Joey Fulco, understandably, needed a few minutes to collect himself.
Fresh off the biggest win of his career, the Ramapo senior couldn’t help but be visibly emotional to the point of being moved to tears.
After walking off the mat and hugging his dad and his siblings, Fulco proceeded to the hallways of Garfield Middle School, where he paced up and down by himself, trying to appreciate the magnitude of the last six minutes and all that came with them.
There was the confidence. There was determination. There was history. There was wanting revenge. There was perhaps most importantly, the pride of a father and honoring a family name.
But, despite all that — the one thing there wasn’t was pressure.
No, instead, heading into the 144-pound final at the 2025 Bergen County Tournament, the TCNJ wrestling commit used all of those things and turned them into a recipe for success.
Fulco notched a 9-1 major decision over top-seeded and 2024 state finalist Seach Hibler of Paramus Catholic for the first county title of his career and the first for Ramapo since 2018. It also marks the end of a decades-long saga for the Fulco’s, for whom county titles had remained elusive after Joey’s dad, Anthony “Joe” Fulco, lost in the finals at 130 pounds in 1990 representing Elmwood Park.
“I really wanted to make him proud and really take on the legacy and go past that and win it,” the younger Fulco said. ” I just use it all as fuel to just keep going and push the pace in every match, no matter who the opponent is, whether it’s him, whether it’s whoever I wrestled in the semifinals, there’s not really pressure.”
Fulco got out to a 2-1 lead against the state finalist Hibler late in the match before getting a takedown with 11 seconds left and four nearfall points with four seconds left to run the score up and secure the bonus point win.
The key for Fulco was a good re-attack and good defense, as he was able to fend off a shot from Hibler, allowing Fulco to capitalize as Hibler was getting up. Hibler then tried for a throw, which Fulco was also to take advantage of, getting Hibler to his back for the nearfall points.
“It doesn’t matter who he is. I don’t really care. I wrestle everybody the same,” Fulco said.
Except, frankly, Fulco did care this time. And for good reason.
Beyond there just a county title and family legacy and program history being on the line.
Beyond just trying to show he can hang with someone the caliber of a state finalist, it had to be this state finalist in this environment that Fulco needed a piece of.
Hibler pinned Fulco in 3:29 in the consolation semifinals of last year’s county tournament while Fulco was up 4-2, which left a sour taste in Fulco’s match as he went on to finish in sixth place at last year’s tournament.
So, when the opportunity at a rematch presented itself? Well then the mission became clear.
“I wanted him right when I saw he was in my bracket, I wanted him,” Fulco said. “I knew I was going to go get him.”
And for much of the last few years, the sport Fulco picked up in kindergarten has become an obsession of sorts.
“He works harder than any kid you’ll meet,” third-year Ramapo head coach Bill DiMauro said. “His freshman year, he was a .500 wrestler. After that season, he said to me, ‘Coach, I’m getting better.’ And he’s worked his butt off every day. 24/7, he doesn’t stop talking, thinking, working on something for wrestling.”
Those efforts have all paid dividends as Fulco went from 9-9 as a freshman, to 27-9 and a district finalist as a sophomore before going 34-11 with a state tournament berth last year, making it to the third round of wrestlebacks.
“He came into this tournament with a mission. And we talked about the last time somebody won from Ramapo. We talked about how many there have been that even have ever won,” DiMauro said. “And he said, ‘I’m putting my name up there.’ Nothing was stopping him.”
That experience down in Atlantic City last year, which can be a wake up call for many first-time qualifiers, helped better prepare Fulco for what he did on Sunday.
So much so, that despite all that was at stake for Fulco, for Ramapo, for his family — he was able to notch not just the biggest win of his career, but the biggest win by a Ramapo wrestler in a long time in DiMauro’s estimation, and he did so with relative ease.
“Knowing that I was already on the big stage, it’s like I’ve been to the biggest of the biggest,” Fulco said. “I feel like this is just another day in the office where I’m just going to go out there and do his thing.”
And if beating state finalists really does become old hat for Fulco and just another day at the office, then look out.
Jake Aferiat can be reached at [email protected]. Follow him at @Jake_Aferiat.
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knowing that I was on the big stage is like, just a lot like, this is like, you know, I’ve been to the biggest, the biggest, and I feel like this is just like, you know, another day in the office where I’m just like, Yeah, I’m just gonna go out there and do my
