Short-handed Mustangs drop quad-meet at Pingry

Six active wrestlers post 9-9 record

By: Rudy Brandl
   
   The Manville High wrestling team wasn’t expecting any miracles at last Saturday’s season-ending quad-meet at The Pingry School in Martinsville.
   Entering the building with six healthy wrestlers, the Mustangs expected to lose all three matches since it was mathematically impossible to win with fewer than half the weight classes filled. Manville still gave two of its competitors a pretty good tussle in the final tune-up for this weekend’s District 18 Tournament. The Mustangs lost to Pingry (48-30), Millburn (54-24) and Montville (63-12).
   "They were three good teams for us to wrestle, but we only had six guys on the mat," MHS head coach Brett Stibitz said after the sweep dropped his team’s final record to 3-15. "Even though we had no bodies on the mat, it was actually a pretty good day."
   The six Mustangs who did compete posted a cumulative record of 9-9. Add Ed Zuza’s two forfeit victories at 215 pounds and Manville wrestlers finished the day with a winning record. However, MHS forfeited an astounding 19 bouts and lost all three matches as a result.
   Stibitz expects one or two more wrestlers to return for this weekend’s district tourney, but certainly won’t be going in with a full cast. Senior 103-pounder Mark Gregor missed Saturday’s action for medical reasons and should be cleared for the tournament. Sophomore 171-pounder Ed Ferraro suffered a concussion in Friday’s practice session but could return this weekend.
   "It was another day on the mat to get ready for the districts," Stibitz said.
   Manville won four of the five contested bouts against Pingry but couldn’t make up for the seven forfeits. Freshman 112-pounder Nick Williams provided the highlight of the match when he recorded his first career pin. Williams put on a show and dominated Dan Schneinger, who finally succumbed at 2:46.
   "Nick went out and abused that kid," Stibitz said. "He did a fireman’s, a turk and finally pinned him with a cradle. He looked really good."
   Three other Mustangs posted falls against Pingry. Jason Lebedz (152) decked Evan Whaley in 2:58, Joe Zuza (189) flattened Josh Grant in 59 seconds and heavyweight Kile Galasso packed Sytke Kamphius in 55 seconds. Nghi Nguyen took a forfeit at 125 for the team’s other points.
   Since there was no match at 103, the Mustangs lost an opportunity for six free points because of Gregor’s absence. A healthy Ed Zuza could have produced a 12-point swing at 215 pounds, which would have given Manville a 42-36 victory. The younger Zuza is still hampered by a neck injury he suffered in the Rahway match.
   Manville wrestled competitively against Millburn, with both teams posting one fall. Lebedz pinned Dash Parsons for six team points, while the Mustangs fattened up on forfeits for their other 18 points. Greg Fabian and Nguyen each lost tight decisions and Williams was pinned.
   Galasso, the only MHS wrestler to go 3-0 on the day, posted another quick pin against Montville heavyweight Adam Idone. Galasso will find himself in some tough company this weekend but his recent win streak could be a good omen.
   "Kile ended the season pretty strong," Stibitz said. "He’ll be in the mix at the districts."
   Joe Zuza (2-1) and Lebedz (2-1) lost their only bouts of the day against a tough Montville squad, which swept the quad-meet. Nguyen, Williams and Fabian were all pinned in the Montville match.
   Although the Mustangs weren’t able to increase their victory total as a team, they achieved something with the solid showing against Pingry. Manville will have the upper hand against Pingry in most cases when the district coaches meet for the seeding meeting. Even if it means staying away from a No. 1 seed in the early rounds, Manville’s performance against Pingry could be significant.
   "I preached that to them all week in practice," Stibitz said. "The seeds mean a lot in a tournament. They knew it and they wrestled that way."