Shore Sports Networks Quest for a Wrestling Championship

February 9, 2016 Volume-VIII Issue-3

VOLUME -V I I I / I S SUE - 3 / 2 / 9 / 1 62

S t e v e M E Y E RShore Sports NetworkDirector High School Divisionsteve.meyer@townsqua remedi a.com7 3 2 - 2 3 3 - 4 4 6 0

K e v i n W I L L I A M SShore Sports Network Directorkev in .w i l l i ams@townsqua remed ia.com

Sen ior Content Prov idersBobBadders // [email protected] // [email protected]

Shore Sports Network Journalis published by: T o w ns q ua re Me d i a8 Robbins Street Toms River, NJ 08753

Copyright 2016 Townsquare MediaAll rights reserved Reproduction in whole or in partwithout the permission of Shore Sports Network is prohibited

The first thing fans, players, coaches & parentswant to know after the big game is always,

Shore Sports Network has established itself as a leader in scholastic sports coverage in Monmouth and Oceancounties, providing more video highlight clips, in-depth reporting, feature

stories and regular updates than ANY OTHER OUTLET in the area.

”Is this going to be on ?”

Shore Sports Network Website Featuresn Get Video Highlights of all the important games that Shore Conference fans will be talking about.

n Catch up on the action you might have missedn Watch video clips of everything from the action early in the event to the big finish as well as video interviews with various athletes.

n www.shoresportsnetwork.com is the most visited sports site in the Shore Conference during the scholastic year

n Follow us on Twitter (over 16,000 followers) & Facebook, we keep fans posted onthe latest scores and news

n Established leading portal for local high school coverage.

SHORESPORTSNETWORK.COM 3

Shore Conference& Shore Sports Network

Extend PartnershipB y Kevin Wil l iams - Shore Sports Network Director

FOR ADVERTISING INFORMATION &SPONSORSHIP OPPPORTUNITIES

C o n t a c t : S t e v e n M e y e r 7 3 2 - 2 3 3 - 4 4 60 s t e v e .m e y e r @ t own s q u a r em e d i a . c om

We are extremely proudto announce that theShore Sports Network

and Shore Conference of HighSchools have entered into a five-year partnership.The Shore Conference of High Schools has entered intoa five-year partnership that will allow Townsquare Media’sShore Sports Network to serve as exclusive media partnerfor Shore Conference Tournament events. With the twosides recently completing a successful one-year pilotprogram, the new extended agreement will allow them tocontinue to work together on behalf of the 47 memberschools of the Shore Conference, which covers Monmouthand Ocean counties.Shore Sports Network will have an exclusive license tocreate, distribute and broadcast programming in connectionwith all tournament championship events. In addition, ShoreSports Network will serve as the media liaison between thetournament directors and media covering SCT

championships in boys and girls basketball,wrestling, baseball and softball to insure asmooth working relationship and provideoptimum coverage within the guidelinesset forth by the Shore Conference. Othersports could be added if agreed upon byboth parties.“We are very excited to continue our

partnership with Townsquare Media’sShore Sports Network,” said ShoreConference President H. Rusty Todd, CAAat Ocean Township High School. “Thecoverage and attention to detail providedduring the one-year

pilot program shows theprofessionalism of the Shore

Sports Network.”“This is a great opportunity for theShore Conference to be associatedwith such a fine organization for thebenefit of our student-athletes inMonmouth and Ocean counties,’’Todd added. “We look at it as a win-win for both parties.”The Shore Sports Networkincludes a website(www.shoresportsnetwork.com) thatfeatures and promotes high schoolsports as well as the Shore SportsNetwork Journal, a bi-monthlypublication that is distributed at allJersey Mike’s Subs and Super Wawa stores in theMonmouth-Ocean County area, as well as many highschools. In addition, Shore Sports Network is home to highschool football and basketball radio broadcasts, as well asMonmouth University men’s basketball and football andLakewood BlueClaws baseball.SSN will broadcast the semifinals and finals of the ShoreConference boys and girls basketball tournaments in lateFebruary. It is also directly involved in the U.S. Army All-Shore Gridiron Classic as well as the annual Senior All-Starbasketball and boys lacrosse games.

For Shore Sports Network Director Kevin Williams, thenew agreement is the next step in solidifying an outstandingworking relationship between the two sides.“We are on the same page when it comes to promoting thepositive contributions teams and athletes make to theirschools and communities,’’ Williams said. “While we havean obligation to report important sports news, there is also aplace to highlight student-athletes and their achievements.Part of the new agreement continues our joint efforts on theSportsmanship Awards program in the spring, which is oneof my favorite events of the year. I’m looking forward toworking with the athletic directors of the Shore Conferencefor years to come.”

The sportsmanship programcreated by the Shore Conferenceathletic directors honors a femaleand male student-athlete from eachmember school who exemplifiesthe positive ideals promoted by theconference. Under the direction ofShore Sports Network, a joint event

was held lastMay at PineBelt Arena inToms River,where morethan 90 highschool seniorswere honoredwith theirfamilies inattendance.The awardsprogram willreturn toPine BeltArena thisyear on

Sunday, May 15, 2016.As part of the new agreement ShoreSportsNetwork.comwill also archive pictures of all Shore ConferenceTournament champions in a special section on its website.

