Like they have done for hundreds of previous matches this season, the members of the Northern Burlington High School wrestling team lined up just off the mat and let everyone know who they were rooting for in the District 25 Tournament heavyweight championship bout.
By:Kyle Moylan
What made this match unique besides for the fact it was probably the most important one of the season was that no one on Northern Burlington was wrestling.
Well, at least no one at the time. When Pemberton’s Billy Landry defeated Nottingham’s Markens Leger, he not only clinched the District 25 Tournament for Northern Burlington, he also became an honorary lifetime member of the NBC wrestling program.
"That was kind of cool," Northern Burlington Coach Tony Trongone noted. "Here we are waiting for a freshman heavyweight to win so we could win. It was fun.
"I was a little nervous, though. I was worried that he might get pinned and cost us the team title. We came down to get a team picture, but we would have all been sitting there looking like a bunch of idiots."
Actually, Northern Burlington didn’t need Landry to win. Holding a 147.5-143 lead over Nottingham going into the title match, Northern Burlington had the wrestling equivalent of a point spread. Northern Burlington just needed Landry not to lose by a pin or a major decision.
He didn’t. With every escape or takedown by Landry, however, the members of the Northern Burlington squad jumped up and thrust their fists in the air. They even were getting more excited than the folks from Pemberton.
Fortunately for Northern Burlington, Trongone knows how to approach a heavyweight. "I told him before the match that if he won I would buy him a steak dinner," Trongone said. "He was laughing. "He won. We won. It worked out well for both of us."
Without a heavyweight wrestler in the Regions, Northern Burlington can continue to root for Landry. In fact, this past Monday Landry was scheduled to actually become a part of the Northern Burlington squad for a day. Pemberton, Allentown and Bordentown were all scheduled to work out at Northern Burlington on Monday. "I’ll have to get him (Landry) a Happy Meal or something," Trongone laughed.
The steak dinners can be saved until the end of the season for the members of the Northern Burlington team. Six members of the squad reached the finals, with Robert McMullen (130) and Tyler Bunting (140) coming away with titles in their weight class.
McMullen won all three of his matches in the tournament, the first two coming by pin. He then handed Allentown’s Anthony Stover his worse loss in two years, 8-1 in the finals.
"He’s (Stover) tough and strong," McMullen noted of Stover. "I knew I couldn’t outmuscle him. I had to do more moves and technique. I had to finish my shoots and get my points."
While McMullen was certainly at his best, Trongone thought Bunting looked a bit "lethargic." Bunting is such a dominating wrestler, however, that he won anyway.
Bunting recorded an 8-5 decision over Rancocas Valley’s Justin Pilla in the championship match. Earlier in the season, Bunting pinned Pilla.
"He came out more aggressvive this time," Bunting said. "He caught me a little off guard, but I still beat him.
"The individual title is nice, but the team one means more to me. It’s nice to know all our hard work didn’t go to waste."
And this was a case of everyone’s "hard work" on Northern Burlington getting the job done. With Northern Burlington needing a win from a Pemberton freshman to hold on for the District title, it was obvious every point mattered.
"We overcame a lot of obstacles to win this," Trongone said. "We were missing three guys from our lineup, which made this win more satisfying for the kids. Even though we won by less, we won with less. The kids appreciate it more."
Mike Brewer (103), Buddy Starr (112), Matt Van Sciver (160) and Ray Apice all picked up valuable team points by reaching the title match at their weight class. Even though they were defeated, these four wrestlers will join Bunting and McMullen in the Region VII Tournament this weekend. As the third-place finisher at 145 pounds, Ryan Buchanan will also advance.
Jeff Verity (112), Chad Fry (215) and Lloyd Williams (275) didn’t place in their weight class, but they also picked up valuable points for Northern Burlington.
"Everyone was chipping in points, which is what made this special," Trongone said. "We were missing some guys, but sometimes everything doesn’t go your way. That doesn’t mean you fold up your tent and quit. It was a great lesson for the team. You continue to work hard and things can still work out."
And if you get close enough to a team title, you can then call upon Bill Landry and he’ll finish the job.
"That was awesome," Trongone smiled. "That was great."
