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Friday, January 4, 2013

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

Wrestle-offs give grapplers chance to earn their spot

or a Vineland High School wrestler, one of the most intense matches he will wrestle doesnt start with a bus ride to another school and a quick stop at the scorers table. It starts with a finger poke to the chest from a teammate. Thats how you call out someone else in the lineup for a wrestle-off in the Fighting Clans wrestling room. Wrestle-offs, which typically are used to determine a varsity roster spot, are one of the unique and sacred parts of wrestling and another reason why its popular among its competitors. Players dont field ground balls to win the starting second baseman spot and coaches dont hold free throw competitions to determine the starting point guard in basketball. But for most wrestling teams, the coach doesnt have to choose a lineup, he can just officiate a wrestle-off. Tennis, which has challenge matches, is perhaps the only other sport in which lineups are decided with a competition. Its way better because no one can take (your spot) away from you, only you can give it up, Vinelands Tayron Davis said. Davis has plenty of experience in wrestle-offs. Last year, he challenged teammate Luis Andrion and beat him for his spot, only to have Andrion challenge him back and earn a place at districts. You have respect for your teammate and everything, but at the same time, you treat it just like a (regular match), because its either him or you wearing that varsity jacket at the end of the day, Davis said. Even though its a teammate and many squads give a wrestler another chance to take the spot as early as the following week, there is plenty of pressure during a wrestleoff. Its real nerve-wracking because you dont know whats going to happen, Vinelands Benjamin

STATE TOP 20
The New Jersey Wrestling Writers Association Statewide Top 20. First place votes in parenthesis follow by total points. 1. South Plainfield (5-0) (17) 340 2. Brick Memorial (5-0) 301 3. Bergen Catholic (1-1) 291 4. Bound Brook (8-1) 283 5. Phillipsburg (3-0) 280 6. Don Bosco Prep (1-0) 260 7. Southern (1-0) 244 8. Camden Catholic (1-0) 212 9. St. Peter's Prep (0-0) 203 10. Delbarton (1-1) 199 11. High Point (4-1) 163 12. Howell (3-1) 157 13. Warren Hills (6-1) 140 14. Timber Creek (1-3) 89 15. Jackson Memorial (3-0) 86 16. Long Branch (1-0) 84 17. Toms River South (4-1) 59 18. St. Joseph (Montvale) (0-1) 38 19. Watchung Hills (5-0) 32
13-3 6-5 7-0 4-2 6-3

1. Camden Catholic 2. Timber Creek 3. Delsea 4. Paulsboro 5. Clearview 6. Shawnee 7. St. Augustine 8. Cherokee 9. Washington Twp. 10. Buena 11. Hammonton 12. Audubon 13. Egg Harbor Twp. 14. Haddon Twp. 15. Eastern

1-0 1-3 5-0 2-0 5-2 2-0 2-2 4-1 3-1 2-0 4-0 2-0 3-3 1-1 2-2

*Records through Wednesday.

106
1. Patrick DArcy, Holy Spirit 2. Tyler McBride, Camden Catholic 3. Ferdinand Mase, Eastern 4. Louis Arensberg, Audubon 5. Vincent Foggia, No. Burlington

20. Delsea (5-0) 27 Others receiving votes: Kittatinny 16, Hunterdon Central 14, North Hunterdon 12, Roxbury 5, East Brunswick 5, Hanover Park 4, Hopewell Valley 1, Paulsboro 1. Points are awarded to teams in descending order with 20 points going to the No. 1 team and one point to the No. 20 team on each ballot. Teams are ranked according to that point system and based on the total number of votes they receive from the associations 17 members. Records through Wednesday.

Buena wrestlers Jarett Pierotti (facing) and Travis Thompson act out a wrestle-off while coach George Maxwell looks on Thursday. STAFF PHOTO/CRAIG MATTHEWS with each other, and a varsity spot is a dream come true for some grapplers. The kids really work hard when theyre wrestling off because they know they can earn their spot there, Vineland coach Dave Homiak said. Vineland is also unique because its wrestle-offs are open while most other teams clear the room. The reason why many coaches make wrestle-offs private is to keep things positive. Some people do get mad, but mostly, from what I see, its civil, Davis said. Its like a friendly rivalry thing, youre both going to get better. But not all coaches are fans of the wrestle-off. I dont like to do them because it can be a negative thing, putting kids against each other, Millville coach Scott Stay said. But sometimes you dont have a choice. Buena coach Doug Castellari agrees. He typically doesnt let just anyone challenge another wrestler and only lets kids who are close in ability fight for the spot. I dont hold them regularly, Castellari said. The wrestle-off is solely for districts. I pick the team for dual meets. Stay said hes held wrestle-offs and continues to do so, but they are rare for his program. So far this season, Millville has only contested one wrestle-off. Before districts, Stay is expecting to hold more. Ultimately though, Stay likes having the final decision over his roster. The kids wrestle every single day, Stay said. And we have a pretty good idea, all the coaches do, who is going to win. According to Stay, there is also a large difference between wrestling in the room against a teammate and in an actual match. Ive seen kids do everything they can to win a wrestle off, then, when they get in front of people, they dont pan out, Stay said. Then theres kids who practice and get beat in practice learning new things, working to get better, then they go in front of people and they do really well. I dont know if it always gives you the best kid in the lineup.
Patrick Buganski covers high school wrestling for The Daily Journal. Contact him at (856) 563-5255 or pbuganski@thedailyjournal.com.

