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C4 Friday, January 11, 2013 THE DA I LY JOURNAL
ville rivalry with football,but what’s it like withwrestling?
A: It’s just like any othermatch. It’s just a differentteam from a differentschool, it’s just they livecloser to us. It’s not likewe’re getting points forbeating a rival.
Q: You guys are veryclose as a team. How doesthat help you on themats?
A: It just keeps ourminds focused. None of uswant to be singled out, noneof us want to be way in theback. Nobody wants to bethe lonely puppy. We allwant to feel like one on theteam.
Q: What’s it like nothaving to cut weight andkeep an eye on your diet?
A: I feel bad becausethey’re doing it, it makesme want to do it. I watchwhat I eat and I eat healthy.
Q: Who should the Ea-gles hire as the next headcoach?
A: I don’t know, whoevercan help them out.
Q: Were you happy tosee Andy Reid go?
A: Yeah, I wanted him togo like two years ago.
Vineland High School’sBenajamin Henderson isoff to a solid start in his sen-ior year. The 220-pounderis 9-4 with a pair of pins.He’s part of a nice trio ofVineland upperweightsalong with Steffen Rodri-guez and Tiawahn Cosby.He recently spoke with TheMat Pack about his season,the team and a little foot-ball.
QUESTION: What werethe expectations for theseason, team-wise?
ANSWER: We expecteda good season, because inthe beginning, we have athing called, “Hell Week.”And a bunch of kids foughtthrough it. A bunch of kidswanted to quit, but theystuck with it. We have abunch of fighters on theteam.
Q: You’ve shown a lotof improvement from lastyear. How much does hav-ing Rodriguez and Cosbyhelp you?
A: A lot. Him and Stef-fen, us three, we rotate.With Steffen being a dis-trict champion and (Tia-wahn) having a real goodrecord last year, they bothhelp me out. They bothwrestled their whole lifeand it’s only my third year.They both teach me a lot ofmoves.
Q: What’s your role onthe team, as a senior, witha lot of young guys on theteam?
A: Just keep the teammoving, keep our heads up,no matter what happens.
Q: Everyone talksabout the Vineland/Mill-
THE INSIDE STUFF
Sacred Heart graduate Scott Kelley (left) wrestles former Jackson star Scott Winston atthe NJSIAA 160-pound state final in 2008. It was the last match a Sacred Heart studentwrestled in before the program folded. FILE PHOTO
In a short span, the Sa-cred Heart HighSchool wrestling pro-
gram went from having itsshining moment to beingnothing more than the an-swer to a trivia question.
In 2008, former LionScott Kelley completed hissenior year by reachingthe state final at 160pounds. He lost by pin toJackson’s Scott Winstonand became the final vic-tim in Winston’s undefeat-ed scholastic career.
But instead of ridingthe high from Kelley be-coming the program’sfirst-ever state placewin-ner, the lights were turnedoff in the Sacred Heartwrestling room.
“The year Scott placedsecond in the state was anamazing accomplish-ment,” former SacredHeart coach Rob Haydaksaid. “(But) Sacred Heart’sdecision to fold the pro-gram was a no-brainerwith the low student par-ticipation and budget cutsneeding to take place.”
In almost any casewhen a scholastic wres-tling program is disband-ed, the numbers are thesole reason.
“It’s a sign of the times,”former Bridgeton and cur-rent Sacred Heart athleticdirector Joe Blandino said.“Wrestling is the one sportwhere you have to have themost dedicated kids to par-ticipate.”
Sacred Heart becamethe second local programto shut down in the last dec-ade, joining Bridgeton,which stopped wrestlingfollowing the 2003-04 sea-son. They are the only twoSouth Jersey schools toend their programs in thelast 10 years.
“It was a lack of interestfrom the kids and the factthat we didn’t have anysort of midget program inthe community,” Blandinosaid. “I was worried aboutthe safety of the kids —freshmen wrestling at thevarsity level without any
experience.”Blandino said he was
approached a few times af-ter shutting down the pro-gram by people interestedin starting it back up, buthe refused to implementwrestling without a feederprogram.
