Raiders finish fifth in team standings
By: John E. Powers
After being a strong contender for the Somerset County Wrestling Tournament team title the last five years and winning it in 2003 and 2001, Hillsborough High School’s Raiders didn’t figure on being a serious player in the race this year. And that’s what happened.
The Raiders finished fifth with 103½ points for their lowest finish since 1997 when they placed sixth. The Raiders did have one champion in junior Adam Kull at 119 pounds, Kull’s second title. HHS also had second-place finishes from senior Kevin Lynch at 140, sophomore Frank McLaughlin at 145 and senior Joe Ambrose at 152. Junior Ernie Guaimano took third at 189.
The Raiders didn’t have wrestlers entered at 103, 112 or 275, so finding a way to win the team championship would have taken a Herculean effort. Hillsborough was scheduled to return to a busy schedule this week with matches against Roselle Park (Tuesday), Warren Hills (Wednesday) and Bridgewater-Raritan Saturday.
Bridgewater-Raritan finished second behind Watchung Hills in the county tournament. Bound Brook was third and Somerville was fourth.
"We did pretty much as expected," Hillsborough coach Steve Molinaro said. "It was a good gauge for our kids and the post-season. You look at Kull, Lynch, McLaughlin, Joe they stepped it up."
Kull, who won the 103-pound title last year, moved up to 119 and quickly took control in his match with North Plainfield senior David Phimsipasom, winning 9-1. The final was much different than the semifinal where Kull squeezed out a 4-3 overtime win over Bridgewater-Raritan’s Adam Friedman.
"He came out fast in the final and shot and I hipped out and threw in the legs and after that it all fell into place," said the top-seeded Kull, who also won the Mount Olive Tournament. "I feel great at 119. At one point, I thought about trying to hit 112, but I feel perfect at 119. It’s a good way to start the season."
Lynch, a third-place finisher last year, had the No. 2 seed this year and went at it with defending District 18 champ and top-seed Jesse Harrington of Bound Brook in the final. Lynch had a 4-2 lead after one period and was tied at 6-6 after two. But Harrington scored two third-period takedowns to take a 12-8 decision.
"I kind of gassed in the third period," said Lynch, a second-place finisher in the Mount Olive Tournament. "I ran out of time. I always seem to find a tough weight. But the tougher matches will help me prepare for the end of the year. I’m trying to make the most out of every match I wrestle."
McLaughlin, who also placed second at Mount Olive, had an interesting final with Watchung Hills’ junior Shane Riccio. Riccio, the only winner for Watchung Hills, scored two first period takedowns, then went up 7-0 early in the second period with a neutral and another takedown, but that was all he would get. McLaughlin escaped, then took Riccio down in the third period and that’s the way bout ended, 7-3 for Riccio.
"My conditioning was fine, I just think I got outsmarted," said McLaughlin, who advanced to the final with a 10-1 major victory in the semifinals and a fall in the quarterfinals. "I gave up the first points and he basically held on. It’s hard to say he was stalling the whole time, but I could have done better."
Ambrose was another second seed that finished second. He advanced with a 7-1 quarterfinal win over Manville’s Greg Fabiyan, then edged Bound Brook senior Billy Vivona 6-4 in the semifinals. He lost to topranked Dom DiStano 7-1 in the final. Last season, Ambrose finished second in the District 18 tournament to eventual state 145-pound champ Andrew Flanagan of Bound Brook.
Ambrose was never in the county final. DiStano led 2-0 after one and 4-1 after two periods.
"I came out wrestling the wrong way," Ambrose said. "I tried to muscle him and he was stronger than me. I couldn’t finish my shots either."
Hillsborough senior Chris Monticchio was the No. 5 seed in a deep field at 171. He lost to Somerville’s Chris McGuinness 11-2 in the quarterfinals, then pinned Bernards’ sophomore Matt Birmingham in a consolation quarterfinal. He lost 11-0 to Watchung Hills’ Mark Kearsing in a consolation semifinal. Kearsing finished third. The field included Rutgers Prep’s Brett Epps, a returning county champ, who pinned another defending county champ Bridgewater-Raritan’s Jon Rothman the county final.