By Jeff Appelblatt
It couldn’t have been what Bryan McLaughlin had hoped for when the 170-pound senior was dropped in the semifinals at the University of Delaware at the annual Beast of the East wrestling tournament.
McLaughlin, who will attend Drexel University in the fall, has never been satisfied if he doesn’t take home the title in any match he’s in. The attempt for first place, however, was interrupted when Mikey Labriola of Bethlehem Catholic High School took care of the Woodbridge High School senior in the event’s semifinal round.
The first day at the distinguished two-day event Dec. 17-18 in the Bob Carpenter Center was full of impressive victories for McLaughlin. He followed his first-round bye with an 11-0 major decision over Cole Kreshpane from Delbarton School. Then he dominated Gage Levine from Christiansburg High School, 15-0, through a 5:20 technical fall.
But the momentum couldn’t carry McLaughlin through Dec. 18, when he had to take on Labriola, who moved on to face Don Bosco Preparatory High School’s Dom Mandarino. Labriola went on to win the 170-pound category, dropping Mandarino in just under six minutes.
A bunch of wins on the first day couldn’t get McLaughlin’s teammate, Alex LaGrippo, through Dec. 18 either. The 285-pound heavyweight defeated Delbarton’s Will Smart and Grassfield High School’s Trevor Burns in the early rounds before falling to Kevin Vough from Elyria High School, 5-3 in the semifinals.
Vough went on to the final round, where he lost a tight, 9-8 decision to Seth Janney of Malvern Preparatory School.
Woodbridge will have its first regular-season match Dec. 21 on its home mats, when Sayreville War Memorial High School sends it team over for a 7 p.m. bout.