WMC Wins District Crown Behind Neill, Harrison, Kowalik & Borgia Gold

By David Yaskulka
Photos from Jen Sheppard, Sheryl Reed

Coach Chris Marold’s West Morris Central squad won the 2025 NJSIAA / IBEW Local 102 District 11 wrestling tournament championship Saturday (Feb. 22) behind four individual gold medalists – two-time champion Tommy Borgia (HWT), and first-time champs Brody Neill (120), Jacob Harrison (132) and Chris Kowalik (190).

For only the second time in team history the Wolfpack took first place in the 10-school competition. Districts represent a school’s final team competition of the season, and it is fitting that this squad's 18-7 dual meet record also tied the school record.

“This group of guys is one to remember,” said Borgia. “We worked hard while no one was looking. We were really able to put it together for one last time at the district.”

Nine Wolfpack competitors medaled and advanced to Regions (the middle step of the State Championship competition): Mark Montuore (113), Deacon Frayne (175) and Michael Borgia (215) nabbed silver, and Jonathan Cabarle (138) and Robert Fazzino (165) advanced with bronze.

More than two-thirds of the Pack’s margin of victory came from Jacob Reed (106), Mason Vazquez (126), and John Garcia (157) who each contributed a pin on his last day of the season. WMC had 204.5 points, followed by home team Nutley (183.5), and Governor Livingston (171) – avenging WMC’s team playoff loss.

D11 was also a celebration of Wolfpack youth. Among all rookies who cracked their team’s starting lineup, WMC’s freshman foursome were all top-eight tournament contributors (by team points), with champion Kowalik first, Frayne third, Cabarle fifth, and Reed eighth.

Jersey Wrestling (on Rokfin) ranked every District and Region based on the number and placement of returning state Medalists competing. WMC’s Region 3 is the single most difficult of eight. District 11 is #18 of 34.

All I See is Gold

Not a single wrestler went the distance against West Morris Central’s four champions.

Junior HWT co-captain Borgia defended his District crown in dominating fashion, one of only three champions to pin all three competitors, and Borgia’s was in (by far) the fastest time. He pinned Nutley’s Nolan Brewer (25-10 record) in a 91 second final. It was Borgia’s third finals appearance, taking silver as a 215 lb. freshman.

Each win for Borgia etched a new notch in his Wolfpack record book rewrite. His D11 pins were his 27, 28 and 29th this season, the highest total in team history, and second most in New Jersey overall. His 64th career pin passed Henry Frayne for second most all-time, now behind only his co-captain Montuore. His 106th victory is now #11 behind David Migliaccio.

His two district titles came from five consecutive first period pins, the 2025 finals being the first match to last over a minute.

“I expect nothing but to capture a second region title as well,” said Borgia. “I feel good and I’m excited to make a run. Strategy stays the same – score early, score often, and just trust my coaches and the work I put in.”

Sophomore Neill (120) followed his quarterfinal tech fall with a pair of 51-second pins in semis and the finals. After cradling up Gov. Livingston’s Eduardo Ribeiro (29-7) in the finals, it almost seemed Neill had to pin him three times before the ref slapped the mat for gold. Last season Neill (and half the Pack) was deathly ill, losing handily in semifinals to a competitor he’d previously beaten, and gritted his way to bronze on the way to an eventual seventh place medal in AC.

Sophomore Harrison (132), a silver medalist as a rookie, took no prisoners with two pinfalls and a commanding 19-2 tech fall over Verona’s Jesse Wagner (30-9) for his first gold medal. Among his teammates, Harrison equals Borgia’s silver-then-gold District performance as an underclassman.

Despite the personal achievement, Harrison’s eyes are only forward. “To prepare for regions, my strategy focuses on maintaining consistent training, mental resilience, and effective techniques. By combining physical preparation with mental fortitude, I plan to approach the regional matches with determination and composure, ready to perform at my best.”

Kowalik (190) joined Borgia and Nutley’s Adam Rotbaum as the only champions with three pinfalls. Kowalik was one of two freshman champions, and the only underclassman champ from 165 up. He’s also only the second in recent Wolfpack history. Kowalik pinned Livingston’s Samuel Jean Marie (23-10) for the second time this season to take gold, showing off his gas tank to dominate after it was tied 7-7 in the second.

“I wrestled a close match the whole time with my opponent in the final,” recounted Kowalik, “but at the end when I used an arm bar to pin him I felt accomplished. I also knew that many more titles will be available to me and my team mates.”

Sterling Performances

Each of WMC’s three sterling performances brought new milestones.

Montuore’s quarterfinals and semis pinfalls extended his team record-setting total to 67 pins. His 112th career win tied Kade Loughney for fifth most in school history. If he accomplishes his goal of winning matches in Atlantic City, he could reach Michael Campanaro’s 117 for a place on WMC’s Mt. Rushmore of wins.