113
1. John Amato, Timber Creek 2. Ronray Harris, Middle Township 3. Jake Forsman, Eastern 4. Jimmy Goldschmidt, Cherokee 5. Zack Firestone, Clearview 8-1 2-0 6-1 5-1 6-1

120
1. Tyler Kaminski, West Deptford 2. John Gentile, Paulsboro 3. Tom Gattinella, St. Augustine 4. Marcus Miraglia, Delran 5. Alex Baider, Cherokee 7-1 7-1 7-3 8-0 5-1

PATRICK BUGANSKI HOW LOCAL TEAMS HANDLE WRESTLE-OFFS

Vineland: Open room, challenger must win two. Millville: Closed room, best out of three. Buena: Closed room, best out of five.

126
1. Billy Ward, Buena 8-3 2. Sam Morina, Paulsboro 8-1 3. Colin Mitchell, Eastern 2-1 4. Dylan LaPalomento, Washington Twp. 9-1 5. Anthony Racobaldo, Williamstown 6-0

132
1. Isaiah DeGuzman, Timber Creek 2. Juan Rivera, Paulsboro 3. Robert McNeill, Winslow Township 4. Justin McTamney, Bordentown 5. Chris Bucceroni, Triton 9-2 7-2 7-0 9-0 4-0

138
1. Ron Gentile, Paulsboro 2. Joe Lemerise, Cherokee 3. Sean Pryzbyikowski, New Egypt 4. Brandon Virgilio, Timber Creek 5. Aaron Lambert, Burlington Twp. 8-0 7-0 5-1 2-1 4-1

Henderson said. Even the best wrestlers mess up sometimes, and you dont want to mess up and lose your varsity spot after you worked so hard for it. However, many teams have safeguards in place for an upset. Vineland requires a challenger to beat the incumbent twice to take his spot. Other schools require a wrestler to win two out of three matches to take a varsity spot. At Buena, its the best out of five. And each match tends to be exciting because wrestlers are so familiar

106
Tom Carney, Delsea John Hassett, Delsea 7-3 6-5 5-1 7-3 5-5 7-3 7-5 8-3 7-4 5-2 8-2 5-4 5-4 9-1 4-4 7-2 6-2 11-1 7-2 4-4 9-3 8-1 8-4 5-3 4-4 9-0 9-0 7-2 5-2 6-4 7-1 6-1 11-0 7-2 4-3 7-2 5-2

113
Zach Goranson, Millville Collin Donahue, St. Augustine Luis Rivera, Buena

145
1. T.J. Miller, Camden Catholic 2. Brandon Keller, Timber Creek 3. John Van Brill, Clearview 4. Maaziah Bethea, Trenton Central 5. Dillan Berghof, Buena 6-0 4-1 7-0 6-1 7-2

120
Tom Gattinella, St. Augustine Sal Marandino, Buena

126
Billy Ward, Buena Ed Donahue, St. Augustine Chad Kahn, Millville

152
1. Chad Walsh, Camden Catholic 2. Wayne Stinson, No. Burlington 3. Ed Lenkowski, Clearview 4. Dom Ruggerio, Timber Creek 5. John Hennelly, Delsea 9-1 7-3 7-0 11-0 11-1

132
John Pierson, Delsea Chaz Bramble, Buena Jarred Hodges, St. Augustine

160
1. Connor Donahue, Clearview 2. A.J. Nicholas, Cherokee 3. Kellen Whitney, Hammonton 4. Sonnieboy Blanco, Burlington City 5. Mike Campbell, Collingswood 6-0 5-0 6-0 5-1 8-2

138
Rian Lamanteer, Delsea Tayron Davis, Vineland

145
Dillan Berghof, Buena Keith Mahoney, Millville

170
THE INSIDE STUFF
Millville High School senior Rico Rivera is part of a solid second half of the lineup for the Thunderbolts. Hes also a two-sport athlete (soccer and wrestling) and a standout student. He recently spoke with The Mat Pack about his season, the sport of wrestling and the challenges of being involved in so much at school. QUESTION: What do you think of your team this year compared to the last few seasons? ANSWER: This team, compared to all the other ones, its like a thousand times better. Everybody has a lot of insight, nobody is a (newcomer). Im actually really looking forward to this year. The team is pretty good, we have a chance at the conference. Q: Millville has won a decent amount of matches over the last few years, but hasnt advanced anyone deep into regions. Can you explain that? A: I feel as though Millville wrestling has a lot of decent wrestlers. Were all pretty good, but when it comes to having that one star athlete, we dont really have one. We have a good base team. Q: Is this the year that changes? A: I hope so. A lot of guys on varsity this year have a chance to make it to regions and maybe out of regions if were lucky. Q: Is it important to wrestle before high school?

