WRESTLING: Damico, Maurillo District Champions
Feb 22, 2009 – Seniors Anthony Damico and Vin Maurillo came home champions in yesterday's district 14 wrestling finals hosted at Livingston High School.
Their wins in the district finals mean the two Nutley High wrestlers will move to the regionals this week in West Orange. Winners there advance to the state tournament scheduled March 6-8 in Atlantic City.
Maurillo was superb and overpowering yesterday in his 8-1 victory over Livingston's Anthony Paris in the 152-pound match.
Damico seemed at ease in taking down his opponent as well with a 14-5 decision over Bloomfield's Connor Chaunchey. Damico win preserved his record that now stands at 34 consecutive victories.
There was a total of five wrestlers from coach Frank DiPiano's Nutley team who qualified and wrestled yesterday in the District 14 finals.
Sophomore Michael Ferinde lost a 9-0 decison to Bloomfield's Chris Lantz in the 112 pound match and Newark Academy's James McGann won on a 4-2 decision over junior Dante Montes at 130 pounds.
Maurillo also won his division last year when he was a student at Queen of Peace High School.
A pleasant surprise for Nutley came yesterday when Nutley's coach Frank DiPiano was named "Coach of Year" and his assistant, Anthony Montes, was selected as "Assistant Coach of the Year. Montes, NHS graduate holds the all-time high in the number of wrestling victories for the Raiders. Coach Montes holds the NHS record with 124 career victories. Senior Anthony Damico's win Saturday was his 122nd career victory. Damico is a senior and still has a chance of breaking the Nutley school record.
