Team of the Year

Montville

You could make an argument over the top team in every sport this winter, but no sport was more confusing than wrestling. The only JSN-area team to win a league title was Boonton, but the Bombers were not a serious contender for this honor. Likewise, DePaul and Passaic Valley were the only area teams to win sectional titles, but the Spartans and Hornets both had too many losses to local teams to be considered.

Lakeland appeared for a while to be a real contender for this award, but a disappointing end to the season knocked the Lancers out of the picture. That leaves three candidates: Wayne Valley, Pequannock and Montville. None wrestled one of the others in a dual, and their records and results are quite similar.

We are selecting Montville based on a few factors. They posted an impressive team win at the tough District 2 tournament, and were the only one of the three squads to advance any wrestlers to Atlantic City (the Mustangs had two qualifiers, Mike Intile and Greg Barnish, while a third just barely missed out). Montville also had a few nice wins during the season, including a triumph over St. Joseph of Montvale, which beat Wayne Valley, en route to a 19-4 record overall.

We think a match between any of our top five teams would be close. No team stood out this year and all had disappointing days. But based on their solid performance throughout the season and a strong finish, we are going with the Montville Mustangs as our JSN Wrestling Team of the Year.

Wrestler of the Year

Frank Crocco, Passaic Valley

This ranks as a real surprise. After all, Crocco's teammate Ryan Dunphy got far more ink, and DePaul's A.J. Mott also made headlines. But it was Crocco who quietly went through the regular season, plus county, district and regional tournaments undefeated.

Not seen as a major title threat in Atlantic City, Crocco stunned two-time champion Anthony Baldosaro in the quarterfinals, taking the Eastern wrestler to his back in a 9-5 win. Crocco then eased past C.J. Cobb of Williamstown, 8-1, in the semifinals. The dream of a state title ended against another previous champion, Connor Walsh of Camden Catholic, in the final, but Crocco finished the season at 39-1 and the top-placed local wrestler in the states. For this remarkable effort, he is the JSN Wrestler of the Year.

Coach of the Year

Joe Cervino, Lakeland

Cervino believed his team capable of some big things this season, and though the Lancers fell a bit short of championship performances, they took a big step forward. An afterthought in the early season rankings, the Lancers moved up with a great start to the season, and came within a half-point of winning their first county championship.

The end of the season was a bit tough for Lakeland, and no doubt coach Cervino will be working hard to have his team take that next step. But for making Lakeland wrestling relevant again, we name Joe Cervino our JSN Wrestling Coach of the Year.

-- Paul Mencher for Jersey Sports Now