Morris County Tournament Wrestling Match Comes Down to Final Seconds

With just 35 seconds left in the 190-pound Morris County Tournament final, Mount Olive’s Tyler Bienus took down Hanover Park’s Vincenzo LaValle to win the championship Saturday.

But Bienus won it a few minutes before then. 

His title began coming into focus in the second period – even without Bienus scoring a single point. That’s when he rode LaValle for the entire two minutes.

That set a tone that Bienus rode to a 3-0 victory that brought many in the home crowd to its feet.

“Totally,” Bienus said. “On top is my best position. That’s when you can really take it to him. When you can hold a guy down, there’s nothing better.”

Bienus anmd 113-pound teammate Tyeler Hagensen both emerged victorious for the Marauders, who were second in the team scoring to Delbarton, which won its record 15th straiht team title.

It was a terrific tournament for Mount Olive, which continued to show signs that it is a threat to come away with another state Group IV team title.

Everything turned up aces for the Bucknell-bound Bienus, who lost a 4-3 decision to LaValle earlier in the year. It isn’t too often that a two-time defending MCT champion loses in the final in the third year, but that is what Bienus was able to pull off. Not only that, LaValle is a returning state third-placer. Third-place finishers in Boardwalk Hall usually come into the MCT and rip through their weight class.

But LaValle couldn’t do that with Bienus standing in his way.

“That was a great match between two high-caliber kids,” Mount Olive coach Sean Smyth said. “That was a fantastic show they put on. We made improvements from the first time they wrestled and Tyler knew what he had to do. He was dominant on top. He can ride people. That’s his strength.”

Bienus got a kick out of winning a county championship on his home mat. And he clinched it in the third period, a period that has been giving him a bit of trouble this year.

“The last time we wrestled, the third period was my problem,” he said. “I was gassed in the third period. This time in the first period I was able to control myself. I wasn’t going too hard so I could keep gas in my tank for the third period.”

Bienus watched film of his first match with LaValle and knew he had to preserve some of his energy for the end of the match.

That thinking worked out beautifully: He was able to take LaValle down to the mat and rode him for the final 35 seconds.

Bienus was so impressive in his victory that he and Morristown’s Jack Myers were neck and neck when it came down to the coaches choosing Outstanding Wrestler. Myers wound up winning OW by a hair.

Hagensen (113), meanwhile, showed that he is all the way back in a 9-5 victory over Par Hills’ James McGinty in the finals. 

“We stressed motion,” assistant coach Bill Romano said. “He’s really good on his feet and it worked out well.”

Hagensen won an MCT as a sophomore but had a high ankle sprain last year and that held him back. But he saw how teammate Jack Bastarrika did last year (second in the state at 132) and Hagensen wants to follow that same path. 

It was Hagensen’s 100th career victory and second MCT championship in two years. He won it all as a sophomore but was plagued with injuries last year. 

The University of Buffalo-bound Hagensen came down from 120 pounds Hegensen pinned Boonton’s Isa Kupa in the semifinals in 1:38, tecked Hanover Park’s Giovanni Conte in the quarters, 20-5 (5:20), and pinned Mendham’s Knox Cossman in the first round in 2:26.

“Tyeler had an unbelievable tournament,” Smyth said. “Coming back to win is a huge accomplishment and we are so proud of him. He had a tough year last year and he wasn’t 100 percent but he showed what he could do.”

“I knew I was a lot bigger than a lot of the others as I cut down from 120 pounds,” Hagensen said. “Everyone came here to compete but my pace has been really good lately and I’ve been working hard in the room.”

Hagensen’s mom told him he was zeroing in on his 100th win and, like Bienus, was able to win an MCT on his home mat.

“I was really excited,” he said. “It never really lines up that perfectly. I couldn’t be happier.”