A Competitive Quad Meet at Pope John

With the Catholic Duals taking place in Lincroft this weekend, four of the state’s top Catholic wrestling programs gathered in North Jersey for a challenging quad meet at Pope John in Sparta. This event provided an opportunity for these teams to test their skills against each other in a high-stakes environment.

Camden Catholic, ranked No. 5 in the Sportify Top 20, continued its strong season by remaining unbeaten with victories over No. 8 Paramus Catholic, No. 10 Don Bosco Prep, and No. 15 Pope John. The team’s performance showcased their dominance and preparation for the upcoming postseason.

“Everybody is very happy because it is great to see your hard work come to play—especially out there with the team,” said Sammy Spaulding, a senior and reigning state champion at 132 pounds. “At the end of the day, nothing is set in stone. It’s right back to work.”

Camden Catholic’s Strong Start

The Irish began the day with a 39-25 win over Paramus Catholic, securing nine out of 14 matches. After Paramus Catholic shuffled its lineup, Seach Hibler and Camden’s Michael Craft faced off at 150 pounds. Craft emerged victorious with a 6-2 decision in a battle between state medalists (Craft was fourth at 150; Hibler second at 126).

“Watching [Hibler] beat my teammates years prior, it’s a good feeling knowing that I can do something for my team,” Craft said.

Paramus Catholic coach John Piela acknowledged the challenge posed by Camden Catholic. “They came out firing against us,” he said. “They moved a little better against us today, but you learn from your mistakes and continue to grow.”

The match was sealed when freshman Chris Amato defeated Alessandro Camargo, 10-8, at 113 pounds. “He kind of just goes out there and scraps hard. He’s got a good set of practice partners,” said Camden Catholic coach Bill Heverly. “Coming into these matches, he seems ready.”

Paramus Catholic’s Resilience

Despite the loss, Paramus Catholic bounced back with a 49-22 win over Pope John and a 52-17 victory against Don Bosco. “These are the matches we want,” Piela said. “We want to have them be ready to wrestle three hard matches in a day because that is what we got to prepare for in the postseason.”

The Irish handled Don Bosco Prep, 43-24, in its second match. In the loss, Don Bosco’s Santino Rodriguez, a Cornell commit, achieved his 100th career win with a second-period pin at 175 pounds.

“I’ve watched a lot of older guys get it, so it’s pretty cool to achieve that and feel that,” Rodriguez said.

Don Bosco dropped all three of its matches on the day. Inexperience may have played a factor against the three ranked programs. “We are a young team besides a few seniors,” Rodriguez said. “Just building confidence one match at a time.”

A Dominant Performance Against Pope John

Camden Catholic’s last matchup of the day was against Pope John, a rematch of last year’s Non-Public B final that saw the Irish come out on top, 32-30. Saturday’s rematch was more one-sided, as Camden Catholic claimed a 52-20 win. The Irish won 10 out of 14 matches, with four pins.

Craft, Spaulding (138), Jaden Simpson (190), and Steve Bagocius (106) recorded the pins for the Irish. Spaulding made quick work in his match, claiming his third win of the day. The Navy commit had been dealing with a neck sprain early in the season but has been flawless in his return, winning the 138-pound weight class at the Mustang Classic last weekend before his performance Saturday.

“I am feeling good, I have been training hard and working out,” Spaulding said.

Despite the big win, Heverly and Camden Catholic believe that Pope John still poses a threat in the Non-Public Group B team tournament this season. “I know that [Pope John] will look a little better down the line,” Heverly said.

Preparation for the Postseason

“Every year our goal is to peak end of February into March,” said Pope John coach Mark Piotrowsky. “Camden is a tough team.”

Pope John went 1-2 on the day, with a win over Don Bosco and losses to Camden Catholic and Paramus Catholic. Piotrowsky shared Piela’s sentiment that a quad meet against three ranked opponents is great preparation for the wrestlers.

“When you go to the state tournament you are wrestling three guys. You have to be ready to wrestle these caliber kids one after another,” Piotrowsky said. “It is a work in progress, but we will get there.”

All four teams that competed Saturday have the talent to make a postseason run and should benefit from the competitive atmosphere of a quad meet featuring four ranked programs. Camden Catholic already looks polished and will aim to carry that form through the rest of its commanding season.

“We all grow together,” said Craft of his team. “It is more of a family than it is a team.”