Forty seconds: That was all it took for Verona High School wrestler Frank Gabriele on Friday night to pin Scott Finnis of Randolph to advance to the semifinals of wrestling’s Region 3.
Gabriele, who is the No. 2 seed at 138, will take on No. 3 Alex Jones of Caldwell after the semis open at 1:30 p.m. today. The winner of that match will face the winner of Dante Stefanelli vs. Cody Harrison in the finals. Harrison, of Phillipsburg, is the No. 1 seed in Region 3 at 138 pounds.
VHS had sent four wrestlers into the Region 3 quarterfinals and the other Verona wrestlers did not fare as well yesterday. Frank’s brother, John Gabriele, came up unexpectedly short at 152 pounds to Justin LeMay of West Morris, as did Bill Fauerbach (182) to Kenneth Newman of Livingston. Nick Riggio (170) came up at the short end of a major decision for AJ Lonski, a Delbarton wrestler who is the No. 2 seed at that weight. Lonski’s next opponent, in a touch of irony, will be Nutley’s Frank Gabriele, a cousin to Verona’s wrestler of the same name.
The Region 3 wrestling action will take place at West Orange High School and, after the semifinals, the finals are expected to start at 3:30 p.m.
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Photos copyright Joanna Breitenbach. Used by permission.
