Saturday,
December 31, 2011
By Rich Barton
NJS.com Staff Writer
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Eric McMullen, a transfer from Paulsboro, made North Bergen 3-for-3 in BCCA finals as he won the 195-pound title. |
SUFFERN -- The marquee bout of the night was such for good reason as a pair of previous region champions squared off. Both Eric McMullen of North Bergen and Razhon Gross of Don Bosco led their respective teams to state football titles this past fall and now were looking to add some individual hardware to their mantles. As expected it would go right down to the wire with someone stepping up and making a key move at the right time.
McMullen got hit with a stall point with under a minute to go in the third period that tied the match, but caught Gross trying to take a shot and turned him for the winning takedown in a hard-fought 5-3 win in the 195-pound final.
"We worked on it all week after watching Gross. I had to keep my hands down and keep him off my legs and then capitalize on his mistakes," said McMullen. "He's aggressive and I had to look for a counter."
Early on, it was McMullen who set the tone by hooking Gross and throwing him out-of-bounds. He did not get any points for, but it clearly sent a message. McMullen, a transfer from Southern Jersey powerhouse Paulsboro, continued on the offensive and hit a double late in the first period for a 2-0 lead.
After the two traded escapes, McMullen had a 3-1 lead going into the third before the momentum started to swing Gross’ way. The Don Bosco junior escaped and then McMullen got hit with his second stall that gave Gross a point and tied the match up at 3 with less than a minute to go. Gross saw McMullen taking several deep breathes and attempted to use the momentum to go in for the kill. But McMullen countered the move by taking down Gross and holding on for the win.
“Gross is a good wrestler and I expect to see him again at states and I will be in a lot better wrestling shape,” added McMullen, who was the last of North Bergen's three finalist to win a BCCA title. "We call ourselves the Three Amigos, me Anthony [Giraldo] and Luis [Gonzalez] and for all of us to win here tonight was a great feeling."
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