Montuore’s District silver was also a personal best after three bronze medal performances. But his sudden surprising quick-pin loss in the finals to Nutley’s Jack Finkelstein (28-8), whom he had pinned in Regions last season, confounded the Wolfpack faithful after seeing slow pin calls all day.

Frayne continued his extraordinary rookie campaign with his silver medal performance, falling in the finals in a sudden shocking pin to Livingston junior Matt Steiner. His two pinfalls Saturday gave him 23 for the season, tied for fourth most in Wolfpack history, and the most for a rookie – though teammate Kowalik is right behind him with 22.

Frayne was the only underclassman to win a bout at 175.

Michael Borgia’s dominant quarters and semis performance, winning by 16-second pin and by tech fall, showed off some of the slickest moves of the tournament. Borgia’s first-ever Region qualification showed him to be clearly the class of his bracket outside of champion Nathan Faxon (34-1), who narrowly topped Borgia’s brother at states last season.

After failing to medal last season as the only underclassman in his bracket, Borgia’s breakout performance did not go unnoticed by his brother.

“Mikey Borgia really impressed me,” said Tommy. “He’s my drill partner and I have seen him grow so much over the last past year. It’s great to see.”

Bronze Ticket-Punch to Regions

Junior Fazzino, who was also seriously ill at last season’s District, did not let this opportunity escape his grasp. His two first-period pinfalls (sandwiched by a loss to the one-seed) punched his ticket to Regions for the first time. Fazzino was undeterred by his seeding, which based on RankWrestlers.com rankings, was two seeds lower than the three-seed he deserved. Not coincidentally, he tied for the largest seed-place difference (exceeding expectations) among all medalists.

Cabarle’s dramatic and controversial bronze medal victory upset Kearny senior and 55th-ranked Adam Ramadan (28-6). WMC coaches (and fans) protested throughout the match as referees discounted Cabarle’s scoring, and appeared to discount two pinfalls prior to the hand slap. Cabarle’s two pinfall wins to punch his ticket to Regions give him 15, the second most among all freshmen wrestling at 138 this season.

Wait Till Next Year

Districts can be the season finale for even very good wrestlers, whose off season – which will largely determine how much they’ll improve next season – begins early.

Erin Villanueva completes his high school career with a Cinderella second half, thrilling the Wolfpack faithful with an epic ultimate-bout pin to defeat Immaculata, and going on to pin three more times for the Pack. In his final day of dual meets, Villanueva went 2-1 with two pins.

For a new wrestler, Reed had eye-opening success, winning 13 matches his freshman year, and finishing the dual meet season with three consecutive pins in a memorable Randolph quad performance. Ranked 80th out of 239 freshmen at the weight (top 33%), he’ll be one to watch. He added a 41 second D11 pin to his resume Saturday.

Sophomore Vazquez bumped up to deliver 10 wins for the Pack in his first full season as a starter. He finished the season ranked in the top 33% of the weight class (#181 of 543). His pin in the ultimate bout at Mendham was memorable. He also added a pinfall to Wolfpack scoring Saturday.

Kurt Beyer (150) contributed 15 wins, including an epic upset pin against Morris Hills. Among sophomores, he ranked 23rd at 150 lbs statewide, and was in the top 23% among all grades. In a sign of things to come, Beyer finished the dual meet season winning seven of his last eight. His quarterfinals 19-13 loss Saturday to Verona’s Joel Gonzalez (34-4) was an epic back-and-forth battle, and possibly Beyer’s best bout of the season.

Sophomore John Garcia (157) contributed 12 wins, getting stronger as he gained varsity experience. His convincing major victory against Immaculata turned the tide for the Pack. He won five of his last six bouts, the last three by pin, tech, and major. Among sophomores at 157 in New Jersey, he ranked # 39 out of 137 – top 28%. He also added a D11 pinfall victory to his impressive sophomore season.

Young Champions, Multiple Champions

Three of WMC’s 2025 District champs are underclassmen – Kowalik, Neill and Harrison. Since 2013, last season was the first time WMC has had as many as two underclassmen champs, sophomores Borgia and AJ Codella. In these 13 years, Metzler was the first, winning as a sophomore in 2015 on his way to fourth in the state.

Kowalik is the only freshman champ since Brandon Dean was first in 2022.

Since 2013 at least, WMC has not had any three-time District champs, though there have been plenty of repeat champions: Shane Metzler, Luke Stefanelli, Marco Gaita, Justin LeMay, Eli Shepard, Robby Bohr, Colin Loughney, Brandon Dean, Michael Hare, Michael Campanaro, and Henry Frayne. Notably, there was no District tournament in 2021, so M. Shepard, Hare, Campanaro and H. Frayne were all denied that opportunity.

