Paramus Catholic wrestler makes a statement with dominant title run at Sam Cali tournament

FLORHAM PARK – There was a time when Daniel Rella tossed out his wrestling shoes and felt ready to walk away.

Now the Paramus Catholic senior is tossing around his opponents with ease.

Rella rolled to the top on Thursday at the Sam Cali tournament with a dominant run at 190 pounds. His only match that went the distance in the two-day event came in the finals when he defeated Conor Delaney (Rumson-Fair Haven), 10-0, on the campus at FDU Madison.

Moving up two weight classes has not seemed to bother the Wood-Ridge native this season. He backed up his run to the Beast of the East final by not allowing an offensive point all tournament.

'I'm pleased with it," said Rella, a two-time state medalist. "I still have to work on riding people out and grinding out gritty matches. The scoreboard may not have been close but he's a very solid wrestler. It's a good opportunity to work hard late in the match and stay disciplined."

Rella wound up as one of five finalists from North Jersey and two champions along with Lakeland's Jack Bergmann at 113.

One of the turning points in Rella's career came his sophomore year when he experienced all the highs and lows of the sport, including the challenge of cutting 20 pounds. His confidence spiked after beating a soon-to-be state finalist in the district tournament, but Rella came crashing down to Earth after losses in the state semis and consolations.

A wrestling lifer and the son of a state qualifier had reached his limit despite placing sixth. It was not the ending he imagined after a season of running, elliptical work and sweats in the sauna.

"The third day, making weight was tough," Rella said. "I got to the point where I could wrestle fully but my head wasn't all the way there because it was a rough night. I ended up wrestling and that (consolation) loss hit me hard."

"I ran out of the building. I didn't want to accept my medal. But (my coaches) knew I was going to be fine. It was disappointing, I've wrestled my whole life and if I don't do it, it feels like a part of me is missing."

Rella credits his father, Dan, for shaping his mentality as a former wrestler himself and a regular at Paramus Catholic matches. The older Rella first got his son on the mat as a five-year-old.

"Even after I lose, he'll tell me that I can beat that kid next time," the Paladins' wrestler said. "You can beat anyone. It doesn't matter what their ranking is or what they've done in the past. It's about having a short-term memory."

Rella is someone who prides himself on his ability to scramble and thrive in high-paced matches. Paladins assistant AJ Caprio describes him as someone who came into the program as a lowerweight and kept the same tactics even as he bulked up.

"I'm 42 and I've never seen a wrestler with his style," Caprio said. "Every match he wants to score 10, 15, 20 points. He doesn't want to win 1-0."

That was the scene that played out Thursday on the center mat at Ferguson Recreation Center. Rella scored a takedown 31 seconds in and rode out Delaney the rest of the period.

The second period was more of the same for Rella: escape, takedown, three back points.

Now Rella and the Paladins are hoping the tournament can be the fuel to even bigger things.

"About a week (after his sophomore year), he said, all right I want to win that state title," Caprio said. "Last year he went up to fourth and had a lot of matches with Ryan Burton that went back-and-forth. This year, he wants to come back and win it."

Lakeland senior takes the crown

Jack Bergmann will celebrate his title run with a new belt and a trip to the dentist Friday morning.

Bergmann knocked off Seton Hall Prep's Anthony Pellegrino, 4-2, in the final at 113 pounds to win the wrestling-themed accessory that goes to all the winners. But the victory did not come easy to Bergmann, who chipped a tooth during a shot in the semifinal and bloodied his right hand after being thrown midway through the final.

"It feels great (to win)," Bergmann said. "I didn't wrestle my best in the final. I expect a lot more. But after the second period when I got slammed on my head, I was a little loopy. I was a little gassed out, but I held on."

Bergmann is committed to wrestle at Navy, having come from a military family. His uncle fought in the Vietnam War and grandfather was in the Navy infantry on the beaches of Normandy.

Bergmann had his hands full in the final, but still managed to win even without an offensive point. He took a 1-0 lead on an illegal throw call, doubled the lead on a stall and added escapes at the end of the second and third periods.

"This definitely gets us battle-tested early," Bergmann said. "Last year a lot of us got down to AC and we were shell-shocked by the environment."

This article originally appeared on NorthJersey.com: Paramus Catholic wrestler makes a statement with Sam Cali title run