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MANVILLE: Wrestlers reach a goal

Victory over Pingry is No. 6 for season

by Rudy Brandl, Sports Editor
   One of the Manville High wrestling team’s primary goals before the 2008-2009 season was to win more regular season matches than last season.
   With injuries and other factors creating a few holes in the starting lineup, the Mustangs have been forced to pick up their game in the second half of the season to reach that objective. The Mustangs, although short-handed, saw an opportunity to break last year’s win mark in last week’s matinee match at The Pingry School in Martinsville.
   When a team is giving away three or four bouts, it’s tough to count on team wins. Just to draw even, the Mustangs needed to win seven of the remaining 10 bouts.
   They did better than that at Pingry. After a slow start, Manville elevated its intensity and captured its sixth victory of the season with a 55-21 triumph.
   ”We’ve been battling back, that’s really been the theme,” MHS head coach Pat Gorbatuk said afterward. “We always know we’re giving up 18 to 24 points. We’ve almost become programmed to do that. It’s nice to know we beat a team by three points last year and by more than 30 this year. That shows the improvement and progress this team has made.”
   The Mustangs fell into a 9-0 hole after the first two bouts at 152 and 160 pounds, both of which could have gone either way. Gorbatuk didn’t panic because he had a little comfort zone since his team won the toss and controlled most of the key bouts later in the match. He used this advantage and employed very smart strategy to help his team gain points.
   ”I wasn’t happy with the way it started, but I knew we won the toss so we’d be alright,” Gorbatuk said. “I had faith from 112 (pounds) on up in the lineup.”
   Senior 171-pounder Kevin Sellar, who just returned from a two-week absence with a separated shoulder injury suffered in the Somerset County Tournament, made a huge difference in the match. Sellar got the Mustangs going with a big pin at 3:36.
   Sellar and Pingry’s Abram Bernstein battled through a tough first period. Sellar scored a late takedown but Bernstein reversed just before the buzzer so the bout was tied entering the second period. Bernstein chose bottom and that proved to be a mistake. Sellar rode him hard and finally turned him over for the fall with 24 seconds left in the period.
   ”I was just thinking I had to win,” Sellar said. “He was trying to do something and I caught him. Once I get somebody in that position, I’ll finish him nine out of 10 times.”
   Sellar’s return gave the Mustangs six points they would have given away. Gorbatuk valued more than just the points. Having a key senior back in the lineup was a huge plus.
   ”Kevin’s return this week completely ignited the team,” Gorbatuk said. “He wrestled with nothing but guts against Bound Brook and he came out and did it again today.”
   Two of Pingry’s better wrestlers weighed in at 189, so Gorbatuk figured he’d forfeit those two bouts and take six free points with sophomore 215-pounder David Castro, who bumped to heavyweight to accept the six points. Pingry held a 21-12 lead after those forfeits as the match turned over to the lightweights at 103 pounds.
   Manville dominated the rest of the match, winning eight straight bouts to close it out. The run started with a gritty victory from freshman 103-pounder Clint Raver, who blanked Dan Abend in a 9-0 major. Raver took charge with a five-point first period and added a takedown in the second and reversal in the third to cap his scoring.
   ”Clint has had a tough stretch and I certainly like that he won today,” Gorbatuk said. “He kept his focus and took care of business.”
   Pingry wanted no part of sophomore 112-pounder Devin Burke, whose forfeit victory gave the Mustangs their first lead at 22-21.
   MHS freshman Ian DeFalco also won a pivotal bout against Sergio Gomez at 119. DeFalco got the first takedown but neither wrestler could hold down the other in a first period that ended with a 6-4 lead. DeFalco opened it up with a big five-point move late in the second and kept wrestling until the final buzzer to produce a solid 16-9 decision.
   ”Ian DeFalco is tough as nails,” Gorbatuk said. “When he learns more, he’s going to be somebody to watch out for.”
   The Mustangs padded their lead with three falls and two forfeits in the final five bouts. After sophomore Ernest Yakobchuk took a forfeit at 125, junior David Olmsted flattened Ratish Malhotra in 3:04 at 130 pounds. Olmsted built a 4-0 lead during a dominant ride in the first period. Malhotra chose neutral to start the second and tried to get back in it with a takedown but Olmsted overpowered him on a scramble and put him to his back for the fall.
   ”I just tried working with what I knew,” Olmsted said. “I tried to get in that Peterson position so I could stick him. I eventually got him to his back. I just took what he gave me.”
   Nick Janner, the team’s surprising sophomore middleweight, clinched the team triumph with a quick pin of Kevin Fischer at 1:17. Janner, the county runner-up at 130 pounds, bumped to 135 and added six quick team points to put the match out of reach.
   Manville freshman Peter Hando added a fitting exclamation point to the team’s victory by pinning Robby Allen at 5:53. Trailing for most of the bout, Hando rallied in the third period and wore down his opponent. He finally got a takedown to take the lead in the final minute but wasn’t content with a decision. Hando locked Allen in a cradle and the official slapped the mat with seven seconds remaining.
   ”I just dug deep,” Hando said. “I wasn’t doing that the whole match. I wasn’t wrestling like myself but at the end I saw the scoreboard and I wasn’t happy. I started getting worried, so I had to dig deeper.”
   The Mustangs won six of the eight contested bouts and enjoyed a 31-9 edge in team points on the mat.
   ”We wanted to win today to get No. 6,” Sellar said. “We wanted to beat last year’s total. That was one of our goals before the season.”
   ”They say the monkey’s off your back when you achieve a goal,” Gorbatuk said “I don’t feel satisfied. You always want more. We don’t want to be satisfied winning one more match. We want to try to win another one. The way we define our season is how we finish.”