45th Frank Dawson J. Memorial Holiday Tournament at Garfield High School
Team scores: Passaic Tech 224.5; Hawthorne 137; Elmwood Park 132; Garfield 93.5; Leonia/Palisades Park 79.5; Becton 68; Bogota/Ridgefield Park 60.5; Lodi 58; Hasbrouck Heights 56; Wood-Ridge 45.5; Dwight Morrow 31; NV/Demarest 17; Ft Lee 0.
Finals
106: Michael Calabrese, Hasbrouck Heights, d. Brandon Massey, Hawthorne, 4-1
113: Alex Vertedor, Passaic Tech, p. Adam Albino, Bogota/Ridgefield Park, 2:38
120: Michael Rodriguez, Becton, p. Ricardo Balazategui, Passaic Tech, 3:29
126: Andre Ruiz, Bogota/Ridgefield Park p. Laith Hamdeh, Passaic Tech, 5:06
132: Rocco Panierino, Passaic Tech, d. Kyle Reiter, Wood-Ridge, 8-4
138: Zak Martinez, Elmwood Park, d. Dylan Toy, Passaic Tech, 5-2
145: Ashton Navarette, Hawthorne, d. Kevin Baker, Elmwood Park, 13-10
152: Hunter Freschi, Hasbrouck Heights, d. Declan Smith, Hawthorne, 3-1 SV
160: Adam Dietrich, Hawthorne, d. Stefano Hadoulis, Leonia/Palisades Park, 1-0
170: Jamal Allen, Passaic Tech, d. Eddie Alfieri, Elmwood Park, 9-4
182: Bradley Mika, Wood-Ridge, p. Andrew Morzetta, Hawthorne, 0:50
195: Kacper Szuberski, Garfield, d. Ayden Lyubimov, Lodi, 5-1
220: Yosue Gomez, Passaic Tech, d. Charles Davis, Garfield, 5-2
285: Michael Alfonso, Garfield, d. Hector Lebron, Dwight Morrow, 3-1
Third-place consolations
106: Ameen Mohammad, Passaic Tech, t.f. Malik Asfow, Lodi, 22-5. 113: Greg Hadoulis, Leonia/Palisades Park, t.f. Hudson Testa, Hawthorne, 16-0. 120: Ryan Armstrong, Leonia/Palisades Park d. Fabio Paulino, Lodi, 7-2. 126: Darrin Kero, Elmwood Park, p. Brandon Cubillos, Leonia/Palisades Park, 1:30. 132: Aness Abdelqader, Elmwood Park, p. Gabe Nunez, Bogota/Ridgefield Park, 1:43. 138: Liam McCallister, Hawthorne, d. Yaseen Abdelaziz, Leonia/Palisades Park, 10-8. 145: Abraham Tareky, Passaic Tech, d. Nathaniel Tylki, Garfield, 8-6. 152: Jaden Logothetis, Elmwood Park, p. Majen Allen, Passaic Tech, 2:42. 160: Thomas Lee, NV/Demarest, p. Ryan Briggs, Elmwood Park, 3:01. 170: Josue Matias, Garfield, d. Sammy Alshameh, Dwight Morrow, 6-4. 182: Tommy Lee Minaya, Becton, forfeit AJ Ascencio, Lodi. 195: Amir Higazy, Passaic Tech, p. George Kasper, Becton, 2:47. 220: Tasheem Williams, Becton, p. Dennis Bajanov, Leonia/Palisades Park, 1:06. 285: Tyler Kario, Elmwood Park, d. Joshua Garcia, Passaic Tech, 5-1
GARFIELD – No one needs to question Kacper Szuberski’s toughness.
The protective brace around his right leg says everything you need to know about the Garfield senior. Szuberski is wrestling with a torn ACL and meniscus – the punishment from a long football season – but that doesn’t seem to bother him. The 195-pounder still came away with the title on Saturday at the 45th annual Frank Dawson Holiday Tournament.
“It’s an adrenaline rush right now,” Szuberski said. “I don’t really feel anything.”
Passaic Tech won the team race for the fourth straight season, but the host Boilermakers had their moments.
Garfield senior Michael Alfonso won the marquee matchup and took home Most Outstanding Wrestler honors. He fought off Dwight Morrow heavyweight Hector Lebron, 3-1, in a battle of county medalists.
Szuberski labored through his final, but the result was just the same. He scored a takedown late in the second period and held on for a 5-1 win over Lodi’s Ayden Lyubimov.
“My confidence is through the roof,” Szuberski said. “I’m so excited right now.”
Szuberski, the son of Polish immigrants, is hard to miss with his 6-foot-3 frame and curly blond hair. He’s even harder to stop on the mat and proved that last year with a run to the Bergen finals. He rode that momentum into football season, leading the Boilermakers to their first playoff win in 40 years.
Everything changed in the second round on a special teams play gone wrong. A player dove into his knee and it took the star safety down for good.
“I heard a pop,” said Szuberski, who was attempting to block a field goal attempt on the play. “I remember numbness. I blacked out for a second.”
“Once I took my helmet off, I knew what it was.”
Szuberski said he wants to be challenged like everyone else, despite the warnings about scrambling at practice – or wrestling, altogether. His leg brace may limit some movement, but it’s all forgotten when he steps on the mat.
“Once it turns into match time, I feel like I can do whatever,” Szuberski said. “I feel like it’s not even there.”
Passaic Tech was also in good spirits after a blowout win in the 13-team event. The Bulldogs produced four champions in Alex Vertedor (113), Rocco Panierino (132), Jamal Allen (170) and Yosue Gomez (220). The seventh-seeded Panierino was a revelation with just a few varsity wins under his belt.
“Four (championships) in a row feels good because it’s four different teams,” Passaic Tech coach Luis Colon said. “This year we have seven new starters. A lot of times you have a senior wrestling varsity for the first time, but they performed.”
Hawthorne finished second in the team race with titles from Ashton Navarette (145) and Adam Dietrich (160). Elmwood Park, led by four-time champ Zak Martinez, managed to hold off Garfield in the race for third.
One of the best individual performances came from Wood-Ridge’s Bradley Mika, who pinned all three opponents in the first period. Mika remembers being at Boardwalk Hall in 2018 when his cousin Mickey O’Malley won a state title for Hasbrouck Heights.
“I want to be in that same position,” said Mika, who studies computer science at Bergen Tech. “That’s a big aspiration.”
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
