Gewain, Van Cleef, Molloy, Campbell capture individual crowns
By: Rudy Brandl
Andrew Gewain and Randy Van Cleef have set the tone and Kristian Molloy and Matt Campbell have dominated in the middle weights for the Hillsborough High wrestling team all season.
It was only fitting that all four standout wrestlers captured individual titles to help the Raiders win the team championship at last weekend’s District 18 Championships at Hillsborough.
The Raiders won the tournament in impressive fashion, leading after all four rounds of wrestling. Hillsborough, which placed a school-record eight wrestlers in this week’s Region 5 Tournament, won its second district team title in school history with 178 points. Bridgewater-Raritan (151) also boasted four district champs, while defending district champ Somerville (145) and Bound Brook (113) had three winners apiece.
"I’m truly proud of everyone," said Hillsborough head coach Steve Molinaro, who won his first district team title in 1998. "I’m happy for all these kids. They’ve been working hard and they deserve it."
Some felt the Raiders stumbled into the districts after losing their last three dual meets. Hillsborough silenced those critics early by advancing 11 wrestlers into the semifinals. Six of those guys made the finals and four went all the way.
"The kids knew that this was a clean slate and a whole new deal," Molinaro said. "They knew that certain things went against us in those matches. We knew we had a good shot if we were at full strength. It was a total cohesive effort."
Lightweights get fired-upŽ
Gewain and Van Cleef spent the practice week beating each other up. Those grueling workouts paid dividends in the form of district titles for both Raider lightweights.
"We hate each other when we wrestle in the room," Gewain said moments after winning his first district crown with a 6-2 decision over Bridgewater-Raritan’s Ryan Friedman. "We just brawl. Outside of the room we’re good friends, but we go at it in practice. He’s a great partner."
"We got fired-up in the room this week," Van Cleef added. "We went at it real hard."
Gewain (24-1), the top seed at 103, defeated Friedman for the third straight time this year. While the other two bouts were very close, Gewain dominated this one.
After a scoreless first period, Gewain took a 3-0 lead in the second with a neutral and takedown. Friedman escaped off the bottom to open the third period, but Gewain took a 5-1 lead on a takedown with 45 seconds left in the bout.
"I was real sluggish at the beginning, but I picked it up in the second and third period," Gewain said. "I know I can come out on top in a scrambling situation and that’s what I had to do to get two (points) in the third period."
Gewain, who enters Friday night’s Region 5 quarterfinals on a 22-bout winning streak, strolled into the finals by pinning Bob McCrea of Bernards in 1:30. He was determined to win this time after losing in the district finals as a freshman.
Van Cleef (19-5) also captured his first district crown with a most satisfying victory in the 112-pound finals. Somerville’s top-seeded Jimmy Gattone entered the match as the only unbeaten wrestler in Somerset County, but he didn’t leave that way. Van Cleef jumped out early and maintained his focus for six full minutes in a 7-5 championship decision.
"It’s definitely a good victory for me," said Van Cleef, who advanced to the finals by pinning Ridge’s Kyle Sevits in 3:21. "I had to take him down at the beginning and not slack off toward the end. That’s when he got me the last time."
Gattone scored a 4-2 decision over Van Cleef in the county finals and was dominant in an 11-3 dual-meet major, but the Hillsborough junior wouldn’t lose to the Somerville freshman for a third time. Van Cleef built a 5-1 lead with three back points midway through the second period and fought off a late rally by the tournament favorite.
"He stood up and I went for a single to a double and put him right to his back," Van Cleef explained. "I held him there and that got me a lot of points. That really helped me win the match."
Molloy takes revengeŽ
Molloy (21-2) stormed onto the mat with a little extra anger after finding his headgear in pieces. The HHS junior 145-pounder didn’t need his new equipment very long, pinning Somerville’s Nick Sutphen in 1:15.
The home-run move was reminiscent of Molloy’s electrifying run through Region 5 two years ago as a freshman. This time, however, he was in command from the start and never let Sutphen breathe. Molloy had the feeling that another Somerville wrestler had damaged his headgear, so he was getting his revenge on the mat.
