North Jersey Interscholastic Conference Wrestlers of the Week
Eryk Barcikowski, Garfield, Fr., 106
With Saturday’s match against Tenafly hanging in the balance, Barcikowski came up big in the last bout with a 6-5 decision win over Dylan Selick to lift the Boilermakers to a 41-34 victory. Barcikowski won all five of his matches this past week, including a 6-3 decision win over Christian Vera in Garfield’s close win over Becton-Wood-Ridge, a first-period pin of Hackensack’s Donovan Dawkins, and two forfeit wins vs. Secaucus and Newton.
Jack Lorper, Hawthorne, Sr., 132
Lorper was a Wrestler of the Week earlier this month and he has earned his way into the mix once again with his first Passaic County title on Saturday. The tournament’s MOW defeated DePaul senior state medalist Joey Rizzuto by 6-4 decision in the 132-pound final to keep his undefeated season alive. Lorper pinned Paterson Kennedy’s Isaiah Reams in the quarterfinals and then Lakeland’s Joseph Monto in the semifinals. Lorper recorded a pair of pins in matches against Cresskill on Tuesday and Passaic Valley on Thursday before the county tournament.
Chad McConnell, Pompton Lakes, Jr., 165
Like Lorper, McConnell has also previously been a Wrestler of the Week this year. He’s at it again thanks to a dominant run to the 165-pound county title on Saturday. McConnell teched Max Tripoli of DePaul in the quarterfinals and advanced to the semifinals by medical forfeit before another tech — this one of Clifton standout Joe Dumeng. McConnell, who was newly inserted into the NJ.com 165-pound individual rankings last week, beat Xavier Paulino of Bayonne by 7-2 decision on Wednesday and teched Waldwick-Midland Park’s Luke Eliya on Thursday.
