Scott Goodale, the reigning state Coach of the Year, may have left to take over the Rutgers University wrestling program, but that didn’tmean the JacksonMemorial wrestling team didn’t enter the seasonwith familiar expectations under new head coach DougWithstandley.
JEFF GRANIT staff Jackson’s Devin Biscaha (l) has control of Paulsboro’s Brandon Samuel during their 140-pound bout. Biscasha went on to win the bout to help Jackson win the match, 48-18, in a battle of two of the top teams in New Jersey. Simply put, Jackson was expected to pick up right where it left off – and that means dominating everyone on their schedule and making a claim for the title of the state’s top team.
With a ton of talent returning, the Jaguars looked every bit like the state’s top team, putting together a strong fourthplace finish at the prestigious Beast of the East Tournament at the University of Delaware in December. Paced by the individual win by senior Scott Winston at 160 pounds, as well as third-place finishes from junior Tyler Biscaha and senior Sean Byrnes (152), Jackson looked like one of the nation’s best teams once again.
Then, on Dec.21, Jackson faced their first regular-season challenge when they faced a Brick Memorial team some people had ranked ahead of the Jaguars when the season began. However, fueled by a major upset at 135 pounds, where junior Josh Baker pinned the Mustangs’ Karon Reid, who was third in the state a year ago, the Jaguars rolled to a 40-28 win, clearly establishing themselves as the team to beat once again.
While many questioned why anyone doubted how a team that had not lost to a Shore opponent in 49 matches could be considered an underdog against anyone, Jackson emphatically ended the debate with their win over the Mustangs.
And then it happened. The unthinkable.
The Jackson Memorial Jaguars lost a dualmeet.
Perhaps it was simply a matter of the team losing focus, but on Jan. 3, the Jaguars lost to a good Toms River North team in one of the most stunning upsets in the past 20 years.
A second-period pin by TRN heavyweight John Cassidy tied the score at 28- 28, but more importantly gave the Raiders a 2-1 advantage in pins, handing them the victory on criteria.
It was a loss that shook the state, since nobody expected TRN to be able to match Jackson’s depth and talent. However, by defeating the Jags, the Raiders may not have been doing anyone any favors.
In fact, it appears they have made Jackson even more dangerous.
“There’s always a mixed reaction,” Withstandley said. “Your initial reaction is disappointment, and you’re a bit disheartened for sure, but as time goes by, you’ve got to look at the bigger picture. A loss like that can humble you a bit and can change your perspective on how hard you need to practice and compete every day.”
Just three days after their loss to TRN, Jackson came back and dominated their biggest rival, Southern Regional, 46-10, in a match that has been much closer in recent years. While Southern may not be as strong as they’ve been over the past couple of seasons, Jackson showed them no sympathy, starting the match with 25 straight points over six matches to build an insurmountable lead.
And Jackson looked every bit as good on Friday, as they continued their resurgence with a dominating win over Paulsboro, the ninth-ranked teamin the state, 48-18.
“Ever since the loss [to TRN] the guys have done a really good job of regrouping and responding positively,” Withstandley said. “There hasn’t been any regression, and as a team we’re really starting to wrestle at a higher level.”
What should concern teams around the Shore is the wrestlers who emerged as the key to the Jags’ win – some of the younger grapplers on the team.
“These past couple of matches, our freshmen and sophomores have done a really good job of stepping up and wrestling to the level of their competition.And that’s something they’re going to need to continue to do if we’re going to compete for another state championship.”
After Paulsboro jumped out to a 12-0 lead thanks to pins at 189 pounds and 215 pounds by Jim Gentile and Gerald Hodges, Jackson’s Justin Georgiano scored a decision at heavyweight, bringing life back to the Jackson gym.
The Jags then got a 6-1 win from Tyler Biscaha at 103, before junior Zach Huxford won his match at 112 with a pin in 30 seconds. Jackson junior Derrik Russell added a 15-1 win at 125 before Paulsboro got a win at 130 to hold a 19-18 lead going into the 135-pound match.
Fromthere, itwas all Jackson. Freshman Doug Hamman’s 2-0 victory at 135 pounds started an impressive run for the host Jaguars asDevinBiscaha scored a 15-0 technical fall at 140 pounds, preceding four straight Jaguar pins by Tyler Wilton (145), Sean Byrnes (152), ScottWinston (160), and Nick Tetro (171) to end thematch.
With their dominating win over Paulsboro, Jackson once again looked like the team most people expected to be the class of the Shore. They will look to add to their résumé this weekend when they take on a strong Camden Catholic team, as well as next weekend against Eastern.
Looking ahead, the Jags are certain to have their work cut out for them if they hope to retain the Shore Conference Tournament championship.
There are several teams that appear to be legitimate title contenders this season, starting with undefeated and top-ranked Long Branch (8-0) as well as 8-1 Howell, 9-
0 Point Boro, 6-1 Toms River North,
7-2 Ocean and 13-0 Raritan.
And of course, we can’t forget about BrickMemorial, who at 8-
1 is praying for another shot at
Jackson. The Mustangs believe
they did not put their best foot
forward the first time around,
andmany in the Shore community
believe they have the best chance of
unseating the champs fromJackson.
Others call Long Branch the biggest threat.
Head coach Danny George’s grapplers have handled all comers thus far, getting off to a 7-0 start, most recently fighting off an inspired effort from another of the Shore’s top teams from Ocean Township.
With a loaded lineup from top to bottom, Long Branch has looked every bit like an SCT title contender; however, what the Green Wave is missing is the all-important experience of competing on the grandest of stages. The Shore Conference has some of the very best wrestling in the nation, and teams like Jackson, Howell, Southern and Brick Memorial are accustomed to competing in the spotlight that comes with the SCT’s final rounds. Long Branch will need to avoid getting caught up in the moment, and simply continue to wrestle one match at a time. If they do that, they have the talent to beat anyone, including the Jaguars.
The same can be said of Howell, who is 8-1 early on, having recently beaten Ocean Township in a big dual meet. The Rebels are another balanced team that has plenty of championship-level experience. It would come as a surprise to few people if Howell found a way to make it to the SCT final.
The Raritan Rockets likely turned some heads with an impressive, dominating showing at the Kingway Quad last week, where they beat the host team as well as Clearview and Hammonton. They also beat up a good Wall Township team last week, and enter this week’s action at 13-0. With an upperclassman-heavy lineup, Raritan has been better than expected thus far, and could very well be the sleeper pick of the SCT. While questions exist about whether their depth can match up with some of the other elite teams in the Shore, with the right breaks here and there, head coach Rob Nucci’s Rocket squad may be poised to enter the championship picture this year, after flirting with that kind of status in recent seasons.
Ocean Township showed a lot of heart in its 31-26 loss to Long Branch on Saturday. The Spartans (9-3), who face one of the toughest schedules in the state, may have proved they are a little better than people thought with their effort against the Green Wave. And with a senior-laden lineup loaded with postseason experience, don’t be surprised to see Ocean make a lot of noise once the regular season wraps up.
Point Boro is another team people are pointing to as a competitor in the SCT. However, despite their 9-0 record, none of those wins have come against the handful of teams considered the favorites to emerge with the team title.
However, despite the depth of the Shore’s top teams this year, Withstandley is confident that should his team reach its potential, the Jaguars will be collecting some more hardware in the near future.
“The biggest thing is that they can’t get satisfied,” he said. “They have to keep working hard to get better.”