Rugo, Juba, Carr each advance
By Ken Weingartner, Special Writer
Needing a win to extend his season, Alec Rugo threw caution to the wind.
Rugo, a junior wrestler at Allentown High, used a move he learned only days earlier and had never tried in a match to score the winning escape with three seconds to go in his bout against Cherry Hill East’s Carmen Ditore and claim third place at 170 pounds in the Region VII tournament.
The top three finishers in each weight class advanced to this weekend’s state tournament in Atlantic City’s Boardwalk Hall. Everyone else saw their seasons come to an end.
Rugo will be joined by teammate Frank Juba, who finished third at 195, in heading to the shore. Also advancing from the area was New Egypt’s Matt Carr, who finished second at 106.
Seeded seventh at 170, Rugo had lost two previous meetings with Ditore, the second seed, including a 7-4 decision in the regional quarterfinals. Rugo needed to win two consolation rounds to get another shot at Ditore in the third-place bout.
”I’d tried everything and (Ditore) just kept ramming me down,” Rugo said about the final moments of his 4-3 win in the consolation final. “He knew what I did, so I figured I’d try another tactic. It worked.
”I was thinking this kid wants it so bad because he’s a senior, but he beat me twice already. The third time is a charm.”
One bout later, an inspired Juba went out and won 6-3 over Moorestown’s Tyreek Smith to finish third at 195.
”To see (Rugo) win, I wanted to go with him,” Juba said. “It pumped me up a lot. He’s like my best friend and I wanted for the two of us to be going to states. Hopefully, we’ll get as far as possible.”
Juba, who was seeded third, lost a 4-3 decision in the semis to Haddon Heights’ Padric Lynch, the No. 2 seed.
”That semifinal was a tough match,” Juba said. “There were some rough calls, but I knew I could still make it to third. I was confident all day and I just went out there and did what I had to do.”
Rugo, who is 28-7, and Juba, who is 28-6, both were District 25 champions as well as Mercer County Tournament champs this season. After the MCT, Allentown coach Larry Kimport gave them a nickname: Team Jugo.
Now, Team Jugo is getting ready for one final trip.
”I’m just going to have fun at states,” Rugo said, echoing Juba’s sentiments. “I’m going to work as hard as I can; I know I deserve to go there.”
Added Juba, “We’ll work as hard as possible and see where it goes.”
Carr was guaranteed a trip to Atlantic City after his 3-2 win over Robbinsville’s Chris Tan in the semis at 106. Tan, a sophomore who was seeded fourth, later lost the third-place bout to Maple Shade’s Joe Ansbro. Carr lost the final to Camden Catholic’s Tyler McBride.
”I just really wanted to go to AC,” said Carr, who finished fourth in the region last season. “That was my goal, no matter where I placed. I went out there and I wrestled. (McBride) was fast on his feet and a tough rider, but win or lose I knew I was going to AC, so the pressure was off.
”But I took second, so I think I did well. This is going to help me get ready for next week.”

