The Pascack Valley wrestling team finally beat Pascack Hills for the first time in the past three years, proving that the Indians are on the rise.

Arguably the biggest win for the team this past season was a 33-27 win over the Cowboys on Feb. 5. This was big news for the school, as the Indians had gone cold against their sister school in the recent past.

“It was a big win, since we lost to them the past three years,” said PV coach Tom Gallione. “Even though we beat them the last five before that, we haven’t beaten them since then. It was a very big win for our team.”

The PV wrestling team finished with a record of 9-8 and in 2nd place in the Big North Conference, National Division.

In the win over Hills, Bradley Zirlin (106 pounds), Robbie Natelli (113), Nick Timpanaro (182), Joe Schnugg (195), and Joe Figueroa (285) all won their matches by a decision while Matt Beyer (132), Will Morris (152), and Casey Lewis (170) all pinned their opponents. According to Gallione, Lewis and Morris pinning their respective opponents was the key to the match.

Some other victories that were key to the wrestling team’s season include wins over Dumont, Demarest, Bergenfield, and Hawthorne. The team beat every team in the division with the exception of Old Tappan.

PV almost made it into the state team sectionals, but it fell short in power points after a loss just before the cutoff date. The top six spots in the section make it in. All season, the Indians had established themselves in that sixth-place position, but a sudden turn of events at the end of the season dropped the team to seventh.

The devastating loss was a narrow 37-33 loss to West Orange on Jan. 30. Had the team won that match, it could have possibly maintained the sixth and final playoff spot in the section.

PV received strong contributions this year from sophomore Nolan Shields, Beyer, Morris, senior Dan Schneiderman, sophomore Casey Lewis, and senior Nick Timpanaro.

One newcomer to the team was truly able to stand out. Beyer, a freshman who was named The Smoke Signal’s Athlete of the Week on March 4, finished his season with a 23-12 record. He was able to place third in the District 8 Tournament in February and lost in the semifinals of the Region 2 Tournament en route to a fifth/sixth place finish. He also placed fifth in the Bergen County Tournament in December.

Lewis and Natelli, both sophomores, finished their wrestling seasons with identical 19-8 records. Morris finished at 15-8, while Timpanaro posted a 17-7 record. Shields had a 15-10 record and was the only other PV wrestler besides Beyer to place in the top three in District 8 and make the Region 2 Tournament. He lost in the preliminary round against River Vale native Tommy Chiellini of Don Bosco.

As one of the three captains of the team, senior Mike Martino is forced to call his PV wrestling career quits as he graduates this June.

When Martino entered the school, he was 20 pounds under the lowest weight class. He did a lot of training and work to get to where he is.  Martino did not place in Districts or Regionals, but recorded seven wins, three pins, and one major decision.

“I love that you’re on your own out there on the mat and you don’t have to rely on anyone else,” he said. “If you win you won and if you lose you lost, you can’t blame anyone else.”

When asked about the end of his season, Gallione was most excited about the potential of this young team.

“Overall, we had a great season,” he said. “We have a lot to look forward to. We’ve got a young group of kids and a lot to look forward to in the next two years. We’re going to have some great success.”