CHRIS KELLY Manalapan’s Scott Beckerman shows his excitement after defeating Jackson’s Giro Borgia in a 130-pound double-overtime semifinal match on Saturday at Southern Regional High School, Manahawkin.
Third straight for Howell’s Cunliffe;
Hilt stunned in final
By tim morris
Staff Writer
CHRIS KELLY Manalapan’s Dan Brown works a farside cradle against Jackson’s Joe Silisky during a heavyweight bout on Saturday at Southern Regional.
Zac Cunliffe and Mike Gaeta continue to set new standards. One week after each became a rare four-time District 21 champion, they lead a parade of Freehold district wrestlers to this weekend’s NJSIAA state wrestling tournament in Atlantic City as Region VI champions.
They were joined at the top of the podium Saturday at Southern Regional High School, Manahawkin, by Manalapan’s Nick Manochio.
For Cunliffe, it was a third-straight region crown.
The marvelous Rebel manhandled previously undefeated Luis Franceschi of Toms River North, 12-7, in the 125-pound final, coming up with six takedowns. Cunliffe is now 33-0 on the season.
Cunliffe, who had tied the Shore mark for career wins set by Jackson’s Doug Withstandley at 132, broke that mark in his first match of the weekend.
This weekend in Atlantic City, Cunliffe, who is already a three-time state place-winner (third the last two years), is looking to win the only title that has eluded him, and Withstandley would be his perfect role model. Withstandley was a three-time place-winner himself going into his senior year when he finally captured the big one.
Cunliffe, the only Rebel to win three region titles, is on a course to get his elusive state title in his senior year. He has been more focused than ever, claiming that what he has learned in his three previous trips to the state championships is that it’s the more mentally focused wrestlers, those who tune everything else out, who win. He’s had that laser-like focus all year.
Gaeta waited for his senior year to get his first region title, and it was every bit as special as he thought it would be.
"It’s everything I’ve been trying to accomplish," he said. "It was my goal going into the season to go to the states as a region champion. It helps with your confidence."
Gaeta beat Brick Memorial’s Drew Duddy, 9-4, to win the 140 title.
With that third win of the weekend, Gaeta now has an even 100 career wins, surpassing the old school mark of 99 held by Joe DiMario (now an assistant coach at Howell).
"I saw Joe DiMario after the match," said Gaeta. "He came up to me and congratulated me.
"It was great to get the 100th win in the region final," he added. "I really wanted that title."
Teammate Manochio captured his second-straight region title at 103. Wrestling as the defending champion, the Manalapan junior scored a 13-5 major decision over Swan Quinn from host Southern Regional.
"It’s still exciting," Manochio said of his second title. "It was different as a defending champion."
Manochio’s season got off to a tough start when he didn’t make weight for the Neptune Classic. He wasn’t sure he could wrestle at 103 this year, but with the encouragement of coach John Verderosa, he settled in at 103 and has been unbeatable. He’s 26-0 heading to Atlantic City.
"I’m wrestling at my best now. I feel I’m peaking," Manochio remarked.
Manochio took fourth place in the NJSIAA last year and is a legitimate threat to win this year.
The shock of the Region VI tournament was Pat Berger’s 4-2 overtime decision over Manalapan’s top-seeded and two-time Region champion Dan Hilt.
Ranked first in the state and undefeated in state competition this year (his only loss was in New York state in the finals of the Eastern Wrestling Classic), Hilt and Cunliffe were considered the biggest shoo-ins for region titles, but a determined Berger wrestled Hilt on equal terms through regulation and won in overtime.
Berger, the District 20 champion, is 32-0 on the season.
Hilt can find solace from Manalapan assistant coach Cary Broad, the Braves’ first state champion. Broad lost both the District 21 and Region VI finals in 1981, but still went on to claim the state championship title.
Gaeta, for one, still looks at Hilt as the wrestler to beat at 119.
"That will be his last loss of the year," said Gaeta. "That was his wake-up call."
Second- and third-place finishers at the region advance to the NJSIAA tournament that begins Friday.
The Freehold District will be well represented in A.C. Besides the three champions and Hilt, several other wrestlers extended their seasons.
Manalapan’s Scott Beckerman (130) and Brenden Provow (152) were also Region VI finalists.
Beckerman lost by a pin to defending region champion Bryan Heller of Rumson-Fair Haven, while Provow lost by a decision to Lacey’s Bowen Daly, 11-5. Provow (23-7) upset the No. 1 seed, Jeff Bower of Wall, 2-1 in overtime.
Beckerman (29-4) avenged his loss to Jackson’s Giro Borgia in the District 21 finals, beating the Jaguar by a pin in the second overtime.
Howell’s Jay Ucci negotiated his way through a loaded 119 weight class to take third place. Ucci got a measure of revenge in the third-place consolation match, edging Marlboro’s Brett Bzura, 8-7. Bzura upset Ucci, 2-1, in the District 21 semifinals.
Marlboro’s Brett Frimer (112) and Manalapan’s Sean Burns (135) also wrestled back to win their third-place consolation-round matches to punch their tickets to A.C.
The wrestling tournament begins at 6 p.m. Friday with the preliminaries, followed by the pre-quarterfinals.
On Saturday, everything gets under way at 10 a.m. with the quarterfinals and the first two rounds of the wrestle-backs. The semifinals start at 5 p.m., followed by the third and fourth rounds of the wrestle-backs.
On Sunday, the consolation rounds start at 10 a.m., followed by the finals.
The last Freehold District athlete to win a state crown was Manalapan’s Indra Sulijoadikusomo back in 1992. The district has four very strong contenders this year, and it seems likely that the area will have another state champion or two.

