Team regroups to make playoffs
by Rudy Brandl, Sports Editor
The Hillsborough High wrestling team missed a great chance to make history last week. Thanks to a dominant performance in Saturday’s quad meet at Emerson, the Raiders will get another chance to produce a new milestone in the Central Jersey Group 4 playoffs.
Hillsborough (13-8) was hoping to clinch a winning record before the NJSIAA deadline in its Jan. 30 home match vs. rival Hunterdon Central. The Raiders have never beaten Central on the varsity mat and they came as close as ever in last week’s meeting.
The 34-25 loss left the Raiders needing at least one victory in Saturday’s quad to earn their third trip to the sectional team playoffs. HHS has never won a playoff match, so the CJ 4 tournament provides another opportunity for the team to make history.
”We were talking about making history tonight,” Raider head coach Steve Molinaro said after the tight loss to the Red Devils. “We’ve never beaten Hunterdon Central. We let the opportunity slip away.”
The Raiders had to recover from an early shocker when undefeated senior 152-pounder Luke Dawson was pinned in the second bout of the night. Steve Parcel locked up a cradle for a stunning fall at 1:01 that ended Dawson’s 19-bout win streak and unbeaten season to give the visitors a 10-0 lead.
Instead of hanging their heads, the Raiders fought back and made this a very close match. Junior 160-pounder George Goddiess was the first Raider to step up and he started a surge of four straight wins for the home team.
Goddiess was in a tough spot following losses by his brother Will at 145 and then Dawson. He stormed to a 5-0 lead, nearly pinning Cody Lewis in the first period. He continued to dominate his way to a 16-6 major.
”It got me a little bit more fired-up, especially after seeing my brother lose,” Goddiess said. “It was definitely a shock, but that was more fuel for the fire. I don’t’ feel as much pressure, it just makes me want to do better.”
Goddiess nearly pinned Lewis late in the first period. After that, he worked his moves and remained aggressive to score more points.
”I was able to use my hips to gain leverage on him,” George Goddiess said. “He was getting very high. I was able to get to his feet and I just kept shooting on him. I knew eventually I’d get him.”
Jared Leon started slowly in his 171-pound bout vs. Matt Dambach but finished with a big five-point move to post a 9-0 major. After a scoreless first period, Leon escaped in the second and took control with a big takedown in the closing seconds of the period. He dominated the third for a major that cut Central’s lead to 10-8.
Hillsborough took its first lead of the night when senior 189-pounder Kevin Campanale manhandled Andrew Bausbach for a 16-0 technical fall at 4:56. Campanale did all the work on top after an early takedown. He reversed off the whistle in the second period and added three sets of bonus points to build a 12-0 bulge. Campanale couldn’t turn Bausbach for the pin and settled for the tech fall midway through the third period.
”Arm bars and tilts weren’t working, but once I started riding legs and putting them in, he was easier to turn,” Campanale said. “I worked some legs and got more bonus points, so I stuck with that. You have to try to get your points when you can.”
Campanale’s win gave the Raiders a 13-10 lead, but it was one that could have been much larger with a Dawson victory.
”It was shocking because Luke can beat that kid,” Campanale said. “He just came out slow and a little cold in the beginning.”
The Raiders kept their win streak going with a pin from junior 215-pounder Max Borisenko, who packed Brian Willet at 1:25. Borisenko needed only 10 seconds to get the takedown and patiently put away his opponent for a 19-10 Hillsborough lead.
Central matched Hillsborough’s surge with a four-bout win streak of its own. The Red Devils won at heavyweight and then from 103 to 119 pounds for a 28-19 lead.
Brad Bormann scored all his points in the third period for a 6-0 decision over Chris Rossi in the heavyweight bout. The Raiders had to forfeit at 103 because Joey DiCarlo hadn’t been cleared by the doctors to wrestle with a broken nose. That tied the match at 19-19.
The 112-pound bout between HHS freshman T.J. Guidice and Spencer Parcel was a tight one, featuring many great battles for position. It was a defensive struggle and Parcel came out on top by a 4-1 score. Guidice escaped early in the second to cut the lead to 2-1 and spent the rest of the bout trying to get the go-ahead takedown. Parcel scored just before the final buzzer when Guidice, who was battling flu and fever, was in desperation mode.
Parcel’s decision gave Central the lead for good. The Red Devils went up by nine when standout 119-pounder Brian Bistis pinned Kyle Yurcisin at 3:26.
The Raiders stayed in the match with a victory in the most exciting bout of the night at 125. Freshman Michael Caver outlasted Bill Vallance in a 6-4 overtime decision, scoring the clincher with 41 seconds left right in front of the Central bench.
Chris Carey put Central back up by nine with a 3-0 decision over Greg Sprofera at 130, but Jesse DiBlasio kept the Raiders alive with a 13-7 win against Alex Schaffer at 135. Hillsborough needed a pin from Nick Detsis at 140 but Central’s Jerry Somma wrapped it up for his team with a 6-1 decision.
”The flu hit us hard and a couple of other little things left us less than 100 percent,” said Molinaro, who was also missing starting 130-pounder Issac Muck. “You have to play the hand you’re dealt. Central is stronger than they were in the beginning of the season. They’re always tough.”
Molinaro acknowledged that Dawson’s loss was a surprise, but he was proud of the way his team bounced back. The Raiders won six bouts and nearly pulled it out.
”That was a big deal, they’re not used to seeing that,” Molinaro said. “For the most part, they regrouped as best they could. Look at the guys who stepped up. It just wasn’t enough tonight.”
The Raiders swept their first quad of the season by a combined margin of 164-41 Saturday. HHS knocked off Emerson Park (40-21), Demarest (68-3) and Pascack Hills (56-17) to take a 13-8 record into the state power points seeding.
DiCarlo returned to the lineup at 103 and posted two falls and a major decision. Muck also came back with a perfect 3-0 day that included two pins. Will Goddiess, Dawson and Leon also went 3-0. Dawson and Leon had two pins.
Guidice (112) swept his three bouts with a pin, major and decision. Brian Biglin went 2-0 with two falls at 189. Caver went 2-1 with two pins. Other Raiders who contributed to the impressive sweep with winning days were Borisenko (2-1 with 2 falls), George Goddiess (2-1 with 1 pin) and Detsis (2-1 with 1 pin). Yurcisin, Matt Millemann also posted wins on the mat, while Rossi and Dave Montagna added victories by forfeit.
The Raiders were scheduled to wrestle at East Brunswick in a light week of action to get ready for the state team playoffs.