January 12, 2012

North Bergen freshman Devin Garrido (left) scored a huge upset win in his 106 match. (Photo: Jason Bernstein)

Paramus at North Bergen Werestling Photo Gallery

NORTH BERGEN – Few outside of North Bergen knew of the skills and potential of Devin Garrido before last night's dual with Paramus.

It took less than two minutes for the Bruins' freshman to raise more than a few eyebrows and earn a high-profile win in the process.

Garrido's stunning upset over reigning Bergen County champion Joe Trovato was the signature moment of the night as North Bergen held off Paramus 39-28 to continue its undefeated start to the season.

"We knew who we had and who our opponent was. You just got to go out there with nothing to lose and just give it a shot and go for it," Bruins head coach Jerry Maietta said. "(Trovato's) record speaks for itself, he's a stud. You're in there, you can't run, you can't hide, go out there and wrestle and try what you know."

Garrido's background is based more in martial arts as this is just his first year of wrestling. As a result, he knew little about his opponent who is ranked eighth in the state in the 106-pound weight class. What Garrido did know was that he was the underdog and had nothing to lose when he took to the mat for what was the sixth bout of the evening.

"I'm just fighting to the best of my abilities," Garrido said. "I fought my best with what I know from my wrestling and martial arts."

Trovato was up 4-1 midway through the opening period and seemingly in control when Garrido struck. First the Bruin escaped the Trovato hold. Garrido then hooked Trovato into a headlock to gain the momentum and eventually earn the winning pin at the 1:47 mark, sending the home crowd into a frenzy.

"Once I got out I just turned and went for the headlock right away," Garrido said. "I was excited. Everybody was cheering me on and it gave me confidence to keep on going."

"I was just looking for Devin to go out there and not get pinned," said teammate Luis Gonzalez. "He really surprised me. I'm really proud of him."

Garrido's pin gave North Bergen (6-0) an 18-15 overall lead and was the spark for a huge run for the Bruins. The win at 106 was the second of six-straight North Bergen victories, five of them coming by pin.

"As a team it really motivated us to get out there and wrestle," Gonzalez said.

Rick Gonzalez (113), Luis Gonzalez (120) and Anthony Giraldo all followed up with pins to push the score to 36-15. Tom Maldanado put the dual out of reach at 132 with a 6-4 decision win over Nick Spinoso of Paramus (6-3).

Nick Garcia started the six-match winning streak with his pin at 285. Standout Eric McMullen continued his dominant start to the season with a pin at 195, the Bruins' only win among the first four matches.

McMullen, Luis Gonzalez and Giraldo are recognized as three of the state's premier grapplers at their respective weight classes, but last night's win was another reminder that the Bruins are more than just a three-man squad this season.

"We've been talking about working hard and how the 14 guys going on the mat are just as important as the next guy," Maietta said Everyone's got a job to do and they're buying into our plan. Hopefully it continues to come together.

Nick Garcia (in red) started the Bruins' six-match win streak with a pin over Mike Aydin at 285. (Photo: Jason Bernstein)

Paramus at North Bergen Werestling Photo Gallery