HHS wrestling program looks to future

Molinaro excited about working with youth

By: Rudy Brandl
   While Hillsborough High wrestling coach Steve Molinaro certainly will miss the thrill of the big state matches provided by graduating senior stars Frankie McLaughlin and John Mangini, he’s looking forward to working with the younger athletes who will shape the future of his program.
   Most fans followed McLaughlin and Mangini and didn’t pay as much attention to the team this winter. Now that two of the finest wrestlers in HHS history are moving on to compete at the college level, the Raiders are left to establish a new identity. It won’t be a complete rebuilding process for Molinaro and his assistant coaches because there was plenty of youth in this year’s varsity lineup.
   Freshmen were pressed into service. There were sophomores all over the place. Aside from the two headline stars, this team was very young.
   The Raiders struggled to win dual meets, partly because of youth and inexperience but more due to a few big holes in the lineup. The team didn’t have a wrestler to cover 103 or 112 pounds, so it started in a 12-0 hole every match. Despite often outscoring their opponents in bouts wrestled on the mat, the Raiders finished with a 5-20 record.
   HHS was young in the lower weights and in the heavyweight division, where varsity rookies worked hard but took some lumps in the rigorous Skyland Conference. The Raiders endured some growing pains but showed progress in the second half of the season.
   "We had the two extremes this year," Molinaro said. "We had some real promising young kids and a couple of veterans who reaped the benefits of all the hard work they did to get here. It was tough to generate dual meet wins with all the youth in the lineup."
   The lineup started to feature more experience from 135 pounds through 171. Sophomores Will Goddiess (135) and George Goddiess (145) and senior Chris Ambrose (140) set the stage for McLaughlin and Mangini, who didn’t lose a bout against anyone besides state competition. Junior Luke Dawson had a big year alternating between 160 and 171. Sophomore Max Borisenko came on strong in his second varsity season, making it all the way to the final day of Region 5 action at 215 pounds.
   Dawson (26-10) came closest to joining the two Hillsborough stars at the NJSIAA Championships in Atlantic City. Despite giving up at least 10 pounds in every region bout, Dawson made a run in the tournament and finished fourth. His consolation final bout vs. Delaware Valley’s Brad Gelegonya was one of the most entertaining of the season. It went back-and-forth with both wrestlers enjoying leads until Gelegonya scored three pivotal bonus points in the third period to forge a 12-10 victory.
   Working out with Mangini and McLaughlin every day in practice helped Dawson emerge as a consistent winner. Dawson should be a force at 160 pounds next winter.
   "He’s a prime example of somebody who works in the off-season," Molinaro said. "He’s not afraid to wrestle the better, more experienced guys. He took his lumps but he realized it made him better. You could see his level of confidence go up."
   Ambrose emerged as a great story for the Raiders this winter. After winning just nine bouts as a junior, Ambrose nearly tripled that number with a 24-9 season that included a 14-bout win streak. Ambrose took that impressive streak into the districts but ran into arguably the deepest weight class in the tourney and finished third.
   Nevertheless, Ambrose made his first appearance at the Region 5 Tournament in his senior year. He also avenged a few losses, most notably against Ridge’s Steve Bercik. Ambrose defeated Bercik in a dual meet and disposed of his rival easily in the District 18 consolation finals.
   Borisenko (18-18) was streaky in his second varsity season. He made some noise in the district and region tourneys but kept running into Bridgewater-Raritan star Roy Dragon. Borisenko, who notched 16 pins to lead all underclassmen, should be fun to watch the next two years.
   Will Goddiess qualified for the regions for the first time after his brother George did it last year. A shoulder injury kept George out of this year’s post-season. Molinaro will need both twins healthy and ready to go as third-year varsity wrestlers next season.
   Other HHS wrestlers who made an impact this year and are eligible to return include freshman 119-pounder Matt Millemann, freshman 125-pounder Issac Muck, sophomore 130-pounder Jesse DiBlasio, sophomore 145-pounder Billy Lopez, freshman 189-pounder Jared Leon, junior 189-pounder Kevin Campanale and heavyweights Chris Rossi and Aaron Glenn.
   The Raiders may not have a superstar in their lineup next year, but Molinaro expects the roster to be larger, which should help fill more weight classes. Hillsborough hasn’t been very strong in numbers, especially at the low and high ends of the lineup, in recent years. Molinaro is hoping to fill all 14 weight classes next winter.
   "We’ve got a couple of light ones coming up next year," Molinaro said. "We’re really looking forward to working with these kids in the summer. We’re going to make the best of things in the years to come."