All four 2025 District champs will have the opportunity to become three-timers (or for Kowalik, four), starting with Borgia next season. Freshmen medalists Frayne and Cabarle could be in that conversation as well.

One Big Dilemma for the Wolfpack

Ironically, one of WMC’s two 2024 District champs, then sophomore HWT AJ Codella, did not defend his crown as one of NJ’s very best grew into his HWT slot. As one of the only healthy Pack members in 2024 Districts, Codella decked everyone he faced, but sadly caught the same bug in time for Regions.

After too many years of Wolfpack forfeits up top, WMC is drowning in upper weight riches.

Sophomore spot-starter Jack Sheppard was 27-7 with 23 pins for the JV squad, and one pin at the varsity Goles tournament, where he went 2-2 – a clear sign of a wrestler who can succeed at the varsity level.

Add Frayne and Kowalik, the top freshmen in the state at 175 and 190, and region qualifier Michael Borgia at 215 to that log jam up top. The heaviest senior starter is Villanueva at 144, leaving little growing room for the current group hoping to return from 150 up.

This drowning in big guy riches might not be a coincidence. One former wrestler suggested that while Ken Rossi was an amazing coach – the best he ever had – his training style better served the lower weights. He thought if Marold were in charge of the big guys, more might be recruited and retained. Marold’s heavyweights have taken district gold in all four of his seasons (Henry Frayne twice, Codella, and now Borgia).

Wolfpack District History

Last season, big men Borgia and AJ Codella won District Championships, as seven advanced. Harrison took silver. WMC topped all public schools. Marold repeated as Coach of the Year. Neill, Montuore, Jacob Fahmi, and Sam Rizzuto advanced.

In 2022-23, , WMC crowned four D11 champs, Brandon Dean, Michael Hare, Michael Campanaro, and Henry Frayne. Coach Marold was named 2022-23 D11 Coach of the Year. Tommy Borgia took silver (losing only to arch nemesis Rocco Salerno). Montuore took district bronze for the second time in his two seasons. Fahmi joined Borgia as freshman district medalists.

In 2022, Campanaro, Dean, Malachi Shepard, and Frayne took gold, and freshman Montuore bronze.

In the 2021 Covid year, there were no districts, but freshman Rizzuto was among six WMC wrestlers chosen for “North 2 Regions” including Hare, Campanaro, Michael Ferrante, Malachi Shepard and Frayne.

In 2020, Robert Bohr, Colin Loughney and Eli Shepard defended their District 12 crowns as Malachi Shepard won his first championship. Senior first year wrestler Mike Battaglino was the breakout star, topping all 108 wrestlers in “seed-place difference” (overachievement), winning silver as the 5-seed.

In 2019, Robert Bohr, Eli Shepard, Colin Loughney, Justin LeMay and Luke Stefanelli won championships, and the Wolfpack its first ever team title. Coach Ken Rossi won Coach of the Year, and LeMay Outstanding Wrestler.

In 2018, WMC nabbed a team-best 12 medals at the District 11 tournament with four champions: Robert Rosen, Stefanelli, Marco Gaita and LeMay -- won championships, tying the school record.

More history:

• 2017: Gaita is champ, eight advance, Ken Rossi coach of year
• 2016: Kade Loughney and Shane Metzler are champs, five advance
• 2015: Metzler and Dylan Luciano are champs, eight advance
• 2014: Jesse Windt is repeat champ, seven advance
• 2013: Cory Fleming and Jesse Windt are champs, nine advance

Next Up

Regions 2/28-3/1 at West Orange
States 3/6-8 in Atlantic City Boardwalk Hall

WMC’s nine D11 medalists (top-3) compete in the Region 3 Championship Feb 28- Mar 1 at West Orange.

Top-four finishers from each of the eight Regions advance to the NJSIAA State Championship in Atlantic City Mar. 6-8 where Wolfpack legends including (this century) Brandon Dean, Marisa Di Paolo (Girls States, twice), Colin Loughney, Justin LeMay, Marco Gaita, Shane Metzler (thrice), Nick Matthews, Dillon Landi and most recently Brody Neill climbed the podium in hallowed Boardwalk Hall.

About David Yaskulka

David began living his sportswriter dream to avoid concession duty when his sons Noah and Ben began wrestling for the Wolfpack in 2012. He is a passionate sustainability advocate and pet industry executive, serves as Board Chair of the Pet Sustainability Coalition, Board Director at Greater Good Charities; and Board Advisor at Arch Pet Food, rePurpose Global plastic action platform, and New Zealand Trade & Enterprise.

He invites all WMC wrestlers and their families to connect with him (and with each other!) on LinkedIn.