By: Kyle Moylan
VOORHEES Going into the districts last season, Al Wonesh needed to add 20 pounds to his body and remove the ton of pressure and responsibility he carried around on his shoulders.
Following the Region VII Tournament this past Saturday night, the only thing Wonesh needed was directions to Atlantic City.
A year after not even competing in any post-season wrestling tournaments, Wonesh has won the first two. If Wonesh can add a third this weekend in Atlantic City, he will be the state champion at 152 pounds.
"I told Al that life wasn’t about falling, it was about getting up," noted Northern Burlington High Coach Jule Dolci. "He took that to heart. He got up in a big way. Everyone is so proud of him."
Wonesh can clearly remember a recent time when that wasn’t the case.
"I was cutting 23 pounds throughout most of last season," noted Wonesh who was undefeated at 140 pounds during the 2003-2004 regular season. "It just kept getting harder and harder. Then when all this personal stuff came up, I couldn’t do it anymore.
"I didn’t even wrestle at the districts. I couldn’t handle it anymore. I got a lot of flack for that."
Wonesh’s first step back in the right direction was to take an honest look at himself in the mirror. If he wasn’t happy, if he didn’t like what he saw, no one would.
"I knew I couldn’t cut that kind of weight anymore," Wonesh said. "I’m eating Big Macs and I’m feeling good now. Going up a weight or two is definitely better than cutting a lot. It’s better to stay strong and healthy and wrestle at what you weigh."
Of course, this wasn’t what Wonesh was saying throughout the regular season. A 21-5 regular season is good. Wonesh’s 25-0 2003-2004 regular season was clearly better.
"I had a terrible regular season," Wonesh said. "I lost to five tough guys, but I thought I should have beat them."
Then again, Wonesh knew his "real" season wouldn’t start until he stepped on the mat for the District 25 Tournament.
"This is a continuation of my regular season from last year," Wonesh said. "I didn’t have a good regular season, but I stepped it up at districts and its gone on and on and on from there."
Wonesh allowed only one point while winning all three of his matches at the District 25 Tournament. Regardless, he only was seeded fifth in the Region VII Tournament.
"Even though most people knew who he was and his name, not wrestling last year put him behind the eight ball," Dolci said. "He was seeded like a freshman, someone who hadn’t been here before."
Wonesh knew in his heart the fifth seed was wrong. He and Dolci also knew that, ultimately, the seeding didn’t really matter.
"If it was meant to be, it was going to happen no matter where he was seeded," Dolci said.
Wonesh opened with a 9-0 win over fourth-seeded Brian Zizak of Collingswood on Friday night. On Saturday morning, Wonesh took care of top-seeded Joe Danfield of Camden Catholic, 6-1, in the semifinals.
Wonesh’s toughest challenge came in the final against Eastern’s Joe Bonitatis, the second seed. With Wonesh holding a 3-2 lead late in the match, he and Bonitatis each went for a takedown. With both down on the mat, five . . . ten . . . 15 seconds elapsed as each wrestler tried to muscle the situation in their advantage.
"It could have been called neutral," noted Wonesh, which would have resulted in a restart in the middle of the ring. "I had so much leverage on his leg, I just kept going. I had to do it. I needed those two points. I needed that takedown. My stomach was hurting me so much, I just wanted to get the match over with. I don’t know if it was nerves or the meatball sandwich I ate, but my stomach was really bothering me."
Wonesh got the takedown, the win and the Region VII championship. And he did it by beating the first, second and fourth seeds.
Not too bad for a wrestler that has spent the majority of the past year beating up himself.
"I knew the only way to wrestle this year was to go out there and have a lot of fun," noted Wonesh, who dyed his hair a Marge Simpson-like blue to remind him of that fact. "I couldn’t cut anymore weight. It’s better this way. Some of the guys at the next weight class are bigger and stronger, but I have better technique."
And after struggling along for so long at 140 pounds and missing so much wrestling last year, no one could deny Wonesh was also the hungrier wrestler.
