John Cella (’73)
John Cella was an outstanding three sport athlete at Glen Rock High School,
earning 11 varsity letters in football, track and wrestling and being one of the
most successful wrestlers in school history.
John was the first athlete to be a four year letterman on Glen Rock’s football teams, playing both offense and defense but particularly excelling as the team’s middle guard on defense. Because of his combination of strength and quickness, he is considered by Coach Alan Deaett and others to be one of the best linemen ever in school history. After his senior year, John was named to the First Team, All-B-PSL and First Team, All-Area (by The Paterson News).
As a track and field athlete, John threw the shot and the discus and also sometimes ran as a part of the 440 relay team, a slot rarely reserved for a football lineman and a testament to his all-around athletic abilities.
The wrestling mat was where John was at his best.
As a freshman, wrestling in the 178 pounds weight class, John had a 12-2 regular season record and was named to the Second Team, All-NBIL, Eastern Division. He subsequently finished third at the All Group, District Championship tournament, and received Honorable Mention, All-Suburban (by The Ridgewood News).
In the next three years, John wrestled in the 168 pounds weight class. He was undefeated in B-PSL dual meets in each of those three years, giving him a final 45-2 dual meet record and leading him to be named All-B-PSL in each of those years. He also won his weight class at the Mahwah Christmas Tournament in each of those years and, as a senior (and team Co-Captain) was named Most Valuable Wrestler at that tournament.
Most significantly, John won the All Group, District Championship in his weight class as a sophomore, as a junior and as a senior – making him the only Glen Rock High School wrestler other than Hall of Fame inductee Scott Christie to achieve that accomplishment. In his senior year, he then won the Regional Championship (before, sadly, being defeated in the State Championship quarterfinals).
John was named to the First Team, All-Suburban (by The Ridgewood News) in his sophomore, junior and senior years and named to the First Team, All-County in his junior and senior years (by The Paterson News and The Bergen Record).