Saturday, March 1, 2014

Rossetti, Zaro among 2015 Region 1 Hall inductees

Next year's Region 1 Hall of Fame ceremony will have a Phillipsburg flavor as former standouts Mike Rossetti and Bob Zaro will be enshrined in 2015.

Also part of a stellar group are former Jefferson stars Dan Vallimont and Ken Rossi. The foursome will be inducted prior to next season's championship round at Wallkill Valley Regional High School.

Vallimont, a two-time region and state champion who compiled a 134-9 record for the Falcons, received the highest vote total with 80 percent. He is currently an assistant coach at Hofstra University. Nominees must earn the required 75 percent of the votes by coaches and selected media members for induction.

Rossi (79 percent), the head coach at West Morris, was a four-time district and two-time region champion -- placing all four years in the regions with two third-place finishes. A four-time state placewinner, Rossi finished second twice (1991, '93). He compiled a career mark of 135-9 and was a member of the great Jefferson teams in the early 1990s, including the state's top-ranked team in 1993.

Rossetti (75 percent), both an outstanding wrestler and coach, was a two-time state finalist and two-time region champion for the Stateliners in 1973-74. He went on to a fine coaching career at Jefferson, Randolph and P'burg. At Jefferson, his teams won four sectional titles and three Group championships, along with six Morris County Tournament titles. At P'burg, he compiled a record of 75-13 in four seasons, winning sectional and Group titles each season. Individually, Rossetti coached two state champions and 20 state placewinners. He also won a Division III national title at Trenton State.

Zaro (77 percent), considered one of the great P'burg wrestlers and one of the best in the state during his era, was a three-time district and two-time region champion. He won two state titles in 1968-69.

Here are the other nominees and their voting totals. They all will remain on the ballot for 2016.

Chris Skretkowicz (66 percent) -- Three-time district, two-time region champion and three-time state placewinner at Wallkill Valley, where he compiled a mark of 124-13. He was a two-time state finalist, winning the 171-pound title in 2000. Skretkowicz, an assistant coach at Virginia Military Institute, was a two-time All-American at Hofstra University.

David Zabriskie (62 percent) -- Two-time region qualifier, champion in 2005. Finished sixth in the state in 2004 and won a state championship at 215 pounds in '05. Went on to a stellar collegiate career at Iowa State, where he was a four-time NCAA qualifier and three-time All-American. He was the 285-pound national champion in 2010.

Jamie Wicks (45 percent) -- Three-time district, two-time region and two-time state champ for the Terriers (1987, '88). Compiled a career mark of 92-5 -- currently ranking 13th on the school's all-time list.

Jan Michaels (24 percent) -- Regarded as one of the best to come out of Sussex County, Michaels was a two-time district champion and Vernon's only two-time region champ. He was a three-time state qualifier, winning the 148-pound title in 1979 after finishing second in '78. He went on to become a three-time NCAA All-American at North Carolina. A very successful coach, Michaels guided High Point to an overall record of 47-12 in three seasons (1994-96) and three sectional titles. Individually, he coached three region champions, as well as two state finalists.

Patrick Dattalo (24 percent) -- One of three brothers to compete for coach Mike Suk, Dattalo was a two-time district and two-time state champion -- winning the Donald Ringler Award as the tournament's OW in 2002.

Brett Raimondo (7 percent) -- Two-time district and three-time region champion -- one of only 32 to win three titles in this region -- and the 1988 state champion at 112 pounds. He's the only Mendham wrestler to win three region championships and compiled a career mark of 105-14-1.

Here are the current Hall of Fame members:

2006

John Barna, Phillipsburg
Mike Frick, Pope John
Henry Boresch, Newton
Greg Surenian, Randolph
Steve Dalling, Kittatinny

2007

John Gardner, High Point
Rick Thompson, Phillipsburg

2008

Ben Oberly, Warren Hills
David Hughes, Jefferson

2009

Gus Rampone, Newton

2010

Steve DePetro, DePaul

2011

Dan Slack, Warren Hills

2012

Greg Cholish, West Morris
Andy Iliff, Newton

2013

Roman Fleszar, Kittatinny

2014

John Goles, Washington/Warren Hills
Gene Mills, DePaul
Matt Valenti, Kittatinny
Carmine Rossi, Roxbury
Sam Rossi, Roxbury

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