Recreational

    PHILLIPSBURG _ Julia Fongaro of Boonton was on the edge of a career-defining victory, less than a half-minute away from having her hand raised as a state champion.   Suddenly, within seconds, everything changed. Still, the never-rattled Fongaro stayed calm and collected after the title bout and looked to more successful outcomes in her very promising future.   Cherry Hill East's Maya Hemo rallied from a 1-0 deficit with less than 50 seconds remaining in the final period to earn a pin in 5:32 over Fongaro, a freshman sensation, in the 126-pound final at the Fourth Annual NJSIAA State…

  FRANKLIN _ It was a special day for Kayla Vazquez, a very skillful and artistically sound sophomore, and a trio of talented Boonton freshmen at the North Region Girls Wrestling Championships on Saturday, Feb. 12.   The Colts' Vazquez took first place at 126 pounds and the Bombers' Julia Fongaro and Samira Kupa earned silver medals at the region tournament, which was held at Franklin Township High School.   The top four finishers in each of the 12 weight classes advanced to the fourth annual state wrestling tournament, scheduled for Phillipsburg High School on Sunday, Feb. 20. More than…

PHILLIPSBURG _ Mount Olive's Carley Anderson gave it everything she had but Emma Matera had a little more in reserve and a bit more energy remaining in the tank. Matera, a junior representing Delran, pinned Anderson, a senior, in 1:23 in the 128-pound championship at the third annual NJSIAA Girls State Wrestling Tournament on Saturday, April 10 at Phillipsburg High School. "I just gave it my best and she came through with the one big move that helped turn around the bout," said the second-seeded Anderson. In the North Region final at 135 pounds at Union High School a week…

ATLANTIC CITY _ Sydney Petzinger artfully and powerfully carved out her own specially orchestrated major piece of school and Morris County history. Petzinger became the first-ever two-time state champion in the Parsippany school district and one of the special few from Morris County to ever win a pair of New Jersey scholastic wrestling titles. A junior 100-pounder, Petzinger methodically and fundamentally worked for a pin in 5:01 over Princeton High School freshman and second-seeded Ava Rose as she punched her ticket to Garden State wrestling immortality in the second-ever state girls wrestling tournament 100-pound final on Saturday, March 7 at…

UNION _ Sydney Petzinger displayed dominance in every facet of her many-pronged mat repertoire. Dispatching her opponents with four consecutive pins in a combined time of 6:25, Petzinger, a junior from Parsippany High School, earned her second straight North Region girls wrestling championship at 100 pounds at Union High School on Sunday, Feb. 23. In the final at 100, Petzinger took down Isabella Santos of Elizabeth for a fall in 1:35 and wound up winning most outstanding wrestler honors at the tournament that played to a full house of over 1,500 fans. Petzinger thus qualifies for the state tournament that…

ELMWOOD PARK _  A determined and focused Kiera Hubmaster just keeps racking up the wins on the long and winding road back to Atlantic City. Hubmaster, Kittatinny's powerful sophomore, pinned Elmwood Park's Maria Taseva (state place-winner last year) in 1:28 in the 180-pound final at at the first annual Bergen County Women's Coaches Association (BCWCA) Invitational girls wrestling tournament on Sunday, Jan. 5th at Elmwood Park High School. A year ago, in the initial girls wrestling season in New Jersey, Hubmaster made it all the way to the 235-pound final where she was edged by Kaila Mungo of Rancocas Valley,…

ATLANTIC CITY _ For Sydney Petzinger, it was a classically-trained performance for the ages. Parsippany's Petzinger, showing the technique of an artist like Leonardo da Vinci or Michelangelo or Rembrandt or a painter and sculptor like Pablo Picasso or a musical composer like Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart or Ludwig van Beethoven, wove a beautifully-styled mastery of her craft on the mats at Boardwalk Hall. A 15-year-old sophomore, Petzinger earned the 100-pound gold medal Saturday, March 2 with a dominating performance in the state tournament girls wrestling finals as she powered to a 10-0 major decision verdict over Allentown's Jasmine Aizley. This was…

LITTLE SILVER _ Sydney Petzinger was the first. No one can ever take that piece of history away from her. Parsippany's Petzinger became the first regional champion in New Jersey high school girls wrestling history when she pinned Alisa Safforld of Belleville in 4:22 in the 100-pound North Region final on Sunday, Feb. 17. Taking home a silver medal and also advancing to the state tournament at Boardwalk Hall in Atlantic City in two weeks was Parsippany's Hailey Budney. The top-seeded Budney, a senior, dropped a 2-1 verdict to Veronica Whitacre of Monroe Township in the North 136-pound final. The…

NEW YORK _ As a first-time participant in the New York City Marathon, Despina Pittas considered every millisecond a highlight. Pittas, a wraparound clinician at Boonton High School, reeled off moment after memorable moment. The start of the marathon in Staten Island... Crossing the Verrazano Bridge... The bands in Brooklyn... Her family members and strangers hugging her and friends cheering her on in Queens... The struggles she endured over the last 2.2 miles... "It was all so amazing," said Pittas, who completed the 26.2-mile race in 5:50.47 on Nov. 5, 2017. "It's tough to pick out one thing. Maybe Brooklyn,…