Wrestling: Pope John rolls to Non-Public B crown

Sophomore Eddie Ventresca started the championship march with a pin at 113 pounds, while seniors Jake Rotunda (132) and Jake Brown (220) added falls as Pope John cruised to a 47-16 victory over DePaul in the Non-Public North B final in Sparta.

Pope John celebrates its first title since 1994. (Anthony Spaulding/PJ)

Pope John (16-2), which captured its eighth sectional title and first since 1994, will face South champion Holy Spirit (8-12) for the Non-Public B state championship at 5 p.m. on Sunday. The Lions, ranked No. 4 in the New Jersey Writers Association Top 20, will be seeking the program's sixth state title and first since '94.

DePaul (10-5) saw its streak of eight Non-Public North B sectional titles end at eight in a row.

Rotunda's pin and junior Joe Aragona's 13-4 major over Luke McFadden, a fifth-place finisher in Region 2 last season, at 138, helped Pope John jump out to a 20-4 lead through five bouts.

In the featured bout, Ricky Cabanillas, a returning state runner-up, earned a 5-1 decision over Pope John junior Robert Garcia, a fourth-place finisher in last year's state tournament. After the bout, Cabanillas was called for unsportsmanlike conduct, resulting in the loss of a team point. Stephen Barone and Connor O'Neil followed with wins to cut the deficit to 20-13.

That's when things reportedly turned ugly. Pope John senior James Swentzel won by injury default at 170, when he lost control of Ryan Karsen during an attempt to return him to the mat. DePaul coach Keith Karsen was hit with two misconduct penalties, the first for bumping into an official while arguing a call and a second for throwing a chair in disgust near the Spartans' bench. The penalties resulted in the loss of three more team points and Karsen was removed from the gym.

Leading, 26-10, senior Reece Muldoon's 4-3 win at 182 and Cole Zydel's win by forfeit at 195 set the stage for Brown's match-clinching pin with two bouts to go.

POPE JOHN 47, DEPAUL 16

113 -- So. Eddie Ventresca (28-2), PJ, p. Jr. Derek Russell (10-14), 1:05.
120 -- So. Kaya Sement (27-5), PJ, md. Jr. Michael Esposito (18-12), 10-2.
126 -- Jr. Nicky Cabanillas (27-5), D, md. So. Mathew Garcia (21-8), 12-4.
132 -- Sr. Jake Rotunda (28-4), PJ, p. Jr. Joe Ferrandiz (13-14), :57.
138 -- Jr. Joe Aragona (30-1), PJ, md. Jr. Luke McFadden (25-7), 13-4.
145 -- Jr. Ricky Cabanillas (30-1), D, d. Jr. Robert Garcia (28-4), 5-1.
152 -- Jr. Stephen Barone (11-3), D, d. So. Connor Fritsch (9-10), 5-3.
160 -- So. Connor O'Neil (26-4), D, md. Sr. Joseph Arbolino (13-9), 13-4.
170 -- Sr. James Swentzel (14-10), PJ, injury default over Sr. Ryan Karsen (6-7).
182 -- Sr. Reece Muldoon (22-1), PJ, d. Sr. Michael Pillot (23-8), 4-3.
195 -- So. Cole Zydel (6-7), PJ, forfeit.
220 -- Sr. Jake Brown (16-2), PJ, p. Fr. Alvaro Navarro (4-14), :50.
285 -- So. Eddie Bierals (13-7), D, p. Sr. Jack Morelli (19-8), 4:52.
106 -- Fr. Shane Percelay (22-6), PJ, forfeit.
Records -- Pope John 16-2, DePaul 10-5.
Note -- DePaul had four team points deducted for unsportsmanlike conduct.