C4

Friday, February 15, 2013

T H E D A I LY J O U R N A L

Tournaments remain scarce in South Jersey

L
ast season, Delseas Curt Delia became the first four-time Tri-County Conference Tournament champion. Hell remain the only one despite the protests of the one wrestler who could have matched that feat. I was a little upset because I wanted to be the next four-timer, said Delsea senior 152-pounder John Hennelly, who earned three TCC titles. Its a big tournament in a way, but then its not. After a solid run of four years, the TCC Tournament is no more. It was scrapped before this season began and teams filled the last Saturday of January with dual meets in its place. The tournament was the only semblance of such a showcase in South Jersey while county and conference champions are routinely crowned in the northern part of the state. I just think its tradition as far as other parts of the state, Delsea athletic director Steve Iles said. And it seems its not just wrestling, you see it in other sports as well. It just seems like a bigger deal. With the greater population density and teams in close proximity often split from each other in terms of conference, district and region alignment, the tournaments have been a primary source of bragging rights and rivalries in North and Central Jersey. You dont have that (down here), Iles said. We tried to start that, and there are some roadblocks along the way, and one of those is people who dont want to see the same opponent two or three times, especially your better wrestlers. Because every team in

1. Delsea 2. Shawnee 3. Camden Catholic 4. Clearview 5. Paulsboro 6. Timber Creek 7. St. Augustine 8. Millville 9. Clayton 10. Washington Twp. 11. Cherokee 12. Collingswood 13. Cinnaminson 14. Cherry Hill West 15. Woodstown

23-2 21-2 19-4 22-6 18-3 16-8 17-9 18-4 21-1 15-8 20-7 22-9 18-1 19-8 17-7

The New Jersey Wrestling Writers Association Statewide Top 20. First place votes in parenthesis follow by total points. 1. S. Plainfield (26-0) (17) 340 Last week: (1) 2. Berg. Catholic (16-1) 323 (2) 3. Brick Mem. (20-2) 306 (3) 4. Don Bosco (12-5) 268 (4) (tie) Bound Brook (18-3) 268 (5) 6. Hunterdon Cent. (16-1) 236 (6) 7. Toms River S. (21-3) 241 (7) 8. Phillipsburg (12-3) 232 (8) 9. St. Peters Prep (16-4) 204 (9) 10. Delbarton (14-3) 186 (10) 11. Kittatinny (19-2) 174 (11) 12. Southern (10-5) 151 (12) 13. Jackson Mem. (15-6) 134 (13) 14. High Point (16-4) 117 (14) 15. Delsea (22-2) 88 (15) 16. Howell (21-3) 86 (15) 17. Voorhees (21-4) 72 (17) 18. N. Hunterdon (14-3) 55 (18) 19. Hopewell Val. (16-1) 22 (19) 20. Camden Catholic (18-4) 11 (NR) (tie) Warren Hills (17-7) 11 (NR) Others receiving votes: Delaware Valley 9, Shawnee 2, Brick Township 1, West Morris 1.

*Records through Wednesday.

106
Delseas Luke Fedechko (right) grapples with Deptfords Anthony Rizzolo in the Tri-County Conference Tournament in 2008. The tournament lasted just four years due to marquee matchups like this becoming less common. STAFF PHOTO/CODY GLENN side of it is, its nice not to see the same kids over and over again. A lot of these kids weve already seen, two or three times. Three or four times is too many. Theoretically, Delsea, which shares a district, region and conference with Kingsway could have had individuals wrestle as many as six times in a single season. There are also far more tournaments in the beginning of the season and many teams prefer to travel to increase the diversity in their schedules. Buena has long competed in the Hunterdon Central Tournament, Delsea and St. Augustine are regulars at the Brick Memorial Mustang Classic and other South Jersey teams venture to Pennsylvania and Virginia seeking different competition. Some coaches have also chosen to focus on the team aspect of the wrestling season and dislike too many individual, regular-season tournaments. I want to wrestle the best teams around, and thats just taking away matches, St. Augustine coach Bill Ward said. The Shore Conference holds a team tournament, but that has fallen out of favor in recent years. The Shore Conference, however, is larger than both the Tri-County Conference and Cape-Atlantic League. Its also broken into six divisions as opposed to three in the TCC and two in the CAL. Outside of football, no South Jersey conference is divided into more than four divisions for any sport. So while the sting of losing South Jerseys only conference or county tournament is still fresh, its unlikely a new one will come along any time soon.
Patrick Buganski covers high school wrestling for The Daily Journal. He can be reached at (856) 563-5255 or pbuganski@thedailyjournal.com.
1. Patrick DArcy, Holy Spirit 2. Zach Firestone, Clearview 3. Tyler McBride, Camden Catholic 4. Ferdinand Mase, Eastern 5. Louis Arensberg, Audubon 28-3 30-1 23-7 25-0 28-3

Points are awarded to teams in descending order with 20 points going to the No. 1 team and one point to No. 20.