During the boys basketball season, Shore Sports Networkwill be selecting an Army Strong Team of the Week,sponsored by the U.S. Army. The feature team will beselected based on performance from the prior week of action.


The Manchester senior trio of Jordan Torney, Shavar Reynolds and Israel Almestica has played upwards of 100high school games with one another since all three were varsity letter-winners as freshmen, but there was one majorvoid on their collective career resume.

Last week, those seniors filled that void by knocking off Shore Conference Class B South rival Lakewood, 65-64,on a putback by Almestica just before the final buzzer. The win marked the first time Manchester beat Lakewood sinceDecember of 2009 and also ended Lakewood’s 45-game winning streak within the B South division.

With double-digit wins over Barnegat and Lacey to cap the week, the Hawks locked up the Shore Sports NetworkArmy Strong Team of the Week Award, the fourth such award handed out this season.

Reynolds scored 19 points in the Lakewood win, while Torney had 15 points, seven rebounds, seven assists and fivesteals to help lead the way. Junior L.J. Robinson also played a critical role, scoring a team-high 26 points – including16 points in the second half.

The win pulled Manchester into a three-way tie with both Lakewood and Donovan Catholic in the Class B Southdivision race.

From the very first night of the season, the Colts Neck boys basketball teamwas playing from behind in the Shore Conference Class B North division race.The Cougars dropped an opening-night decision on the road to Long Branch,which ignited a fast start to the division schedule for the Green Wave and leftthe rest of the division chasing.

Colts Neck, however, knew it would have a shot at Long Branch at home andwhen the Green Wave came into town this past Saturday nursing a one-gamelead in the division race, the Cougars did not miss their shot to even up therace once again.

Colts Neck won a hard-fought game against Long Branch, 46-42, to pulleven in the Class B North standings. The win capped a 3-0 week that alsoincluded wins over Ocean and Neptune and for those efforts, the Cougars arethe fifth Shore Sports Network Army Strong Team of the Week during the2015-16 season.

Senior Lloyd Daniels helped lead the way for Colts Neck, leading theCougars in scoring in all three wins. He scored 18 point in a 47-32 win overOcean, pumped in 26 in a 58-40 victory over Neptune and netted 17 in theLong Branch game.

Senior Jordan deGroot was also instrumental in the Long Branch win,scoring 10 points and holding Long Branch leading scorer Anthony Velazquezto six points on 2-for-10 shooting. Senior Kyle Gordon added six points, 10rebounds, five assists and three blocks on Saturday as well.

The Cougars continued their strong play into the new week with a road winover Matawan and a home win over Red Bank Catholic – both by double-digitmargins. Colts Neck will need Long Branch to lose at least one game in orderto clinch the outright Class B North championship, but the Cougars canguarantee at least a share of the division title by beating Red Bank Regionaland Wall in their final two division games.

Red Bank won at Colts Neck in the first meeting between the two teams,who will meet for the rematch Monday in Red Bank.

the US Army continues the Honor ofpresenting the Basketball Teams of the Week

Week FourManchester

Week OneRanney

Week TwoRFH

Week ThreeTR North

Week FiveColts Neck

Colts Neck coach Lou Piccola and his team are presentedthe Team of the Week Ball from Sgt. Nathan Hawks (left)

and Sgt. 1st Class Kevin Smith (right)


The Shore ConferenceTournament is a little more thana week away and the seeds willbe released this coming Sunday,but it’s never too early to take asneak peak at the potentialfield. With a week to go, as manyas 33 teams could be in the fieldwith the distinct possibility thatthe field could hit 30.More than the sheer number of teams that could end up in thefield, the characteristic that stands out about this collection of teamsis how many good teams there are. There are probably other yearswith more teams that were legitimate threats to win the whole thing,but this year has a long list of teams that would be quarterfinal-worthy in most years.

With a week’s worth of games still to be played, the No. 1 seed isstill very much in play, as are a number of keys spots in the bracket.Keeping in mind that overall résumé is the basis for the rankings andthat head-to-head results and common opponents are tie-breakers, hereis a first-look at the SCT field based on the records and resumes arethrough Sunday 7th.

1. Christian Brothers Academy (14-3, 10-0)

Division Wins: Manalapan (2), Marlboro (2), Freehold Boro, atFreehold Twp., Howell, at Middletown North, Middletown South

Division Losses: None

Non-Division Wins: Vs. Iona Prep, vs. Trenton Central, Moses Brown(R.I.), vs. Bergen Catholic, vs. East Orange

Non-Division Losses: Vs. Don Bosco, vs. St. Anthony, vs. St. Augustine

Before the Cut-off: At Middletown South, at Howell, at Freehold Boro,vs. Freehold Twp.

