The event: The state wrestling tournament.

The time: Thursday morning.

The place: Boardwalk Hall, Atlantic City.

How to get to that place:  Many, many roads.

Some of those roads are smooth sailing. Others are bumpy and loaded with potholes. 

When the states get underway, 448 kids from all over New Jersey will get on the mat. Some will go expecting to win their weight. Others hope to. Some are just glad to be there.

Every single wrestler will have taken a different path, and nowhere is that more true than with four Morris-Sussex area kids Vincenzo LaValle (Hanover Park), Tommy Borgia (West Morris), Dalton Weber (Pope John), and Jayden Mendez (Dover).

All four are wrestlers to keep an eye on beginning Thursday.

LaValle is one of the biggest names in New Jersey history. His father, James, is one of the best wrestlers Morris County has ever produced with three state championships (1995, 1997-98). Vincenzo’s two uncles – Joe (fifth-sixth in 1995) and Jionni (sixth in 2005) – placed in Atlantic City.

Vincenzo has had quite a career himself, having taken third twice and second to Brick Memorial’s Harvey Ludington last year.

Those two seem to be on a collision course this year. LaValle won his fourth region championship when he had an early takedown and held off Delbarton’s Carl Betz to win Saturday, 4-3.

While many wrestlers are beaming after winning a region, LaValle was not at all pleased. When you are at his level and you don’t dominate your opponent, it is a disappointment. 

That’s why LaValle was downcast and blamed himself afterwards

“I sat on my early lead and I can’t do that,” he said. “I need to attack. Maybe I warmed up too much. But I’m one step closer to my goal.”

LaValle has stepped up in all of the big tournaments this year. He placed fourth at the season-opening Beast of the East, winning five matches against some of the best 190-pounders in the country.

He then reached the finals in the stacked Escape the Rock tournament in Pennsylvania.

“He’s had a phenomenal year,” Hanover coach Tyler Branham said. “He’s put himself out there against some of the best in the state and the country. Right now, he is set up for the state tournament.”

There was some thought of LaValle going to 215 for the states but he stayed at 190. He’ll be wrestling at 184 in college (Princeton).

And when the states begin, it could well end up with another battle with Ludington, one of the nation’s best.

LaValle intends to win it all.

“Yes, sir,” he said.

Borgia, meanwhile, was delighted with his region victory when he dominated Delbarton’s August Moser on the way to a 9-1 major. During the regular season, Borgia took Moser down early but then tired and wound up getting pinned in the first period.

This time, Borgia took Moser down and immediately put him to his back for a 7-0 first-period lead (Borgia almost pinned Moser). From that point on, Borgia was in complete control. In the third period, he reversed Moser and rode him out the rest of the period.

It was Borgia’s second region crown, tying him with Shane Metzler (Rutgers) for the school record. Borgia wants to set the school record next year, but first things first: He wants to go as far as he can at Boardwalk Hall.

With the win over Moser, Borgia reversed his lone loss of the year. He has been completely dominant all season.

“The match was the exact same thing to start,” West Morris coach Chris Marold said, referring to the first Borgia-Moser meeting. “The last time, Tom got the takedown right away and he forced things and he got tired. This time, he was more patient.”

The victory was a sweet one.

When the clock wound down in his victory over Moser … three, two, one … Borgia slowly got off of Moser and pumped his fist.

This win was especially sweet.

“The first match was a blip on the radar, the only loss on my record,” Borgia said. “This one felt great. I got the takedown and the four-count and then I was rolling.”

He’s rolling, all right – right down to Boardwalk Hall.

Borgia’s loss took him off the prominent state-wide rankings but he belongs – and looks to place in AC.

“There’s (St. John Vianney’s Rocco) Della Gatta and (St. Joe-Montvale’s Cristian) Alvarez, two tough kids but I can hang with them,” Borgia said. “I can compete with anyone and I want to make a statement in AC.”

Weber now believes in his heart that he can. He registered one of the biggest wins of Region 3 when he took down Delbarton’s defending state champion Ryan DeGeorge with 25 seconds left and then came away with a 4-2 come-from-behind victory.

Winning a region championship is sweet, but what the victory did for Weber meant even more to him mentally: Now he knows he can hang with the state’s best. 

