Five wrestlers who stood out at the District 2 tournament at River Dell

ORADELL – A banner day for Ryan Langenmayr turned into a golden one for his Lakeland wrestling team.

The Lancers stormed back to win the District 2 title on Saturday afternoon after finishing 5-for-6 in the championship round. Langenmayr started their run of champions at 138 and reached a milestone in the quarterfinals when he hit 100 career victories.

That helped the Wanaque school outscore Westwood, 153-150, in a team race that came down to the penultimate bout.

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Here are five wrestlers who stood out on Saturday at River Dell High School.

Devin Ryan

New Milford, 120 pounds

A year after placing sixth in the state, the Knights’ junior opened up his 2024 postseason in style.

Ryan became a three-time district champ and took home MOW honors after a 10-5 decision over Warren Hills’ state qualifier Charlie Piccione.

While Ryan was pleased with the result, he said he’s more focused on the process and how to use the experience to get better. Ryan said he’s spent a lot of time this year working on his mindset and not worrying much about who’s against him.

“That’s what wrestling is about: using these skills to make yourself a better person,” Ryan said. “That’s what I’ve been trying to do this year. I feel like I’ve made a lot of progress with my mindset and staying composed and learning from my mindset. Not taking anything too high or too low if I lose.”

Emerson/Park Ridge’s Luke Macfie (left) takes on Waldwick/Midland Park’s Jake Abramson in the District 2 wrestling final at 165. February 17, 2024.

Luke Macfie

Emerson/Park Ridge, 165 pounds

The Cavos’ senior took advantage of his opportunity on the mat after missing the tournament last season.

Macfie clinched his first district title by knocking off No. 1 seed Jake Abramson (Waldwick/Midland Park), 3-1.

The Park Ridge native started wrestling in kindergarten, stopped sophomore year after taking a job at Wegmans, then decided to come back to the sport as a junior. He dislocated his right knee the day before districts last winter and missed the first few weeks of the spring season.

“I shed a couple tears,” Macfie said. “I’m not going to lie. In the trainer’s room, I’m like this can’t be happening.”

“I was pumped up to wrestle here. Then I got the two seed and I wanted to wrestle even harder. I wanted to go out there and win.”

Westwood’s Gavin Seiler (left) takes on Emerson/Park Ridge’s Jacob Shannon in the District 2 wrestling final at 175 pounds. February 17, 2024.

Gavin Seiler

Westwood, 175 pounds

One of the most dominant title runs came from Seiler, who scored bonus points in all three matches. The Cardinals senior repeated as a district champion by downing Emerson/Park Ridge’s Jacob Shannon, 13-1, in the final round. Seiler credited his training partners and his strength on his feet for earning the coveted bye at regions.

“Jacob is a great kid and a very tough competitor,” said Seiler, who’s now 98-24 in his career. “I just had to stay on my own game and work on what I work on. I don’t really look at other opponents and what they do. I look at myself and how I can improve myself and keep on working.”

And if Seiler needs any more motivation, it’s always close by. His father, Brian Seiler, was a region second for Midland Park.

“I have to get past him and get that championship,” Seiler said.

Christian Battle

Lakeland, 144 pounds

On a day full of chalk, Battle proved to be the biggest surprise with his darkhorse run as a fourth seed.

The Lancers’ senior capped it off by defeating Waldwick/Midland Park’s Colin Fowler, 7-2, and becoming the only champion ranked outside the top two. It turned out to be a pivotal moment for the Lancers, who earned their first district team title since the 90’s.

This is Battle’s first season as a full-time starter after wrestling JV as a sophomore and going 13-7 as a heavily used backup last year. And while his feat Saturday was an individual one, he made sure to namedrop teammates Sean Walker and Chris Gallagher a few minutes after stepping off the mat.

“They’ve really helped me out a lot,” said Battle, who moved from Las Vegas as a freshman. “I would really have to thank them for my success because everything I learned, I learned from them.”

Joseph Petriello

Dumont, 126 pounds

The Huskies’ sophomore moved up the district ladder after placing third a year ago.

This time, he secured the gold by beating Emerson/Park Ridge’s Ryan Messick, 8-5, in a matchup of county medalists.

Petriello was one of two champions for Dumont along with Jeremy Quezada at 150.

“It means a lot because I’ve worked very hard to get here,” Petriello said. “I’m just excited for regions now and to try to make it to states.”

“This year, I feel like I got a lot better on my feet in neutral and defending shots.”

This article originally appeared on NorthJersey.com: Five wrestlers who stood out at the District 2 tournament at River Dell