Why They’re Here: There is almost no difference between CBA andMater Dei at this point, other than the fact that CBA has played two of thetop 10 teams in the state and lost both games. Each team has one win overa top-20 opponent at the time, with CBA’s win coming against BergenCatholic and in convincing fashion. This could go either way and there isstill a week left for someone to slip up, but if nothing crazy happens, CBAis still the conventional choice.

2. Mater Dei Prep (16-1, 12-0)

Division Wins: Henry Hudson (2), Keansburg (2), Keyport (2), PointBeach (2), Ranney (2), at Asbury Park, St. Rose


Non-Division Wins: Vs. Perth Amboy Tech, vs. Neptune, vs. St. Peter’sPrep, vs. St. Joseph’s Montvale

Non-Division Losses: Vs. Pope John

Before the Cut-off: Vs. Monmouth, at St. Rose, vs. Asbury Park, NotreDame

Why They’re Here: Normally, the No. 1 vs. No. 2 argument wouldultimately be inconsequential because both teams would get a bye and ahome game before a potential trip to Brookdale. The wrench in this wholething, however, is Rumson’s loss to Red Bank Catholic, which could dropthe Bulldogs as low as No. 7, which means the No. 2 seed could be playingthe defending champs in the quarterfinals. Mater Dei is good enough to bethe No. 1 and could very well have a 17-game winning streak going intothe tournament that will be too hard to ignore.

3. Manasquan (16-2, 9-1)

Division Wins:Monmouth (2), St.John Vianney (2),Shore (2), Holmdel,Raritan, Rumson-FairHaven

Division Losses: AtRumson-Fair Haven

Non-Division Wins:Vs. Lacey, vs. TomsRiver East, vs.Donovan Catholic, atToms River North,Allentown, vs. PointBeach, at Neptune

Non-Division Losses:Patrick School

Before the Cut-off:At Holmdel, atRaritan, at St. Rose

Why They’re Here:Even if Rumson didnot lose before thecutoff, the Warriors

would still be the No. 3 seed because they are in line to win the division.The precedent is for division champions to get seeded highest among themembers of a division, even if Rumson would have been unbeaten in thedivision with Brendan Barry healthy. Manasquan has the résumé to boot,with non-divisional wins over Toms River North, Toms River East,Donovan Catholic and Point Beach and losses to Rumson and the PatrickSchool.

4. Toms River North (17-2, 12-0)

Division Wins: Brick Memorial(2), Lacey (2), Southern (2),Toms River East (2), TomsRiver South (2), Brick, JacksonMemorial


Non-Division Wins:Middletown South, Marlboro,Freehold Twp., at Manalapan,vs. Rancocas Valley

Non-Division Losses:Manasquan, Union

Before the Cut-off: At Brick,at Jackson Memorial

Why They’re Here: As apotentially unbeaten divisionchampion with a nice collectionof non-divisional wins, theMariners have the inside trackat the No. 4 seed. They havelooked somewhat vulnerable

lately in narrow wins over Southern and Toms River East and lost to abattle-tested Union team, but pulling out those wins over division rivals isstill a positive.

5. Ranney (16-2, 10-2)

Division Wins: Asbury Park (2), Keansburg (2), Point Beach (2), St. Rose(2), Henry Hudson, at Keyport

Division Losses: Mater Dei (2)

Non-Division Wins: Vs. Middletown North, vs. Sayreville, at Red Bank,Foundation Charter, Doane Academy, at Raritan

Non-Division Losses: None

Before the Cut-off: At Henry Hudson, vs. Keyport

Why They’re Here: The first team to benefit from Rumson’s home lossto Red Bank Catholic is Ranney, which doesn’t necessarily have thatsignature win, but the cumulative body of work is solid. Season sweeps ofPoint Beach and St. Rose, plus wins over Middletown North, Sayreville,Red Bank and Raritan get Ranney in the conversation and with the onlytwo losses coming against Mater Dei, those wins stand up.

6

2016 Boys Basketball SCT WatchB y M a t t M a n l e y – M a n a g i n g E d i t o r


CBA’s John Salcedo

Mater Dei Prep’s Elijah Barnes

Mannasquan’s Jack Sheehan

TR North’s Mike Nyisztor

Ranney’s Scottie Lewis


6. Colts Neck (14-3, 10-2)

Division Wins: Matawan (2), Neptune (2), Ocean (2), Red Bank Catholic(2), Long Branch, Wall

Division Losses: At Long Branch, Red Bank

Non-Division Wins: Vs. Fort Hamilton (N.Y.), at Rumson-Fair Haven,Brick Memorial, Middletown South

Non-Division Losses: At Point Beach

Before the Cut-off: At Red Bank, at Wall

Why They’re Here: Colts Neck’s overall résumé does not quite measureup to that of Rumson, but the Cougars have a head-to-head win over theBulldogs and it was with Brendan Barry in the Rumson lineup – albeit just

his second game of the season and a little more than two weeks removedfrom surgery on his left hand. As long as Colts Neck does not lose nextweek, its body of work will include a nine-game winning streak, anoutright division title and a win over the defending champion on the road.