"My headgear was totally ripped apart, so I was really mad about that," Molloy said. "I was frustrated after losing to (Somerville’s Jason) Kraska twice last year. Their crowd’s a little rowdy and I don’t like it."
Molloy silenced the Pioneer faithful by packing Sutphen very early. Molloy also pinned Sutphen under much different circumstances in a mid-season dual meet. Sutphen had taken a lead late in the third period before Molloy used a dramatic reversal to beat the buzzer with a fall.
There was no such drama this time, not like the semifinal match where Molloy squeaked past Manville’s Mike Markowitch in a 7-5 decision.
"I was pretty surprised," Molloy said of his quick pin in the finals. "I’ve wrestled him like 10 times in my career and he never came out that aggressive. I think that made him sloppy in the match because I put him to his back pretty easily."
Molloy will face some of the state’s toughest 145-pounders at this weekend’s Region 5 Tournament. He finished second in the region as a freshman and is on roll this year, so he’s not intimidated.
"I’m not going to be nervous and I’ve got nothing to lose," said Molloy, who leads the Raiders with 13 falls. "The caliber of wrestling is real good, but I know I can hang with those guys if I wrestle tough."
Campbell cruisesŽ
Campbell (22-4) didn’t give up a point en route to his second straight district title. The Raider senior blanked Ridge’s Michael Schwartz and Bridgewater’s Rob Chartowich by identical 5-0 scores on Saturday after receiving a Friday night bye.
"I felt a little sluggish out there," Campbell said after shutting out Chartowich in the finals. "I know I got the wins, but you’ve got to know what’s at stake this time of year. There’s no room for sloppy wrestling. I didn’t make too many mistakes, but I didn’t really go after things."
Campbell didn’t need to take any chances. He controlled both matches on his feet and had no trouble riding Schwartz or Chartowich. Battling for 12 minutes on one day of wrestling will help Campbell this weekend.
"I just have to build on this and look for a better showing at the regions," he said.
Four others placeŽ
Hillsborough’s four champs will be joined by four district place winners at this week’s Region 5 Tournament. Juniors Jared Wagner (125) and Dan Miller (160) finished second, while junior Franklin Richardson (189) and sophomore Antonio D’Amelio (Hwt) battled back for third place.
Wagner rallied late but came up one point short against Bound Brook’s top-seeded Brad Galeta in a 5-4 decision. Galeta used a strong second period with two takedowns to win it. Wagner escaped and scored a takedown in the final 10 seconds of the third period but it was too little, too late.
The second-seeded Wagner survived a tough semifinal match with Franklin’s Aaron Davis, whose rally fell short in a 6-5 thriller. Wagner wasn’t worried despite the score, knowing he wasn’t going to get turned for back points.
"I knew I was up by enough that I could let him get a takedown," Wagner said. "I was looking to get out but I wasn’t going to do anything stupid. I could wrestle defensively as long as he didn’t turn me. I knew I could wrestle defensively for the last 20 seconds."
Miller also lived up to his No. 2 ranking at 160. Miller scored two impressive major decisions to reach the finals, but Bridgewater’s top-seeded Rob Gaglione proved too tough on his feet in the finals.
Gaglione scored five takedowns and added a near-fall late in the match, while Miller was able to get only five escapes in a 13-5 major. Miller, who was third at the county tournament, finished second in the district thanks to victories over Somerville’s Phil Lamonica (9-0) and Bound Brook’s Jason Huzniec (9-1).
Miller dominated the third-seeded Huzniec in the semifinals, setting the record straight after the Bound Brook wrestler received a better seed in the county tournament earlier in the season. Miller proved to be the much stronger wrestler by riding Huzniec for most of the match.
"I tried to overpower him on top and I felt a lot more confident after the three back points," said Miller, who opened a 7-1 lead with a near-fall midway through the second period. "Rob Gaglione told me I could beat him and I felt a lot stronger so I was able to take him down."
Richardson didn’t waste any time decking Somerville’s Chris Misiur in the 189-pound consolation finals. After pinning Franklin’s William Sanders in 1:54 in the quarters and dropping an 8-2 semifinal decision to eventual champ Rich Jannuzzi of Bound Brook, Richardson dumped Misiur at 1:19.
