Seniors Ryan McKenna (left) and Joseph Petriello became the 8th and 9th members of Dumont's 100-win club this season.

DUMONT – The Dumont wrestling program has a proud history and within it there is a pretty small list of athletes on one particular banner hanging in the gym. With the first being Anthony Duncan in 2002, there were only seven members of the 100-win club coming into this season. In the last couple of months, that number has increased by more than 20 percent.

During the Bergen County Wrestling Tournament earlier this season Ryan McKenna picked up career win No. 100 and on Wednesday Joseph Petriello added another milestone to his standout season with a tech fall victory against Whippany Park that gave him win No. 100.

"I was a little nervous before the match because maybe there was a little more pressure, but when I got out there I just wrestled hard and it worked out," said Petriello, the Huskies' 157-pounder and a state qualifier last season. "It was a goal of to get [to 100 wins] like it was for Ryan and I am happy that we were both able to do it in the same season."

The dual accomplishments are the culmination of a deliberate build-up. Joe Sutera came in as the athletic director four years ago and hired Chris Bitetto as head coach when Mike Rooney left to take the same position at Northern Valley/Demarest. This senior class, which includes McKenna, Petriello, Daniguel Onyx Trinidad and Braeden Tresser, came in with Bitetto, half of them now have 100 career wins and all of them helped the Huskies reach the state sectional tournament.

Dumont, which won the Big North Conference – American Division title and is 13-7 on the season, is the No. 7 seed and will visit No. 2 Pascack Valley in the opening round of the North 1, Group 2 tournament on Monday. This will be the Huskies first appearance in the state tournament since 2018.

Earlier this season Petriello became the first-ever Dumont wrestler to place at the prestigious Beast of the East Tournament when he took eighth. That made program history, but could have been even better. He had a chance to wrestle back to as high as third, but an ankle injury led to a medical forfeit, which was disappointing, but also opened up a chance to help the team in other ways.

"Joe was out for an extended period of time with an injury and it was like having another coach in the room," said Bitetto, who was a New Jersey state champion in 1999 when he wrestled for Hackensack. "He was going around trying to help other kids, being selfless while trying to rehab and comeback. I think that speaks volumes. Both of these guys are role models. They are answering questions, showing techniques to the younger kids."

McKenna and Petriello have certainly helped build the foundation of a program that is on the rise.

"Those two, and all the seniors, really lead by example. These guys go out there with the mindset that that they are going to win their match no matter who is on the other side," said Sutera. "That is the kind of attitude that you want the younger guys to see. It sets the standard."

The homestretch of the season is here and whenever the team's run in the state sectional playoff ends, the focus turns to how long each Husky can keep his individual season going.

"Ryan has knocked on the door of getting into the state tournament and I would love for him to have the opportunity to make it down to Atlantic City. That would be a real reward for the work he has put in," said Bitetto. "For Joe, our goal is to see him get on the podium. Depending on how well we wrestle at the state tournament will determine how high we can place, but a podium is a legitimate goal for him. If these guys continue to put in the work as they have, stay hungry and wrestle to their strengths I think they can both achieve their goals."

TO BUY A COLLECTOR'S PRINT OF THIS STORY PLEASE VISIT 4-FeetGrafix.com.