7. Rumson-Fair Haven (14-4, 8-2)

Division Wins: Holmdel (2), Shore (2), Manasquan, at Monmouth,Raritan, at St. John Vianney

Division Losses: At Manasquan, St. John Vianney

Non-Division Wins: Fort Hamilton (N.Y.), Freehold Twp., vs. Gill St.Bernard’s, at Middletown South, vs. Barringer, Red Bank

Non-Division Losses: Colts Neck, Red Bank Catholic

Before the Cut-off: At Raritan, vs. Monmouth, vs. Middletown North

Why They’re Here: One of the things the top-five teams have in commonis that none of those teams has a loss that stands out, which Rumson couldclaim up until this past Saturday. Based on wins over Manasquan, FreeholdTownship and Gill St. Bernard’s, the Bulldogs still have enough of arésumé to make a strong claim for the No. 4 seed, but the losses to ColtsNeck and RBC now throw what was a top-four lock into some question.Ranney has been able to avoid that loss and Colts Neck has a head-to-headwin over the Bulldogs, which drops Rumson to No. 7. If any team canmake a slight in the seeding work, it’s the team that reached the SCT finalas a No. 12 seed and won it as an 11-seed last year.

8. Freehold Township (13-5, 8-2)

Division Wins: Howell(2), Middletown South(2), Freehold Boro, atManalapan, Marlboro,Middletown North

Division Losses: CBA, atMiddletown North

Non-Division Wins: Vs.Wall, vs. Manchester, vs.Donovan Catholic, atLong Branch, at Holmdel

Non-Division Losses: AtToms River North, atRumson-Fair Haven, vs.Cherry Hill East

Before the Cut-off: AtFreehold Boro, vs.Manalapan, at Marlboro,at CBA

See SCT Watch page 8

Colts Neck’s Lloyd Daniels

Rumson’s Brendan Barry

Freehold Twp.’s Nick Facendo

Why They’re Here: The Patriots have a strong case to be a top-eight team as it is, but they are basically a lockfor a potential round-of-16 home game if Manchester ends up the Class B South champion. Freehold Townshiphas a win over the Hawks to go along with noteworthy non-division wins over Donovan Catholic, Long Branchand Holmdel. Back-to-back games against Marlboro and CBA will be a challenge to end the regular season, butit’s also an opportunity for the Patriots to move even higher.

9. Manchester (14-4, 10-2)

Division Wins: Barnegat (2), Central (2), Point Boro (2),Donovan Catholic, Jackson Liberty, Lakewood, atPinelands

Division Losses: Donovan Catholic, Pinelands

Non-Division Wins: Vs. Jackson Memorial, vs.Marlboro, vs. Clayton, at Lacey

Non-Division Losses: Vs. Freehold Twp., vs. EastBrunswick

Before the Cut-off: At Jackson Liberty, at Lakewood

Why They’re Here: For the moment, the Hawks have anedge over Lakewood because of a head-to-head win, butthey are going to have to survive a trip to Lakewood onFriday in order to stay in the No. 9 spot. Even ifManchester loses that game, it will probably hold on totop-10 spot thanks to that win over Lakewood and winsover tournament teams Donovan Catholic, JacksonMemorial and Marlboro.

10. Lakewood (14-4, 11-1)

Division Wins: Barnegat (2), Central (2), DonovanCatholic (2), Jackson Liberty (2), Pinelands (2), at PointBoro

Division Losses: At Manchester

Non-Division Wins: Vs. Bartram (Pa.), vs. Paul VI, vs.Cherry Hill West

Non-Division Losses: At Trenton Catholic, vs. Westfield,vs. Colonia

Before the Cut-off: Vs. Point Boro, vs. Manchester

Why They’re Here: As long as Lakewood holds serve athome against Manchester to cap its regular season, thePiners will move ahead of Manchester and can take aimand passing Freehold Township for the No. 8 seed and apotential round-of-16 home game. If Lakewood can claima division championship with a decent collection of non-divisional wins, perhaps the Piners can get that homegame.


SCT Watch Continued from page 7

11. Long Branch (12-6, 9-3)12. Pt. Pleasant Beach (11-8, 7-5)13. Toms River East (11-5, 8-4)14. Southern (10-7, 7-4)15. Middletown North (10-7, 7-4)16. Marlboro (11-6, 7-4)17. St. John Vianney (10-8, 6-4)18. Red Bank (10-8, 7-6)19. St. Rose (12-7, 8-4)

20. Donovan Catholic (11-7, 9-3)21. Jackson Memorial (9-7, 7-5)22. Holmdel (9-8, 5-5)23. Raritan (10-8, 5-5)24. Matawan (10-9, 7-5)25. Ocean (11-8, 5-7)26. Brick (10-7, 7-5)27. Pt. Pleasant Boro (9-8, 6-6)28. Henry Hudson (8-8, 4-8)

Still AliveManalapan (7-10, 4-7)Pinelands (7-11, 5-7)Central (8-10, 4-8)Red Bank Catholic (8-11, 5-8)

Manchester’s Jordan Torney

Lakewood’s Amir Tyler

P h o t o s b y :

Mark Brown: b 5 1 p h o t o g r a p h y . c o m Ray R ich Photography: r a y r i c h p h o t o g r a p h y . s m u g m u g . c o m

Rob Samuels : b o o f a c e p h o t o g r a p h y . c o m Bill Normile: billnormile.zenfolio.com


Wrestling is a unique high schoolsport for a variety of reasons,not the least of which is having

two distinct seasons as both a team andindividual sport.

