Veterans’ wrestlers are tops in division tourney

BY WAYNE WITKOWSKI Staff Writer

BY WAYNE WITKOWSKI
Staff Writer

Bill Nash at 185 pounds, Bill Miller (170), Steve Santos (129) and Mike Morales (95) pinned all three opponents as Veterans Memorial Middle School of Brick won the Ocean County Middle Schools Red Division Wrestling Tournament on its home mats Saturday.

Heavyweight Matt Powell and Jordan Lodice (70) also won their weight classes as Veterans finished with 130 points, five ahead of Southern. Goetz of Jackson was in third place with 111 points, and Lake Riviera of Brick, which won the title last year, was fourth with 103 points behind unbeaten Corey Rackliffe at 80 pounds and Kevin Watson at 150. Rackliffe pinned his first two opponents and decisioned his championship opponent, while Watson claimed a pin and a major decision and then pulled out a 3-1 decision in the finals.

All Red Division weight class winners, including the eight from Veterans and Lake Riviera, competed Monday night against the Blue Division champions at Veterans Memorial Middle School. Those winners will wrestle for Ocean County against the Monmouth County champions on Thursday at 6 p.m., also at Veterans Memorial Middle School.

During the season, Veterans Memorial Middle School was 9-1 overall and finished in a three-way tie for the Red Division championship with Goetz and Southern.

Lake Riviera was 10-3 and won all five matches competing in the Blue Division. The top two teams in the Blue Division compete in the Red Division tournament.

Veterans Memorial had a great warm-up for the tournament during the week when it won an inter-divisional match against cross-town rival Lake Riviera, 50-33.

“They have 11 eighth-graders and we have five on our team,” said Lake Riviera coach Paul Panuska, who praised his own team’s togetherness and sense of commitment.

But Veterans’ wrestlers also showed unity and ample talent as four wrestlers finished in second place, including Jake Vescovi (80), Kevin Decker (85), Anthony Piezzo (150) and Mike Kiley (160), and three finished third, including Codey Heilbraun (100), Corey Menafra (116) and J.T. Nash (143).

Six Lake Riviera wrestlers were runners-up, including Charlie Rusignolo at 187 pounds, Don Thompsett (172), Matt Firneno (143), Joe Foderaro (116), Kevin Johnson (105) and Nick Lusby (72). Jeff Covert at 110 pounds and Conor Brennan at 85 finished third.