Recreational

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,…