Boonton’s Isa Kupa and Mountain Lakes’ Nick Drake want to wrestle at Boardwalk Hall in Atlantic City at the end of this season.
Both took a first step Saturday, when they won their respective weights impressively at the 12th Annual Laker Holiday Tournament at Mountain Lakes.
But if they want to get to the boardwalk at season’s end, they will have taken totally different pathways.
Both had their hearts broken in different ways last year.
Kupa decked Manville’s Mohamed Abdelmageed in the Laker finals in 3:58. He had already won the 12th Annual Laker Holiday Tournament twice, so there was nothing to stop him from winning a third.
The senior 138-pounder did just that – and brought home Outstanding Wrestler honors as well.
“I put it in my mind that no one could beat me and I met those standards,” said Kupa, who became one of the tournament’s few three-time champions.
In the semifinals, he flattened Mountain Lakes’ Jayden Hernando in 56 seconds. He won by technical fall when he beat Parsippany’s Jake Winar in the quarterfinals, 15-0.
All he needs to do to get to the states is to advance one round further at Region 2, where he came oh-so-close to AC last year.
In Region 2 at Mount Olive, Kupa (then at 120) beat Immaculata’s Ryan Goldstein but then had the misfortune of running into St. Joseph-Montvale’s eventual state runnerup Johnathan McGinty in the semis, losing by a pin in 1:00.
In the wrestlebacks, Kupa lost to Warren Hills’ Charlie Picione when he was tecked, 21-6 (5:59) before wrestling back for fifth by beating Goldstein again, 12-9.
He began his march to March with three straight wins at Mountain Lakes.
“In the first match, I was a little shaky,” Kupa said. “I’m up three weight classes from last year. Once I got through the first match, I did what I like to do. I like to set up a high crotch and then try for a cradle or circle around. Then I go for a tilt, ride legs, or work a cradle or a butcher.
Kupa knew he was destined for the victory over Abdelmageed in the finals after he held him down for the entire period after taking him down.
“That gave me confidence,” he said.
He also won his 100th career match at the tournament.
“That felt great,” Kupa said, “one of the best feelings I have had.”
“Isa has been one of the Bomber leaders on the mat the minute he stepped on the mat for us,” Boonton coach Dave Hughen said. “I have been impressed with his consistency throughout his career and was so happy to see him earn his 100th career victory on a day when he was named OW and became a three-time Laker Tournament Champ.”
Drake (157), meanwhile, showed what he is capable of majored Manville’s Justin Murillo in the Laker finals, 17-3, after Murillo had just majored Boonton’s Phoenix LaCorte in the semis, 15-4. Drake, meanwhile, was coming off an 8-0 major over Newton’s Tyler Morodan in the semifinals.
Drake was off to a solid start as a freshman last year when he pinned Livingston’s Marcelo Moura in the first round of the Sam Cali Tournament over Christmas in 1:40 before losing to Green Farms Academy’s Joseph Mahoney by technical fall (15-0, 2:14).
Drake then won twice in the wrestlebacks, beating Bridgewater’s Doug Hesse in the first round, 5-0, before beating Sparta’s Sean Brown by forfeit.
But he broke his finger and that sidelined him until a short time before the districts, when he was eliminated in the first round.
His desire in winning the Mountain Lakes tournament was to improve with every match and he achieved that.
“Going throughout the day, my focus was on doing better every match, working on what I need to improve on and working on that in the next match,” Drake said. “In my earlier matches, people were getting into my legs too easily, so I wanted to move my feet more and increase my pace.”
The finals was perhaps his best match, when he was able to pour it on late against Murillo.
“I was winning 4-3 going into the third period and then I broke him with heavy hand fighting and wore him down,” Drake said, “I had a nice 7-point move when I put him to his back and that opened it up for me.
“I have been putting in a lot of work and wrestled in a few offseason tournaments. It’s nice to see the work pay off for me and I got some nice wins.”
Winning the weight class was a terrific way for Drake to begin the 2025-26 season. It sure beats last year.
“I was doing well in that tournament and then I dropped a kid,” Drake said. “He landed on my finger and broke it and it got infected and I was out.”
Drake returned just in time for districts but by then he wasn’t in midseason form and was eliminated in the first round.
“It was very frustrating,” he said. “I knew I could compete better than those moving on. I missed out on my whole freshman season basically.”
He showed what he was capable of at the Laker tournament by winning a good weight class.
“Nick has been in our Junior Laker program since first grade,” Lakers coach Matt Stanzione said. “He has dedicated himself to the sport ever since. He has come in with a chip on his shoulder. I’m really happy for him that he was able to put on a great performance.”
Drake qualified for the states as a seventh grader and finished eighth. As an eighth-grader, he lost in the blood round and finished just short of placing.
Neither Kupa and Drake study rankings to figure out where they stand or who they will be competing against.
They just put on their headgear, step on the mat, shake their opponents hands, and go.
So far, it is a winning formula.
