By Rich Chrampanis
ATLANTIC CITY – Dean Peterson stood at the edge of the red carpet in the spacious Boardwalk Hall bouncing up and down. The Saint John Vianney wrestler was still minutes away from his introduction in the 113-pound state championship bout in front of thousands in Atlantic City, but as the New Jersey wrestling world was about to find out, the Lancers sophomore has endless energy.
One year earlier, Peterson faced heartbreak at Boardwalk Hall when he suffered a 6-3 loss to Hanover Park’s Joey Olivieri in the 106-pound state championship. His return to New Jersey’s ultimate wrestling stage was hardly a surprise. Now at 113 pounds, Peterson looked to finish a perfect season. Standing in his way was Emerson/Park Ridge grappler Nick Babin.
Photo by Rich Chrampanis
Peterson was able to execute a two-point takedown in the first period to take a 2-0 lead and followed that with a one-point escape in the second period. Babin rallied in the third period to score a penalty point for stalling followed by a one-point escape with just 10 seconds remaining. All Peterson had to do was stave off a Babin takedown in the final seconds to make history at SJV. “Oh man, the last 10 seconds felt like it was 10 years,” Peterson said.
But Peterson was able to endure and hang on for the 3-2 win to become the Lancers first-ever state champion. After six minutes he had enough gas in the tank to celebrate his win with a standing backflip. With a perfect 35-0 record, the dominance is further illustrated by an incredible statistic – not one wrestler scored a two-point takedown against him. While he scored plenty of points throughout his sophomore campaign, his ability to defend makes him one of the best wrestling prospects in the country.
Photo by Rich Chrampanis
“It’s all about leverage,” Peterson said. “Even if people get in on my legs, you can’t worry. If you panic, they’re going to score on you. It’s all about staying calm.”
Calm is an understatement. Following his Shore Conference Tournament win, Peterson admitted he was battling a knee injury and after winning the state title, he was unwrapping his heavily taped left hand that was injured during the state finals. It was all worth it for Peterson to be the first state champion grappler at Saint John Vianney.
“It’s huge, I’m the first one in history,” Peterson said. “Hopefully, I hear it on the morning announcement on Monday.”
Saint John Vianney no doubt is proud of their first state champion and Peterson is going to hear his name on much more than the public address system in Holmdel over the next two years. InterMat has Peterson ranked as the No. 5 wrestler in the country at 113 pounds and with a 71-2 high school record and two more years wearing the SJV singlet, this remarkable performance is just the beginning of what could potentially be one of the all-time great wrestlers in the Garden State.
Courtesy RFH Wrestling
Peterson headlined seven local wrestlers who reached the podium. Tyler Klinsky was the first Middletown North Lion to reach the state finals on the mat since 1974 and Nick Addison of Rumson-Fair Haven finished fourth for a second straight year. Red Bank Regional’s Sheridan Torres was part of the trailblazing girls wrestling final. Sixty girls made it to Atlantic City and Torres was part of that history thanks to her sixth-place effort.
LOCAL WRESTLERS WHO RECEIVED MEDALS IN ATLANTIC CITY
1st – Dean Peterson,
Saint John Vianney – 113 lbs.
2nd – Tyler Klinsky,
Middletown North – 106 lbs.
4th – Nick Addison,
Rumson-Fair Haven – 182 lbs.
5th – Jacob Anderson,
Middletown North – 195 lbs.
6th – Jack Maida,
Shore Regional – 106 lbs.
6th – Sheridan Torres,
Red Bank Regional – 118 lbs.
7th – Paul Liseno,
Saint John Vianney – 285 lbs.