The first of its championship tournaments is the NJSIAA TeamTournament, and it is one the Shore Conference has had great success insince the sectional tournaments began in 1980. In that time the Shore hashad 64 teams capture state sectional championships and another 19 finishthe job as overall group champions. Brick Memorial is the Shore’s all-timeleader in both with 15 sectional titles and nine group championships, whileJackson Memorial has seven sectional titles and four group titles. Southern(10 sectional titles, 2005 Group IV title) and Long Branch (five sectionaltitles, three group titles) have also had great postseason success.

This season saw 23 Shore Conference teams qualify for the statetournament, but that number was pared down to 16 after Monday’squarterfinal found. This isn’t a classic year for the Shore where it has six orseven teams ranked in the state top 20, but there are still a few teams thathave a chance to bring home the hardware on Sunday Feb. 14 at Pine BeltArena on the campus of Toms River North.

Here we’ll take a look at the remaining Shore Conference teams and breakdown their chances to finish the season among New Jersey’s elite teams.

North Jersey Section 2, Group IV

Middletown South was bounced from the tournament in the opening round by Woodbridge,51-9, leaving Middletown North as the only Shore Conference team in the bracket. The Lionsare the No. 2 seed and enter the tournament hot after a greatlate-season run that included a win over eventual ShoreConference Tournament champion CBA to clinch a shareof the Class A North division title.

The Lions have one sectional title intheir history, the 1996 Central JerseyGroup IV championship. To securetitle No. 2 they will have to go throughone of the New Jersey’s most storiedprograms in likely the most difficultenvironment to

wrestle in. Two-time defending Group IV champion Phillipsburg, which has won 19 NJSIAAgroup championships, is the No. 1 seed. That means Middletown North not only has theStateliners in its path, but will have to beat them in “The Pit”. To say that is no small task isa massive understatement. To make matters more difficult, Phillipsburg will likely havesenior Brandon Paetzell, a Rutgers recruit who was second in the state as a sophomore andwon the Beast of the East as a junior, back in the lineup. Paetzell, who is nationally ranked,has been out for most of the season with a hand injury.

The two things Middletown North has on its side are momentum and experience. The Lionsstunned CBA late in the season and reached the SCT quarterfinals to ascend to the No. 5ranking in the Shore Sports Network Top 10. They have the reigning 220-pound Region VIchampion in senior Chad Freshnock, who they will need to beat Phillipsburg state medalistRobert Melise. Senior Anthony Vetrano has been the top 195-pounderin the Shore this season and sophomore Stanley Wojdylakhas also turned in an outstanding season.

Middletown North got its taste of “The Pit” lastseason when it was trounced by Phillipsburg, 57-9, in the sectional semifinals, so at least theywill know what to expect. This year’sPhillipsburg team might not be asgood, but it’s a negligible difference.Middletown North is undoubtedlymuch improved. It would certainlybe a stunning upset, but the Lionscan put forth a great effort. If theLions somehow captured the sectionalchampionship they would have to beconsidered a big-time threat to winthe overall Group IV crown, albeitin a loaded group that will likelyinclude undefeated Roxbury,South Jersey powerhouseClearview and a Shore

Conference foe fromCentral JerseyGroup IV.

This all assumesM i d d l e t o w nNorth gets pastWoodbridge inthe semifinals in amatch that will bewrestled after

this issuegoes toprint.

B y B o b B a d d e r s – S e n i o r M a n a g i n g E d i t o r


Middletown North senior Chad Freshnock Howe

1 1

Central Jersey Group V

Manalapan was eliminated by Monroe 32-28 in thequarterfinal to leave Howell as the only local representative in thebracket.

The Rebels have had many great seasons over the past decade, but being inthe same bracket with Jackson Memorial and Brick Memorial, and Southernand Brick Memorial last season, has left Howell on the outside looking in mostyears. Their only sectional title came in 2014.

This season, however, Howell is the unquestioned favorite to win its section. The Monroeteam that beat Manalapan has some solid wrestlers, including Greater Middlesex ConferenceTournament champion Nicky Lombard, and meets Howell in the semifinals. The Rebels willlikely face a fellow state-ranked team in the finals in the form of Hunterdon Central. The RedDevils are a well-respected program around the state and should test the Rebels, but a healthyHowell team, which beat Hunterdon Central 36-22 in the regular season, should take homeits second sectional title in program history.