113
1. John Amato, Timber Creek 2. Jake Forsman, Eastern 3. Mike Van Horn, Washington Twp. 4. Jimmy Goldschmidt, Cherokee 5. Steven Bergamo, Vineland 27-2 25-3 26-5 26-5 11-1

106
Josh Pineda, Vineland Reid White, St. Augustine Hector Marrero, Cumberland Ron Hawk, Buena 18-3 13-5 12-7 9-8 11-1 17-7 16-6 19-10 15-8 19-12 17-12 7-6 28-3 19-8 16-6 17-13 14-1 23-3 23-6 21-10 22-3 23-8 20-7 22-8 12-11 26-3 25-3 12-2 16-12 17-13 17-2 24-4 21-8 12-5 8-6 27-4 19-10 17-13 25-6 12-7 14-9 8-7 29-0 28-3 23-6 23-8 17-9 12-10 24-5 15-5 20-8 18-7 13-8 26-2 8-6 10-9 31-0 25-4 18-5 15-10 20-9 12-7 14-11 23-7 17-9 12-7 15-9

120
1. John Gentile, Paulsboro 2. Tom Gattinella, St. Augustine 3. Marcus Miraglia, Delran 4. Zach Valcarce, Lower Cape May 5. Michael VanBrill, Clearview 26-3 28-3 24-1 24-5 27-4

PATRICK BUGANSKI
the TCC Tournament was also in Region 8, most of the finals were region final or semifinal previews, at best. To avoid losing seeding criteria or showing too much to an opponent before the individual state tournament, teams were leaving wrestlers home or even bumping around weight classes. Its widely believed if a South Jersey conference or county was spread over multiple region boundaries, a tournament would stand a better chance of survival. I liked it because of how well it was run and how competitive it was, Delsea coach Greg Sawyer said. But then the flip

113
Steven Bergamo, Vineland Andrew DiJoseph, Cumberland Zach Goranson, Millville Luis Rivera, Buena Joham Garcia, Millville Collin Donahue, St. Augustine Tom Carney, Delsea Leonard Leyva, Vineland

126
1. Billy Ward, Buena 2. Anthony Racobaldo, Wiliamstown 3. Sam Morina, Paulsboro 4. D. LaPalomento, Washington Twp. 5. Mark McCormick, Camden Catholic 21-4 27-3 26-5 27-2 25-5

120
Tom Gattinella, St. Augustine Sal Marandino, Buena Zach Goranson, Millville Danny DeTetta, Vineland

132
1. Ron Gentile, Paulsboro 2. Isiah DeGuzman, Timber Creek 3. Joe Lemerise, Cherokee 4. Steve Passarella, Washington Twp. 5. Connor Muli, Shawnee 27-1 23-4 28-1 13-0 16-0

126
Zach Nealis, Vineland Billy Ward, Buena John Gallo, Schalick Ed Donahue, St. Augustine

138
1. Brandon Keller, Timber Creek 2. John VanBrill, Clearview 3. Sean Pryzbylkowski, New Egypt 4. Brennan Humphrey, Shawnee 5. Rian Lamanteer, Delsea 18-1 31-0 26-2 27-3 26-3

132
Newt Richardson, Schalick Jarred Hodges, St. Augustine Chaz Bramble, Buena John Pierson, Delsea Joe Roman, Cumberland

145
1. T.J. Miller, Camden Catholic 2. Maaziah Bethea, Trenton Central 3. Dillan Berghof, Buena 4. Branden Virgilio, Timber Creek 5. Patrick McCurdy, Woodstown 28-2 21-1 17-2 17-4 29-1

138
Rian Lamanteer, Delsea Keith Mahoney, Millville Jarett Pierotti, Buena Nick Clark, St. Augustine Tayron Davis, Vineland

145
Dillan Berghof, Buena Rico Rivera, Millville Deon Henry, Schalick Dom DeMarco, Delsea Dylan Recinto, Delsea

152
1. Chad Walsh, Camden Catholic 2. Wayne Stinson, No. Burlington 3. Ed Lenkowski, Clearview 4. Dom Ruggerio, Timber Creek 5. John Hennelly, Delsea 29-1 29-3 31-0 23-3 27-4

152
John Hennelly, Delsea Dylan Manno, Schalick Jose Tabora, St. Augustine

THE INSIDE STUFF

Cumberland Regional High Schools Joe Roman has been a senior leader on a young, rebuilding Colts team with a new head coach this year in Justin Martin. The team, at 8-14, has had an up-anddown season, and Roman, a senior 132-pounder, is 12-11. He recently spoke with The Mat Pack about the year and some other wrestling topics. QUESTION: You have a new head coach in Justin Martin, what does he bring to the table and how does he compare to former coach Carmine Davis? ANSWER: He brings a lot of different things to the team. Its just a big switch. Carmine ran things a little differently. Carmine was a good coach, but Martin helps us out in areas where we really need it. Q: What has this season been like to go through? A: Were a young team, we got a lot of guys on the team that never even wrestled before, so were just trying to get them adjusted to the system and get them where they need to be. For us older guys, its just about helping them along as much as we can. Q: Youre a senior going into your last districts, whats it like to think about how the tournament is just a week away? A: Its a little nerve (wracking) but Im going to go in there open-minded. I just have to do the best I can, thats all I can say.

