MHS wrestlers shine at Peddie Invitational

Mathewson repeats, Lebedz takes first title

By: Rudy Brandl
   HIGHTSTOWN — If the season opening effort at the Peddie Invitational is any indication, then the Manville High wrestling team will be much more competitive this winter.
   Manville made major improvements on last year’s performance at the tourney. The Mustangs crowned two champions, had two wrestlers take second and two more finish fourth to place fourth in the team standings. MHS hasn’t returned home with multiple titles since 1997.
   "Six of 11 in the top four — that’s a hell of a tournament we had today," Manville second-year head coach Brett Stibitz said. "We can definitely work off this tournament. Everyone’s smiling, nobody’s frustrated."
   Senior 135-pounder Eddie Mathewson captured his second straight Peddie title and sophomore 125-pounder Jason Lebedz lived up to his No. 1 seed by winning his first high school tournament. Both Mustang champs received byes in the quarterfinals, pinned in the semifinals and won by decision in the finals.
   Mathewson wrestled with confidence and took the title with a 5-2 victory over Randy Moore of Pemberton. Mathewson was superior on his feet and scored a takedown in each of the first two periods to take command. The MHS senior captain was content to let Moore ride him for the final two minutes.
   "I was just trying to hold him off, I was tired," Mathewson admitted. "I’m happy with the way I wrestled. I just have to get in better shape."
   Mathewson advanced to the finals by pinning Peddie’s Joe Cridge at 4:24. Cridge did everything he could to avoid being packed, but Mathewson finally caught him after building a 13-0 lead with several takedowns and near-falls.
   "He was getting tired," Mathewson said. "He was elbowing me and stalling. I just threw in the half and finished him."
   Mathewson knew it wouldn’t be as easy in the finals but he was determined to repeat as champion. He kept hand control and never allowed Moore to gain any momentum.
   "I was feeling a little pressure," Mathewson said. "I didn’t know if I could perform up to my standards, but I did."
   Lebedz established some standards of his own in winning the 125-pound title. The MHS sophomore nearly got caught midway through the second period but pulled off an exciting rally and held on for an 11-10 decision against Pemberton’s Robert Courgis.
   "It feels real good," Lebedz said. "Last year, I didn’t even place. I faced some tough kids today and it could’ve gone either way."
   Leading 2-1 entering the second period, Lebedz was poised to add points from the defensive position. He managed to reverse but only after Courgis scored two points for a near-fall. Courgis answered the reversal with one of his own and put Lebedz on his back at the edge of the mat for an 8-4 lead. Lebedz got back in the match with a penalty point and a neutral.
   "He had me almost pinned," Lebedz said. "I just kept fighting."
   Courgis got away to start the third period and held that 9-6 lead until Lebedz made his move. Lebedz used a fireman’s carry for a five-point move with 1:11 remaining. He allowed Courgis to get out for a point but locked him up the rest of the way.
   "Once I got a couple more points, I knew I was in it," said Lebedz, who advanced to the finals by pinning Peddie’s Josh Dudick in 1:25. "I knew if I kept fighting, there was always a chance to win. I just kept wrestling and hit some moves. I knew he wasn’t a great shooter so I kept hanging in there. I just didn’t want to do anything stupid."
   Two other Mustangs reached the finals but settled for second place. Junior 145-pounder Justin Jurkowski and junior 189-pounder Jimmy Noble enjoyed their finest moments in the semifinals, where both notched dramatic pins to advance to the championship round.
   Jurkowski was in all kinds of trouble against Steinert’s Tim Donovan in the second period. Donovan had erased Jurkowski’s first period takedown with a five-point move late in the second. Jurkowski had to fight off his back for 38 seconds to survive the period.
   Wrestling from the top position and down by three points, Jurkowski executed a powerful move and notched a quick pin at 2:19.
   "It was just a toss I use all the time," said Jurkowski, who opened the tournament with a 19-4 win over Pemberton’s Reggie Cleveland. "Instead of cross-facing him, I just threw him."
   Older brother Dave Jurkowski, who was watching matside, must have thought he was looking at his old videotapes. Both Jurkowskis have a flair for the dramatic and Stibitz is happy to have one on his roster.
   "It’s Jurkowski — I’ve been watching him for three years and he finds ways to win," Stibitz said. "It’s nerve-wracking, but it’s beautiful."
   "I wasn’t supposed to win, but I’m going to the finals," Jurkowski said. "I’m so happy."
   Jurkowski ran into top-seeded Dave Icenhower of Peddie in the finals and kept hanging tough for almost all six minutes. Icenhower was quick on his feet and took a 20-9 lead before scoring a fall at 5:59.
   Noble produced his own semifinal heroics before falling in the finals. The junior 189-pounder trailed Lawrenceville’s Paul Haviland entering the final period but decked him at 4:53.
   "I was just really mad and flipped him over," Noble said. "I made a stupid mistake but I got my legs out front so I couldn’t get pinned and pushed him over."
   Noble would have loved to face teammate Joe Zuza in the finals. Zuza was on the other side of the bracket and lost a tight 3-2 semifinal bout to Pemberton’s Ian Guthrie, who wound up winning the weight class with a 12-5 decision over Noble.
   Zuza wasted a great chance to tie his semifinal match. He trailed by a point but couldn’t escape during the third period. Zuza made a desperation attempt in the final seconds but fell short.
   Noble was the only MHS wrestler to notch two pins on the day, having started the tourney with a 3:09 fall over Pemberton’s Matt Cianchetti. Zuza wound up dropping a tough 8-7 decision to Cianchetti in the consolation finals after notching a solid 4-1 win over Haviland in the wrestle-back round.
   Junior heavyweight Kyle Galasso also split four bouts to finish fourth. After losing to Peddie’s James Parra by a 12-4 major in the quarters, Galasso won twice in the consolation bracket to earn a rematch. His 15-second pin of New Egypt’s James Dunn was the quickest of the day.
   Galasso did a much better job in his second meeting with Parra and trailed by only two points before getting caught at 4:33.
   Fellow first-year wrestlers Mike Noble (130) and Ed Zuza (215) also produced some highlights. Noble started his high school career with an 8-5 win over Lawrenceville’s James Byun but was pinned in his next two bouts. Zuza lost his first match by major decision but packed Steinert’s Brian Gengler at 4:39 in the consolation round. He was then eliminated by Pemberton’s Jason Wilhelm.
   Junior Mark Gregor (103), Bryan Knox (119), Jerry DiCarlo (140) and freshmen Doug Semenick (152) and Nathan Bott (152) wrestled hard but didn’t earn their first varsity victories. Nevertheless, Stibitz was impressed with the effort of the entire squad.
   "Every single kid came out and went right at them," he said. "They wrestled all the way to the end. Now, we just have to teach them the fundamentals. I’m happy they came out hard."