The victory was sweet for Richardson, who spent most of the season out with a variety of injuries. His return helped spark the Raiders to the district crown.
"I had a bad season, but I had to come in here and do my best to help us win the team title," Richardson said. "I’m proud of myself for making the regions. It’s something new and did pretty well considering my condition."
D’Amelio used his usual brand of heroics to get the home gym rocking. The sophomore heavyweight avenged two prior falls against Franklin’s Demetri Thompson by pinning his rival at 5:16 in the consolation finals.
"He pinned me twice before, so it felt good to get back at him," D’Amelio said. "We’re pretty good friends, but all’s fair in love and war."
D’Amelio nearly got pinned midway through the second period but fought off his back and took a 5-4 lead into the final two minutes. With Thompson looking to regain the edge, D’Amelio countered and threw him to his back with 1:11 left and squeezed for the pin.
"I just stayed confident," said D’Amelio, who scored an 11-6 quarterfinal decision over Phil Wilczewski of Bernards before losing to Bound Brook’s Chris Knapp by technical fall in the semis. "I knew I could take him on my feet. I went for a fireman’s carry but I couldn’t quite turn him so I went for the headlock."
Young guys contributeŽ
Believe it or not, there were three other Raiders who made an impact. Sophomore 135-pounder Chris Damiano and freshmen J.D. O’Hara (171) and Mark Amerman (215) all captured satisfying quarterfinal victories but wound up taking fourth place.
Damiano provided an early indication that this would be Hillsborough’s weekend when he pinned Ridge’s Shane Sweeney in 5:01. Sweeney had a 9-4 lead when Damiano caught him and squeezed for a dramatic fall.
"He was on top and I just got loose to the side," Damiano explained. "I wrestled him twice before so I knew I could get him in a cradle. Once I locked it up, I knew I wasn’t letting him go."
Damiano’s run ended Saturday when he was decked by Kraska at 2:20 in the semifinals and Franklin’s Eric Dickerson in 46 seconds in the consolation finals.
O’Hara captured one of Friday night’s most exciting victories with a 7-5 overtime decision over Ridge’s Steve Kammerer. O’Hara kept fighting back from deficits the entire bout and tied the score on a stalling point in the final seconds of regulation. The HHS freshman won the bout on a takedown with 40.2 seconds showing on the overtime clock.
"I work every day with the coaches on takedowns, takedowns, takedowns," a jubilant O’Hara said after posting his first district victory. "You always have to keep working. They kept telling me I had a great opportunity to prove something as a freshman. I’m glad they gave me the tools to make it happen."
Amerman fell behind Bridgewater’s Chester Lau but didn’t quit and avenged a loss with a pin at 5:43. Lau had taken a 4-0 lead, but Amerman tied the score on a four-point move early in the third period. Lau managed to regain a three-point lead but Amerman escaped and tied the bout again on a takedown with 30 seconds to go in regulation.
The HHS freshman 215-pounder wasn’t satisfied. He kept Lau inside the circle and flattened him with 17 seconds remaining.
"I just had to work hard," said Amerman, who was pinned by Somerville’s Pete Quintana and knocked out by Ridge’s Ryan Postal in an 8-2 decision. "I knew I could get him once he got tired. I’ve been staying late in practice and the coaches really helped me prepare for this match. Once I put in the half-(Nelson), that’s where the match ended."
Hillsborough nearly sent two more wrestlers to the semifinals. Kevin Herlihy gave Rusty Hunt quite a tussle before dropping a 3-1 decision at 119. Phil Lavoie nearly upset second-seeded Sam Tischfield of Bridgewater at 140 but lost by a 6-4 score. Pat Jastrzebski (130) was eliminated by Somerville’s Dan Caulfield by a 10-2 major decision in the quarters.
The Raiders pulled off more than enough early surprises and continued their momentum throughout the two-day tournament. HHS tied a school record by crowning four district champs and set a new mark with eight finishers in the top three. Eleven different wrestlers contributed points to the team championship.
"It adds a real nice touch that we won it at home," Molinaro said. " It’s something these kids can remember forever and nobody can ever take it away from them."