Wrestling: Soldano on par with 'Cats all-time greats

Even before his state championship run, Brian Soldano was already being compared to the elites in High Point history. With the 160-pound title in hand, the big question moving forward will be if the sophomore sits atop that list when his already accomplished career is complete.

"Hopefully, I can be one of them. I just have to wrestle two more times for it," Soldano said after an impressive 9-0 major of Delbarton's Dante Stefanelli in the 87th New Jersey State Wrestling Championships on Saturday at Boardwalk Hall in Atlantic City.

Brian Soldano en route to his semifinals win.

Only three-time champion Nick Francavilla (2009-11) and two-timer Ethan Orr (2010-11), who was the last to win before Soldano, have won multiple state titles. Soldano, a two-time district and region champ, has the chance to join Francavilla, who now runs Iron Horse in Sparta, as the only 'Cats to win four championships in both tournaments, as well as three state titles. At 79-5 overall in two seasons, Soldano, the 11th state champ in program history and its 13th finalist, is on pace to eclipse Francavilla's team wins record of 156. Pope John's JoJo Aragona (158) has the Sussex County record.

Francavilla has said that Soldano is more talented at this point in their careers, while assistant coach and former Rutgers standout Billy Smith, who started High Point's incredible run of four state titles in 2011, said there is no doubt about it. Those four champs in 2011 -- Francavilla, Smith, Orr and Drew Wagenhoffer -- combined for 561 wins, along with 13 district, 11 region and seven state titles, as well as 10 state medals overall.

"He's better than all of us [who won in 2011]. It's not even close," Smith said following the championship finals on Saturday.

That is extremely high praise for a wrestler who still has two seasons to go. At High Point, those compliments aren't given without good cause. The 'Cats like to play it close to the vest regarding these matters, but Soldano had those closest around him, and most of us on press row, in awe of his talents this past weekend and over these past two seasons.

"Brian never for a minute showed he was nervous," said Smith, a three-time district and two-time region champ under head coach John Gardner. "He envisioned it, talked about it. He's a tough kid and has a great future ahead of him. Most importantly, he has great parents [Pete and Cheryl], great community people, and he's home grown, which a lot of these teams can't say."

No High Point wrestler has accomplished more than Gardner when you factor in his coaching career as well. He became the school's second state champion in winning the 189-pound title and was New Jersey's all-time winningest  wrestler with a mark of 131-8-1 when he graduated in 1990, while he and Francavilla are the only four-time region champs. As the head coach of his alma mater, Gardner's teams are 377-107-2 overall and have captured 16 of the program's 28 sectional titles and all six of its state championships, including the Group 2 title this season.

Brian Soldano atop the podium at 160 pounds.

Gardner has been just as impressed as his former wrestlers. So who better to ask where Soldano, who has never won a Hunterdon-Warren-Sussex title only because he didn't enter the last two tournaments, ranks among the best of the 'Cats?

"He's definitely [one of those] guys. This is what he does for fun," said Gardner, who also coached 2005 state champion Dave Zabriskie, the first three-time NCAA All-American at heavyweight for Iowa State and the only High Point wrestler to win a Division I title (2010). "He's been surrounded by a great group and that's helped him, but he's got a lot of potential. For as good as he is now, he can still be better."

Using a move he calls "scissor-me-timbers," Soldano turned Stefanelli for two back points and got a one-count with it as well to break the title bout open in the second period.

"That's probably a move he started up [wrestling] with his brother [PJ, a senior and a Region 1 participant at 182 pounds]," said Gardner, who has coached every High Point state champ, besides himself, obviously, other than its first -- Fred Swanson (1971). "It's not a place you want to be. Kids are almost too afraid to do things. Brian doesn't wrestle like that."

With a punishing style on top, Soldano went 5-0 in AC, with two pins, one technical fall and one major to go with a 4-1 semifinal win over Manalapan senior Matt Benedetti, who was only the fourth wrestler to go the full six minutes against Soldano in 39 bouts this season. His only loss was 11-8 to Lower Dauphin senior Clayton Ulrey, a two-time PIAA Class AAA runner-up and a Virginia Tech recruit, in the Sam Cali Tournament finals on Jan. 4. Soldano recorded 29 pins (57 career), including seven in 11 postseason bouts.

Soldano, who recognized that he needed to be a more complete wrestler by improving in the neutral position, hit the freestyle scene hard and placed in the Cadet Nationals at Fargo, N.D., last summer. It won't be long before he gets right back to work.

"I'll probably take a week off just to heal my wounds and bruises," said Soldano, who will take a 27-match win streak into next season. "After three weeks or so, I have NHSCA nationals and then I'll be rolling into freestyle. I always want to keep active."