The offseason was difficult for West Essex junior Reid Clausi.
Losing in the blood round at the NJSIAA State Championships can drive a wrestler mad, and Clausi found himself consumed by the fact that he finished his sophomore year one victory short of a state medal.
“It was really hard on me. I was really upset when I lost,” Clausi said.
The chip on Clausi’s shoulder has remained with him since last March, fueling his desire to find a way to win one more match in Atlantic City. Despite his frustration, he never wavered in his belief that he was right there with the state’s best. It took just one tournament to prove himself right.
Clausi scored the biggest victory of his career when he defeated Point Pleasant Boro two-time state medalist Jake Clayton, 4-2, to win the 165-pound championship at Southern Regional’s Robin Leff Tournament on Saturday in Manahawkin. Clayton finished fourth in the state at 165 pounds last season and was eighth at 157 as a freshman.
With the score tied 1-1 early in the third period, Clausi secured the go-ahead takedown with 1:17 left and thwarted a pair of takedown attempts by Clayton to produce a signature early-season victory.
“It feels really good. There’s not much better I could have hoped for,” Clausi said.
“It hurts to lose in the blood round, and he definitely internalized it the right way,” West Essex head coach Mike Markey said. “He’s put in a lot of work. He watched a lot of film and wrestled a lot of matches. I think he saw the fruits of that today.”
After a scoreless first period, Clausi took a 1-0 lead with an escape nine seconds into the second period. Clayton tied the bout with an escape nine seconds into the third. Clausi got in on a single-leg takedown attempt 30 seconds later and drove Clayton to the mat to take a 4-1 lead.
“I knew he was a little stronger than me so I was just focused on wearing him down,” Clausi said. “I felt him reaching over the top, felt my opening, shot my single and finished from there.”
Clayton escaped 11 seconds later and pressed forward, but Clausi kept him at bay with excellent takedown defense against the powerful and seasoned Point Boro junior.
“At KD [Training Center], we work on far-ankle defense a lot and defending your base when someone gets in,” Clausi said. “I think that really helped me in this match.”
“There was a lot of good wrestling in that match,” Markey said. “There were a few positions where they both had a couple good exchanges, and I think that might have been the difference where Reid stopped a few of those and was able to capitalize on his own. It was going to come down to something little that won the match because they’re both so talented.”
What makes the win even more impressive is that Clausi is up three weight classes after competing at 144 pounds last season.
“I was a pretty big 144 last season and I kind of walk around at 165,” Clausi said. “I could drop down to 157 but I’m not sure yet. I feel like I wrestle better against bigger guys, but there’s a certain point where I want to be strong enough to handle the weight.”
Clausi’s win over Clayton is a great one, no doubt, but given the season isn’t even a week old, he knows the work has only just begun.
“I came into the season wanting to win a state title and I don’t think much changes,” Clausi said. “I have to keep working hard in practice and trying to beat better guys.”
“We said coming in, this is preseason,” Markey said. “It’s nice to see we can compete like this, but we’re trying to get better for March. All the stuff along the way is just information.”
Another wrestler who fought back from the disappointment of losing in the blood round last season to earn a marquee win was Paramus Catholic’s Nick Barone. The Paladins senior knocked off Camden Catholic’s Michael Craft, the returning state fourth-place finisher, with a 6-4 victory in the 150-pound final. Barone scored the only offensive points of the bout on a takedown 46 seconds into the match and another with 27 seconds remaining in the third period.
At last season’s state tournament, Barone fell to Jackson’s Armani McCann in the 138-pound blood round on a stalling call with two seconds left to lose 7-6.
“It really came down to having grit and determination,” Barone said. “Last year I didn’t end the season how I wanted to and I feel like I had to prove myself. This was the spot to do it.”
Barone won by technical fall in his first two bouts before a 6-1 semifinal victory over Phillipsburg’s Owen Garriques.
“It gives me a whole lot of confidence,” Barone said. “I’m excited to see where I end up on that podium.”
Barone headlined a standout day for Paramus Catholic, No. 8 in the NJ.com Top 20, as the Paladins crowned a tournament-high four champions by winning weights 138 through 157. Two-time state medalist Seach Hibler defeated McCann 2-1 in the 138-pound final on the strength of a second-period reversal. Nick Pallitto defeated Camden Catholic’s Eric Swanson 7-1 at 144 pounds. Harry Asatrian bested Mount Olive’s Colin Smyth 6-4 in the 157-pound championship bout.
The Robin Leff featured eight Top-20 teams, including No. 5 Camden Catholic, No. 7 Southern, No. 8 Paramus Catholic, No. 9 Mount Olive, No. 10 Delsea, No. 12 North Hunterdon, No. 17 St. Augustine, No. 18 Phillipsburg and No. 20 Red Bank Catholic.
Host Southern, the three-time defending Group 5 state champions, had one champion with freshman Jonas Lusker winning the 106-pound title as the No. 7 seed. Lusker defeated No. 2 seed Zackary Swingle of Phillipsburg, 8-3, in the quarterfinals. He bested Monroe’s Kyle Capodanno, the No. 3 seed, 7-1, in the semifinals and pinned the top seed, North Hunterdon’s Cayden Wadle, in 36 seconds in the final.
“He’s got a really good gas tank and he literally does not stop wrestling,” Southern head coach Dan Roy said. “And he really wants to do well. He’s a focused kid.”
“It’s a great start,” Lusker said. “I’m super excited for the rest of the season.”
At 126 pounds, North Hunterdon’s Reid Buzby stunned Southern senior two-time state medalist Anthony Mason 7-5 in the semifinals. Trailing 5-0, Buzby put Mason to his back for a six-point move late in the second period. Buzby was defeated by Blair Academy’s Edward George by 14-1 major decision in the final.
Blair’s B team crowned three champions. Anthony Curlo won 4-0 over Parsippany Hills’ Logan Forgatch at 113 and Wyatt Stauffer won 4-0 over Southern’s Cade Collins at 120.
North Hunterdon’s Aidan Yarussi won the 132-pound title with a 7-1 decision over Seton Hall Prep’s Andre Morero.
Phillipsburg’s Gavin Galeta defeated Mount Olive’s Justin Bullock 4-1 in the 175-pound final.
Camden Catholic’s Jaden Simpson won 4-2 over Paramus Catholic’s Guy Oelsner to win the 190-pound title.
Delsea’s Sal Marchese scored a takedown with 11 seconds left for a 5-4 win over Mount Olive’s Nicolas Gonzalez at 215 pounds.
Mount Olive’s Jared Martini won by 8-0 major decision over St. Augustine’s Braden Shields to claim the heavyweight title.
A few star wrestlers did not compete because of match-limit concerns due to their participation in upcoming national-level tournaments. Lacey’s Killian Coluccio, a two-time state medalist who was second in the state at 106 pounds last season, was out. So too were the Camden Catholic duo of Sammy Spaulding and Kage Jones. Spaulding is the defending 132-pound state champion and a two-time medalist, while Jones is a two-time top-three finisher who was third at 157 last season.
