By: Ken Weingartner
A moment in the sun.
Dan Rosenfeld basked in his. This weekend, the rest of the South Brunswick High wrestling team will have its chance.
Rosenfeld, a senior, has spent his wrestling career trapped behind Garrett Nasdeo and Paul Strincoski. Last weekend, however, he got a shot to take the mat and he responded by notching his first varsity win. By technical fall in the second period, no less.
"He’s been stuck behind Garrett and Paul his whole career," Vikings coach Joe Dougherty said. "But he went out there and got that win in dominating fashion. It’s not often that you get a senior who stays with you wrestling behind two quality kids. He had his moment in the sun, and took advantage of it. He wrestled a great match."
This weekend, SB will host the District 20 Tournament as the march to states begins. Dougherty expects his lineup to feature Kelley Lyon (103), Vinnie Biondo (112), Nasdeo (119), Strincoski (125), Justin Delpiano (130), Sean Papp (135), Dan McGrath (140), Mike Valentino (160), Brady Shelcusky (171), John Nortesano (189), Matt Sapiezynski (215), and heavyweight Ken Gerzberg. The Vikings will forfeit at 145 and 152.
South Brunswick had five wrestlers finish in the top four of their respective weight classes at the Greater Middlesex Conference Tournament earlier this month. Strincoski, Valentino, and Nortesano each placed second while Shelcusky was third and Papp was fourth.
The top three finishers in the districts move on to the region tournament.
"The two most exciting matches in the finals involved our kids," Dougherty said, referring to Strincoski’s 8-5 loss to Colonia’s Mike Cilento and Valentino’s 10-8 overtime setback to Glenn Gross of South Plainfield. He said Strincoski’s match was somewhat controversial because the official called a stalemate with 20 seconds left in the bout just as Dougherty thought Strincoski was improving his position for a takedown. Strincoski trailed 6-5 at the time.
"But that’s the way it goes," Dougherty said. "They’re taught not put themselves in a position where an official can dictate the outcome of a match. Unfortunately, he did that."
He said Valentino suffered "adrenaline burnout" in his match against Gross, with whom he had split two previous bouts this year. Gross is considered one of the top wrestlers in the state.
"That was Michael’s first real big tournament final," Dougherty said. "That’s kind of difficult for kids to handle. I don’t think he was mentally prepared for it. I think he was kind of nervous. I think he suffered a little adrenaline burnout. Mike’s in very good shape, but heading into the third period he was out of gas. That’s not Mike. But this will pay dividends down the road if he learns from it. He’s right there. I’m pleased with his progress."
Gerzberg is coming off a strong win last weekend.
"We watch Kenny wrestle in the room and he wrestles well," Dougherty said. "He kind of freezes up in matches. But last week he went against a kid who was 20-3 and he wrestled smart. He took his opportunities when they presented themselves. That’s what we’ve been looking for. Hopefully, he’ll keep that up."
Dougherty is optimistic as the district tourney approaches. He said the Vikings’ dual-match schedule was much tougher than expected, and that the team’s 4-16 record is deceiving. He noted that Manalapan, Hunterdon Central, East Brunswick, J.P. Stevens, Piscataway, and Southern all had strong seasons. In addition, SB had to face traditional powerhouses Old Bridge and South Plainfield. It didn’t help that the Vikes were given up two forfeits, either.
"We had a brutal schedule all year," Dougherty said. "It took us a while, but (last Saturday) we saw things we’ve been looking to see all year. The kids were aggressive. When they had kids on their backs, they pinned them. It was good."
Dougherty said the team has shown improvement over the past three weeks.
"Our record is not a true indication of the team we have," he said. "You want to win the duals, and that cut into the kids’ confidence a little bit. But toward the end of the season they started to refocus. For the last few weeks they’ve been wrestling hard in practice. It took me a long time to find a team, but I finally found one."
One worthy of seeking its own place in the sun.
BACKPOINTS: The districts begin Friday at 6 p.m. with quarterfinal matches. The semifinals begin 10 a.m. Saturday. The consolation finals are scheduled for noon, with the finals slated for 2:30 p.m.

