Justin Feil

By: centraljersey.com
Sam Shonk started his season slowly, just as he sometimes does in his matches, but he has come on strong, just like in his matches.
The Allentown High School senior is one of three place-winners to advance to the Region 7 tournament after finishing in the top three at the District 25 tournament Saturday. Shonk reached the finals at 140 pounds before falling to Wayne Stinson of Northern Burlington.
"It’s good," said Shonk, who improved to 19-8. "It’s my last year and everything."
Shonk advanced along with 171-pounder Ross Scheuerman, named the district’s Most Outstanding Wrestler, and 103-pounder James Mottram to the Region 7 tournament that began Tuesday with the preliminary round.
"I felt good about it," said Allentown head coach Larry Kimport. "We had three kids advance to regions. We had six make it to the semifinals.
"Sam, Ross, and James Mottram, I expected those three to do it. I was sort of hoping for Frank Juba at 215 and Lenny Gigantino at 125 too, but he was a point away."
The Redbirds finished fifth in the team standings with 97 points, less than three points out of fourth place.
"Our team, we never had a full lineup," Shonk said. "If we did, I think we probably would have won it."
Scheuerman repeated as district champion with a pin in 1:25 of Northern Burlington’s Chase Potocny at 171 pounds. Scheuerman will be looking for another trip to Atlantic City for the Tournament of Champions. As a district champ, he has a bye to Friday’s quarterfinals.
"He just mowed through his weight class with all pins," Kimport said. "The regions are going to be a lot stiffer."
Scheuerman is 24-0 after a perfect districts. He was sixth in the state last year, but isn’t skipping any steps to get back to AC.
"He’s smart in the sense, he’s not looking at Atlantic City right now," Kimport said. "He’s looking at the next six minutes. That’s why he’s so formidable. He does not make errors, which is one of the great things about him."
Mottram is a freshman who advanced to his first region tournament after placing second to Matt Carr of New Egypt. Mottram was flawless otherwise while improving to 23-5.
"He wrestled real tough," Kimport said. "He just has a devil of a time getting around that Matt Carr kid.
"He has to wrestle (Tuesday) night to earn a berth in the final eight. He has a good chance to move on. He’s 23-5 and three losses are to Carr."
Shonk’s finals loss came against a state qualifier from a year ago, but he made sure that he made it to regions for the second time in his career. He missed out by one place last season, but also placed at districts as a sophomore. He’s progressed steadily through this year.
"He had a real rough start, but he’s 19-8," Kimport said. "Four of those eight losses were in the opening two weeks back in December. I’ve used him hard. He’s been at 145 and even 152. I move him around, which has been hard on him.
"He has started all four years," he added. "He has an odd style of wrestling. He’s unorthodox. He’s a slow starter. He wrestles better in the last half of the match. He often falls behind. I wish he used more of his offense because he does have good offense."
Shonk’s top sport is football, where he played defensive back and slot receiver for the Redbirds. He hopes to play football at Massachusetts Maritime Academy next year, but is looking for a strong finish to his wrestling career.
"I like football a lot more, but I like wrestling too," Shonk said. "I like being a part of a team.
"I would like to keep going on because it is my last year."
Shonk doesn’t wrestle year-round, which is how he explains his slow start to the season. He wishes he had a few more wins this season, but it didn’t take him too long to shake off the rust and is finishing well, just as he does in matches when he falls behind.
"I guess when I see I’m losing," Shonk said, "it makes me want to win more."