South River squad gets off to a fast start on the mats Rams get three wins in first tri-meet of the year

Staff Writer

By richard jerome

South River squad gets off to a fast start on the mats
Rams get three wins
in first tri-meet
of the year

In one weekend, the South River High School wrestling team won half as many matches as it did last year, bursting out to an excellent start for the 2001 winter campaign.

An opening day trifecta against Piscataway, Holmdel and Sayreville lifted Ian Evanovich’s Rams to a 3-0 mark in contrast to a 6-14 ledger in 2000.

At this the coach is cautiously optimistic.

"We lost one senior from last year, but otherwise we have everybody back," said Evanovich, a third-year coach. "We all got together and wrestled this summer, and though three wins doesn’t mean we’ve conquered the world, it’s a nice way to start the year. The kids are older and stronger, and they’ve all become better wrestlers."

To be sure, South River will depend heavily on its three senior captains, 152-pounder Greg Mongelli, Steven Zdep at 160, and 215-pounder Danny Fodor.

All had winning records last winter, and all are expected to improve while inspiring the younger guys.

One of the very youngest Rams is freshman Chip Perkin, an inexperienced 103-pounder who is progressing, according to his coach.

At 112, SRHS features a duo of junior Lou Bongiovi and frosh Andrew O’Hara.

Junior Vincent Oronio is back at 119.

"He’s looked good," Evanovich said of the 2-1 competitor. "I’m looking forward to his getting even better."

Alvin Medina, a junior at 125, was a .500 grappler last year and started the current slate with two wins out of three.

Another experienced wrestler, Rodney Thomas, is hoping to better last season’s solid performance, while freshman Tommy Lefebre is competing at both 130 and 135 pounds.

Iuri Pinto, a senior, is at 135 pounds, with sophomore Ren Cain at 140 and a junior, Michael Lipman, in the 145 pound position.

Beyond Zdep at 160 is 171-pounder Pedro Mirasole, with senior Kevin Cole, fresh from the 10-0 state champion football squad, grappling in the 189-pound category.

Two wrestlers share the heavyweight spot: sophomore Darryl Byrd and freshman Tommy Scanlon.

South River’s next competition comes on Dec. 27 with its Christmas tournament.

"I’m seeing the kids improve a lot," said Evanovich, who is assisted by Jim and Ron Bussey, Bob Young and Tom Gilbert. "It’s much more exciting to be around wrestling this year. Wins breed confidence, and it’s nice that we started off quickly."

The South River football team gave the town plenty to cheer about this fall. Now the wrestling team, which includes many of the same faces, looks to do the same.

With three wins already in their pocket, they’re hoping their early season success will snowball into another special season in South River.