At Sacred Heart, Blan-dino pointed to numbersagain. Even in 2008 withKelley carrying the flag,the team struggled be-cause there were only sev-en or eight kids in the en-tire program.
“They did have a fewgreat kids who had a lot ofsuccess,” Blandino saidabout Sacred Heart. “Butthat’s just scratching thesurface. The school almostwent under. There’s only170 kids in the wholeschool. I’m not even able tofield (junior varsity) for
baseball or softball, whichare programs that are verysuccessful.”
Another South Jerseyschool faced with dwin-dling numbers, Glassboro,took an alternative route toclosing down. The Bull-dogs joined a co-op pro-gram with Clayton.
“There were 14 weightclasses, we couldn’t field12 weight classes,” Glass-boro athletic director JeffCusack said. “We had kidswho did really well, but wewould lose matches be-cause of the forfeits.”
The only other co-opprogram in South Jersey isbetween Woodbury andGateway. Before shuttingdown the Sacred Heartprogram, there was talk ofcombining with St. Joseph,but plans never material-ized.
Joining with Claytonhas paid dividends forGlassboro. Since joiningwith Clayton, the “Clip-dogs” have 71 dual meetvictories, only one fewerthan the previous 10 yearscombined at Glassboroalone.
“It’s been fantastic,”
Cusack said.Without joining with
Clayton, Cusack said theprogram likely would havebeen shut down complete-ly.
“It got into a cost thing,”Cusack said. “We’re spend-ing a lot of money for a pro-gram with nine to 10 kids.”
Only one local coach, St.Augustine’s Bill Ward,mentioned poor numbersbefore the season. But theHermits remain a verycompetitive team, Ward isa first-year coach and thePrep is a school that at-tracts specialized athletes.
Cumberland has strug-gled the most on the matsover the last decade, butColts athletic director RodSharpless said the pro-gram is in no danger.
“It’s all about participa-tion numbers,” Sharplesssaid. “Our wrestling pro-gram is not in any deficien-cy. (Coach Justin Martin),his numbers are very, verysteady.”
Patrick Buganski covers high schoolwrestling for The Daily Journal.Contact him at (856) 563-5255 [email protected].
Numbers are key forprograms to survive
PATRICKBUGANSKI
1. Camden Catholic 2-0
2. Timber Creek 4-3
3. Delsea 11-0
4. Clearview 8-4
5. Paulsboro 6-1
6. Shawnee 7-0
7. St. Augustine 2-5
8. Millville 7-1
9. Buena 4-0
10. Cherokee 6-2
11. Audubon 7-0
12. Haddon Twp. 5-2
13. Northern Burlington 5-0
14. Cinnaminson 5-0
15. Egg Harbor Twp. 5-6
*Records through Wednesday.
The New Jersey WrestlingWriters Association StatewideTop 20. First place votes inparenthesis follow by totalpoints.
1. S. Plainfield (9-0) (17) 34Last week: (1)
2. Bound Brook (11-1) 315 (4)
3. Berg. Catholic (4-1) 297 (3)
4. Brick Mem. (9-0) 292 (2)
5. Phillipsburg (5-0) 285 (5)
6. St. Peters Prep (2-1) 226 (9)
7. Southern (2-1) 224 (7)
8. Delbarton (2-1) 218 (10)
9. Jackson Mem. (7-0) 203 (15)
10. C.Catholic (1-0) 191 (8)
11. Kittatinny (8-1) 177 (NR)
12. Howell (7-1) 144 (12)
13. High Point (6-3) 140 (11)
14. Warren Hills (8-3) 128 (13)
15. Timber Creek (3-3) 97 (14)
16. Delsea (10-0) 80 (20)
17. T.R. South (7-1) 69 (17)
18. Don Bosco (1-3) 54 (6)
19. Long Branch (2-2) 50 (16)
20. Hunt. Central (5-0) 21 (NR)
Others receiving votes: St.Joseph Montvale 9, WatchungHills 5, North Hunterdon 5.
Points are awarded to teamsin descending order with 20points going to the No. 1team and one point to theNo. 20 team on each ballot.Teams are ranked accordingto that point system andbased on the total number ofvotes they receive from theassociation’s 17 members.Records through Wednesday.
