Every match counts.

That’s Pascack Valley wrestling coach Tom Gallione’s philosophy after missing out on the state playoffs each of the last 11 seasons.

That mindset seems to have paid off, since for the first time in 11 seasons, PV’s 13-5 record and at one time nine match win streak, propelled the Indians to the fifth seed, and the playoffs.

All of this came after the Indians finished as the seventh seed and fell 0.6 power points short of a berth last season.

“We missed out each of the last four or five years as the seventh seed, but this year what led us here was the continued hard work,” Gallione said. “Missing out by 0.6 was a tough pill to swallow, but there was a lot to learn from that—mainly that every match counts.”

As the fifth seed, PV will take on No. 4 River Dell, which dealt PV a 41-23 loss earlier this year.

“It was a good match, but we had a few guys out of the lineup,” Gallione said. “We need to save points—we can’t get pinned. When it comes to these big matches, you can’t get pinned. We’ve got to get the wins I expect us to get.”

The match is at River Dell High School on Monday. Check out our wrestling blog for previews and updates from the match as well as other coverage.