152
6-1 9-0 5-0 8-1 7-0 John Hennelly, Delsea Rico Rivera, Millville Jose Tabora, St. Augustine

TOP TWEETS

1. Bryce Shade, Timber Creek 2. Dylan Dobzanski, Delsea 3. Austin Wetterau, Shawnee 4. Tyler Sentman, St. Augustine 5. Cesar Balmaceda, Atlantic City

160
David Gresk, Delsea

182 RICO RIVERA

Millville Weight: 152
1. David Williams, Hammonton 2. Nick Elmer, Penns Grove 3. Brad Schwarze, New Egypt 4. Billy Leone, Kingsway 5. Henry Klaus, Haddonfield 6-0 7-0 6-0 6-0 4-0

170
Tyler Sentman, St. Augustine Victor DeFrance, Delsea Connor Dixon, Millville Elijah Brown, Buena

182
Dylan Dobzanski, Delsea Erik Porch, Delsea Javier Colon-Rivera, Millville Steffen Rodriguez, Vineland James Bennett, St. Augustine

195
1. Rory Bonner, West Deptford 2. Joey DeChristofaro, Hightstown 3. Michael Robinson, Clayton 4. Ed Shockley, Millville 5. Cory Damiana, Lower Cape May 6-0 10-0 4-0 7-1 5-2

A: I think its insanely important to wrestle before high school because wrestling is a sport about experience. You can only get better through experience. I went from a freshman winning maybe three matches to winning nearly 20 last year. The number of matches really (determines) what kind of wrestler you are. Q: Youre a two-sport athlete with soccer and wrestling. Does anything carry over from soccer to wrestling? A: I think the one thing that carries over from soccer is the endurance and the stamina. You run for days. It helps a lot to be in shape, and not having to drop 50 pounds from football definitely helps. Q: Youre a standout student in addition to being a soccer captain and wrestling captain. How difficult is it to balance all of that? A: Its insanely difficult. Im getting ready for college, which is just around the corner applications are due this weekend. And having to go after school (to practice), it takes away from classes. Juggling taking care of the team and everything, its a lot.

195
Ed Shockley, Millville Tiawahn Cosby, Vineland

220
1. Bryan Dobzanski, Delsea 2. Roy Lucas, St. Joseph 3. Nigel Toussaint, Egg Harbor Twp. 4. Jared Alwan, Camden Catholic 5. Cylas Dorety, Woodstown 11-0 6-0 9-0 1-0 4-0

220
Bryan Dobzanski, Delsea Obi Kali, Millville Benjamin Henderson, Vineland

HWT
Tom Lynd, St. Augustine Fred DeMary, Millville

HWT
1. Alex Thompson, Haddon Heights 2. Jeff Miller, Camden Catholic 3. Robert Frederico, Hammonton 4. James Dever, Moorestown 5. Davontae Randall, Paulsboro 7-0 4-1 7-0 12-0 4-0

*Wrestlers must have at least a .500 record and a minimum of six bouts. All the records and rankings are based on information through Wednesday.

NEWS AND NOTES

ONLINE
BUENA RECORD WALL
Top 3 in career wins Bobby Hanson Billy Ward Paul Castellini 134-5 116-18 107-26

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South Jersey wrestling news, notes, rankings and more thedailyjournal.com/ matpack

Delran coach Dennis Smith will go for his 600th career win and could tie the all-time victory mark for South Jersey with his 601st this weekend when the Bears wrestle Pinelands and Haddon Township. Smith, who is in his 38th season and was a state champion during his wrestling days at Lenape, has a career record of 599-180-5. Ralph Ross Sr., who turned Highland into a state powerhouse, compiled a 601-75-8 record with the Tartans and a short stint at Triton-Red. Camden Catholics T.J. Miller won the 145-pound title at the prestigious Beast of the East tournament. The senior, who finished third in the state, pinned his first four opponents before knocking off Blair Academys Dylan Milonas, a defending Beast of the East champ who is ranked sixth in the nation, in the semis and McDonoughs Jack Clark in the final. The NJSIAA announced that all-session tickets for the state wrestling championships, set for March 8-10, will go on sale at noon today at the Boardwalk Hall box office as well as all Ticketmaster locations, by calling 1-800-736-1420 or www.ticketmaster.com. All-session tickets will be $40.

100-match winners: 11 State champions: 0 Team district titles: 6 (1979, 1980, 1994, 1995, 1996, 2005).

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Updates, links and commentary on South Jersey wrestling @TheMatPack