Anthony Santaniello of Brick Memorial wrestling not obsessed with Tyler Vazquez
BRICK - Anthony Santaniello had one thing on his mind throughout the 2021-22 season - beating Delbarton's Tyler Vazquez in the NJSIAA 132-pound final after he was defeated by Vazquez in the Beast of the East Tournament final.
"It was more just like an obsession,'' said Santaniello, Brick Memorial's standout senior 138-pounder after he won his third Mustang Classic championship Wednesday with a 15-0 technical fall win in 5:04 over Camden Catholic's returning state qualifier Wayne Rold at Brick Memorial.
However, Santaniello never got his payback as Vazquez defeated him 2-1 in the state final.
So, this time, Santaniello, the 2021 state 120-pound champion and a three-time state finalist, is thinking differently about it. Vazquez and Santaniello could be on a collision course to meet in the 138-pound state final March 4 at Boardwalk Hall, Atlantic City.
"To be honest with you, I don't think I've really thought about wrestling Vazquez. I'm going to,'' Santaniello said. "It's not really on mind. I don't really care. I just want to focus on the next match.
"That match is going to come. Everyone knows it's going to come. But, I'm not in the room (wrestling room) thinking about that. I'm thinking about how I can get this single leg (takedown) better. How can I defend this shot better? How can I get out (on bottom) from Vazquez. I'm not focusing on any single person.''
Santaniello was one of five champions from the Shore in the tournament. His teammate and defending state champion Harvey Ludington won at 175. Wall's returning state qualifier and Region 6 champion Donovan DiStefano won at 150, as did senior heavyweight Kei'Sun Sanders. Middletown North's returning state qualifier Brady Klinsky won the 106-pound title for the second straight season.
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Santaniello, usually one of the most aggressive wrestlers in the state, admitted he was not himself in the state final. In that bout, Vazquez scored a quick takedown and Santaniello never came close to scoring.
"I froze up a little bit in the finals,'' said Santaniello, who is 104-3 for his career with his losses to two state champions by a combined four points. "I think I took one shot the whole match. That's not really how I wrestle.''
The loss in the state final made for a long offseason for Santaniello. He said it took him until September to begin to turn the page.
"When it was hardest for me, I was in a little bit of a dark place, I guess you can say,'' Santaniello said.
Another part of the offseason was an elbow injury that Santaniello sustained in July. The injury resulted in surgery and kept him off the mat for the most part until early November.
"I feel good. I feel better than ever. I'm not really banged up anywhere,'' Santaniello said.
Because the only thing Santaniello could really do while he was recovering was lift weights, he is a rock solid 138 pounds and looks physically stronger than he has ever been.
An Oklahoma University recruit, Santaniello also may mentally be in a better place than he has ever been, which is saying a lot because he has always been laser-focused.
"I'm back now. I'm better than ever,'' said Santaniello, who has always had tremendous confidence in himself. "I talked with (Oklahoma University associate head coach Nick Heflin) while I was hurt, and he kept telling me, 'It's a blessing in disguise. If you don't see it now, you'll see it in a year, five years, 10 years from now. It's going to benefit you in the end. This is good for you. You get to get off the mat and get time to relax and reflect on your wrestling the last couple of years.' ''
And he will not be thinking about Vazquez until it is necessary.
The Shore's other Mustang champions
Ludington rolled to his title and showed he has put his loss in the Beast of the East final behind him.
He defeated Mount Olive's returning state qualifier Tyler Bienus 10-3 in the final. He had two takedowns in the first period, a reversal and a takedown in the second and another takedown in the third. He pinned in 11 and 24 seconds in his other two bouts in the tournament.
Ludington was named the tournament's Outstanding Upper Weight Wrestler.
DiStefano, a two-time state qualifier, defeated Ocean's two-time state qualifier James Farina 7-5 on a takedown with one second remaining.
Sander, who was the Central Region sixth-place finisher at 220 in 2021, defeated High Point's Arik Hums 6-2. Sanders broke a scoreless tie with a reversal with five seconds left in the second period and then had two takedowns in the third period.
Klinsky defeated Wall's returning state qualifier Michael DiBiase 4-2 on a reversal in the final minute. Klinsky had a reversal late in the second period to break a scoreless tie and DiBiase had a reversal early in the third period.
Camdem Cathloic freshman Sammy Spaulding, who came from the No. 9 seed, to win the 120-pound title was named the tournament's Outstanding Lower Weight Wrestler. Among those Spaudling defeated was No. 1 seed Tyler Hagensen, the state fourth-place finisher last year, 6-0, in the quarterfinal.
FINALS:
138: Anthony Santaniello (Brick Memorial) tf. Wayne Rold (Camden Catholic) 5:04 (15-0).
144: David DiPietro (Kingsway) tf. Tommy DiPietro (Kingsway) 2:54 (17-1)
150: Donovan DiStefano (Wall) d. James Farina (Ocean) 7-5.
