Viking wrestlers lacked depth for dual meet success

By: Ken Weingartner
   The South Brunswick High wrestling team’s dual meet season was a model of consistency. It just wasn’t the type of pleasant steadiness to which Vikings coach Joe Dougherty has become accustomed.
   South Brunswick on Saturday completed its dual meet campaign with a 3-15 record. Dougherty noticed that throughout the year, the Vikings scores were remarkably similar — with SB scoring between 20 to 25 points while its foes usually scored between 40 to 45 points. Last weekend the Vikes lost 49-21 to Southern and 39-26 to Perth Amboy while posting a 36-30 win over Central.
   "You need to have eight to 10 quality kids for a strong dual meet season," Dougherty said. "We had five or six kids scoring points on a consistent basis, but you need to have seven or eight kids doing it on a consistent basis. My best wrestler can only get us six points. That’s all he can do. He can’t score five touchdowns in a game, he can’t hit four home runs. I need eight kids who consistently perform."
   The Vikings’ next action will be Feb. 28 in the District 20 Tournament at SBHS. Despite the team’s struggles in duals, Dougherty said it was possible for SB to advance 10 wrestlers to the Region 5 Tournament. The top-three finishers in each weight class at the district event move on to regionals.
   "The goal is to have all 12 advance, but some put themselves in the position where they’ll have to face a top seed in the first round," Dougherty said.
   Last weekend, Brady Shelcusky, Matt Sapiezinski, Vinnie Biondo, Garrett Nasdeo, Paul Strincoski, Sean Papp, Dan McGrath, and Mike Valentino all had wins against Central. In the match against Southern, Sean Holland, Ken Gerzsberg, Biondo, Nasdeo, and Valentino had wins. Dougherty was very impressed with Biondo’s triumph, which came by pin over a well-regarded foe at 112 pounds.
   "He pinned using a far-side-cradle counter," Dougherty said. "We’re starting to see him come around a little bit. It was a good win for him."
   The loss to Perth Amboy was disheartening. Dougherty sat Valentino out of the final bout of the match because SB trailed by seven points. He noted, however, that the Vikes had a six-point win and a seven-point win (where an additional point or two would have provided a major decision) plus a one-point loss. Had any of those outcomes been more beneficial, Valentino’s bout would have decided the match.
   "We had a shot," Dougherty said. "You’ve got to get those extra points for a major, and there were other times where we had kids on their backs and couldn’t finish them off. Those are things you’ve got to do, and we didn’t get them done.
   "We’ve got to make more of a commitment to the program in the future," he added. "That’s done in the weight room. That’s done in the practice room. And it’s done outside the practice room by working over the summer. We need kids to step up more than they have."