1061. Patrick D’Arcy, Holy Spirit 16-3
2. Tyler McBride, Camden Catholic 7-5
3. Ferdinand Mase, Eastern 16-0
4. Louis Arensberg, Audubon 11-3
5. Griffin Bonner, West Deptford 10-1
1131. John Amato, Timber Creek 10-1
2. Ronray Harris, Middle Township 5-0
3. Jake Forsman, Eastern 14-1
4. Zach Firestone, Clearview 11-1
5. Mike Van Horn, Washington Twp. 15-2
1201. Tyler Kaminski, West Deptford 9-1
2. John Gentile, Paulsboro 11-1
3. Tom Gattinella, St. Augustine 7-3
4. Marcus Miraglia, Delran 10-0
5. Nick Virgilio, Timber Creek 4-1
1261. Billy Ward, Buena 10-3
2. Sam Morina, Paulsboro 12-1
3. Colin Mitchell, Eastern 2-1
4. Dylan LaPalomento, Washington Twp. 14-1
5. Anthony Racobaldo, Williamstown 11-2
1321. Isaiah DeGuzman, Timber Creek 11-2
2. Juan Rivera, Paulsboro 11-2
3. Joe Lemerise, Cherokee 10-0
4. Justin McTamney, Bordentown 12-1
5. Mark McCormick, Camden Catholic 8-3
1381. Brandon Keller, Timber Creek 5-1
2. Ron Gentile, Paulsboro 12-0
3. Sean Pryzbylkowski, New Egypt 11-2
4. Aaron Lambert, Burlington Twp. 7-2
5. Brennan Humphrey, Shawnee 12-1
1451. T.J. Miller, Camden Catholic 10-0
2. John Van Brill, Clearview 12-0
3. Maaziah Bethea, Trenton Central 7-1
4. Dillan Berghof, Buena 10-2
5. Brandon Virgilio, Timber Creek 5-1
1521. Chad Walsh, Camden Catholic 9-1
2. Wayne Stinson, No. Burlington 13-3
3. Ed Lenkowski, Clearview 12-0
4. Dom Ruggerio, Timber Creek 13-0
5. John Hennelly, Delsea 14-4
1601. Connor Donahue, Clearview 12-0
2. A.J. Nicholas, Cherokee 7-1
3. Kellen Whitney, Hammonton 9-1
4. Sonnieboy Blanco, Burlington City 10-1
5. Mike Campbell, Collingswood 13-2
1701. Bryce Shade, Timber Creek 9-1
2. Dylan Dobzanski, Delsea 15-0
3. Austin Wetterau, Shawnee 12-1
4. Nick Elmer, Penns Grove 12-1
5. Tyler Sentman, St. Augustine 9-1
1821. David Williams, Hammonton 11-0
2. Brad Schwarze, New Egypt 13-0
3. Billy Leone, Kingsway 6-1
4. Erik Porch, Delsea 14-2
5. Tiawahn Cosby, Vineland 11-2
1951. Rory Bonner, West Deptford 8-0
2. Joey DeChristofaro, Hightstown 14-0
3. Michael Robinson, Clayton 6-0
4. Ed Shockley, Millville 13-1
5. Cory Damiana, Lower Cape May 10-4
2201. Bryan Dobzanski, Delsea 17-0
2. Roy Lucas, St. Joseph 13-0
3. Nigel Toussaint, Egg Harbor Twp. 14-0
4. Jared Alwan, Camden Catholic 2-0
5. Cylas Dorety, Woodstown 10-0
HWT1. Alex Thompson, Haddon Heights 8-0
2. Jeff Miller, Camden Catholic 5-1
3. Robert Frederico, Hammonton 11-0
4. Josh Johnson, Ocean City 9-3
5. Allan Westenberger, Gloucester 8-1
106
Tom Carney, Delsea 10-6
Josh Pineda, Vineland 5-1
Hector Marrero, Cumberland 3-3
113
Zach Goranson, Millville 10-2
Collin Donahue, St. Augustine 9-5
Andrew DiJoseph, Cumberland 4-2
Joham Garcia, Millville 6-2
Luis Rivera, Buena 9-7
Nick Rio, Cumberland 4-4
120
Tom Gattinella, St. Augustine 11-3
Sal Marandino, Buena 8-6
126
Billy Ward, Buena 10-3
John Gallo, Schalick 9-5
Ed Donahue, St. Augustine 9-6
Chad Kahn, Millville 8-5
