ATLANTIC CITY, NJ — Although he was down 8-2 just moments into the third and final period Jordan Chapman was still in position to make his best move of the season.
Chapman had a good, strong hold of Delbarton School junior Alessio Perentin and then the strength to take him down rather quickly. However, before Chapman could continue to try to pin Perentin to the mat, whistles blew as the refs saw Perentin’s neck twist awkwardly when he landed.
Chapman scored two points for the takedown to get to within 8-4, but that was as close as the Cranford High School standout would get. Perentin rebounded to take down Chapman with a little more than a minute to go for an 11-4 advantage, en route to what would be a decisive 12-7 decision.
“You’re talking about two very accomplished wrestlers going at it,” Cranford head coach Pat Gorman said. “They are elite athletes.”
For the second straight season, Perentin, one of seven grapplers from state champion Delbarton to reach the state finals, was a New Jersey State Interscholastic Athletic Association Tournament champion.
The top two-ranked wrestlers in their weight class clashed for the first and only time this season in the 165-pound championship match on Saturday, March 2, at the season-ending NJSIAA Tournament at Boardwalk Hall in Atlantic City. Perentin, ranked No. 1 and the top seed, won the bout against No. 2-ranked and second-seeded Chapman by winning the first period 7-1. Perentin’s first takedown came just 30 seconds in, although Chapman answered immediately by turning Perentin over.
“Someone was going to try to build a lead and it turned out to be that Alessio did,” Gorman said. “In the first period, we gave up too many points. It cancelled out our top wrestling.”
While Chapman showed his strength, Perentin proved to be the better wrestler that day. Two of the top junior wrestlers in the state may be on a collision course to battle again next year as seniors and even beyond that.
“This is a learning curve for us,” Gorman said. “Alessio is, obviously, a very good wrestler.”
Perentin, who will continue wrestling in college in the Ivy League at Cornell University, finished his junior season at 39-2. Perentin won his first state championship last year at 157 pounds, while Chapman lost in the semifinals and then wrestled back to place third at 157 pounds. Both also reached the NJSIAA Tournament as freshmen two years ago, Perentin finishing as a finalist.
Chapman, who is a Rutgers University commit, produced an outstanding junior season himself, finishing 42-2. His lifetime record is now 119-11, including 35-5 as a freshman and 42-4 as a sophomore. Chapman’s only other loss this year came at December’s annual Beast of the East Tournament at the University of Delaware, where Chapman reached the semifinals and his only loss was to a Pennsylvania state champion.
“Jordan now has one year left,” Gorman said. “This will put a little chip on his shoulder. All the stuff we do in our room doesn’t go wasted.”
For the second straight season, Chapman was a Union County Tournament, District and Region 4 champion. He has won two UCT titles, three district crowns and two region championships.
Chapman has one more year to become Cranford’s fifth state champion and first since Pat Hogan won at 171 pounds in 2006.
In the preliminary and pre-quarter final rounds on Thursday, Feb. 29, Chapman won by fall in 33 and 57 seconds. Then, on Friday, March 1, in the quarterfinals and semifinals, Chapman won by major decision and then by technical fall.
Three Union County wrestlers reached the NJSIAA Tournament quarterfinals on Friday, March 1, including Chapman. The other two were junior standouts from Governor Livingston High School, Cristian Gioia at 165 pounds and Nathan Faxon at 215 pounds. Both were defeated.
Gioia wrestled back to earn a medal as the eighth-place finisher at 165 pounds. He went 3-3 in his six NJSIAA Tournament bouts to finish the year at 39-7.
Faxon went 2-2 to come in at 40-3. His last bout came in the Wrestleback Fourth Round.
Chapman and Gioia were the only two of the 16 Union County wrestlers who advanced to the NJSIAA Tournament out of Region 4 at Union to medal. Wrestlers who finish in the top eight in their weight class at the NJSIAA Tournament earn medals.
Arthur L. Johnson High School senior Joey Ortega also did quite well in Atlantic City, going 3-2 in five bouts at 144 pounds. He finished a fine senior season at 43-5.
On Thursday, Feb. 29, Ortega won in the preliminary round and then lost in the pre-quarterfinals. He then went 2-1 in wrestleback matches, falling Friday, March 1, in the fourth round of the wrestlebacks by decision.
