Montville Wrestler Displays Heart of a Champion

Sal Mastriani worked for years and years to achieve his goal of becoming a state champion wrestler. But after a loss in the state championship matches in Atlantic City March 4, his quest is now over.

The Montville resident who wrestled all four years for Don Bosco Prep School, has no regrets because of everything he’s gained while trying to reach for an honor that barely eluded his grasp. 

Mastriani’s high school wrestling dream ended and a better appreciation of his varsity efforts began that weekend. He was pinned by Trenton’s Raamiah Bethea in the 152-pound final match in the center of Boardwalk Hall in Atlantic City where only the best New Jersey high school wrestlers work to achieve their glory in front of large, enthusiastic crowds.

“It was tough,’’ Mastriani said. “I worked really hard. I was really upset. … Now that I look back on it I had a great experience. I think it was one of the greatest times in my life.’’

Wrestling has always played a major role in Mastriani’s life. He’s been wrestling since he was six years old and he’s always loved the one-on-one aspect of the sport -- the idea that it is up to the individual where success or failure falls. There is no one else to blame on the mat.

“When you win you gain confidence. It gave me confidence,’’ Mastriani said. “After a match when they lift up your hand -- that’s the best part --when you work hard and you earn something that you deserve.’’

It’s easy to cheer for Mastriani. He’s not the biggest guy on the wrestling mat, but pound for pound he’s among the strongest. He also has a wrestling style that’s contagious. He goes all out. He’s on the offensive right from the start.

“He’s kind of a brawler,’’ Don Bosco Prep wrestling Coach Chris Bitetto said. “He’s going to work his style. People don’t wrestle his way. He’s going to use his strength. … That’s what he tried to do. Impose his will on everyone and it worked.’’

Mastriani uses his physical gifts from the very beginning of each match. He is quick and aggressive. He has a variety of moves but his best might be the “high crotch.’’ He is left-handed and is comfortable using the left side of his body to get the jump on his righty opponents.

“It’s kind of to my advantage,’’ Mastriani said. “It’s when you are both on your feet and I lean with my left leg and lift him up in the air and throw him to the ground. It’s been with me since I was little.’’

When it comes to working under pressure, Mastriani is an expert. In his junior and senior seasons he also played middle linebacker for the nationally ranked Don Bosco Prep football team. While he might be considered somewhat undersized as a linebacker (he is listed 5-foot-10, 175-pounds) he usually wrapped up any ball carrier he could get his hands on.  

“It’s a pretty physical position,’’ Mastriani said. “I think it helps. You are in a lot of pressure situations in football – key situations. You also have key situations in the middle of a match and having experienced that helps.’’

Mastriani also worked hard in the off-season on all aspects of his game to become one of the best wrestlers in the state. Along with his work with Don Bosco, he attends individual sessions with Pete Gonzalez, an independent trainer in Hackensack. He worked at Apex Wrestling in Kenilworth with former standout wrestlers Damion Logan, Eric Norgaard and Diego Crespo.

“You can never do too much,’’ Mastriani said.

After a fourth place finish in the state tournament last year, Mastriani knew a championship run was capable his senior year. He had a terrific showing in December’s Beast of the East tournament. He was undefeated during the regular season even though he was bounced around in weight classes quite a bit. He was (40-0) going into the title match.

“We ramped him up and down the lineup in order to get the better competition,’’ Bitetto said. “Sometimes it was at a disadvantage but he’s so quick and explosive he always came through.’’

His effort was not lost on teammates who would seek similar goals. As a senior, his leadership was omnipresent.

“In a word – he is determined,’’ Bitetto said. “He had a goal. He worked extremely hard to reach his goal. He was a role model for the kids in the program. They looked up to him. I think he was determined. He had a taste of success. He worked harder. He got better. Going into the finals no one really slowed him down.’’

He looked unstoppable and had one of his best efforts in the semifinal victory, a 10-4 triumph against Jon Schleifer of East Brunswick. He was one step away from reaching his goal.

A clash of styles and size might have doomed Mastriani in the state final.

“I think he had a little bit of a height disadvantage,’’ Bitetto said. “The kid was taller. He couldn’t get his shots in. He was able to pull him in and finish him.’’

Mastriani fell behind early, which is something he doesn’t like to do, but he rallied. He trailed again late in the match and faltered when he needed a little luck.

“He took me down and I got out,’’ Mastriani said. “I took him down. He took me down.’’

The wrestlers were tied 5-5 at the end of the second period. The opposing wrestler, who comes from a large wrestling family, was leading 8-6 and it felt like time was slipping away. Mastriani had to do something.

"I tried to front him,’’ Mastriani said. “It was a big mistake. There was a lot of time left on the clock.’’

Mastriani was pinned at 5:22. No wrestler likes to end a match on his back, much less a high school career. Bitetto, who had a similar experience, understood how Mastriani felt and lingered only if he needed support.

If Mastriani had won, he would have been one of two Don Bosco Prep wrestlers to earn a state title. Razohnn Gross, also a football teammate of Mastriani’s, earned a 5-3 overtime decision over North Bergen’s Eric McMullen in the 195-pound weight class to give the school its first state champion wrestler.

Mastriani was devastated after his defeat but in the end, he thanked everyone that traveled south to cheer him on.

“I had a lot of friends from school and a lot of my family members came down to watch,’’ Mastriani said. “I think I took it alright.’’

It will not be Mastriani’s last appearance on the mat. He will continue to compete collegiately for Virginia Tech, a college wrestling program on the rise. He is also a good student and the skills and discipline he learned through the sport of wrestling will serve him in whatever he decides on as a future career.

Although Mastriani still feels the sting of disappointment from his final loss, it hasn’t soured him on what has been an outstanding varsity career in a sport that he loves.

“I think I’m going to appreciate it,’’ Mastriani said. “It’s something that I can tell my kids some day. I can come back and watch the matches when I’m older. I think wrestling is one of the most interesting sports ever.’’