Saturday,
December 31, 2011
By Cory K. Doviak
NJS.com Editorial Director
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Senior Steven Schneider of Emerson/Park Ridge came out on top, 5-0, in the 132-pound final to take his first BCCA Holiday Tournament title. |
SUFFERN – Steven Schneider had never won a BCCA Holiday Tournament title and, as the top seed at 132 pounds, he had his best chance to grab the prestige and headlines that come with a de facto county championship. But when Schneider took the mat, his Emerson/Park Ridge team was still in the race for the overall team title and was within striking distance of becoming the first ever Group 1 school to accomplish that.
And Schneider is a team player.
“That is really what I was thinking about when I went out there. I was trying to win for the team,” said Schneider, whose team ended up alone in third place behind parochial powers Down Bosco Prep and Bergen Catholic. “This tournament is a lot of fun, but right after it we go back to work on trying to win team titles, the league and the team state tournament.”
Schneider will fall back into the team fold as a BCCA champion as he added that individual honor with a 5-0 win over Ridgewood's Brandon Giovanti in the 132-pound final. Schneider countered a Giovanti shot 25 seconds into the match and turned it into a takedown that gave him the lead for good.
Schneider escaped for the lone point of the second period and added a takedown before a scoreless third period contested entirely on the feet.
“That was the goal. We wanted to get a takedown in the beginning and work from in front,” Schneider. “I got the three-quarter nelson, I get it a lot when people try to shoot on me, and I threw it by and came behind. My coach always tells me to work for more points, but I had to wrestle smart. I had a two-point lead and I knew that if I didn't give up any points then he couldn't beat me.”
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