The return of senior Kris Lindemann, a state medalist in 2014, has been a big boost forHowell. Lindemann made his season debut in late January after an injury kept him out forthe first month. The Rebels have a great group of lowerweights with Darby Diedrich, KyleSlendorn, Nick Ciaccia, Peter Dee, Anthony Gagliano and Lindemann, as well as standout220-pounder Eric Keosseian. How the rest of the lineup fares will determine how far theRebels go.

It appears Howell is on a collision course with Southern in the Group V championship,which would be a great matchup for Shore Conference fans. The two teams usually meet ina Saturday night match in mid-January, but the match was cancelled this season.

Central Jersey Group IV

This is the section that figures to produce a champion from the Shore Conferencewith Colts Neck, Long Branch andJackson Memorial all through tothe semifinals.

Colts Neck made historyin the quarterfinals whenit took out reigning GroupV champion BrickMemorial 42-31 for its firststate tournamentwin inprogram

history. The Cougars are a young and talented team under fourth-year head coach BrettJankos and are wrestling with confidence. They were matched up against

Jackson Memorial in the semifinals, while Long Branch was setto take on Northern Burlington, which edged Brick 30-28

in the quarterfinals.

Long Branch is the favorite to reach thefinal, and if it does it will have a

rematch on its handsagainst eitherColts Neck orJ a c k s o nMemorial.T h eG r e e n

Wave own two wins over Colts Neckalready this season, 33-27 in the regular

season and 38-21 in the Shore ConferenceTournament, so they certainly match up well with

their Class B North rivals. Long Branch would also love to get a second crack at JacksonMemorial, which eliminated them from the SCT with a 30-19 win in the quarterfinals.

Whichever team emerges as sectional champions will have their hands full in the Group IVsemifinals. Jackson is the defending sectional champion and reached the group final lastseason where it lost to Phillipsburg. The Stateliners are the favorite to win the North JerseySection 2, Group IV title, while undefeated Roxbury and South Jersey powerhouse Clearviewfigure to be the other two teams making their way to Toms River.

Central Jersey Group III

Ocean was the only Shore Conference team toqualify in the section, and the Spartans crunchedCarteret 60-14 in the quarterfinals. That led themto a semifinal match with Hopewell Valley, which

defeated them 31-28 in the regular season.Three tossup bouts didn’t go Ocean’s

way in the loss in theregular season, sothere is certainly achance Ocean turnsthe tables andreaches thesectional final.

The problem therewould be top-seeded

S o u t h

S e e Quest pag e 1 2

Ocean sophomore Jake Benner

Long Branch senior John Tomlinson

SHORESPORTSNETWORK.COM

ll senior Anthony Gagliano


Plainfield, which is a top-10 team in New Jersey and the heavy favorite to take home thesectional crown. Despite graduating a legendary senior class two seasons ago, the Tigers’unrivaled feeder program has them back among the elite public school programs in the state.Ocean is much better than its 9-12 record would have you believe, but South Plainfield is simplyon another level here. Ocean winning this sectional title would be a shocking upset.

Central Jersey Group II

The three Shore Conference schools in the section - Holmdel, Point Boro and Raritan - areall on the same side of the bracket, so there is guaranteed to be a local team in the sectionalfinal.

Point Boro defeated Holmdel 38-25 in the quarterfinals to set up a semifinal showdown withRaritan. The Panthers and Rockets are very similar in that they have balance and a fewstandouts sprinkled evenly throughout the lineup. Raritan is a two-time sectional champion,including winning the Group II title in 2012. Point Boro won the 2007 South Jersey Group IItitle for its only sectional championship.

The winner of that match gets to head west to Frenchtown to take on top-seeded DelawareValley. Raritan head coach Rob Nucci could probably navigate his way to Delaware ValleyHigh School blindfolded at this point. The Rockets and Terriers seem to meet every year in thestate tournament, usually in the final and usually at DelVal. The Terriers are a storied programwith 15 sectional titles and seven group championships, and they are the defending sectionalchampions.

Delaware Valley isn’t an overwhelming team, so it should be a tight battle in the final whetherit’s Raritan or Point Boro representing the Shore Conference. Hanover Park is probably thefavorite to win all of Group II for the second straight season, but it’s a pretty wide-opentournament altogether with High Point, Emerson-Park Ridge, Collingswood & Lenape Valleyalso in contention. The winner of the Central Jersey Group II section could certainly makesome noise in Toms River.

Central Jersey Group I

Shore Regional, Point Beach and Keansburg represent the Shore Conference here, and theBlue Devils and Garnet Gulls have a great chance to capture their program’s first sectionalchampionship.

Point Beach waxed Riverside 61-14 in the quarterfinals to advance to meet Shore in thesemifinals. The two teams wrestled in the regular season and Shore won 36-24 on its way towinning the Class B Central division title. The winner of this postseason meeting will likelytake on top-seeded Manville in the sectional final. All three teams are fairly even so any one ofthem could bring home the trophy.