TOP TWEETS

160
1. Connor Donahue, Clearview 2. Bryce Shade, Timber Creek 3. Kellen Whitney, Hammonton 4. Cesar Balmaceda, Atlantic City 5. Sonnieboy Blanco, Burlington City 30-1 24-3 23-2 26-0 24-3

160
David Gresk, Delsea Carl Hitzelberger, Schalick Jose Soto, Millville Juan Chavez, Cumberland

JOE ROMAN
CUMBERLAND

170
1. Dylan Dobzanski, Delsea 2. Austin Wetterau, Shawnee 3. Nick Elmer, Penns Grove 4. Tyler Sentman, St. Augustine 5. Christian LaFragola, St. Joseph 29-0 27-3 31-1 28-3 14-2

170
Dylan Dobzanski, Delsea Tyler Sentman, St. Augustine Steffen Rodriguez, Vineland Victor DeFrance, Delsea Joe Pyfer, Schalick Edward Williams, Cumberland

Senior 132 pounds

182
1. David Williams, Hammonton 2. Brad Schwarze, New Egypt 3. Alex Foley, Shawnee 4. Billy Leone, Kingsway 5. Phil Azzari, Haddon Heights 28-0 27-0 27-3 25-5 28-2

182
Tiawahn Cosby, Vineland Cody Ruppert, Delsea Javier Colon-Rivera, Millville Erik Porch, Delsea James Bennett, St. Augustine

Q: Youre trying to get Cumberland wrestling back up as a program. Where do you think that starts? A: In the practice room really. You just have to go at it every day, dont slack off, just keep it going, thats all it is. Just give it all you got in the room and put your best foot forward. Q: What do you think of wrestling being eliminated as an Olympic sport? A: The Olympics taking out wrestling, its just bad. Its been in there since the beginning. Its just kind of mind-boggling to take out wrestling, which is honestly one of the toughest sports there is. For me, to take wrestling out of the Olympics is just crazy. Q: So are you now going to take up the Modern Pentathlon (which combines fencing, equestrian, target shooting, running and swimming), the sport many consider to have been kept in the Olympics over wrestling? A: I mean, I dont even know what that is, which is kind of bad. If theyre going to take out something, they should probably take out something that nobody knows about.
Scan this QR code on your smart phone to take you to The Mat Pack's mobile website

195
1. Rory Bonner, West Deptford 2. Joey DeChristofaro, Hightstown 3. Michael Robinson, Clayton 4. Ed Shockley, Millville 5. Cory Damiana, Lower Cape May 25-0 27-0 20-0 26-2 23-5

195
Ed Shockley, Millville Juan Chavez, Cumberland Jose Matteo, Vineland

220
Bryan Dobzanski, Delsea Obi Kali, Millville Ty Warren, Buena Nick Caporale, Buena Benjamin Henderson, Vineland Nick Crisafulli, Schalick Justin Welsh, St. Augustine

220
1. Bryan Dobzanski, Delsea 2. Nigel Toussaint, Egg Harbor Twp. 3. Evan Wayns, Shawnee 4. Cylas Dorety, Woodstown 5. Josh Johnson, Ocean City 31-0 24-2 26-3 25-4 23-4

HWT
1. Roy Lucas, St. Joseph 2. Alex Thompson, Haddon Heights 3. Jeff Miller, Camden Catholic 4. James Dever, Moorestown 5. Ray Ellis, Holy Spirit 28-0 24-0 24-2 24-3 24-6

HWT
Tom Lynd, St. Augustine Ryan Cartwright, Schalick MaQuay Richmond, Cumberland Fred DeMary, Millville

*Wrestlers must have a record of better than .500 and a minimum of 12 bouts. All the records and rankings are based on information through Wednesday.

ONLINE
CUMBERLAND RECORD WALL
Top 3 in career wins Will Elliott Robert Elliott Angelo DiJoseph 100 96 93

NEWS AND NOTES

Those who attended the Bishop Eustace-Holy Spirit NonPublic B South quarterfinal match on Monday might want to ask for a refund. The meet had just three bouts contested, all ending in pins. Total meet time 4 minutes and 56 seconds. Holy Spirit won 48-12. If Delsea knocks off Clayton tonight, the Crusaders will lock up the No. 1 spot in the South Jersey Mean 15. Delsea has never finished No. 1 in South Jersey for wrestling. The Mat Pack will award the first John Vogeding Memorial Cup to South Jerseys top-ranked team at the South Jersey Wrestling Coaches and Officials Associations Reigon 7/8 Banquet on March 19. The South sectional playoffs saw the top two seeds in each group advance in five of the six groups. The one exception was third-seeded Shawnee in Group IV. The only top-seed in the state to get knocked out in the sectional semifinal was Morris Knolls in Group IV North I as fifth-seeded Hackensack eliminated the Golden Eagles.

BLOG
The Mat Pack will blog live from all sessions of districts 31 and 32. Visit thedailyjournal.com/ matpack for more information

100-match winners: 1 State champions: 1 (George Chew, 1987) Team district titles: 0.

TWITTER
Updates, links and commentary on South Jersey wrestling @TheMatPack