by Rudy Brandl, Sports Editor
Manville High’s winter season was much more productive and exciting than the previous year when the school produced only nine total victories. Although all three varsity teams finished well below .500 again, both boys’ squads made considerable improvement.
The final records of the wrestling and boys’ basketball teams didn’t reflect how much they actually improved. Both teams were much more competitive and did not suffer nearly as many lopsided losses. In fact, the boys’ basketball team (6-17) probably should have won five more games and the wrestling team (7-20) could have added six victories with a full lineup.
Lack of healthy bodies prevented both teams from winning more. The wrestlers gave away 18 to 24 points on three or four forfeits per match, while the cagers missed key players in half of their games.
Many of the athletes who starred during the winter have started their preparation for the spring season. The baseball and softball teams are getting ready for action on the diamond, while the track and field athletes have started their workouts.
Before we start talking about those teams, let’s take one look back at the basketball and wrestling highlights in my Manville High Winter Athletic Awards:
Best Team Wrestling. The Mustangs still have work to do, but they made their biggest one-year move of the decade by winning seven dual meets and performing well in tournaments. The wrestlers were the school’s only team to capture a title when they won the Rutgers Prep Tournament in January.
Manville boasted three 20-win wrestlers for the first time this decade Devin Burke, Peter Hando and Nick Janner all underclassmen. Burke and senior Kevin Sellar won titles at the Holmdel Tournament to help the Mustangs finish a respectable seventh in a field of much larger schools. Janner finished second in Somerset County and fourth in District 18. Sellar and Hando also placed fourth in the district.
Best Athlete Devin Burke, wrestling. The sophomore 112-pounder tied a school record shared by two of the finest wrestlers and overall athletes in school history. Burke won 27 bouts to tie Frank Passe Jr. and John Perone for the most mat victories in a single season. Burke (27-8) also won titles at the Holmdel Tournament and Rutgers Prep Tournament. With 43 wins in his first two seasons, Burke almost halfway to Passe’s school record for career victories (88).
Best Coach Pat Gorbatuk, wrestling. The second-year head man continued his rebuilding process with another big move in the right direction. The Mustangs won two more matches than the previous year despite giving away three or four bouts per match. Gorbatuk also upgraded the schedule to include a school record 27 regular season matches. He also had them prepared for tournament wrestling, no matter how stiff the competition.
Most Improved Athlete Nick Janner, wrestling. After winning just four bouts as a freshman, Janner emerged as one of the stars of the team with 21 victories this winter. Janner made a surprising run to the Somerset County finals at 130 pounds with upsets of the second and third seeds. He rallied late in the championship match but fell short and settled for second place. Later in the season, Janner fell just short of a trip to the Region 5 Tournament when he finished fourth in District 18.
Honorable mention to fellow wrestlers Ernest Yakobchuk and David Olmsted, who combined for just three wins last year and posted 18 and 14, respectively, this winter.
Most Exciting Moments The girls’ basketball team enjoyed one afternoon in the sun, a Monday home matinee in which the Lady Mustangs posted their lone victory over Sussex Tech they ran the floor, hit jumpers and played with confidence in a 49-29 romp; the boys’ basketball team provided a few thrills, but their most satisfying home win came against Belvidere on a night when tempers flared and the crowd got into it; emotions were even more intense, both on the court and in the stands, when Bound Brook came to town on Friday the 13th in February, a wild night when the Mustangs rallied but fell short in their home finale; the wrestling team thrilled its home fans in victory and defeat with a win over New Brunswick in January and in a loss to Butler that came down to the sixth tie-breaking criterion in February; Devin Burke tied the school record for wrestling wins in a single season with a major decision in the home match vs. Holmdel; and freshman Peter Hando sent shock waves through the Hillsborough High gym when he nearly flattened heavily favored top seed Gabe Gleason of Bound Brook in the District 18 semifinals.
Best Game Performances Senior Matt Zangara got out of his sick bed and came off the bench to score a career-high 29 points in less than three-quarters of a game in the home finale vs. Bound Brook, including 11 in a span 1:14 in the third quarter; classmate Dan Pierrot, the team’s leading scorer, pumped in 25 points in the season ending loss at Perth Amboy Tech; Amy Evanylo posted a double-double with 14 points and 10 rebounds in the girls’ basketball team’s loss to Roselle Park; Dana Mortensen fired in 15 points to lead the MHS girls to their only victory of the season over Sussex Tech; sophomore Nick Janner upset two higher-seeded wrestlers en route to a second place finish in the Somerset County Championships; freshman Peter Hando avenged a prior loss to win his first District 18 bout and advance to the semifinals; and senior wrestler Kevin Sellar showed true heart and courage by continuing to compete with a separated shoulder in the District 18 Tournament, where he finished fourth.
Freshman Phenoms Wrestlers Peter Hando, Ian DeFalco, Clint Raver and Alex Agans.
Sophomore Sensations Wrestlers Devin Burke, Nick Janner, Ernest Yakobchuk and David Castro; and basketball players Matias Gualtieri, Mike Hopkins, Richie Kloskowski, Karol Blicharz, Kate Pornovets, Christine Pohl and Cara Alpaugh.
Junior Jewels Basketball players Amy Evanylo, Dana Mortensen and Doug Bradley; and wrestlers David Olmsted and Scott Alpizar.
Senior Stars Basketball players Dan Pierrot, Matt Zangara, Eric Hall and Kim Jones; and wrestler Kevin Sellar.