From there, the road to a Group I title would be much more difficult with either Roselle Parkor four-time defending Group I champion Bound Brook, state-ranked Kittatinny and thefavorite, Paulsboro, blocking the path to a state championship.

QuestCon t i n u e d f r om p a g e 11

Shore Regional team


South Jersey Group V

Top-seeded Southern has won nine sectional titlesin the last 11 seasons, and the Rams are again theheavy favorite to take home a sectional crown.

Southern isas balanced asany team inNew Jersey andcomes in on fireafter taking downPhillipsburg on theroad to jump to No. 5 inthe state rankings. TheRams’ only loss thisseason is to undefeatedand state No. 2 Delsea,and they have beenrolling ever since.

Southern hadCherokee in thesemifinals and will facethe winner of Kingswayand Egg Harbor in thesectional final.Assuming the Ramswin their 11th sectionalchampionship toadvance to Pine BeltArena, all eyes will beon a potential Group V

final between Southern and Howell. Southern’s only group title came in 2005, and Howell hasnever won a group title. The Rebels also defeated the Rams in last season’s South Jersey GroupV semifinals on a pin in the final bout.

South Jersey Group III

Second-seeded Wall is the onlyremaining Shore Conference teamafter Seneca defeated Lacey inthe quarterfinals.

The CrimsonKnights have

arguably thetoughest road to a

sectional title of anyShore Conferenceteam because of thepresence of Delsea.Wall has to getthrough a toughSeneca team to evenreach the final, butthe Knights should

be making the trip to South Jersey on Friday to take on the defending Group III championCrusaders.

Depth and flexibility are crucial elements to most championship teams, but those are twothings Wall does not have. What the Crimson Knights do have, however, is a number ofstandouts, including a powerful group of upperweights, that carried it to the Class B Northdivision title and an appearance in the SCT semifinals.

Undefeated senior Brett Donner, a Rutgers recruit who is nationally ranked at 170 pounds,leads the way along with state medalist Matt McKenzie at 195 pounds. The formula for Wallto win requires their hammers coming through with bonus points and their other top wrestlersalso winning while the rest of the lineup minimizes bonus points against. When that happensWall usually wins, and when it doesn’t they don’t. It’s that simple. Wall’s margin for error israzor thin, so the Crimson Knights can’t afford any slips.

S e e Quest pag e 1 4

Southern senior Joe Toci

Wall junior Matt McKenzie


If Wall can come through and stun Delsea to win the section it would still have to go throughsome combination of South Plainfield, Paramus and either Nutley or Passaic Valley to claimtheir first group title. Wall has the firepower to get it done, but it will take a near-perfect runagainst some of New Jersey’s best teams.

Non-PublicSouth A

Third-seeded St.John Vianneytrounced Red BankCatholic 60-15 in thequarterfinals, but thenext opponentrepresented a tall taskin the form of St.Augustine, which is a top-10 team in NewJersey. Junior Jack McLafferty sufferinganother injury and being lost for the seasonwas a big blow to the Lancers’ chances.

Christian Brothers Academy is the No. 1seed and is set to face St. Augustine in thechampionship match. This should be atremendous final between state-rankedteams. CBA has shown it can hang withthe state’s best with a 30-28 loss to Delseaand two wins over Group V contenderHowell.

If CBA can come through and win its fourth sectional title and third in the last four seasons,it will be a massive underdog against what will almost certainly beBergen Catholic in the Non-Public A final. Bergen Catholic is theundisputed No. 1 team in New Jersey and a top-five team in thecountry. Even so, a sectional title would cap the greatest season inCBA history as the Colts have already won a share of a division titleand their first SCT title.

Non-Public South B

Donovan Catholic is the No. 3 seed in the five-team section, but has a verytough road with Holy Cross in the semifinals and top-seeded Holy Spirit likely

in the finals should it shock the Lancers. Donovan Catholic qualified for thetournament despite a 4-17 record.

P h o t o s b y :Mark Brown:

b 5 1 p h o t o g r a p h y . c o m

Ray R ich Photography:r a y r i c h p h o t o g r a p h y . s m u g m u g . c o m

Rob Samuels :b o o f a c e p h o t o g r a p h y . c o m

QuestCon t i n u e d f r om p a g e 1 3

CBA senior Sebastian Rivera


Wrestling is not only the oldest andmost practiced sport in the world, italso has the second-highest rate ofinjury per athletic exposure, secondonly to football. Wrestling was involved in the Olympic Games in 776 BC. Injuries are usuallyacute and occur at a three times higher rate in college compared to high school. Theyoccur three to five times higher in matches during the takedown maneuver with theinjury typically occurring to the wrestler being taken down. Injuries will bediscussed with regard to location.

Skin Injuries and Conditions

Lacerations are usually minor and occur to the facial area from direct contact. Skininfections include fungal, tinea corporis also known as ringworm, viral herpessimplex known as herpes gladiatorum, and bacterial, Methicillin resistant staphaureus (MRSA). These infections are the result of direct skin to skin transmissionor contact and are treated by early detection, medical treatment and withholding theinfected athlete from training until the condition has resolved.


