish it, but he was still the right mindset in that situation. And for two freshmen in this type of match, that’s good poise to have.”

While Pizzi and Petaccia are both freshman, they are opposites in terms of the emotions they show during a match. Pizzi likes to give out a roar after a victory, while Petaccia stays cool and collected.

“I do feel pride in myself for winning, but I am always thinking about how I can do better and how I can improve,” Petaccia said. “I also keep my mood during the match because it can cost us team points and it can be consequential.”

Gallione and assistant coach Gary Beyer are not the only ones who are helping Petaccia improve. Alison Petaccia, Luke’s mom and Pascack Valley gymnastics coach, watches her son at his matches. He has the unusual situation where he’s in the same building all day as his mother, who is a science teacher at PV.

“It’s weird. It is kind of annoying at times, but it helps to have her there as motivation and someone to look up to, and to really keep me going,” Petaccia said. “Even when practices are hard, I’m tired, or when I want to eat from cutting weight, she is always there for me. So even though she’s in the school and it’s kind of weird, I am thankful she is there.”