The following Union High School wrestlers were at The College of New Jersey camp: Macain Romain, Jeremy Rivas, Hermelo Verga, Jaydon Robles, Joshua DeLeon, Jonathan Camargo, Woodley Auciel, Gabe Hargrove, Ariel Azeredo, Aidan Cross, Hodari Morgan, Nick Bertolotti, Mark Belfleur, Obreight Ingram, Isaiah Caban, Jonathan Cordova, Ronaldinho Martinez. Head coach Dino DeBellonia and assistant coach Bob Mautone were also at the camp.
Wanting to hone their craft in a setting they hope will be of a more permanent nature in the near future, Union High School wrestlers ventured south the final week in June to compete against some of the best.
For four days from Monday, June 24 through Thursday, June 27 Union High School Farmer grapplers were able to receive an education from TCNJ head coach Joe Galante in a setting that included over 700 wrestlers, most of them from New Jersey high school districts.
“It was such a well-organized camp,” said Union head wrestling coach Dino Debellonia, who along with assistant coach Bob Mautone guided 17 UHS wrestlers, all boys, during the four days spent in Ewing Township.
“It was a team competition camp, with 40 towns represented with full teams,” DeBellonia continued.
DeBellonia said that Day 1 consisted of the wrestlers getting weighed in and assigned their dorm rooms. He said that there was also a technique session combined with live wrestling.
“There were guest clinicians teaching the kids,” DeBellonia said. “The schedule was strict and fast. There were teams from all four corners of the state.”
DeBellonia said there was a Showcase Night that pitted the top kids vs. each other and then on the final day of the camp an individual tournament took place.
Union senior-to-be Gabe Hargrove, an NJSIAA Tournament qualifier after placing third in Region 4 in 2024, reached the finals at 140 pounds where he lost to a wrestler from Princeton. It was the second time Hargrove wrestled the boy and the score was much closer. DeBellonia said Hargrove’s record for the camp was 12-2.
Union junior-to-be Ariel Azeredo, a Union County Tournament finalist in 2024, lost to a wrestler from Ramapo High. DeBellonia said Azeredo’s record was 12-3.
“We got a lot of live wrestling in,” DeBellonia said. “As a team we wrestled 10 matches and went 6-4. Including exhibition matches after their other matches, some kids wrestled close to 20 matches for the four-day period.”
DeBellonia said that parents of the wrestlers were allowed to attend the final day of the camp.
“It was highly-organized and really well-run, we were lucky to get into the camp,” said DeBellonia, whose kids wrestled last summer at a camp at Kutztown University.
“The kids got to compete, have fun and live in a freshman dorm on a college campus.
“It was a great opportunity for our kids to experience a college setting and to just get better at wrestling.
“We hope to go back next year.”