The Record from Hackensack, New Jersey • 261

SUNDAY, MARCH 13. 1988 THE RECORD S-17 indorato Mazzeo. Meehan win silver HJSIAA WRESTLING FINALS By Barry Gramlich Correspondent If -Inlft An rvN i inspire him Guidi. I want to believe that Michaet would have pinned in the earlier dangerous situation, but if it was my kid, I would have wanted it stopped, too." Mazzeo concluded his brilliant career with a 104-16-2 record and was 64-6 in his two silver-medal seasons. Paramus' Meehan (31-2) simply ran out of time in losing a 4-3 decision to top-seeded Sam Laspata (34-0) of Glassboro in the 140-pound final.

Meehan was spinning at a frenetic pace in the final seconds, but Laspata kept the leg to prevent a two-point takedown. "We needed about five more seconds," Paramus coach Joe Cervino said. Earlier in the final period, Meehan escaped and tried a dump out of bounds, but the potential two points was denied when the wrestlers left the circle. "It could have been two points there," Cervino said. "What gets me is that Rob did most of the work and not one stall was called.

Rob was working the whole time with arm drags." Meehan led 2-1 after two periods but got too high with a cross-face in the third period that enabled Laspata to reverse. "The match was almost too close to call," Cervino said. "Just like we figured." Cervino didn't figure 119-pound Mike Indorato (32-1-1) would run out of gas against Eric Childs (30-2) of Rancocas Valley. But Indorato was extended to overtime in his semifinal bout with 1986 champion John Doran of Penns-ville, and had exhausting 16-11 and 14-10 victories in the earlier PRINCETON One of the finest Bergen County showings in the New Jersey State Interscholastic Athletic Association wrestling tournament ended on a somewhat melancholy note Saturday when Emerson's Mike Mazzeo, and Paramus' Mike Indorato and Rob Meehan failed in gold-medal bids. Nine Bergen wrestlers representing five high schools placed eighth or better, and Fair Lawn's Steve Best and Waldwick's Marc DelGaudio redeeemed themselves in wrestlebacks to win fourth-place medals.

Mazzeo, the last Bergen athlete to wrestle, exemplified the frustration in the championship round. The state silver medalist of 1987, nursing a bruised shoulder, went down to the wire with Mount Olive's Anthony Guidi (25-1-1) in the 152-pound bout and lost an 8-7 decision. "They were two great wrestlers who battled through a tough weight division," Emerson coach Stan Woods said. "I really had a feeling Michael was in control. The one call turned it around." Action was stopped on a potentially dangerous situation in the second period, forcing Mazzeo to release his tight double arm bar that put Guidi on his back.

Mazzeo was awarded three near-fall points for a 5-4 lead, but Guidi reversed out of a tilt, and gained two back points in the final period. Mazzeo reversed with 10 seconds left but fell a point short. "He Guidi got out of that situation and tilted Michael, but Michael had control to that point," Woods said. "The tilt seemed to LINDA RADINTHE RECORD Mount Olive's Anthony Guidi celebrates his 152-pound class final-round win over Emerson's Mike Mazzeo. rounds.

ting the opening takedown, but he Neither wrestler could manage a wasn't himself. Once he got tilted, takedown in the first period, but the kid Childs looked overpower- Childs had two takedowns and a ing." near-fall tilt in the second period Fair Lawn's Best lost an 8-5 de en route to a 13-2 decision. cision to Sam Natello of Mainland "The semis took a lot out of to finish fourth at 189, and team-Mike," Cervino said. "He never mate Scott Kemp was sixth at 125. wrestles conservatively.

He's used Waldwick's DelGaudio placed to being better on his feet and get- fourth after losing, 8-5, to Joe Masker of Oakcrest. The Warriors' eighth at 140. Elmwood Park Hamid Chalileh placed sixth at heavyweight Tony DiPasquale, a 103. fourth-place finisher in 1987, was Pascack Hills had two medal pinned twice Saturday and fin-winners in 125-pound Andy Van ished fifth. Horn (eighth) and 145-pound Jeff Delaware Valley's Jamie Wicks Lally (fifth).

Emerson's Joe Harri- (171) won his second straight man was fifth at 119, Bergenfield's championship and was named the Brendan Ferriter fifth at 140, and tournament's Most Outstanding North Bergen's Ed Rodriguez Wrestler. Kennedy win stars Johnson V. -it 'i -ami. iflT JMML- 9 x-ir a .7. 1 i f'f r-ntx- a -a- 1 3 pi GROUP 4 GIRLS By Bob Kurland Record Stan writer i WEST LONG BRANCH La-Tonya Johnson and her Kennedy teammates wrapped up a dream season Saturday night by whipping previously unbeaten Neptune, 65-55, to win the New Jersey State Interscholastic Athletic Association Group 4 girls basketball championship.

"This was a team of destiny," Lou Bonora said. And who could argue with the coach whose 31-0 team became the first Passaic County representative' to win a state basketball title since 1946 and the first girls team. Johnson, who finished with 23 points, 13 rebounds, and 8 blocked shots, had tears streaming down her cheeks as she clutched the Most Valuable Player award. "I can't even talk," she said. "I'm just so happy.

