By Sean Moylan, Sports Writer
The Bordentown High wrestling team posted a 45-31 win over Steinert in a quad meet at home this past Saturday.
”The biggest match was Khalid Shakir’s win at 125 pounds. He pinned his kid (Cody Smith) with seven seconds to go in the match,” said Bordentown Coach Joe Sprague, who admired Shakir’s toughness in the bout. “Steinert was a big win for us.”
Bordentown were down 6-0 when Josh Slezak got the Scotties back on the winning track with a second-period pin (3:14) against Jason Miller at 171. Bordentown’s Thomas Lee, who has only lost once this season and is the Scotties’ hottest grappler, took all of 22 seconds to pin the Spartans’ Sean Devenney at 189.
With his Scotties behind 18-12, 103-pounder Ryan Lawrence came up with a crucial win over Steinert’s Dylan Borsos to even the score.
”Ryan Lawrence wrestled well and he pinned his kid (in 4:52),” noted Sprague, whose team also got equally important first period pins out of Andrew Davis (130) and Jason Cassidy (135), who is wrestling very well.
At 145, Brett Pedersen locked up the win with a 16-2 technical fall over Steinert’s Vince Cacciabaudn. And Max Bohanan’s 15-3 win over Steinert’s 152-pounder Kevin Benedetti was icing on the cake.
Bordentown also defeated Hightstown, 64-12, on Saturday.
”Hightstown is down this year. We beat them up pretty good,” said Sprague, whose Scotties were facing a Rams’ team which graduated over half of last year’s starters.
Jason Barman started the Scotties off with a pin at 152 pounds. After a loss, Slezak came through with a 45-second pin over Hightstown’s Max Glenn (171). Lee (189) pinned his Hightstown opponent in the first period too. Then Bordentown’s heavyweight Terrance Calhoun won by fall in 45 seconds. Bordentown’s Lawrence (103), Davis (130), Cassidy (135), Karam Khalifa (140) and Pedersen (145) also won with pins. At 112, Bordentown’s Derek Chorba won an impressive 21-4 (a tech fall) decision over Hightstown’s Dan Teichmann. Then at 125, Shakir defeated Hightstown’s Fabian Tobito by an identical 21-4 score.
It wasn’t all good news for Bordentown as the Cinnaminson Pirates defeated the Scotties, 46-17, in Saturday’s opening bout.
Lawrence, however, did floor Cinnaminson’s Rich Astor (103) in just 40 seconds. Davis pinned the Pirates’ 130-pounder Jason Steinmetz 19 seconds into the third period. Cassidy won a tough 13-3 decision over Cinnaminson’s Markquis Murden at 135. Bohanan (160) beat Cinnaminson’s Mike McLaughlin, 16-10.
Cinnaminson’s Mike Haines slipped by Lee, 6-5, in the 189-pound bout. It was the first time Lee (18-1) had lost the entire season. Cinnaminson’s 171-pounder Kyle Hess, who is always tough, beat Slezak 9-3. Slezak has only lost twice this season.
”Cinnaminson, they’re good. They are on a different level than we are,” said an always honest Sprague, who is one of Burlington County’s best wrestling coaches.
Bordentown (13-6) was scheduled to have hosted Medford Tech yesterday (Wednesday). It also has a quad meet scheduled at Burlington City on Saturday.
NBC
Even in a down year, the Northern Burlington County Regional High varsity wrestling team is still a much better than average wrestling squad, which it proved with a dominating 56-21 win over Pemberton last Wednesday at Northern Burlington. The match featured an incredible 38 second pin by NBC’s Harley Palyock over Tim Gaudlap at 135 pounds.
Northern Burlington’s Evan Million (112) won the opening match by forfeit and things snowballed from there as the Greyhounds did a great job of piling up the points with wins by pin. NBC’s Josh Jones (130), Phil “Prime Time” Bowen (a 65 second pin at 140 pounds), Cholly Keintz (145), Anthony “War Machine” Lentini (160), Jeff Townsend (171), R.J. “The Honky Tonk Express” Melton (215), and heavyweight Will Morgan all won by fall.
The Greyhounds’ 215-pound grappler Will Morgan captured a 6-4 decision over Pemberton’s Jason Gaudlop. In NBC’s opener of the Collingswood Duals last Friday, Pequannock defeated Northern Burlington, 57-17.
NBC, however, was very strong up top with Townsend defeating Pequannock’s 171-pounder Rigiliso 12-2. Melton, dropped down a weight to 189, where he had no trouble clobbering Pequannock’s Mullaney 9-1. And in the heavyweight bout, Morgan edged Pequannock’s Daily 7-6.
At 140 pounds, Bowen suffered a rare loss as he dropped a tough 15-12 decision to Pequannock’s Nick Ponamared. Unfortunately, NBC did not place in the top five teams at the Collingwood Duals.
This past Monday in Lincroft, a strong Christian Brothers Academy wrestling squad beat Northern Burlington in a very competitive 42-29 match.
At 112 pounds, NBC’s Million posted a 9-0 win over McCarten. With a minute remaining in the third period of his 130-pound bout versus Christian Brothers’ Academy’s Raymond, Jones came up with a huge pin for Northern.
Bowen returned to his winning ways by crushing CBA’s 140-pounder Doyle, 22-8. Charlie Realmonte (152) defeated CBA’s Grimes, 11-8.
After dominating the 215-pound weight division, Melton is also doing very well at 189. This past Monday, the Greyhound superstar flattened CBA’s 189-pounder Smith in three minutes and twenty-five seconds. And at 215, Northern Burlington’s Joe Smylie pinned Esposito 27 seconds into the second period. Unfortunately, Northern Burlington fell a little short in the end. On Saturday, NBC is scheduled to wrestle a much-improved Robbinsville squad at Robbinsville. Then next Monday, NBC is scheduled to host Burlington Township. Northern Burlington is scheduled at Willingboro next Wednesday.
