For the second straight year, Howell High School’s bid to win the NJSIAA Central Jersey Group IV team wrestling championship was denied by Jackson Memorial High School. Coach John Gagliano’s Rebels lost the showdown in Jackson on Feb. 11, 36-21.
“We just didn’t wrestle to our potential,” said Gagliano. “A couple of matches we thought would go our way didn’t. Jackson out-wrestled us.”
Key victories in the middle weights fueled the Jaguars’ victory before a packed house.
The match started at 103 pounds and Jackson Memorial grabbed the early lead as expected. Apin at 112 by Ben Esposito limited the damage for the Rebels.
But it all came apart for the Rebels at 135 and 140, matches they figured to win.
Cole Cameron let a 2-0 lead slip away in the final minute against Dylan McLaughlin, and lost in overtime, 6-2. Mike Shaughnessy wasted a 5-1 lead going into the third period and lost to Randy Royle, 9-6.
Jackson Memorial’s Joe Bartolini followed with a 15-3 major decision over Ashanti Maurice at 145, and the Jaguars had a commanding 24-6 lead.
Zach Bohm (152), Cody Kirk (160) and Matt Sulkowski (171) came through with wins for Howell, but Dallas Winston put the final nail in the coffin, winning by pin at 189 to clinch the sectional crown.
John Hlava scored Howell’s final points with a pin at 215.
Jackson Memorial went on to win its fourth NJSIAA Group IV state championship on Feb. 13 at the Poland Spring Arena in Toms River. The Jaguars defeated Southern Regional, 27-24, in the semifinals and Phillipsburg, 34-24, in the final. For Howell, which is still searching for its first state sectional title, the loss to the Jaguars came on the heels of one of the program’s finest victories, 33-29 over South Brunswick in the semifinals on Feb. 9.
South Brunswick had defeated Howell earlier in the season, 39-22, and raced out to a 17-0 lead in the sectional semis. Things looked bleak for Howell before John Hlava recorded a major decision, 11-2, at 215.
In the heavyweight bout that followed, Bryan Sherlotti was facing the Vikings’ Kevin Moses, who had pinned him in the teams’ December dual meet.
The two heavyweights took turns putting each other on the mat, but it was Moses who was in charge, leading 12-9 with under :10 left in the match. Somehow, Sherlotti found the strength to throw Moses to the mat and pinned him.
“That was a huge momentum swing,” Gagliano said of Sherlotti’s pin. “He (Sherlotti) has really grown. He’s gained a lot of experience since that first match.”
Jimmy Slendorn followed with a pin at 103 and just like that it was 17-16.
Matt Lindeman (119) and Joey Schultz (125) won by decision to put Howell up for the first time, 22-20. South Brunswick went back in front, 23-22, on Steven Mastro’s decision at 130.
Cameron took just 36 seconds to win by a pin, and Howell was up 28-23.
Shaughnessy took the mat with the chance to put it away for the Rebels and that is what he did, with a technical fall, 22-7, that made the team score 33-23. The Rebels forfeited the final bout at 145.
Howell, which was the No. 3 seed in the state team sectionals, began the tournament with a 51-9 win over Montgomery in the quarterfinals in Howell on Feb. 7.