I reached my goals of a state title and all the scoring records." The 6-foot-3 center finished her amazing career with 1,930 points the most ever scored by a Passaic County high school player. Saturday she surpassed the girls mark of 1,912 held by Sandra Boughton of Passaic Tech. And she whizzed by the boys mark of 1,915 held by Kennedy boys coach Tyrone Collins. But Johnson was especially proud of holding Neptune's top scorer, Juanita Harper, to five points. "I enjoyed that because it showed I can also play defense." i 1 I KLAUS-PETER STEITZTHE RECORD Kennedy's LaTonya Johnson shoots over Neptune's Juanita Harper.

patient sey title win over Seton Hall. Breslin, a 6-1 guard, averages 12 points a game and has enjoyed a terrific second half of the season running the Crusader offense. Davi, a 5-9 guard, has been the defensive leader and also averages more than 10 points a game. Hob Romano, a 6-5 senior, averages nearly eight points a game and leads the Crunndcrs in rebounding. While the Crusaders have aver-aged more than 60 points a game in compiling a 21-6 record, Paul VI has used a deliberate, low-scoring offense to fashion a path to the BASKETBALL The 6-foot-1 Harper entered the game with a 21.6 average.

"I was really up for my last high school game," Johnson said. "I was ready to play and went out there and did my job." Johnson came out roaring, converting a pass fron Falisha Wright in the opening seconds. On the next time down court, she rebounded Wright's shot and it was 4-0. The Knights led the rest of the way. By the end of the quarter Johnson had 10 points and the team led by 10.

And with less than two minutes left in the half it was up to 33-19. But the Scarlet Fliers roared back with six straight points four by Joyce Bell. Early in the third quarter Johnson drew her third personal. Her younger sister, Katina, replaced her and increased the lead to 38-27. LaTonya returned and played out the game without drawing another personal.

The Knights took a 54-39 lead in the fourth quarter when Neptune made its last run. Bell scored four points in the spurt to help Neptune close to 54-47. But the Knights never faltered after that, answering with nine in a row to secure the championship. "Neptune never quit and kept coming back," Bonora said. "But you'd expect that of a team that good and which came into the game with as 28-0 record.

I think what bothered them was the speed of our guards, which helped us "That 1978 team was a solid veteran team with three starters back, and they had a great year with that one upset loss," said Bergen Catholic coach Chris Donfield. "This year's team has six of eight top players as sophomores and juniors, and all of a sudden it's just taken off." While juniors Mike Pedone and Roger Breslin and senior Joe Davi the only returning starter have led the Crusaders to six consecutive victories, including three straight in the state tournament, 5-foot-ll junior George Foley has sparked the CniBaders into their fourth state final. "When we lost Mike Connell for the season, our sophomore Jeff KLAUS-PETER 5TEITZTHE RECORD Lakeysha Wright of Kennedy lets everyone know who's No. 1. deny their center Harper the The aggressive defense of Fali-ball.

sha and Lakeysha Wright was a ou, enabUd SEK; SSSft And 1P STTTTbS 'S seemed to frustrate them. Bell and Jennifer Carcich are as good as Kennedy also was off in its shooters as you'll find." shooting, the Wrights combining Bell finished with 17 points on for shooting; Carcich scored "They've had better shooting 15 hitting 7-of-18. days," Bonora said, "but they no longer play like freshmen." Falisha finished with eight assists and her twin had five. The Wrights, Katina Johnson, Teya Eaton, and Meticia Watson, who came off the bench to score 13 points, will head a powerful returning cast. "If they work hard in practice and play as hard as they did today they should be back here next Bergen Catholic can't take Paul VI lightly year," the departing LaTonya Johnson said.

By then she should be playing Division I basketball. Penn State, George Mason, Rutgers, Maryland, Old Dominion, and Georgia Tech are eager to enroll the record-breaker. Box scores S-20 6 senior Glenn DelSignore (4.0); 6-1 senior Kevin Shell (8.0) and 6-0 junior Kevin Gemmell (6.5) are the forwards; and the Eagles' star is 6-2 center Tim Howley (19.5), who scored 29 of the teams' 80 points in the upsets. But the Eagles, who have played state powers Camden and Cherry Hill West, as well as other top teams, can score if they have to. BC must overpower the Eagles on the backboards and protect against the long-range shot that upset CBA.

Pedone must continue his acrobatic scoring, and BC must take advantage of any Eagle mistakes to bring home a second state title. PAROCHIAL A BOYS BASKETBALL final. The Eagles are 22-7, with their most notable victories low-scoring upsets of Christian Brothers Academy (38-36) and McCor-riston (42-37), both ranked in the state's top 10 list. Paul VI shot 14 for 20 (70 percent) and made 10 three-pointers in the victory over CBA. "The people I have spoken to have told me not to watch the warm-ups, because you'll get a false sense of security," said Donfield.

"And the film we have is a little scary. They're so disciplined." First-year head coach Steve Selby starts a team with an average height of under 5-11. The guards are 5-8 junior Mike Mancolo (10 points a game) and 5- By Paul 8chwartz Correspondent LINCROFT The only time Bergen Catholic has won a New Jersey State Interscholastic Athletic Association Parochial A boys basketball title was in 1978. That year the Crusaders were upset in the first round of the Bergen County Jamboree by tiny St. Cecilia of Englewood.

The Crusaders will attempt to win their second title at 6:30 tonight at Brookdule Community College against giant-killer Paul VI of Haddonfield, five weeks after the third-seeded BC team was eliminated in the Bergen County Jamboree by tiny Cresskill. Casucci was forced into the starting lineup and did very well for ub, especially in our win over Tea-neck," said Donfield. "But he went into a slump, and Foley would do so many things for us off the bench that I found I couldn't wait to get him into the game." Foley, who is averaging five points a game, is BC's second leading rebounder and a steady defensive player. Pedone, a 6-1 forward, leads the Crusaders in scoring (17.1) and is averaging 26 in the state tournament. He had 32 in the North Jer.