Gewain, Wagner favored to win individual crowns
By: Rudy Brandl
Nine local wrestling teams will gather at Hillsborough High for this weekend’s District 18 Championships with different goals.
Large schools like two-time defending champion Hillsborough and Central Jersey Group 2 champion Somerville will be gunning for team titles. Central Jersey Group 1 champ Bound Brook, which won the district team crown in 2000, is also hoping to make some noise this year.
Teams in the middle of the pack such as Franklin, Bridgewater-Raritan and Ridge will be shooting to finish in the top half of the field while advancing as many individual wrestlers as possible to the Region 5 Tournament. Smaller schools like Manville, Bernards and Pingry won’t be operating with a full lineup but hope to move the maximum number of wrestlers into the regions.
Hillsborough and Somerville figure to challenge for the team championship. Somerville edged the Raiders by ½-point for second place at the Somerset County Tournament in December. Watchung Hills won the title but does not compete in District 18. Fellow county factor North Plainfield and former district foe Middlesex also battle in District 12, making it slightly easier to place at the district level than in the county tourney.
Somerville and Bound Brook, which won sectional titles last Friday, have improved significantly since December. The Pioneers have three big guns who will be favored in their weight classes this weekend Kyle Ferris (119), Mark Moyer (140) and Allen Van Ness (152). Somerville has also been bolstered by the improvement of several individuals and the presence of monster heavyweight Jesse Miller, who joined the team just in time to ignite a dual meet victory over Hillsborough in late January.
Hillsborough dominated last year’s district tournament and had the team trophy clinched before the final round. Don’t expect anything so lopsided this time. Nothing has come easy for the Raiders this year.
"We’re in the mix, but if we’re not 100 percent it’s going to be tough," said veteran HHS head coach Steve Molinaro, who has guided his team to three district crowns. "How healthy you are is a big factor. It also depends a lot on where the guys get seeded. We’re going to do the best we can."
The Raiders will look to undefeated senior 103-pounder Andrew Gewain and junior 112-pounder Tye Wagner. Both lightweights won county titles and will be favored at the districts.
Other HHS wrestlers who should place and advance to the regions include senior Kevin Herlihy (119), sophomore Kevin Lynch (125), senior Chris Damiano (130), junior Mike Detsis (135), junior Pat Jastrzebski (145), junior Phil Lavoie (171), junior Mark Amerman (215) and senior Antonio D’Amelio (Hwt).
The Raiders are starting to get healthy, although Jastrzebski and D’Amelio sat out last week’s two regular season matches with injuries. Herlihy and Detsis have returned from pinched nerve ailments and Molinaro hopes to have a full lineup in place by the weekend.
Most of this year’s field won’t have a realistic shot at the team championship. Some of the remaining schools are blessed with individual stars. Others are just hoping to improve upon last year’s advancement numbers.
"I’m shooting to get four guys out of the district," said Manville High head coach Brett Stibitz, who advanced two individuals to last year’s Region 5 Tournament. "It’s not going to be easy, but some of our guys have a pretty good shot."The Mustangs don’t have a weight class favorite, but Stibitz expects senior 189-pounder Joe Zuza to return to the regions. He’s also hoping for junior 152-pounder Jason Lebedz to make the cut. Lebedz has finished fourth the last two years.
Other MHS wrestlers with an opportunity to advance include senior 103-pounder Mark Gregor and senior heavyweight Kile Galasso. Sophomore 215-pounder Ed Zuza would have been a contender but he’s still wearing a neck brace and probably won’t compete.
Teams like Bernards and Pingry won’t score a lot of points but individual studs will bring recognition to these schools. Pingry state place-winner Zach Shanaman (145) and Bernards standout Sean McMahon (215) will be heavy favorites in their weight class.
Other potential favorites, place-winners and possible top seeds include Bound Brook sophomore sensation Andrew Flanagan (140), Franklin’s Rusty Hunt (135) and Jason Acquaye (Hwt), Somerville’s Kyle Sutphen (119) and Angelo Quintana (171), Bernards’ Pat Riley (125), Ridge’s Evan Kahn (103) and Tom Wahlgren (189) and Bridgewater-Raritan 103-pounder Dan Boemio, who has lost to Gewain five times including three tournament finals.
District action kicks off Friday night at 6 p.m. when pre-quarterfinals and quarterfinals will be contested. Most coaches agree that the key to winning a team title is moving the maximum number of wrestlers into the semifinals, so Friday night’s action could be very important.
"You have to gather points in every round," Molinaro said. "We’re hoping to keep it competitive and defend our title the best we can. We’re not going to do anything knew or different. We just have to be in the right mood mentally and get our heads on straight. That title is still ours, but people want to take it from us."
The final four wrestlers in each weight division return to the HHS gymnasium for Saturday’s semifinal round at 1 p.m. After a break, semifinal losers return for the consolation finals on two mats at 6 p.m., with the championship round to follow on one mat in the center of the ring at 7.
The top three place-winners in each class move on to the Region 5 Championships against wrestlers from Districts 17, 19 and 20. That action begins Tuesday, March 4 at Hunterdon Central as the road to Atlantic City continues.

