HoVal wrestling team finds winning feeling

Hopewell Valley wrestling

By: Jim Green
   The Hopewell Valley Central High School wrestling team has found that winning feeling, and the Bulldogs don’t want to let it go.
   On Saturday, Hopewell snapped a 21-meet losing streak that spanned nearly two calendar years, traveling to Trenton and winning 52-27. HoVal kept its newfound momentum going Tuesday, winning its second in a row, 32-31 over Ewing at CHS. The Bulldogs’ last win in a dual meet had come Feb. 14, 2003, when Hopewell battled back from an 18-0 deficit to defeat Spotswood 42-33.
   Having finally ended their long drought, the Bulldogs (1-2) are ready to move forward with their rebuilding process.
   "It was a great feeling," Hopewell coach Pete Christathakis said. "The kids finally know what it feels like to win. It’s a great feeling and definitely one we want to reproduce. It was definitely something that needed to happen soon."
   And it happened because of a concerted effort from up and down the Bulldogs lineup, including both the younger wrestlers getting their first taste of victory and the veterans returning to the win column after a rough two years.
   Trenton took the first two matches on a forfeit and a pin before junior Nick Kilstein continued his outstanding season by getting the Bulldogs on the board. Kilstein improved to 3-0 in the dual-meet season with a 17-1 technical-fall victory at 135, and Hopewell went on to win eight straight matches.
   Junior 140-pounder Roger Tower pinned Rijon Gilbert in 58 seconds, freshman 145-pounder Steven Dvorak pinned Hajeem Drew in 1:44, freshman 152-pounder Donnie McLane had a 15-0 technical fall over Joseph Jones, junior 160-pounder Jimmy Felix won by forfeit, senior 171-pounder Angelo Pagano pinned Paolo Morales in 2:25, senior 189-pounder Mike Yaros pinned Laron Bowman in 3:31, and freshman 215-pounder George Saliba pinned Balron Rivas in 1:15. Junior 130-pounder Anthony Lebbad also was victorious, pinning Davone Prine in 30 seconds.
   "It really didn’t feel like we dominated anybody," Christathakis said. "Our freshmen just wrestled really well and beat some of their young guys. It’s kind of a state of shock at first, and then it’s a satisfaction kind of enjoyment. In no way did we get cocky from this win."
   The Hopewell veterans have seen too many tough losses over the last two years for that to happen.
   "The older guys deserve all the credit," Christathakis said. "The freshmen, it’s great for them, but they’ve never gone 0-17. The older guys, they come to practice everyday, they wrestle as hard as they can. They’re always upbeat, but it’s just a better feeling when you win.
   "We got that monkey off our back. We got that first win."
   Against Ewing, Lebbad recorded a 15-0 technical fall over Keenan Harris, 130-pounder Warren Gerstacker pinned Steve Honemaker in 1:05, Kilstein won by forfeit, Tower decisioned Maurice Lazar 6-4, Yaros won by forfeit, and heavyweight Bo Palker pinned Mike Smith in 5:51.
   The two-match winning streak has given Christathakis his first victories as Hopewell varsity wrestling head coach. Bob Crognale was in his last year as Hopewell coach when the Bulldogs defeated Spotswood in 2003.
   "It feels good," he said. "I’m really excited. I want to win just as much as the kids do."
   The Bulldogs next visit Princeton at 6:30 p.m. Friday. They then play host to defending county champ Lawrence at 6:30 p.m. Wednesday before hosting back-to-back tri-meets. Christathakis believes the win over Trenton will help as the Bulldogs march into the heart of the Colonial Valley Conference schedule.
   "It’s just another step," Christathakis said. "It’s another confidence builder for them to realize, if we had another couple of guys, we could be really competitive. It gives them a sense of, ‘Hey, we can be competitive, and maybe we won’t always be the whipping boys.’
   "When we face the good teams, not taking anything away from Trenton, they can realize they’re just wrestlers, too."