Wrestling playoff preview: PV at River Dell
Indians look to avenge early-season defeat in North 1, Group 3 quarterfinals
Who: No. 5 Pascack Valley (14-6) at No. 4 River Dell (15-3)
What: North 1, Group 3 sectional quarterfinal
Where: River Dell High School, Oradell
When: Monday, 7 p.m.
Coaches: Tom Gallione (11th season), Pascack Valley; Mike Tota (17th season), River Dell
Series History: The Golden Hawks topped PV 41-23 on Jan. 6 and also claimed a pair of victories against the Indians last season by scores of 41-23 and 34-16. While the two teams did not face each other in the 2014-2015 season, the Indians also lost to the Golden Hawks in the 2013-2014 season by a score of 51-22. And for good measure, throw in a 49-18 Golden Hawks victory in the 2012-2013 season and the Indians are looking at five straight losses against the Oradell-based high school.
Possible matchups
(Note: Pascack Valley Wrestlers listed first)
106 — So. Bradley Zirlin vs. Fr. Jared Wagriech
113 — So. Jake Averna vs. Sr. Kyle Taibot
120 — Fr. James Allmers or Jr. Robbie Natelli vs. Sr. Jotaro Kurachi
126 — Jr. Nolan Shields vs. Jr. Chris Kazianis
132 — So. Matt Beyer vs. Sr. James Polemeni
138 — So. Tommy Chiellini vs. Sr. Brian Meeth
145 — So. Stephen Soravilla vs. Jr. Paul Kallensee
152 — Jr. Jake Prusha vs. Sr. Ross Goodman
160 — Jr. Will Morris vs. Jr. Rich Gneiding
170 — Jr. George Dvoynos vs. Sr. David Solinas
182 — So. Jack Tsokanos or Jr. Casey Lewis vs. So. Hiyuma Nagai
195 — So. Zach Olsen or Jr. Casey Lewis vs. Sr. Patrick Rizzo
220 — Jr. Anthony Romana vs. Sr. Andreas Harilaou
285 — So. Mitchell Soretta or So. Matt Kalil vs. So. Declan Rolle
Notes: Excitement has been building at PV, which has qualified for the team playoffs for the first time in 11 years. Recent question marks for PV have included Beyer, Averna, and senior Rob Arloro (145). Arloro weighed in before Friday’s 38-30 loss to Old Tappan, but he hasn’t wrestled in a couple weeks, and the guess here is that he won’t Monday, either. If he did, it would be a huge boost. Beyer, The Smoke Signal’s reigning Athlete of the Week who has lost just once all season, is the core of the PV wrestling team, but he is battling a concussion and missed the Old Tappan match. The Indians will need him in this one. Averna missed the Old Tappan match with an injury, and his status is unclear for Monday.
Here are six keys that could lead to a PV victory.
- Beyer and Chiellini, who has provided a huge lift for the team since becoming eligible in mid-January, could be huge factors in getting their team an extra five or six points and need to pick up bonus.
- Until recently, the Indians gave away lots of points up top for most of the year, but Romana’s return has been huge. Don’t be surprised if PV pulls the same move that helped it nearly pull off the upset against Old Tappan — put Dvoynos and Tsakanos at 170 and 182, respectively, and slide Lewis up to 195 before Romano goes at 215 and Soretta at 285.
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- It is crucial that Beyer suits up. Beyer could get a technical fall or a pin, which adds at least 5 points for the Indians.
- The Indians did not have Lewis the last time these two teams met. His presence gives added flexibility, as pointed out above.
- Natelli’s match will probably end up being crucial when deciding the final outcome. Natelli has yet another chance to wrestle Kurachi, and will most likely do so if Beyer is ready to go. In his bout on Jan. 6, Natelli beat Kurachi via a 5-3 decision. However, during the 2015-2016 season, Natelli lost to Kurachi twice in dual meets by scores of 6-2 and 4-3. Whether Natelli faces Kurachi or Kazianis, he will have a hard matchup, and he might need to win it for PV to come out on top.
- Averna is battling an injury as of now, and it is not clear that he’ll suit up. Even though Averna lost to River Dell’s Kyle Taibot last time, he would stand a better chance than freshman Griffin Arsis, who wrestled in his first varsity match this past Friday. If Averna were to wrestle the bout, he could very well save two or three points for Valley.
With all that was said, PV looks like it’s able to add at most 12 points to their previous dual match total of 23 against River Dell, supposedly putting it at 35. If Lewis and Romana can either win or both lose with a regular decision, that subtracts at least 6 points from River Dell’s total of 41, also putting it at 35. Practically speaking, not all of that will happen. When everything plays out, each bout will not work out exactly the way the team plans it to. At the end of the night, PV might end up falling just short.
Prediction: 29-28 River Dell
Be sure to keep tabs on our “PV Mats” wrestling blog as the Indians continue their journey this season.