Last year, DeGeorge beat Weber in the state semifinals, 7-2

“I have been thinking about that,” Weber said, “365 days. Every day. I wanted to get that match back and I did. I’m pumped. Now I can go to AC knowing I can hang with all of the kids.”

All because of one late, clutch takedown.

“I heard the ref yell, ‘THREE!’” Weber said. “I stayed calm and didn’t let the adrenaline get the better of me, and I secured the win.”

“That was a big win mentally for Dalton,” Pope John coach Mark Piotrowsky said. “When he gets to the states, he can take that win and go a long way with it because he knows he can do things like that.”

Mendez, meanwhile, is one of the most unlikely qualifiers from the Morris-Sussex area.

He is as deserving as anyone else, but he took one of the rockiest roads imaginable.

While guys like LaValle and Borgia win regions repeatedly, Mendez has never won a single acth at the regions. 

The last two years, he was eliminated in the first round of the regions, so he wasn’t exactly on anyone’s radar.

Now, he is one of the ultimate Cinderella stories.

This year, he snuck into AC through the back door.

At Region 2, he majored Immaculata’s Daniel Cabarcas in the first round, 12-0, but was then majored by Passaic Tech’s Muhammed Abuhadba, 11-0.

Not exactly the way to go about getting to the states.

But in the wrestlebacks, Mendez beat Mount Olive’s district champion Jack Bacigalupo in the first round, 8-5, and then pinned Passaic Valley’s Shane Singh in 2:52 (qualifying Mendez for the states).

Then he stunned Abuhadba with a pin in 32 seconds.

How often does a wrestler come back and beat someone who had just majored them?

Answer: Almost never.

Mendez had an even more amazing run just to get to the regions. He was in one of the deepest weights in all District 7 (five returning region qualifiers). He pinned Cedar Grove’s Tommy Sica in 5:15 for his 100th career victory (becoming the only other Dover Tiger to achieve 100 wins, joining Cliff Dawkins in 2006). 

Then Mendez was tecked by Warren Hills’ Augie Szamreta (21-5, 5:55) in the semifinals, and then had to go against Parsippany’s Frank Demary, who’d tecked Mendez in the Morris County final.

All Mendez did was pin Demary in 1:54.

The state berth completed quite a climb up the wrestling ladder for Mendez. As a freshman, he showed ability but he weighed around 95 pounds and couldn’t keep up with the bigger kids in his weight.

But all of the struggles of the past three years are paying off .

Finally. 

“He leads by example and is an extremely hard worker,” Dover coach Will Dodd said. “He also keeps the mood light in the room at the same time. He has great technique but a knack for when to just go out and have fun out there. He puts on a show when he wrestles.”

Dover staged a nice season with Mendez leading the way. The Tigers finished 16-13, the most wins at the school since they finished 17-12.

“He’s a great kid,” Dodd said

Here and there

As expected, St. Joseph-Montvale wound up being the No. 1-ranked team in the state after defeating Delbarton in the Non-Public A final. Mount Olive finished 13th – sixth among public schools – Pope John was 14th, and Hanover Park finished 22nd.

Delbarton sent all 14 of its wrestlers to AC – truly a remarkable accomplishment – but it should be noted that Mount Olive sent a public school state high 10 wrestlers to Boardwalk Hall. Delsea was next with nine, while Southern and Rumson sent seven apiece.

1. St. Joe – Montvale (14-3)

2. Delbarton (23-4)

3. St. Peter’s Prep (18-3)

4. Christian Brothers Academy (9-4)

5. Rumson (24-1)

6. St. John Vianney (13-5)

7. Southern (18-3)

8. Bergen Catholic (11-3)

9. Camden Catholic (17-0)

10. Delsea (21-2)

11. North Hunterdon (17-6)

12. Phillipsburg (17-4)

13. Mount Olive (15-4)

14. Pope John (11-6)

15. St. Augustine (16-7)

16. Brick Memorial (14-5)

17. St. Joes – Metuchen (18-4)

18. Del Val (19-3)

19. Caldwell (24-2)

20. Paramus Catholic (9-8)

21. Cranford (20-4)

22. Hanover Park (17-7)

23. Don Bosco (10-6)

24. Wayne Valley (21-1)

25. Middletown North (24-2)