Wrestling 2nd highest rate of injury perathletic exposure, 2nd only to footballBy Harry A. Bade III MD - Professional Orthopaedic Associates


Head and Spine InjuriesThese injuries include concussions which occur mostfrequently during takedowns. Recurrent auricular or earhematomas known as “cauliflower ear” is a classicwrestling injury due to traumatic bleeding involving theexposed ear. The disfigurement occurs because ofcontraction secondary to scarring. In the past, thehematoma was evacuated by an incision. This is nowmostly prevented by the use of appropriate headgear.Cervical sprains and stingers which occur from tractionof the brachial plexus are relatively rare and again occurwhen a wrestler will shoot in for a takedown. The mostcatastrophic injuries to the cervical spine are fracturesand dislocations of the vertebral bodies, but fortunately,these are relatively rare.

Upper Extremity InjuriesUpper extremity injuries occur when the shoulder orelbow is placed in extreme unstable positions. Shouldertrauma may be the most common site for wrestlinginjuries occurring in one-quarter of all reported injuries.These include rotator cuff strains and contusions,acromioclavicular (AC) joint separations, andglenohumeral joint dislocations or subluxations.Pectoral major muscle ruptures are rare. Elbow injuriestypically occur from hyperextension and can damage orsprain the ulnar collateral ligament “Tommy Johninjury”. Shoulder and elbow dislocations and fracturesresult in a high rate of surgery though most injuries aretreated nonsurgically.

Lower Extremity InjuriesLower extremity injuries are the most common seasonending injury. These include medial collateral ligamentand anterior cruciate ligament injuries of the knee,meniscal tears of the knee mostly lateral more thanmedial, and traumatic prepatellar bursitis. Lateralmeniscal injuries have a high frequency in wrestling dueto the flexed and externally rotated position that iscommon with the kneeling wrestler. Prepatellar bursitismay occur in as many as 20% of knee injuries. Thisresults from takedowns skidding on a flexed knee.When it hits the wrestling mat, it causes excessivemotion of the prepatellar skin and subcutaneous tissues,which will cause bleeding within the prepatellar bursa.

Ankle injuries are also common during the takedownwhen the wrestler has to balance on one leg while theother is being held high up off the mat by his opponent.The lateral collateral ligament complex sprain is themost common injury.

These injuries have been reduced by the use of properprotective equipment, keeping wrestling mats in goodclean condition, and the use of mouthguards to reduceoral facial injuries and concussions.

Nutrition and HydrationNutrition and hydration have become part of thewrestler’s conditioning program. A balanced fluid andcaloric intake is essential throughout the entire trainingsession and large fluctuations in weight should beavoided “(making weight)”.

We must remember that wrestling is a contact sportwith excessive physical demands that results in a highrisk of injury. Great strides have been made to properlyincrease strength, endurance, flexibility, self-esteem,and weight management. This has been achievedthrough combined efforts by coaches, referees, athletictrainers, the athletes, and orthopaedic surgeons. Specialattention must be paid to implementing proper trainingtechniques. With this, the sport will become morepopular and definitely safer.


As the exclusive media partner of theShore Conference of High Schools, ShoreSports Network will help present the 2016Shore Conference Basketball TournamentFebruary 16-27. The boys and girlstournaments will be seeded on February 14and are open to teams with a .500 or betterrecord. The schedule for this year’stournament is listed below:

Tuesday, Feb. 16 Play-in round at higher seeds

Thursday, Feb. 18 Round of 16 at higher seeds

Saturday, Feb 20 Girls Quarterfinals at Brookdale C.C.

Sunday, Feb 21 Boys Quarterfinals at Brookdale C.C.

Monday, Feb 22 Girls Semifinals at Pine Belt Arena, TR

Tuesday, Feb 23 Boys Semifinals at Pine Belt Arena, TR

Saturday, Feb 27 Girls & Boys Finals at Monmouth University

Shoresportsnetwork.com will be your one-stop shop for complete coverageof this year’s tournament beginning with Matt Manley’s SCT preview in mid-February. The website will include updated brackets, schedules, scores andhighlights, game stories, videos and a history of what many consider the

highlight of thebasketball season.

The Shore SportsNetwork Journal willprint a specialchampionship gameissue which will serveas the official game-dayprogram for the Boys &Girls Championshipgames on February 27 atMonmouth University.The FREE issue willinclude rosters for thefour finalists, gamepreviews and more andwill be available as fansenter MonmouthUniversity.

In addition the Boys andGirls semifinals will be broadcast live on the Shore Sports Network’s 1160& 1310AM as well as streamed live on shoresportsnetwork.com. Thosebroadcasts will be handled by Matt Harmon, Kevin Williams and Ed Sarluca

Advertising within the official program now available contactSteve Meyer [email protected], 732-233-4460.

Shore Sports Network to help presentShore Conference Basketball TournamentB y Kevin Wil l iams - Shore Sports Network Director



Documents

Shore Sports Networks Quest for a Wrestling Championship