Boys NJIC Wrestler of the Year:
Damian Weaver, Lyndhurst, Jr.
Another Weaver? That’s right.
The latest standout in the Weaver wrestling clan finished with a 29-3 record, won a Bergen County title and hopes a near-podium finish provides extra motivation for his final season. Weaver, a junior at 150 pounds, carried an undefeated record through districts. He was a runner-up to state champion Andrew Troczynski in Region 3 and reached the quarterfinals at the NJSIAA State Championships. He finished 2-2 during his run in Atlantic City and needed just one more win to reach the podium.
One of Weaver’s season highlights came at the BCCA Tournament in Hackensack on Jan. 23 when he won the 150-pound title with a 5-2 decision over Daniel Rella of Paramus Catholic. The Lyndhurst junior entered the tournament as the No. 4 seed and outperformed expectations on his way to becoming Lyndhurst’s first county champion in more than two decades.
Weaver’s older brother, Dylan won a state medal as a senior and now wrestler for Rutgers. His father, Scot, is Lyndhurst’s head coach and previously built state-ranked teams at St. Mary (Ruth.), Brearley and Queen of Peace.
Girls NJIC Wrestler of the Year:
Jenna Filieri, Lodi Immaculate, Jr.
Seeds didn’t matter for Filieri, who wrestled her way to the state title at 152 pounds, and stunned both of the bracket’s top seeds in the process.
The end result of her return trip to Phillipsburg High was a memory for a lifetime as Filieri claimed the first state title in her school’s history and gave her wrestling family even more to brag about.
Filieri’s older brother, Michael, a state finalist for Garfield, was in her corner during her spectacular championship run at the NJSIAA State Championships. And maybe that was apart of the magic as Filieri survived a thrilling semifinal against top-seeded Jodi Holder of North Hunterdon in the semifinals and Kingsway’s Alexa Firestone in the final.
Filieri, the No. 5 seed, lost by major decision to Holder the week prior but won the matchup that mattered most.
Team of the Year:
Emerson Boro
The streak continues. Since the NJIC began holding its championship final four, only one team has won it. That’s Emerson, which extended its championship streak to six years in a row this winter and clinched the title on a historic night for its legendary coach.
With a 42-35 win over Butler, Stan Woods became the first coach in state history to reach 800 wins. The 81-year-old Woods led Emerson to an 11-8 record and the No. 1 ranking in the conference. Junior Louden Mazzeo was the team’s lone state qualifier, but the team always had an answer against NJIC competition.
Emerson also reached the finals of the North 1, Group 1 sectional tournament, where it dropped a 39-27 loss to Kittatinny.
Coach of the Year:
Pat Clark, Bogota
Clark led the way for one of Bogota’s best season in years as the Bergen County school finished 17-8 and qualified for the team tournament. Bogota, a co-op program with Ridgefield Park, rattled off 10 straight wins to start the season and was a team carrying buzz throughout. Senior Adam Albino ( qualified for the state tournament).
Patrick Lanni may be reached at planni@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @PatLanniHS and like his Facebook page.
