Sean Farrell Staff Writer / Record Sports
HEIGHTS – Even in his 50th year, Stan Woods is finding new ways to win.
By now, there isn’t much that he hasn’t done. He’s spent the last half century turning Emerson/Park Ridge into a dominant small-school wrestling program.
But on Wednesday night, he added a new title to his résumé. His first conference championship.
The Cavos won the inaugural NJIC tournament at Hasbrouck Heights with a 42-18 victory over Pompton Lakes, making win No. 719 of Woods’ career another special one.
“It’s really great,” Woods said. “It’s really important for the kids to win something like that since it’s the first one they ever had. And it gives us something to work towards for next year.”
Emerson/Park Ridge (15-4) is coming off a historic season when it became Bergen County’s first public school team to win a state wrestling group title.
There’s plenty of talent in the lineup this year for the Cavos, ranked No. 5 in The Record rankings. Several of the team’s wrestlers placed in the top eight in the BCCA Holiday Tournament including Nick Babin, Jonah Schectman and Luke and Logan Mazzeo.
“It’s our heart,” Luke Mazzeo said. “It shows when we win. It doesn’t matter who we wrestle. We just go out there and dominate.”
“We’re a family,” Logan said.
The Mazzeo brothers are second generation wrestlers under Woods. Their father, Joe, was a state runner-up back in the 1980s for the veteran coach.
“I’ve had a few [families],” Woods said. “When you’ve been here 50 years, that happens.”
The Mazzeo brothers bookended the Cavos’ championship win. Luke recorded a pin in 24 seconds at 132 in the first bout of the night. Logan’s pin at 2:47 in the 113-pound class helped lock up the victory much later on.
“I took [my opponent] down and put him in a bar and just kept working at him,” said Logan, a freshman. “I was able to turn him and just use my strength.”
The Cavos have won nine sectional titles during Woods’ tenure, and are contenders to earn one more this winter. They are the second-seeded team in the North 1, Group 2 tournament, only behind High Point. Their balanced lineup could help them add yet another trophy to Woods’ collection.
“He pushes us to do our best and makes us work hard,” said Luke, a sophomore and a recent Bergen County champion. “He’s a great coach. We’ve been looking up to him ever since we were little.”
The state tournament begins next week, and the Cavos passed one of the final tune-ups with flying colors. At the upper weights, Zach and Josh Lewis both earned victories to continue their solid seasons. Woods said he enjoyed the chance of getting a rare matchup with Pompton Lakes, and having two of the top NJIC teams face off.
“It tests the kids in a tight, tough environment mentally and emotionally so they got to step up,” Woods said. “So that’s the important part. How do you react to the pressure?
Added Woods, “You never know with the emotions and nerves. But we stepped up and wrestled well as a team.”
