It started from one end of Boardwalk Hall and soon cascaded to the other end. 

And it was unmistakable.

BOOOOOOO!

Some bloodthirsty folks in the crowd wanted an upset. They were rooting for Delbarton’s returning state champion Alessio Perentin to go down against Cranford’s Jordan Chapman.

So they booed an official’s call. They hissed when Perentin got his hand raised.

A small smattering of boo-birds continued voicing their displeasure when Perentin stood atop the podium a short time later, a state champion once again.

Perentin heard it all – and could care less.

He is at the top of the heap in his weight class – and he is state champion once again.

The Green Wave’s 165-pounder scored a 12-7 victory over Chapman to repeat.

The talented Chapman was upset-minded. So were many fans. 

The reason: When a returning state champ loses, Boardwalk Hall erupts. 

Everyone roots for David against Goliath, especially in AC.

So when Perentin dominated the early stages of the match and held an 8-1 lead, fans grew bored and restless. But when Chapman threw Perentin to the mat, fans smelled blood.

Could this be happening?

That’s where things got interesting. Perentin awkwardly landed on his head and the officials stopped the match – and the crowd didn’t like it. The refs wanted Perentin checked – but the fans wanted him on his back with the referee counting out back points.

They wanted the state champion in trouble, desperately trying to get off his back.

Instead, the match was halted, Perentin was cleared by a tournament trainer, and he returned to the center circle.

No backs, no returning state champion in dire trouble, no stunning upset.

And the state champion repeats.

Immediately after Perentin got his hand raised, he motioned to the crowd, indicating that he’d indeed heard them. He hit a couple of most-muscular shots. He acknowledged the crowd by waving his hands, as if to say, “Get over it,” or, “Cry some more.”

It brought back memories of former Delbarton great Antonio Mangione, a two-time state champion – Delbarton’s first – and three-time finalist. Mangione was another showman who played to the crowd. The bigger the crowd, the better he performed. That style fits Perentin.

“Alessio likes the stage and wants to wrestle here,,” coach Bryan Stoll said. “There were a couple of times when he wasn’t comfortable in a certain position, so he just wrestled very smart.”

The key to the win was Perentin’s five-point move early on. More often than not, that spells victory in AC. It sure helped Perentin’s cause.

“I knew if I stopped him in the first minute, he wouldn’t have as much,” Perentin said. “Takedowns aren’t enough, you need five points there. The (five-point move) was huge. I’ve been working on that forever. I got a lot of points in the first (up 7-1). I wasn’t attacking the whole match, I’m not gonna lie, but that’s all you need to get it done in the state finals.”

Instead of waiting for Chapman, Perentin went right after a repeat, which fits his outgoing personality to a tee. 

“He is the glue of the team,” assistant coach Guy Russo said. “There is so much to say about his leadership. He relaxes the other kids. He’ll never have a bad day in his life because he has such a great attitude.”

Perentin had another great day at Boardwalk Hall Saturday, resulting in State Title No. 2. Some fans may not have liked it, but Perentin wore a big smile on his face in the end, which is all that really matters.