Cranford’s other two NJSIAA Tournament qualifiers, sophomores Michael Daly at 106 pounds and Luke Scholz at 132 pounds, each lost their last matches by one-point decisions in wrestleback competition.
Daly, a first-time Region 4 at Union champion, finished 35-9 after going 2-2 in Atlantic City. Scholz also went 2-2 and came in at 22-6.
“Next year, both should be on the podium here,” Gorman said. “Jordan, Michael and Luke have elevated the program and are a big influence on the little kids wrestling in town.”
Union County wrestlers that reached the
NJSIAA Tournament Quarterfinals
• 165 pounds: Cristian Gioia, Governor Livingston, junior
• 165 pounds: Jordan Chapman, Cranford, junior
• 215 pounds: Nathan Faxon, Governor Livingston, junior
Cristian Gioia, Governor Livingston, junior, at 165 pounds
Thursday, Feb. 29
Preliminary Round
8-Cristian Gioia, Governor Livingston, pin 25-Michael Fahmie, Whippany Park, 2:34.
Pre-Quarterfinal Round
8-Cristian Gioia, Governor Livingston, pin 9-Lorenzo Caamano, Caldwell, 5:35.
Friday, March 1
Quarterfinal Round
1-Alessio Perentin, Delbarton, pin 8-Cristian Gioia, Governor Livingston, 3:34.
Wrestleback Fourth Round
8-Cristian Gioia, Governor Livingston, dec. 6-Cole Stangle, St. John Vianney, 7-5.
Wrestleback Quarterfinal
5-Hayden Hochstrasser, Southern dec. 8-Cristian Gioia, Governor Livingston, 7-4.
Saturday, March 2
Seventh Place
7-Ben Garcia, Don Bosco Prep, dec. 8-Cristian Gioia, Governor Livingston, 10-6.
Gioia goes 3-3 in Atlantic City to place eighth at 165 pounds and close out a fine junior campaign at 39-7.
Jordan Chapman, Cranford, junior, at 165 pounds
Thursday, Feb. 29
Preliminary Round
2-Jordan Chapman, Cranford, pin 31-Donte Nocito, Gateway, :33.
Pre-Quarterfinal Round
2-Jordan Chapman, Cranford, pin 15-Gavin Gomes, Morris Knolls, :57.
Friday, March 1
Quarterfinal Round
2-Jordan Chapman, Cranford, maj. dec. 7-Ben Garcia, Don Bosco Prep, 11-3.
Semifinal Round
2-Jordan Chapman, Cranford, tech. fall 11-Tanner Hodgins, Howell, 4:40, 17-2.
Saturday, March 2
Final Round
1-Alessio Perentin, Delbarton, dec. 2-Jordan Chapman, Cranford, 12-7.
Chapman goes 42-2 and is now 119-11 going into his senior season.
Chapman went 35-5 as a freshman and made the states, 42-4 as a sophomore and was third in the state at 157 pounds and 42-2 as a junior and was second in the state at 165 pounds. Perentin won his second state championship after winning at 157 pounds last year. Perentin No. 1 and Chapman No. 2 were the top-two ranked wrestlers in the state at 165 pounds. Perentin finished 39-2 this year. This was Chapman’s first loss to a wrestler from New Jersey since last year’s NJSIAA Tournament.
Nathan Faxon, Governor Livingston, junior at 215 pounds
Thursday, Feb. 29
Preliminary Round
4-Nathan Faxon, Governor Livingston, pin 29-Ed Vincent, St. Augustine, :41.
Pre-Quarterfinal Round
4-Nathan Faxon, Governor Livingston, dec. 13-Tom Borgia, West Morris, 8-5.
Friday, March 1
Quarterfinal Round
12-Ethan Mendel, Northern Highlands, pin 4-Nathan Faxon, Governor Livingston, 3:35.
Wrestleback Fourth Round
10-Cole Hughes, Emerson Boro, dec. 4-Nathon Faxon, Governor Livingston, 12-9.
Faxon goes 2-2 in Atlantic City to close a fine junior campaign at 40-3.
Photo Courtesy of Cranford Head Coach Pat Gorman