Saturday,
December 31, 2011
By Rich Barton
NJS.com Staff Writer
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Cliffside Park's Matt Joskowitz gets a free ride after winning the BCCA 126-pound title in overtime with the only pin of the final round. |
SUFFERN -- By most predictions, neither Matt Joskowitz of Cliffside Park nor Roy Forys of Becton/Wallington were supposed to be wrestling in the BCCA George Jockish Holiday Tournament final. But they made it that far by using their rise through the tournament as motivation that they could beat anyone in their path. That was until they came up against one another for the 126-pound title in a match that needed more than the customary three two-minute periods to crown a champion.
After shocking top-seeded Billy Reardon of Don Bosco Prep in the semifinals, Joskowitz pulled off another surprise in the final but in a different way. After a virtual stalemate through the first three periods, Joskowitz was able to takedown Forys and turn him for a pin in 6:30 to win his first BCCA title with the only pin of the night by any wrestler.
The match was scoreless heading into the second period when Forys escaped to take a 1-0 lead. Joskowitz was on the offensive for most of the match, but could not crack the wall put up by Forys who looked as if he could have ridden out Joskowitzh for the entire third period. But then Forys was hit for a stall. That forced him to make a decision and it was to let Joskowitz up and give up an escape point with 56 seconds to go that tied the match.
“That was a real tough spot for Roy (Forys) because we didn’t want him to possibly get hit with another stall for a point,” said Becton/Wallington head coach Mike Settembrino. “Because then he could have won the match by just escaping. We wanted them to at least give Roy a chance to settle it on his feet. Joskowitz is a real tough kid though and he just kept coming.”
In the overtime, Joskowitz stayed aggressive and had Forys locked up when he looked to grab his left ankle. Forys got a little off-balance and Joswkowitz took advantage by putting him on his back for the pin and the title.
“Honestly, he was an annoying guy to wrestle because of how tough he was to score on,” said Joskowitz. “But he was able to use his style to his advantage and I just had to stay patient. I knew I was getting my chance whether it was in the third period or overtime to hit a shot. This is great, it just feels amazing to be a county champion.”
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