Sean Farrell / NorthJersey.Com
ORADELL – Shawn Mastropierro reached new heights on Saturday. His dad, Damiano, caught him on the way down.
No one was happier than the unbeaten and unbreakable 150-pound senior on one of the greatest days in New Milford wrestling history.
Mastropierro hung on for his first District 1 title by topping High Point’s Shane Woolf, 2-1, in a gripping double overtime final. That helped the Knights crown four champions in what’s believed to be a school record.
Soon after getting his hand raised, Mastropierro embraced coach Ray Cottiers before going airborne into his father’s arms.
“My mom and my dad are my No. 1 supporters,” Mastropierro said. “They were there for the highs and the lows and always had my back. If it wasn’t for them, I wouldn’t be where I am today.
High Point came away with the overall team title by landing five finalists and two winners – state champion Brian Soldano (190), along with tournament Most Outstanding Wrestler Clayton Utter at 120. The Wildcats scored 180 points to roll past Don Bosco (145.5) in second and Pascack Valley (114) in third.
New Milford, meanwhile, put the final touches on its turnaround season by finishing with the most individual champions. The Knights went 4-for-4 in the finals with Devin Ryan (106), Jerzey Ryan (113) and Ryan Hartung (126) all reaching the top of the podium.
The breakthrough moment comes a year after low numbers forced the Group 1 program to co-op with Wood-Ridge.
“I think it shows that New Milford is turning into a wrestling school,” Mastropierro said. “A lot of teams should stop sleeping on us. We’ve been slept on for a while but we’ve got a lot of tough freshmen too.”
The last four months have not been easy for the senior captain that Cottiers dubbed “the heart and soul” of the program.
One of the lows came last month in practice when Mastropierro (18-0) fully tore his right labrum. Mastropierro admitted that it was frustrating to miss the Bergen County tournament and wonder how he would have stacked up. Another setback came in December when he missed two weeks due to COVID.
“It definitely took away my conditioning,” Mastropierro said. “I had to put in extra work to get back in there. I had to keep grinding.”
“Shawn goes to his gym at 6 a.m. every morning, by himself,” Cottiers added. “He’s the hardest worker in the room.”
The payoff came on Saturday afternoon in a tight, defensive final at 150 pounds. All three points came on escapes, with Mastropierro scoring in the second period and single overtime.
“It’s certainly the most successful district tournament in the history of New Milford High School,” said Cottiers, who once wrestled for the Knights. “They’re a great bunch of kids. They make coming to work and coming to coach every day so enjoyable. It makes it a lot of fun.”
Devin Ryan added to the Knights’ gold medal collection by beating top-seeded Marco Alarcon (Don Bosco), 3-0. One bout later, Jerzey Ryan took out Ironman Ryan Haynes in 3:19.
While the Knights’ freshmen are not actually related, they’ve developed a connection as training partners.
As for his first name, Jerzey Ryan explained that it was his dad’s way of paying tribute to author Jerzy Kosinski.
“My mom wanted to name me Xavius, so I’m glad they stuck with Jerzey,” the younger Ryan said. “That’s a way better name.”
Sean Farrell is a high school sports reporter for NorthJersey.com. For full access to live scores, breaking news and analysis from our Varsity Aces team, subscribe today. To get breaking news directly to your inbox, sign up for our newsletter and download our app.
Email: farrells@northjersey.com
Twitter: @seanfarrell92