157: Benjamin Dryden (Kingsway) d. Jake Kreisburg (Governor Livingston) 2-1
165: Sean Cowan (Absegami) d. Ian Flanagan (Caldwell) 4-1
175: Harvey Ludington (Brick Memorial) d. Tyler Bienus (Mount Olive) 10-3
190: George Rhodes (Absegami) d. Jake Klein (Jackson Liberty) 12-5
215: Anthony Moscatello (Mount Olive) d. Lucas Ainbinder (Middletown North) 7-1
HWT: Kei'Sun Sanders (Wall) d. Arik Hums (High Point) 6-2
106: Brady Klinsky (Middletown North) d. Michael DiBiase (Wall) 4-2
113: Hayden Holmes (Paulsboro) Brandon Rayack (Governor Livingston) 9-5
120: Sammy Spaulding (Camden Catholic) md. Nick Clayton (High Point) 9-0
126: Jackson Young (Camden Catholic) p. Ismael Maldonado (Rancocas Valley) 1:40
132: Nathan Taylor (Kingsway) d. Jack Bastarikka (Mount Olive) 3-1.
THIRD-PLACE
106: Anthony Piemonte (Mount Olive) md. Hunter Mullarkey 10-2.
113: Christian Hoopes (Washington Township) d. Colton Jaust (High Point) 12-8.
120: Ryan Glenn (Kingsway) d. Jacob Portman (Middletown North) 11-7.
126: Nicholas Wall (Middletown North) d. Robert DuCoin (Washington Township) 8-6.
132: Kage Jones (Camden Catholic) d. Brendan Callahan (Kingsway) 7-5.
138: Angelo Messina (Freehold) p. Chase Bish (Paulsboro) :25.
144: Cristian Gioia (Governor Livingston) p. Michael Connelly (Freehold) 3:46.
150: Joseph Ortega (A.L. Johnson) d. Dante Gioia (Governor Livingston) 7-1.
157: Roman Onorato (Paulsboro) p. Andrew Fata (Freehold) 2:30.
165: Doug King (Paulsboro) p. Josh James (Brick Memorial) 3:13.
175: Dan Wilson (Washington Township) p. Kareem Fayed (Jackson Liberty) 1:04.
190: Nathan Faxon (Governor Livingston) p. Austin Willets (Paulsboro) 4:45.
215: Christophe San Paolo (Kingsway) p. James Rubino (Governor Livingston) 1:59.
HWT: John Stone (Washington Township) d. Luis Valente (Jackson Liberty) 7-0.
SEMIFINALS
106: Brady Klinsky (Middletown North) p. Anthony Piemonte (Mount Olive) 3:42; Michael DiBiase (Wall) p. Hunter Mullarkey (Rancocas Valley) 3:42.
113: Brandon Rayack (Governor Livingston) p. Christian Hopes (Washington Township) 4:10; Hayden Holmes (Paulsboro) d. Colton Jaust (High Point) 6-4
120: Sammy Spaulding (Camden Catholic) p. Jacob Portman (Middletown North) 1:13; Nick Clayton (High Point) p. Ryan Glenn (Kingsway) 3:02.
126: Jackson Young (Camden Catholic) p. Robert DuCoin (Washington Township) :45; Ismael Maldonado (Rancocas Valley) d. Nicholas Wall (Middletown North) 10-7.
132: Nathan Taylor (Kingsway) md. Kage Jones (Camden Catholic) 9-0; Jack Bastarikka (Mount Olive) d. Brendan Callahan (Kingsway) 4-1.
138: Anthony Santaniello (Brick Memorial) p. Chase Bish (Paulsboro) 1:16; Wayne Rold (Camden Catholic) p. Angelo Messina (Freehold) 3:34;
144: David DiPietro (Kingsway) d. Cristian Gioia (Governor Livingston) 12-10 (Sudden Victory); Tommy DiPietro (Kingsway) p. Michael Connolly (Freehold) 3:00
150: Donovan DiStefano (Wall) d. Joseph Ortega (A.L. Johnson) 9-5; James Farina (Ocean) p. Dante Gioia (Governor Livingston) 4:27
157: Jake Kreisburg (Governor Livingston) d. Roman Onorato (Paulsboro) 8-7; Benjamin Dryden (Kingsway)d. Andrew Fata (Freehold) 3-0
165: Sean Cowan (Absegami) md. Josh James (Brick Memorial) 16-4; Ian Flanagan (Caldwell) p. Doug King (Paulsboro) 5:59.
175: Harvey Ludington (Brick Memorial) tf. Kareem Fayed (Jackson Liberty) 2:00 (22-7); Tyler Bienus (Mount Olive) p. Dan Wilson (Washington Township) :41.
190: George Rhodes (Absegami) p. Nathan Faxon (Governor Livingston) 3:15; Jake Klein (Jackson Liberty) p. Austin Willets (Paulsboro): 18.
215: Anthony Moscatello (Mount Olive) p. James Rubino (Governor Livingston) :32; Lucas Ainbinder (Middletown North) d. Christophe San Paolo (Kingsway) 4-1
HWT: Kei'Sun Sanders (Wall) p. Luis Valente (Jackson Liberty) 1:46; Arik Hums (High Point) d. John Stone (Washington Township) 4-2
This article originally appeared on Asbury Park Press: NJ wrestling: Anthony Santaniello over Tyler Vazquez loss
