There were several strong performances for the Verona High School wrestling team in Wednesday’s match against West Essex, but they weren’t enough for the Hillbillies to overpower a heavyweight Knights squad.
Dean Palmer, wrestling at 126 pounds, took a 1-0 decision over Billy Garofalo. Frank Riggio, at 152, pinned Drew Donohue in 2:10, while John Pavia (160) fought for a 6-4 decision over Frankie Rizzo and Nick Riggio (170) scored a 16-0 win over Peter Kenny. But West Essex had wrestlers at 182, 195, 220 and 285 pounds that didn’t have a Verona counterpart. The match ended as a 56-17 West Essex win.
The Hillbillies’ next match is on January 3 against Irvington.
Photos copyright Joanna Breitenbach. Used by permission.