Danny DeTetta, Vineland 7-7
132
John Pierson, Delsea 8-2
Chaz Bramble 9-5
Newt Richardson, Schalick 7-3
Jarred Hodges, St. Augustine 8-5
138
Rian Lamanteer, Delsea 15-2
Tayron Davis, Vineland 7-7
145
Keith Mahoney, Millville 12-1
Deon Henry, Schalick 11-3
Dillan Berghof, Buena 9-2
Dom DeMarco, Delsea 6-3
152
John Hennelly, Delsea 15-3
Rico Rivera, Millville 12-2
Dylan Manno, Schalick 9-5
160
David Gresk, Delsea 14-4
Carl Hitzelberger, Schalick 7-4
Javier Colon-Rivera, Millville 8-6
170
Dylan Dobzanski, Delsea 15-0
Tyler Sentman, St. Augustine 11-2
Steffen Rodriguez, Vineland 11-2
Victor DeFrance, Delsea 11-6
Joe Pyfer, Schalick 10-5
Connor Dixon, Millville 8-6
182
Erik Porch, Delsea 14-2
Tiawahn Cosby, Vineland 11-2
Javier Colon-Rivera, Millville 7-2
James Bennett, St. Augustine 8-6
Cody Ruppert, Delsea 5-3
195
Ed Shockley, Millville 13-1
220
Bryan Dobzanski, Delsea 17-0
Obi Kali, Millville 12-3
Benjamin Henderson, Vineland 9-4
Nick Caporale, Buena 7-5
HWT
Tom Lynd, St. Augustine 11-2
Ty Warren, Buena 10-4
Ryan Cartwright, Schalick 9-5
Fred DeMary, Millville 7-6
*Wrestlers must have at least a .500 recordand a minimum of six bouts.All the records and rankings are based on in-formation through Wednesday.
BENJAMINHENDERSONVineland
Weight: 220
TOP TWEETS
» The Virginia Duals National High School Tournament beginstoday in Hampton, Va., and New Jersey will be well represented.South Plainfield, the top-ranked team in the Garden State, is thetop seed in the bracket. Camden Catholic and Timber Creek, thethe No. 1 and No. 2 teams in South Jersey are also among the16-team field. Camden Catholic and Timber Creek met in lastyear’s Virginia Duals with the Chargers earning a 30-24 victory.
» With Delsea’s 46-21 win over Paulsboro on Friday, the Crusadersown the top two point performances by a South Jersey teamagainst the Red Raiders. Delsea posted 48 points last season. OnlyPhillipsburg has scored more points against Paulsboro with 63(2012) and 51 (2008) than the Crusaders.
» Speaking of Delsea, junior 220-pounder Bryan Dobzanski boastsSouth Jersey’s longest current winning streak by an individual at21. Dobzanski wrestled back to a third-place finish at states lastseason, winning his final four bouts. Camden Catholic’s T.J. Millerand Chad Walsh along with St. Joseph’s Roy Lucas and WestDeptford’s Rory Bonner also own winning streaks that date backto last season.
NEWS AND NOTES
MILLVILLERECORD WALL
Top 3 in career wins
Mark Saul 113-10
Doug Taylor 102-5-1
Doug Ten Brook 101-10
100-match winners: 4State champions: 8(Bobby Hogan, 1957,1958; Dan DeTullio 1975;Jim Ten Brook 1980;Doug Taylor 1982; TobyFagan 1990; Mark Saul1995, 1996)
Team district titles: 3(1979, 1980, 1981).
BLOG
South Jersey wrestlingnews, notes, rankings and morethedailyjournal.com/matpack
Updates, links and commentary on South Jersey wrestling@TheMatPack
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