Wrestling: True to form, DiGiuseppe a history maker

ATLANTIC CITY -- Vernon senior True DiGiuseppe embodies the qualities of a wrestling warrior in every sense.

A year ago, DiGiuseppe was unsure if he'd ever step on a mat again after sustaining a serious neck injury while competing in the Sam Cali Invitational in December 2025. But somehow, he found the resolve to author one of the greatest comeback stories in Hunterdon-Warren-Sussex area history. 

DiGiuseppe on the podium in AC

DiGiuseppe became only the third Vernon wrestler to medal in the state tournament with his eighth-place finish at 190 pounds in the 93rd Boys Championships on Saturday afternoon at Jim Whelan Boardwalk Hall. 

"It feels good," DiGiuseppe said shortly after a tough 11-7 loss to Dominic Dorman, one of three medalists for Ridge, in their seventh-place matchup. "I didn't let [the injury] stop me because I still wanted to wrestle. That's why I'm here."

In all, DiGiuseppe was one of five area placewinners and three from Sussex County on the boys' side as he joined Pope John seniors Dalton Weber (third at 126) and Cole Dunham (fourth at 175). North Hunterdon junior Cayden Wadle (106) and Hunterdon Central freshman James Fearon (126) also were eighth-place finishers. DiGiuseppe had some hometown company as Vikes sophomore Melodie Guzik-Upchurch finished fourth at 138 pounds in the girls tournament.

DiGiuseppe (37-5) sure looked like a wrestler who grinded his way through a rugged bracket at 190, which included Delbarton senior Carl Betz and Don Bosco Prep senior Nevin Mattesich, the top two seeds who met in the finals and combined to hand DiGiuseppe his first three losses this season.

Betz scored a 22-6 win by technical fall over DiGiuseppe in the state pre-quarterfinals, while Mattesich previously prevailed in their District 2 and Region 1 finals matchups -- a 15-2 major decision and a 17-2 technical fall.

"I had a lot of things working for me in the beginning of the tournament and as I got more injured going on, I couldn't get all the same angles I wanted to get." said DiGiuseppe, who was visibly in pain after going 4-3 over a three-day span in AC. ... But I still made the most of what I could do."

The Round of 16 loss to Betz dropped DiGiuseppe into the consolation bracket where he reeled off three straight wins -- including rallying late to deck Southern's Levi Foote in the Blood Round -- to secure his school's first medal since Brian Hoyt placed seventh at 112 pounds in 2007. Jan Michaels is the program's only champion (148 pounds in 1979) and two-time finalist (runner-up in '78). The former High Point coach is one of just six wrestlers from the county to earn NCAA Division I All-American honors three times (1981-83 for North Carolina).

DiGiuseppe ranks 2nd on the school's wins list

"True stayed strong even though he took a loss in the second round," said first-year Vernon coach Billy Talmadge, a two-time state placewinner at High Point (fifth in 2019 and eighth in '20). "So we knew he could do it. That's a long haul [back through the wrestlebacks] and he showed a lot of heart. I'm proud of him."

Both DiGiuseppe and High Point heavyweight Gavin Mericle are students at Sussex County Technical School, but are allowed to compete for their hometown high schools since the Mustangs dropped their program after the 2003-04 season. DiGiuseppe is in the school's welding program and unsure if he will continue to wrestle in college.

But what a senior season to remember as DiGiuseppe also became Vernon's first HWS Tournament champion. At 102-21 overall, DiGiuseppe is one of just two Vernon wrestler to reach the century mark and might have eclipsed Hoyt (114-31 from 2003-07) as the leader had his junior season not been cut short after only 11 bouts. Nonetheless, his place in program history is secure. 

"Just wanted to do as good as I could," said the stoic DiGiuseppe, who rarely showed any emotion and just went about his business. "Just wanted to push myself. I wanted to finish higher, but that's all right. I fought as hard as I could every match."

"He's a quiet kid. We joke around sometimes, I try to get him to smile and have some fun," Talmadge said. "Even after his matches, he just gets his hand raised and comes off the mat, and goes to do his thing. I think that's really cool. Just humble, simple."